Lando Calrissian, Mister Terrific and The Thing

I am glad to see that these three characters are finally getting some time back in the spotlight.  After being sidelined due to movie rights haggling and reduced to being a guest star in Guardians of the Galaxy, Ben Grimm will finally be starring in a title of his own, a revival of Marvel-Two-In-One (hopefully with a rotating roster of guest stars instead of just the announced Johnny Storm).  Mr. Terrific will be heading up The Terrifics, which will also include Metamorpho, Plastic Man and Phantom Girl - which sounds like it will be very ccol and fun.  Finally, Lando Calrissian will be blasting back to the silver screen alongside a young Han Solo.  I look forward to seeing what Donald Glover does in the role.

The Spectre and Deadpool

Images of Domino from the Deadpool sequel have been released, and she looks quite different from her comic book counterpart.  If the images hadn't been labeled I wouldn't have guessed she was Domino at first glance.  It's kind of surprising, considering how faithful Deadpool and Colossus looked in the first film.   I left the X-books well before Domino became popular, so the visual change is not a deal breaker for me, thouhg/

Wonder Woman and Captain America in: "Anniversary With Ares!"

I was glad to see Themyscira and the Amazons appear in the Justice League trailer.  The Paradise Island scenes were some of my favorite from Wonder Woman and it's cool that we will not have to wait for the sequel to see a little more of that world.

This marks the sweet sixteenth appearance of the WW/Cap team...

Captain Carrot & The Zoo Crew and Man-Thing

Marvel Studios redeemed Daredevil and The Punisher after some misguided theatrical attempts, why not Man-Thing?  They can't let that Syfy movie be his only live action representation.  Where would he show up though?  A Doctor Strange sequel might be a good place.  I'd love for them to find a way to have him mix it up with The Hulk, too (and indeed, his visage was spotted in the trailer for Thor: Ragnarok).

Dick Tracy and Batman in: "A Cop in the Cave!"

I recently completed re-watching the Beware The Batman animated series, and I quite enjoyed it again.  The CGI was very good on the characters, although skimpy background details often make it look like Gotham was a big abandoned city.  I liked the use of some of Batman 's lesser known rogues, giving characters like Anarky and Magpie a chance to shine.  I really wish the series had continued because the seeds for Harvey Den't transformation into Two-Face and a full fledged Batman and the Outsiders team were planted, and I would have loved to have seen those plot lines followed through.

Dick Tracy first Met the Caped Crusader back in one of my early MS Paint B&B covers...

Superman and The Micronauts

The Micronauts was a comic based on a toy, and I enjoyed both as a kid.  The comic had great artwork and Marvel guest stars and the toys were some of the coolest of my youth.  I wonder why there was never an animated series featuring the characters - I can only imagine comic and toy sales would have been even better had there been one.

Katana and Valkyrie

I was hoping to see Tessa Thompson in the classic blue/black outfit with the breastplates during her turn as Valkyrie in the upcoming Thor: Ragnarok.  Alas, judging by the trailer,  they kept the blue cape but not much else.  I was pleasantly surprised to see that she will eventually make a change into a costume that very closely resembles her white and gold outfit that she wore for a time in The Defenders, so that will be pretty cool.

Indiana Jones and The Human Torch

Are all Human Torches off-limits for Marvel to use in their movies, or is it just Johnny Storm?  We see a Jim Hammond-type robot at the World's Fair in Captain America: The First Avenger after all.  I always kind of preferred the original Torch anyway.  I'd love to see him in full blazing action, maybe in an untold adventure from Cap's WWII years.

Green Arrow and Daredevil & Black Widow

Presenting the conclusion to yesterday's tale....

The one Marvel hero that I really want to cross over from the movies to Netflix is Black Widow.  I loved the era when she shared Daredevil's comic with him and think it would be very cool to see a live action version.

Green Arrow crossed paths with these two in STF #1666, and had a solo adventure with DD in STF #590...

Black Canary Vs. The Punisher

I was Glad to see Jon Bernthal's Punisher make an appearance at the end of the trailer for Netflix' upcoming Defenders series.  I can't wait to see all of the characters they have introduced on their shows meet and interact - having Frank Castle involved in some way will ensure that there will be plenty of conflict, even if they all have a common enemy.

This is only Part One of a Two-Part Epic, so make sure you come back tomorrow for the thrilling conclusion!

Spider-Man and Supergirl (The Movie!)

The movie Supergirl did not receive the critical acclaim of the first two Superman films, but there are some positive aspects to it.  Helen Slater was engaging as Supergirl and I quite like the opening twenty minutes or so (on the extended edition) before she gets to Earth.  Some of the flying sequences are really done well.  With less campy villains, more action in the third act and a proper appearance by Christopher Reeve, the film might have been a much larger hit.

Supergirl and Spidey once shared a more traditional comic adventure on the blog....

Deadman and Iron Man

With all the starts and stops in the DC movie plans, it was good to hear that Justice League Dark is still on the roster from news out of Comicon.  It will be great - and long overdue - to see Deadman in live action.  Meanwhile, on the Marvel side, the villains of the upcoming Captain Marvel will be The Skrulls, which opens up lots of possibilities.  Could one of the heroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe secretly be a Skrull in disguise?  This might be a way to replace someone like Robert Downey Jr. or Chris Evans if they leave their roles.

Starfire and Storm

I am interested to see how Starfire will be portrayed on the upcoming Titans live action series.  There have been a lot of different characterizations in the comics and animation, and I hope that they strike the right balance.  She should be a little naive about Earth culture, but not to the point of coming off as an idiot.  She should be portrayed as a beautiful free spirit, but never as easy or slutty either. She has to know how to summon her warrior side as well.  George Perez and Marv Wolfman knew what they were doing, the producers need only to look at their take on the character.

The Ugly Bunch

Ever since Ban Grimm was transformed into a rock creature but maintained his heart, determination and humor as The Thing, I have always been attracted to non-human looking comic characters.  I think the fact that their appearances are so extreme allows readers of all kinds to somehow identify with them in a way they might not with a standard good-looking superhero. Plus, the just look really cool!

The formation of this team was gradual - Kilowog met Wonder Wart-Hog in STF #511... who then wete joined by Metamorpho and Warlock in the next issue...   Kilowog met Beta Ray Bill in STF #1059... and Death's Head joins them all this very issue!

Image Hosting Sites - Any Recommendations?

So, Photobucket, which hosts the images that I use on this blog, has changed its terms of service.  They will now only offer Third Party Hosting (which allows me to post images here) with their highest level membership.  Right now, I use their "Plus 20" plan, which is perfect for me - after seven years I am still using under 2% of my memory - and reasonable at $40/year.

But now they want me to upgrade to the "Plus 500" plan, which has 25 times more storage (which I will never use) at a cost of $400/year.  That's right, they are charging ten times more, or all the images disappear from the blog.  Thankfully, since I am on one of the "Plus" plans, my Third Party Hosting is grandfathered in until the end of my current subscription, several months away, so the blog is safe for now ( a lot of folks found out about this by waking up to find their websites ruined).

So, I am asking af anyone knows of any other image hosting sites out there that are more reasonable. I don't really want to have to re-post 2500 images, but I hate having to give in to Photobucket's ransomware, either, so i would be nice to have other options.

Robotman Vs. The Wrecking Crew

The New Thor: Ragnarok trailer gave us our best look yet at Hela and The Executioner, and they look great alongside Valkyrie, Loki, the Grandmaster and Surtur.  Part of me still longs to see Thor's more Earth-bound antagonists, The Wreckng Crew.  Their enchanted weapons and numbers make them a threat to the Thunder God, and their personalities and motivations are decidedly different from the foes he has face thus far on the big screen.  I don't know if a fourth Thor movie will even happen, but if it does, I hope they get their chance.

Legion of Super-Heroes Vs. M.O.D.O.K.

With the popularity of franchises like Harry Potter, Divergent and The Hunger Games, I am surprised DC has not attempted a live action Legion of Superheroes movie or TV series.  Teenagers with amazing abilities and powers seem to be all the rage these days.  Perhaps they are too expensive for a TV budget and the movie side wants to perfect their Superman before presenting any spin offs.

Justice League of America and Justice Machine

The new Justice League trailer has been released and it looks like they are addressing a lot of the issues that folks have had with DCEU films up until Wonder Woman.  It definitely has a lighter tone and brighter visual palette.  I am still not sold on the Flash costume, but the rest look pretty good to me.  The action looks amazing, hopefully they will have a solid story to give it all heart and meaning.

Machine Man Vs. Plastic Man

One is a man that behaves like a cartoon and the other is a machine that acts like a man, definitely an odd couple, but I think it would be a kick to see them interacting with one another.  I was interested to see Plastic Man featured as an upcoming member in promotional art for a new Outsiders series that someone snapped at Comicon.  Not only because he will be teammates with the similarly powered Metamorpho, but because he was sporting a new costume.  I didn't know he could do that, he's had the same look for decades.

Aquaman & Mera and Stingray

Images of Amber Heard as Mera from Justice League and Aquaman have surfaced, and she looks just about perfect.  Jason Mamoa's Aquaman second costume has bees seen as well, and it's looking pretty cool too, closer to the classic orange and green look.  I can't wait to see them in action, especially Mera using her water-controlling abilities.

Stingray had a solo adventure with Aquaman in STF #1612, and they are both members of The Agents of the Abyss... He also had a solo outing with Mera in STF #856...