Silver Surfer, Batman and Evel Knievel

 

Presenting Part One of a Two-Part Epic!  Will this trio of heroes be enough to take on Mephisto?   They'll need to call in another recruit for tomorrow's confrontation, and longtime STF visitors may have an idea as to who...

Batman and the Silver Surfer crossed paths on this blog a couple of times in the past over a decade ago - they first met in 2010 and then starred in a retro tale in 2011...

Make sure you come back tomorrow for the exciting conclusion!

The Graveyard Shift (In The House of Secrets!)

 

The Sandman on Netflix has been renewed for another season, and I look forward to seeing more of Neil Gaiman's tales adapted for live action.  I hope to see more of Cain & Abel and their Houses of Mystery and Secrets, I enjoyed their appearances in the first season.

This is the second appearance of The Graveyard Shift.  They first appeared in STF #3290...

The Rhino Vs. Killer Croc

 

Brutes like these two may not be the most complex villains around, but you can usually count on them to provide some good action scenes.  It might be fun to watch them go up against each other... just don't expect a lot of thought provoking dialogue.

Blue Beetle and Captain America (Vs. The Hate Monger!)

 

A Blue Beetle/Booster Gold buddy movie was one of the many ideas floated by Warner Bros in the last decade that never seemed to go anywhere.  Now that there's new leadership for DCU films and given James Gunn's fondness for everyman type heroes, maybe there's a chance that this one could get back on track. 

Cap last appeared with Ted Kord under a mountain in STF #1741 and they two first met way back in STF #234. Cap met Blue Beetle Dan Garrett in STF #1078... 

Black Panther and Mickey Mouse

 

I haven't had a chance to see Black Panther: Wakanda Forever yet, but I am looking forward to it.  I really liked Shuri and M'Baku from the first film and hope to see them both with larger roles this time around.  I'm still not sold on Namor, we'll see if the writing and performance can overcome the fact that he looks absolutely nothing like the comic book character.

I am very happy to use the work of Fred Hembeck on this cover.  Back in 2008, I commissioned him to recreate one of my all-time favorite covers, and he knocked it out of the park - he even hand drew the logo:

The Fantastic Four and Wonder Woman

 

In the MCU,  Iron Man is off the table and while Tom Holland just signed on for more movies, Spider-Man will still be a shared character with Sony.  Marvel really needs a new "heart and soul" of their cinematic universe.  For me, that has to be Ben Grimm.  The MCU FF can't get here fast enough, and The Thing's look and characterization are hopefully a top priority for the studio.

The Punisher and Nightwing

 

This is another cover in which the final product makes it look like a relatively simple one.  Just plop The Punisher in behind Nightwing, right?  There was a bit more prep work before I could get to that stage though.  Here's a peek behind the process:

Batman & The Outsiders and Ghost Rider in: "Cult of Vengeance!"

 

Howard Mackie and Javier Saltares' relaunch of Ghost Rider in the 90's really made an impression on me.  I remember being disappointed that the series would not revolve around Johnny Blaze, but the Danny Ketch Ghost Rider design was so cool it was hard to resist.  I especially liked the new look for the motorcycle, with its flaming wheels.  Plus, Johnny joined the series soon enough!

Scarlet Witch and Deadman

 

She may have been defeated in Doctor Strange: In the Multiverse of Madness, but we never did see a body so many have suspected that The Scarlet Witch's onscreen adventures are not quite over.  There's been some speculation that she would at least cameo in the Agatha: House of Harkness Disney+ series, and now she is expected to be a part of the recently announced Vision Quest series.  Will she remain a villain or be redeemed?  Is that even possible at this point?

Wildcat and Captain Marvel

 

Mar-Vell is clearly referring here to time Wildcat defeated The Champion in the ring, as depicted in STF #2731.  If anything can bring these mis-matched heroes together it's an intergalactic grudge match that must be dealt with.  

Shazzan and Thor

 

I quite  liked Thor: Ragnarok, and felt that it's injection of color and humor into the franchise struck a nice balance in that film.  Unfortunately, Director Taika Waititi was not able to balance out his follow up, Thor: Love and Thunder quite as well in my opinion.  The humor was far too broad this time around, with Thor going from a character with some funny traits to a complete buffoon.  Natalie Portman is a talented actress, but her attempts at comedy fell flat for me, and clashed with her terminal cancer sub-plot.  It's not a terrible movie, and there are some fun action sequences and a great mid-credits scene - but it felt like it could have used one more pass in the editing stage before sending it to theaters.

Green Lantern and Captain America in "With Liberty and Justice for Oa!"

 

So the GLC show bring prepared for HBO Max and featuring Alan Scott and Guy Gardner is being scrapped in favor of a John Stewart-centric series.  OK, we'll see if that one actually gets off the ground.  In the meantime, what of Hal Jordan?  Will he appear on the big screen again?  Was the Ryan Reynolds movie so reviled that the character has lost his shot at live action for good?

Cap and Hal Jordan battled Arnim Zola and Sinestro in STF #2862.   Cap met the Alan Scott GL in STF #372 and then again in STF #719...

Swamp Thing and The Falcon

 

I loved what artists like Steve Bissette and John Totleben did to evolve Swamp Thing's appearance and make him truly look like a plant elemental.  That said, there's something about Bernie Wrightson's original design for the character that always appealed to me as well.  It was a perfect balance between monster and hero.

Legion of Super-Heroes and Squadron Supreme

 

Getting the LSH on the big screen will face the same hurdles as Shazam!  if you want a series of films, you run the risk of the young actors aging too rapidly and they've already outgrown their roles in a few years. I knw Warner Bros.  is trying to get away from expensive streaming series, but that might be the best solution for such a property.

Deadpool Vs. Lobo

 

This is a crossover that I would love to see actually happen.  I'm not even a very big fan of Lobo, but a story pitting him against the merc with a mouth has a lot of entertaining potential.  I imagine that neither combatant would be very impressed with the other, and the insults would be flying as fast as the fists.

Captain Hero and Power Man & Iron Fist

 

Jughead shouldn't be a stranger to dealing with Solomon Grundy since the undead mobster's sister teaches at Riverdale High, as depicted in STF #850.  Luke Cage has also run into the brute on a solo mission, as depicted in STF #1648. 

It's just been announced that the current season of Stargirl will be the final one.  Let's hope that we get one more Grundy appearance before the show wraps up.

Blackhawk and Sub-Mariner

 

So what was that announcement a couple of years back that Steven Spielberg was interested in helming a Blackhawk movie?  Maybe is was just a passing whim, because I never heard any more about it beyond the original headline.  I'd be shocked if interest in the making the film has remained throughout all of the still-ongoing changes at Warner Bros.  It's too bad, because I'm betting that Spielberg could have done something really special with the property.

Iron Man and Starman in "Space Siege!"

 

Now that I put these two together, I wonder what took me so long, their color schemes match perfectly.  Of course, Iron Man may only just now be encountering Prince Gavyn, but earlier in his career (and on this blog), but he has met the Ted Knight version on three occasions - They battled each other in STF #3240, They joined Black Widow and Black Canary in STF #2491 and first appeared together in STF #2190... 

Sandman and Sleeping Beauty Vs. Freddy Krueger

 

Happy Halloween! Looks like Freddy has found the perfect victim for his particular brand of night terrors.  Little did he know she was under the protection of one Wesley Dodds... but will the mystery man have what it takes to save the princess?

Freddy previously crossed paths with a different Sandman in STF #1016...

Doctor Strange and The Creature Commandos

 

I really enjoyed the Disney+ Werewolf by Night special, but I had to think that once again, Marvel has beaten DC to the punch in bringing the horror corner of its universe to the screen.  The Creature Commandos recently made an fun animated appearance, and I'd love to see a version of them in live action.  Then again, they are just the type of obscure, oddball characters that James Gunn seems to like to work with, so maybe there's a chance now that he's calling the DCU shots.