Fantastic Four and The Atom Vs. Doctor Doom

 

Another day, another riff on one of my favorite comic issues.  "Terror in a Tiny Town" was a real highlight during John  Byrne's stint on the FF.  Doctor Doom had a lot of twisted plans against Reed Richards and company, and this one was truly epic.

The Fantastic Four and The Atom first crossed paths in STF #1499... and The Atom first clashed with Doctor Doom way back in STF #80.

I... Vampire and Storm

 

I remember really enjoying the Annual where the X-Men went up against Dracula.  It was just so different from the usual mutant based tales that we normally got.  It was another reminder of the versatility of the characters - they could fit into any genre from standard superhero fare to science fiction to a straight up horror story.  

Dr. Fate Vs. The Red Skull

 

This is definitely a match up that I would like to see, if only to see Fate open up a can of whoopass on the Skull by the end of the tale.

I am glad to use a Red Skull image hereby the very talented Ron Garney.  I was lucky enough to pick up an original page by him several years back:

Robocop and Dirty Harry

 

Robocop's partners seemed to have a tough time keeping up with him, and Harry Callahan's partners often didn't even survive the movies they were in.   Perhaps the most effective team would have them working alongside one another.  I know that if these two were patrolling my neighborhood, I'd make sure to not so much as even jaywalk.  I wouldn't want to get on their bad side.

Usagi Yojimbo Vs. Storm Shadow

 

We had a couple of bunny rabbits when I was growing up.  They were so calm and docile that it's hard for me to imagine them ever mastering martial arts.  Actually, one of them, Abraham, was quite adept at escaping his pen and hiding, I remember one winter during a blizzard the whole family looking for him, It turned out he was right under the front deck the whole time.  So I guess he did have some ninja capabilities after all. 

West Coast Avengers Vs. The Fatal Five

 

The wonderfully creepy Fatal Five was always a welcome sight in the Legion of Super-Heroes stories that I read growing up.  Easily my favorite LSH villains, I wish they had battled other teams in the DCU more regularly.  How do you think they would have fared against the WCA?

Ambush Bug Vs. She-Hulk

 

They're both green, they both have fun exploring different comic tropes and clichés, and they both like to break the fourth wall in the middle of their stories - it was only natural that they cross paths eventually.  I can only imagine the antics that would ensue.

Aquaman and The Defenders

 

Aquaman last battled Attuma in STF #2828

Aquaman and Namor have also a bit of history on this blog.  They last met trying battling Mer-Mutates in STF #2270, tried to avert war in Issue #1105, faced the sea's wrath back in Issue #751 and starred in my very first STF two-parter in Issue #3 and Issue #4.

Cyborg Vs. The Terminator

 

For the conclusion of this 2-Part Epic, we see that getting an infusion of Skynet tech only leads to more problems!  Let's hope that Vic Stone is able to purge the evil programming from his systems and shut down the evil corporation for good!

Here's a behind the scenes look at the process.  I couldn't find a clean, text free version of the Terminator cover that I chose to use, so I had to make it myself before adding Cyborg in:

The New Teen Titans and Mr. Fantastic

 

Presenting Part One of a Two-Part Epic!  The Titans met Reed Richards back in STF #2367, so it's only natural they come to him for technical expertise... but wait a minute - what's up with these "new partners" of his? Make sure you come back tomorrow for the thrilling conclusion!

Black Lightning and Iron Man

 

There's still plenty of talk of bringing Tony Stark back to the MCU, either as an AI program in Armor Wars or Ironheart or back to life in one of the upcoming Avengers movies due to the machinations of Kang.  If Marvel Studios goes through with this, I hope they are very careful about it.  I'd hate to see his emotional sacrifice from Avengers: Endgame undermined.  Robert Downey Jr. isn't getting any younger either, he'll be in his 60's by the time the next Avengers movies are released.  Time will tell if any of this actually comes to pass, I just hope plenty of thought is given if they go this route.

Catwoman and Thor

 

Catwoman has been known to break into some pretty high security places in her career - but one under the protection of a Thunder God may give even her a challenge.  Then again, knowledge is power, so if she does indeed find the secrets she is looking for, that may give her just the advantage she needs.

Cheetah Vs. Black Cat

 

Here's another match up that's been long overdue on this blog.  It's also another opportunity to present another behind the scenes peek at the process.  In this case, there was a little background rebuilding to be done before Barbara Minerva could be added in: 

Justice League of America Vs. Duck Dodgers

 

The Duck Dodgers shorts are among my favorite Daffy Duck appearances.  Like all kids, I loved the Looney Tunes characters, and I was fascinated with outer space epics once Star Wars hit the scene in 1977 - so anything that combined the two was sure to appeal to my young eyes.  Heck, they still appeal to my rapidly aging eyes!

Chewbacca and The Fur Force (The Animated Series!)

 

For the return of these fur-covered crusaders, I thought that it might be interesting to see what a cartoon featuring them might be like.  I also added a new member.  

Chewbacca and The Fur Force first appeared in STF #1258...

Supergirl and Medusa

 I name dropped Jimmy The Hutt back on the cover of STF #3134, and for some reason the concept stuck with me.  It was just so ridiculous of an idea and yet a transformation that I could imagine the Silver Age Jimmy Olsen getting himself into, that I just had to see if I could make it a reality. So, this is me finally getting around to that.

Indiana Jones and Challengers of the Unknown

 

Challenging the unknown sounds like a good description for the adventures that Indiana Jones gets into, so he would probably fit right in with these adventurers.  Of course, the real unknown is whether he can provide audiences with a thrilling adventure as he enters his 80's.  I guess we will all find out soon enough!

Indiana Jones on this cover is from an image by the very talented Jackson Guice.  I was lucky enough to pick up an original page of his several years back:

Spider-Man and The Joker

 

I loved the scene in Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker where Terry McGinness starts cracking jokes against the Clown Prince of Crime, which enrages him.  It made me think that a similar confrontation with Spider-Man would be fun to watch play out. Spidey is known for using his quick banter and humor to unsettle his opponents, and it would be cool to see the tactic used against The Joker. I remember The Joker appearing in one of the real life Batman/Spidey crossovers, but I forget if we saw a moment like that in it... Maybe I'll have to dig through the old collection to find out.

The Phantom and Fin Fang Foom

 

I thought that it might be interesting to have these two as allies rather than combatants.  The phantom mantle has been passed down as long or longer as Foom has been in operation, so they may even have some shared history together.  I'd like to see the threat that requires their cooperation.

Nightwing and Gambit

 

When Robert Jackson, a Patron of this blog, suggested this pairing, I was surprised that I had not gotten to it yet, it really does seem like a natural.  So, thank you, Robert!  There's lots of speculation as to who will play each character on the big screen, but I think it will be some time before we see either.  Dick Grayson needs at least one movie as Robin before changing his super-heroic identity if they want to do his story justice, and while Gambit is cool, he certainly should not be among the first group of X-Men introduced (though I do like the suggestion of Austin Butler for the role).