Batman and Dick Tracy in: "Knight and Day!"

 

Batman and Dick Tracy previously met in STF #1939 and first appeared together way back in a 2010 B&B Cover.... And this is a pairing that I'd love to see a real world crossover with.  Not just a one-shot, either - I think there's potential for an entire mini series here.  Just imagine  Batman and Tracy's rogues galleries going to war with each other, and our two heroes caught in the middle!  I know I would devour a tale like that. Heck, animate it!

Wildcat and Black Cat (Vs. The Red Skull!)

 

I was surprised to find an early Red Skull image from Martin Nodell.  I had always associated him with DC Comics and Green Lantern.  I guess even in the Golden Age, creators would switch back and forth between companies.  Too bad this cover was almost completed before I realized he was the artist, I would have switched out Wildcat for Alan Scott.

I do like these two together, though.  They first met in STF #2875...

Deadman and Iron Fist

 

The extra high collar is an interesting fashion choice.  Doctor Strange has one, but that's understandable, as it is part of his magical cloak.  Then you have characters like Deadman, Iron Fist and Karate Kid who do not wear capes but still have the high collars.  Sure, it's unpractical for combatants to wear something that blocks their peripheral vision, but who cares when they look so cool?

Gamora and Dart

 

Comics that were basically video game or toy tie-ins never really appealed to me, with a few exceptions and Atari Force was one of them.  I can't say I remember too much about the series, what really made an impression on me was the incredible art work of Jose Luis Garcia Lopez.  It is too bad that the series has never been collected to my knowledge, maybe that's a rights issue.  Some of the characters, especially Dart, had a ton of potential.

Rick Jones Vs. Snapper Carr

 

I'm a little surprised that we have not seen Rick Jones show up in the MCU yet.  He seemed to be such a big part of the comics when I was growing up, sharing adventures right alongside The Hulk, Mar-Vell, The Avengers and more.  Snapper Carr, on the other hand, just seemed to be there, and did not add much to the Justice League of America tales that he appeared in.  The only time he made an impression on me was when he betrayed the team.  He was ok in the robotic Hourman series, but I have lost track of the character since then.

Robo Force in: "Who Shot R2D2?"

 

Remember "Who Shot JR?"  I didn't even watch Dallas and I had to find out who did it.  It was a pretty big pop culture moment back in those pre-internet days - maybe because there was no way for the conclusion to be spoiled!

This is Robo Force's eighth appearance on the blog - They first became a team back in STF #150...  they battled Ultron in STF #202... they almost lost one of their own in STF #1450... they faced off against Brainiac in STF #1850...  they battled Magnus: Robot Fighter in STF #2090... a rival group was introduced in STF #2450... and that group had an adventure all their own in STF #2570...

Batman & Robin and The Fonz

 

For some reason the first meeting between Batman and The Fonz (a somewhat crude early MS Paint attempt from my B&B: The Lost Issues! days) has been one of this blog's most clicked on posts, and I have always meant to do a follow up.  When comics' historian and patron of this blog Marc Tyler Nobleman requested a Fonz jumping the shark theme, I finally had my opportunity.  I just hope visitors don't point to this cover as the moment STF lost its way...

Catwoman Vs. The Blonde Phantom

 

If you think fighting crime in a long dress and high heels is a challenge, you should see how hard it is to train cats to attack your opponents on command.  This is the world of comics though, it doesn't matter how outlandish the concept may be as long as the depiction of it looks cool on the printed page!  At least that was the attitude back in the golden age, which is one reason those stories can be so fun.

Red Tornado and The Falcon

 

Disney+ upcoming Falcon and The Winter Soldier series will explore Sam Wilson's decision to take over shield duties from Captain America.  There was a comic book counterpart to this story, and after a while the shield went back to Cap.  I wonder what will happen by the shows end, though?  Will it remain in Sam's hands?  Will Sam give it over to Bucky?  Or will Chris Evans rumored return to the role play into things?  Hopefully the delays are over and we will not have to wait too long to find out.

Ghost Rider and Casper

 

It's not a surprise to me that Harvey Comics were so popular during my formative comic reading years.  They had an interesting roster of characters and their house art style was appealing to my young eyes.  The short one to six page stories were perfect for a young reader and made the comics a great entryway to more complicated stories.  I do wish there were more creator credits though, it's tough to determine which artists and writers were responsible for what.

Man-Thing Vs. The Atom

 

For such an inhuman looking character, Man-Thing certainly inspired a lot of artists.  Looking over the comics that the muck monster has appeared in, I am impressed by how many striking covers and splash pages there are.  Maybe it's the swamp setting or the horror element to the character that got their creative juices flowing.  Whatever the reason, this ugly mug has been a part of a lot of beautiful artwork.

Han Solo and Guardian / Chewbacca and Sasquatch

 

Like many, I was getting a little Star Wars fatigue after the last few movies did not hit the mark.  Fortunately, The Mandalorian gets so much right about the property that it has brought me on board again.  I hope that Disney pays close attention to the positive reaction that the second season has received and uses what has been learned for the (many!) newly announced Star Wars related projects in development.  Hopefully the quality can be maintained.

Sgt. Fury and The Haunted Tank

 

The fact that DC Animation is finally releasing a period piece Justice Society movie has me hopeful that we will finally see some more of DC Comic's war stars show up either in that or a future project.  Imagine a animated wartime tale featuring Sgt. Rock & Easy Company, The Haunted Tank, The Unknown Soldier, Mademoiselle Marie, The Losers and so on.  I'm not sure how commercially viable it would be, but I would definitely check it out!

Dr. Doom Vs. The Teen Titans

Rumors are again resurfacing that Doctor Doom will be introduced to the MCU in the next Black Panther movie.  I can see there being perhaps some international intrigue between Wakanda and Lateveria, which could be interesting - but what then of the rumors that Atlantis and Prince Namor would be involved in the movie?  Is there a chance we will see a three-way conflict? It would be like an issue of Super-Villain Team-Up come to life!

Galactus Vs. The Justice League of America in: "DOA Via JLA!"

 

The JLA previously faced of against Galactus in STF #117 and later in STF #2750, and I thought they should have a rematch, this time giving the Leaguers the upper hand. The diminutive World Devourer here is from the classic three-part Fantastic Four saga by John Byrne in which he is finally defeated, only to have Reed Richards realize he must be saved for the balance of power in the universe.  I remember riding my bike miles to the store just to get those issues off the racks, I was absolutely floored by them.  I'm glad to be able to do my riff on an iconic image from that epic tale.

Aquaman in the Marvel Universe

 

For this Anniversary Issue, I thought that it would be fun to spotlight one DC hero that never received the 100-Page Giant treatment back when that format was popular in the 70's.  Such an oversight must be remedied, and this blog is just the place to do it! This marks the first time Aquaman has met these characters, except for The Punisher - they also shared an adventure in STF #1438...

Vixen Vs. Sabretooth

 

This would be an interesting match up.  The animal kingdom infused power of the Tantu Totem versus a brute with rapid healing would equal some pretty cool action.  Not a lot of heroes can match Creed's savagery, but depending on what animal Vixen tapped into, she could get close.

Coming tomorrow:  STF #3200!

Indiana Jones on The Planet of The Apes

 

It was announced yesterday that in addition to a fifth Indiana Jones movie, a new video game featured the character is in development as well.  There have been games featuring the character over the years, but I haven't played one since the 80's.  I've been revisiting Uncharted recently and I'd love to see similar kinds of gameplay in an Indiana Jones adventure.  They just have to make sure and include some cool action using his whip!

Superman and Buffy The Vampire Slayer

 

I remember when DC Comics Presents came out, a new team up title featuring Superman as the anchor character.  While this was obviously a concept that appealed to me, I wondered if it would work as well as The Brave and The Bold, since Superman was so much more powerful than most potential guest stars.  Fortunately, most of the time, writers were able to effectively work around that.  One way to even the odds was to introduce a mystical or magical element in the stories, for which The Man of Steel was just as vulnerable to as his guest stars were.

X-Men Vs. Solomon Grundy / Daredevil and Dr. Fate

 

It will be interesting to see if Solomon Grundy gets a larger role in the second season of Stargirl.  I do remember one of his less lethal rebirths led him to assisting Infinity, Inc. in the comics for a while, maybe they could go that route.  I guess it all depends on the CGI budget!

Solomon Grundy previously tormented the X-Men in STF #2997...