Friday, July 22, 2011
The Thing and Wildcat
I enjoyed Wildcat as a member of the Justice Society, but where I really began to dig him was in the Bob Haney written issues of The Brave and the Bold. Sure, Wildcat was not supposed to exist on the same Earth as Batman, but Haney never let that kind of thing get in the way of a good story! That attitude was a big inspiration for this blog. I like the fact that Wildcat became to be known as a trainer of other heroes, with characters such as Black Canary, Catwoman, and even Batman receiving some tutelage from him. He maintained that status with the return of the JSA and it helped him to stand out among other heroes. Ted Grant is now MIA along with the rest of the JSA characters as a result of the DCU reboot, here's hoping that he won't be missing for long.
Labels:
DC Comics,
Marvel Comics,
Marvel Two-In-One,
Ron Wilson,
Team Up,
The Thing,
Wildcat
Thursday, July 21, 2011
The Thing and Wallace & Gromit
Ever since I stumbled onto The Wrong Trousers years ago, I have been a huge Wallace & Gromit fan. Nick Park painstakingly creates the adventures of the cheese loving, daffy inventor Wallace and his trusty and intelligent dog, Gromit through claymation and the humor and timing are impeccable. I soon sought out A Grand Day Out, A Close Shave, and all of their other award winning animated shorts. I was thrilled when they were featured in a full length film, The Curse of the Were-Rabbit and it did not disappoint. Park's company, Aardman has other properties as well, Creature Comforts, Shaun the Sheep and Chicken Run to name a few, and they are all delightful. Still, I feel that Wallace and Gromit is the crowning jewel, and I hope that they continue to appear in new adventures.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
The Thing and Vampirella
Vampirella is one of those characters that seems to attract a lot of great artists. A quick Google search in preparation for this cover gave me tons of images to choose from. I guess the sexy outfit and unapologetic attitude makes her prime material for commission pieces. I went with a Dan Brereton illustration, as I really like how he depicts dark and demonical characters. Vampirella is obviously prettier than most of the denizens of the underworld, but the way he makes her look, she fits right in.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
The Thing and Tron
Tron was one of my favorite movies growing up and I still like to pop it in occasionally. I loved the whole concept of being trapped in the game grid and feel that the special effects were very impressive for the time, and they still hold up pretty well. In fact, I think they work better than the effects on the recent sequel, Tron: Legacy. The clean sharp lines of the original look much cooler to me than the swishy neon effects that were used on the sequel. I did like that they used Jeff Bridges in dual roles but the CGI used to make him younger did not work for me and the Clu character just looked a bit creepy. Oh well, at least I have the original to still enjoy.
Labels:
Marvel Comics,
Marvel Two-In-One,
Team Up,
The Thing,
Tron
Monday, July 18, 2011
The Thing and Tomb Raider
I liked video games but was always somewhat disappointed by games based on superheroes. They were usually side scrolling and very repetitive. I always wished that there would be a superhero themed game set in a huge open environment where you could control the hero, solving puzzles and fighting bad guys. I was giving up hope when I finally got a copy of Eidos' first Tomb Raider Game. It wasn't based on a comic book character, but this was finally the kind of action I had been hoping for. Thankfully, the format took off and we have seen some great games, superhero and otherwise in the years since. I have to believe a great game like Arkham Asylum would not have come about if not for the ground broken by Tomb Raider.
The Tomb Raider films are not high art by any standard, but I have to admit I enjoyed them both. I understand there is some interest in reviving the character as a movie property, and I will be interested in seeing what comes of that.
Labels:
Marvel Comics,
Marvel Two-In-One,
Team Up,
The Thing,
Tomb Raider
Friday, July 15, 2011
The Thing and Tom Strong
I like comic properties that can be plugged into a wide variety of story types and that has always been one of the strengths of The Fantastic Four. Thy were heroes, but also adventurers and they had their fair share of drama, humor and tragedy. Tom Strong appealed to me in the same way. The stories featuring Tom Strong and his supporting cast spanned many different genres and always kept the tales interesting. Even more than a Thing/Tom Strong team up, I would love to see the entire FF meet up with the Strong Family. That would surely make for an epic adventure!
Thursday, July 14, 2011
The Thing and Tiny Titans
Or the Teeny Tiny Titans, to be exact! Tiny Titans is one of the hidden Gems of DC's current output. I liked the promotional materials, so I picked up the first issue on a whim. I was instantly hooked. It's one of the few comics that can always be counted on to make me laugh out loud with each issue. The character designs and humor are perfect for kids and the DCU in-jokes are plentiful, which give long time fans a lot to enjoy as well. I'm not sure which of any of DC's kid's line will survive post reboot, but I hope this title doesn't go anywhere. It's the best superhero themed children's comic I have ever seen and it would be a shame for it to go away.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
The Thing and Tintin
Well, the trailer for the upcoming Steven Spielberg/Peter Jackson Tintin film hit the web a few days ago and I am cautiously optimistic. There's no doubt that they got the look right, and the action looks fun and cool - but I still have reservations with the CGI. As amazing as some of the advancements in CGI have been, one thing that has never convinced me is human faces. If they are more cartoony like in Toy Story or exaggerated like in The Incredible Hulk they can work, but straight on human faces still look a little off to me, and it has lessened my enjoyment of films like A Christmas Carol and Beowulf. I haven't seen the new trailer in HD yet, so I can't tell how well the faces work... but from what I have seen, it looks pretty promising. Hopefully the films will be successful and introduce a legion of Harry Potter readers to Herge's classic character.
Labels:
Herge,
Marvel Comics,
Marvel Two-In-One,
The Thing,
Tintin
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
The Thing and The Warlord
I didn't know too much about The Warlord other than the fact that he seemed to be DC's version of Ka-Zar. I enjoyed his appearances on Justice League Unlimited however, and I should really give his stories a shot, I think. They also sport some very nice artwork by Mike Grell, an underrated artist if there ever was one.
Labels:
DC Comics,
Marvel Comics,
Marvel Two-In-One,
Mike Grell,
Team Up,
The Thing,
Warlord
Monday, July 11, 2011
The Thing and The Walking Dead
I had never read any of The Walking Dead, but I had heard great things about it. So, when the Walking Dead series came on the air, I figured I would give it a look, and I loved it. I thought it was very well done and was left really wanting more since only six episodes were aired. They have been making new ones and they will begin again in October, I think. It looks like the success of the Walking Dead TV series is influencing other programs as well. I watched a few episodes of Falling Skies, and it seemed very derivative - a ragtag group of people trying to survive in a world dominated by aliens instead of zombies. And now I see promos for Terra Nova, which appears to be about a ragtag group of people trying to survive in a world dominated by dinosaurs. I'm not sure if I will be following either of those series, but I definitely will be tuning into The Walking Dead when it returns!
Friday, July 8, 2011
The Thing and The Vigilante
I thought that The Vigilante was the best character to spin out of Marv Wolfman and George Perez's New Teen Titans. I loved his simplified look and tough as nails personality and I felt he made a good foil for Dick Grayson. It's too bad that he did not catch on more with the comics audience, perhaps he was seen as a Punisher knock off? At any rate, after the Adrian Chase version took his own life, the concept never really rebounded. I will say that I did give the recent Vigilante series that sprung out of the pages of Nightwing a shot and found it to be pretty enjoyable. I don't think it sold very well though, and that's a shame. Perhaps he can fin a home as a supporting character in the new Nightwing series.
Labels:
DC Comics,
Marvel Comics,
Marvel Two-In-One,
Team Up,
The Thing,
Vigilante
Thursday, July 7, 2011
The Thing and The Unknown Soldier
The Unknown Soldier is one of those wart titles that I was immediately drawn to because of the brilliant artwork by Joe Kubert. I picked up the DC Showcase volume and enjoyed it immensely. Not only did I enjoy the illustrations, but the stories were very exciting. The concept of the Unknown Soldier is such that he could be placed in many kinds of wartime tales. Plus he was a master of disguise which gives him a bit of a traditional comic book hero vibe. Any fan of Sgt. Rock, Sgt. Fury, or just war stories in general should definitely check this out.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
The Thing and The Tick
I recently decided to watch the Tick TV series on Netflix, to see how it held up. Wow, that show was even more bizarre than I had remembered. I'm amazed it ran as long as it did. It was cool to see a pre-Hellboy Ron Perlman show up in an episode though! The series that I would really like to revisit is the animated Tick. That was pretty funny and I know I missed a bunch of episodes when it was on. I loved when they would show a nighttime shot and you could see "CHA" carved into the Moon, referring back to an earlier episode where Chairface Chippendale was interrupted while attempting to carve his initials in it. That always made me chuckle for some reason.
Labels:
Marvel Comics,
Marvel Two-In-One,
Team Up,
The Thing,
The Tick
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
The Thing and The Thing
OK, I have to confess that I have never seen either the classic our updated version of the movie, The Thing - but this was one of my most often requested covers so I thought I would try and put something together. Admittedly, this is probably not exactly what was expected by the requests, but what can I say, I was in a goofy mood when I made this one! So, which Thing movie should I see? the Kurt Russel version or the original?
Monday, July 4, 2011
The Thing and The Terminator
The first two Terminator movies are a couple of the best action movies ever made. I still remember seeing Terminator 2 in the theater and then calling my brother up telling him to immediately go see it. The special effects in that film were such a leap forward from what I had seen before. I distinctly recall thinking to myself, "Wow, they can do anything now!" A lost of people did not think that Terminator 3 lived up to the first two, and while I agree it wasn't as great as they were, I do find that move to be a lot of fun. Terminator Salvation, however, was a bit of a letdown for me. There's a couple of nice action sequences, but the story just did not work for me. I never did get around to watching the Terminator TV series, was it any good? I had heard rumblings of yet another Terminator film on the horizon, but given Arnold Scharzenegger's recent press, it might be a while before that one picks up any steam again.
Labels:
Art Adams,
Marvel Comics,
Marvel Two-In-One,
Team Up,
The Terminator,
The Thing
Friday, July 1, 2011
The Thing and The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
I was a little too old to get into The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles when it first came out as a cartoon, but I did get a kick out of the couple of black and white comics that I read where they made their debut. Later, I saw the first live action movie and I have to confess that it is a guilty pleasure for me. I feel no guilt, however, regarding my admiration for TMNT, their CGI animated movie. I though that was very well done and I absolutely loved the look of the film, particularly the brother vs. brother battle in the rain. That movie made me really want to see other comic book properties animated in the same manner, and sadly we haven't seen any since. It's too bad because it would be a great format to adapt a comic book without having to worry so much about how costumes translate to screen and the cost of major SFX scenes. I love watching live action superhero fare, but I definitely think is would be cool to see more CGI comic book films.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
The Thing and The Teen Titans
I was a big fan of Nick Cardy's cover work for DC comics. Like Gil Kane for Marvel, his covers were always exciting and really made me want to read the comic, whether it was a superhero, western or horror title. I wish he had done more interior work though - which is why the original Teen Titans series has always been a favorite of mine. It is pretty fun to go back and reread those issues today. The art is still just as beautiful, but the dialogue is crazy! The ultra hip lingo that the Titans use is so over the top... I don't remember teenagers talking that way even back then! Then again, it wasn't written by teenagers, so that may answer the question!
Labels:
DC Comics,
Jim Starlin,
Marvel Comics,
Marvel Two-In-One,
Nick Cardy,
Robin,
Teen Titans,
The Thing
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
The Thing and The Super Friends
Yknow, when I was listening and reading all of the negative reaction to the Green Lantern film (a movie I liked a lot more than most - the action, performances and overall look made up for a less than inspired script for me), I was thinking about how spoiled we comic fans are nowadays when it comes to seeing our favorite superheroes in other media. When I was a kid getting up early in the morning to watch an episode of Super Friends that was in it's third re-run, I never dreamed of a day when so many comic characters would be translated into film and television properties. If I'd had a peek 35 years into my future to see what was in store, I think my little head would have exploded with excitement. Now, in an age when we have so many comic book movies and shows to choose from, we tend to focus on what they got wrong rather than how cool it is that these things got made at all. back in the 70's when Super Friends was the only game in town, it was a different story. I was never bothered by the fact that they were rarely called The Justice League or that nobody ever threw a punch, I was just thrilled that the guys from the comics were on my TV, in full motion! When they added more characters in later years, I loved it even more... and of course my favorite seasons were the ones where they had multiple stories per episode - Full team, Zan & Jayna adventure, Safety tips or magic tricks, and then best of all a team up between a Super Friend regular and a special guest star! It was like reading one of those 100-page comics with all the various features. I of course loved the Legion of Doom years, even though the episodes were somewhat repetitive in nature, it was just too cool to see so many comic characters in one big story. Sure the series looks very quaint and dated now, but I am glad I was at the right age to appreciate it because for most of the heroes featured on it, it would be decades before we got to see them animated again.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
The Thing and the Spirit
I had always heard about The Spirit but never read any of his adventures until I had already been a comic book fan for decades. It was kind of like the first time that I watched Citizen Kane and saw all of the scenes that other filmmakers were clearly inspired by. Will Eisner was the same way with The Spirit - endlessly inventive and expanding the medium in ways that so many creators who followed would be influenced by. It's such a shame that the recent Spirit movie was so poorly executed. The character deserved much better and I hope that folks won't bee too reluctant to sample his print adventures based on what was presented on the silver screen.
Monday, June 27, 2011
The Thing and The Spectre
Jim Aparo is my favorite comic artist and while I love his work on Brave and the Bold, Aquaman, Batman and the Outsiders and Phantom Stranger, the place where he made the strongest and most lasting impression on me was his Spectre run with Michael Fleischer in Adventure Comics. I loved these morality plays where the ghostly guardian meted out horrific and ironic punishments to evildoers. Aparo's moody art with superb use of shadow and panel composition made these stories unlike anything I had ever seen before. I was very happy with The Spectre animated short that DC released as a bonus feature on their direct to DVD films a while back. The fact that they decided to give it a 70's vibe with the setting really put it over the top for me. It's one of my favorite things to come out of DC Animation, and that's saying a lot.
A lot of people cite the 90's as an era of shoddy work and excesses in comics, but there were some definite bright spots. One is the Spectre series by John Ostrander and Tom Mandrake, truly a sensational comic. The first twelve issues are among the best comics I have ever read and they were able to maintain the quality throughout the rest of the run.
I have mixed opinions on the Crispus Allen version of the Spectre. While I thought he was a good selection as a new host, I have to say that none of the stories featuring him really hit the mark with me and the Spectre with a goatee just looked wrong, no matter which artist illustrated it.
Labels:
DC Comics,
Jim Aparo,
Marvel Comics,
Marvel Two-In-One,
Ron Wilson,
spectre,
Steve Rude,
Team Up,
The Thing
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)



















