Sunday, February 9, 2014

Iron Man and James Bond



This feels like a natural pairing to me.  These guys both look great in a tux, have a weakness for the ladies, are quick with a one-liner, have a habit of ignoring orders from their government contacts and are constantly upgrading their high-tech gadgets - I think that they would have a lot to talk about, and it would be fun to see them share an adventure.

Saturday, February 8, 2014

Ash Vs. Leatherface



Well, it's issue #666, so I figured I would have to come up with something suitably evil.  I actually enjoyed horror comics more than horror movies growing up, as the violence was more suggested rather than right in my face.  Some of my all-time favorite comic images are the creepy covers from horror titles like UnexpectedHouse of Mystery and The Witching Hour.

Friday, February 7, 2014

Adam Strange Vs. Galactus / Guardian Vs. Guardian



With all the snowstorms this season, it's been a good time to hole up inside and watch some double features.  In that spirit, this cover features a couple of tales that I think would make for a fun one-two punch of a comic.


Thursday, February 6, 2014

Static and Storm



I was a fan of Static in the comics and thought that his animated series was a lot of fun.  DC made a big deal about integrating him and the rest of the Milestone heroes into the mainstream universe, but they haven't done a whole lot with them since.  Hopefully that will change, as that imprint had a lot of great ideas and characters.


Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Snoopy Vs. Enemy Ace



One of the great things about Snoopy was the way Charles Schulz let readers in on his imagination.  We went along for the ride as he envisioned himself as Joe Cool, a prize-winning author, or a crack fighter pilot.  I'm sure that aspect of the Peanuts comic strip was one of the many things that served as an inspiration for future cartoonists like Bill Watterson.

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Wonder Woman and Captain America in "Far From The Tree!"



Well, that Superbowl was a big dud, but at least we got to see some cool commercials for upcoming comic book movies.   The one that made the most impression on me is Captain America: The Winter Soldier.  With Black Widow, Nick fury and now the Falcon joining Cap for the adventure, it looks to be more of a follow up to The Avengers than the latest sequel to Iron Man and Thor.  Basing the story on the great Ed Brubaker story line was a wise move, as the film looks to be filled with all the action and intrigue of his comic book run.

Monday, February 3, 2014

Hawk and Dove and Cloak and Dagger



These crime-fighting pairs may have never broken through to the A-list, but I have always been a big fan of both of them.  Hawk and Dove have had several incarnations in the DC Universe and my favorite is still the original Steve Ditko team - I love the idea of brothers who work together despite their differing views and styles.  Cloak and Dagger have such a cool back story and visual that I am surprised that Marvel hasn't announced plans for some sort of live action translation - I think they would be perfect for it, and there's a ton of potential there.

Another Hawk and Dove team met Cloak and Dagger in STF #479...

Sunday, February 2, 2014

Green Lantern Vs. The Green Goblin



I was excited at the casting of Chris Cooper, one of my favorite actors, in the role of Norman Osborne for the Amazing Spider-Man franchise.  From what I can tell though, we will have to wait until at least the third installment before he undergoes the transformation into The Green Goblin.  They do seem to have Harry Osborne showing up as some sort of proto-Goblin character, but the few images that have been released make him look pretty ridiculous.  WIllbem Dafoe and James Franco were fine as the Osbornes, but their costumes never looked right either.  Spider-Man's arch-foe shouldn't be so hard to translate to the big screen, and I wonder why the filmmakers always seem to have such trouble.

Saturday, February 1, 2014

Green Arrow and Ghost Rider



I'm glad I stuck with Arrow on the CW.  Sure, it's still kind of crazy how everyone in the show has model good looks, as happens on most of the shows from that network, but the series has really grown since it began.  The action scenes are great, and Stephen Amell makes a convincing and likable Green Arrow.  Oliver Queen is progressing towards being the full fledged hero from the comics, interacting with lots of characters from the DC Universe.  The last episode had Amanda Waller recruiting The Bronze Tiger for the Suicide Squad, so that has me really looking forward to the future.  I can't wait for The Flash to come on the air to see how the two series will interact.

Friday, January 31, 2014

The Jurassic Four



I've been meaning to use Gon, the awesome creation by Masashi Tanaka for a while now, and this team grew out of that.  Gon featured wordless adventures of a tiny but tough dinosaur, set against lavishly illustrated backgrounds.  I would love to see how the little guy would interact with some of my other favorite dino characters.

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Batman and Wolverine in "Death in the Danger Room!"



I recently watched The Wolverine, and while not perfect, I felt like it was a major improvement over X-Men Origins: Wolverine.  The role of Yukio is well cast, and I would be happy to see her in future installments. Even in his fifth outing, Hugh Jackman still does not seem bored by the role, and that's a good thing - his devotion helps make up for the fact that he is at least a foot and a half too tall to be playing the character.  I liked the smaller, more personal stakes in the film and all the nods to Chris Claremont and Frank Miller's character-defining mini-series.

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

The Huntress and Spider-Woman



Spider-Woman has one of the coolest costumes in comics, and it is no surprise that it has stood the test of time.  I'd love to see it in live action, but I wonder who has the rights?  She has a lot of history with S.H.I.E.L.D. and is a well known Avenger, so one of the sequels to that franchise would be the perfect place to feature her.  Then again, her rights may be considered to be part of the Spider-Man universe, and she may have to appear in a Spidey-related film.  Hopefully whoever has the license to use Jessica Drew on the big screen will find a cool way to showcase her one of these days.

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

The Spectre and Dexter



I recently watched the entire series of Dexter on Netflix, and man, did it give me some disturbing dreams. I guess I shouldn't be surprised considering the show is about a serial killer who kills other serial killers! While the series lost its footing a bit during the last couple of seasons, the first five seasons are great and well worth watching.   Michael C. Hall gives an interestingly subtle performance as the title character and the supporting cast, including Jennifer Carpenter as his foul mouthed sister all turn in solid performances as well.  Plus, there a lots of cool guest stars like Jimmy Smits, John Lithgow and Peter Weller to keep things interesting.

Monday, January 27, 2014

Nova and Adam Strange



Adam Strange is finally making his New 52 debut, in the pages of the upcoming Justice League United.  There has only been one picture and a few quotes released, but it sounds like a bit of a departure from the classic DC hero.  The new Strange is described as more of a science geek type who tries to keep up with his love Alanna, who is the real action hero.  Jeff Lemire is a great writer, so I will give him the benefit of the doubt.  Still, Adam Strange as originally conceived is one of the best concepts in comics, and I wonder why there is a need to tamper with it at all.

Sunday, January 26, 2014

The Legion of Super-Heroes and The New Mutants




These two teams have each seen their share of revamps and relaunches, which have taken their toll on both groups.  The Legion seems to get made over every few years and attempts to make them darker and edgier have backfired, in my opinion.  They are currently back in limbo, hopefully their inevitable return will feature a more classic version of the team.  The New Mutants have fared a little better, but still tend to get lost among the glut of X-teams out there, and they have lost a lot of their uniqueness.  Still, I will always have a soft spot for them, especially the members featured in the first two years of the original title.

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Aquaman and Godzilla



The latest casting rumor for the Justice League movie is Josh Holloway as Aquaman.  I loved him as Sawyer in  Lost, and always thought that he would make a good Hawkeye, but I could see him as the sea king as well.  There may be some scheduling conflicts with his new TV series, but with DC's movie plans being postponed almost a year, maybe that won't be an issue anymore.

Friday, January 24, 2014

Sandman and Spider-Man



With all the talk about the huge task of bringing Superman/Batman and The Justice League to the big screen, the equally challenging Sandman adaptation which was announced has been somewhat overshadowed.  Joseph Gordon-Levitt will have a major role,  possibly starring in the title role and also directing the feature.  He is usually involved in quality projects and has established some solid directorial chops to go with his already proven acting skills, so I think he is a great choice to lead the project.  Plus, from the quotes I have read from him, he clearly is a fan of the source material and is well versed in the incredible tapestry created by Neil Gaiman. I'm looking forward to hearing more about the production.

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Alpha Flight and The Justice League of America



Little did I know when I created this cover months back that by the time I posted it, there would be an actual Justice League Canada comic!   Well, they changed the name to Justice League United at the last minute, but I think the team will still be referred to as JLC within the covers. It looks worth checking out - I like writer Jeff LeMire and the cast of Green Arrow, Martian Manhunter, Stargirl, Hawkman, Animal Man, Supergirl and Adam Strange is an appealing one.  I'm not so sure about the description of the New 52 Adam Strange as more of a science geek than a swashbuckling hero, though - that doesn't sound like the daring character that I loved from my youth.

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Green Lantern and Thor in: "Everybody Must Get Stoned!"



I have featured these two characters together before, but I wanted to do an all-Gil Kane cover this time out.  Kane was indispensable to both Marvel and DC - helping to design some of DC's premiere Silver Age heroes, and providing dynamic covers and interiors for virtually every Marvel character.  It's hard to imagine what either company's output would have looked like without his contributions.

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

The Phantom and The Phantom Stranger



I'm surprised that we haven't seen a live action Phantom Stranger yet.  We didn't even get an animated version until the sadly missed Batman: The Brave and the Bold featured him in the fan-favorite episode, "Chill of the Night".  Still, he seems like an easy character to translate to live action, but where would we see him first?  Arrow has plenty of guest stars from the DCU, but The Phantom Stranger doesn't really travel in the same circles as Oliver Queen.  Maybe he will show up in the upcoming Constantine series.  There was Rumblings of a Deadman series a while back, that could be a good option as well.  And of course, there's the Guillermo Del Toro-led Dark Universe movie featuring the mystcial characters of the DCU... but with Superman/Batman delayed a year who knows how long it will be for a film like that to be put on the front burner? So many possibilities, hopefully one will work out.

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