Saturday, April 11, 2015

Batman and The Powerpuff Girls



Now this is a cartoon that I would love to see.  I can imagine each one of the Powerpuff Girls having a different reaction to working alongside the Dark Knight.  You just know that the fight scenes would be a blast to watch as well.  Who wouldn't want to see this quartet taking down the Mojo Jojo/Gorilla Boss team?

Friday, April 10, 2015

The Phantom on the Planet of the Apes



Some felt that Dawn of the Planet of the Apes was a bit too dark of a sequel to Rise of the Planet of the Apes, but I found myself enjoying it quite a bit.  I liked how the film resisted taking sides, and showed that while most humans and apes wanted to live in peace, it only took a few malcontents in each faction to stir up fear and anger.  The motion capture was amazing again.  I look forward to seeing what else is in store for future sequels.

Thursday, April 9, 2015

Clayface Vs. Sandman



While a very flawed film, Spider-Man 3 did one thing perfectly - the realization of Flint Marko's look and powers (well, until he became the giant Sandman at the end, they kind of lost me there).  I'd love to see a movie version of Clayface one of these days.  We know the technology is there to make it happen, the question is whether the studio finally starts letting Batman's more outlandish villains appear.

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Samurai Jack and Wolverine



Marvel's direct-to video animated offerings have been a mixed bag.  I have liked a couple but none have had the re-watchability of many of DC's efforts.  One exception to that rule is Hulk Vs. Wolverine/Hulk Vs. Thor.  The animation in that double feature seems to be a notch above Marvel's usual standards and both tales are quick paced and fun.  It's definitely my favorite animated version of Wolverine to date.  I'd love to see a Wolverine tale animated in the Samurai Jack style one of these days.

Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Wonder Woman and The Beatles



There isn't a time in my life that I don't remember listening to the Beatles.  My parents and older siblings would play their music and I grew up loving it.  I was amazed at how in their relatively short career together they were able to repeatedly reinvent themselves and their sound. In my mind, they have yet to be surpassed.

Monday, April 6, 2015

Martian Manhunter vs. The Hulk



It's an exciting time to be a DC comics fan if you like TV and film adaptations, with so many characters ready to come to life on the big and small screen.  My one real disappointment is no mention of J'onn J'onzz in any of the various plans yet.  I was kind of hoping The Rock was teasing his casting as The Martian Manhunter for the JLA films, but he will be playing Black Adam instead.  DC is certainly giving the character a push, as a new ongoing Martian Manhunter series has been announced, so hopefully that means there is still hope that he is part of their cinematic universe plans.  I guess they have to save something for the sequels!

Sunday, April 5, 2015

The JLA & JSA and Captain Marvel



When The Death of Captain Marvel was first released, I didn't live near any place that sold the fancy new Graphic Novel format that it was presented in, so it was a few years before I got my hands on a copy.  It was worth the wait.  The death of a main character and stories that include dozens of heroes are commonplace now, but back then they were rare enough that it truly felt like a special event worthy of the higher production values.  I guess the truest test of the impact that this story had is that Marvel has resisted the urge to return Mar-Vell to life (although they have teased that a couple of times).

Saturday, April 4, 2015

The Creeper and the Beast



It's funny how the era in which you really got into comics can color your perceptions of certain characters.  The Beast to me will always be an Avenger foremost in my mind, because that's where I first discovered him.  I love his history with the X-Men and his transition from merely having over-sized hands and feet to the blue furred hero I became a fan of, but I must say I have always hoped that he would  return to his position as one of Earth's Mightiest Heroes (not to mention the look he sported in those days, his redesigns haven't done much for me).

Friday, April 3, 2015

Bumblebee and Bumblebee



I have always liked Bumbleblee from The Teen Titans as well as her boyfriend Mal Duncan, and I think that DC should do more with them.  I'm not sure why they never really moved past their status as Titans C-listers. I really like Bumblebee's new costume and hairstyle (which I think debuted on the animated Teen Titans show), she has one of the cooler looks around and I believe she has more than paid her dues as a character.

Thursday, April 2, 2015

Batgirl and Invisible Girl



The Invisible Girl/Woman was unique among other super-heroines when I was growing up in that she was also a mother.  Indeed, it is still a rare trait in comics. For some reason publishers felt that marrying characters or having them become parents would age them too much in their young readers' eyes.  It never bothered me as a kid, in fact I thought it was pretty cool that Sue Storm was a mom.

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Nightwing and Daughters of the Dragon



With Daredevil, Luke Cage and Iron Fist all coming to Netflix, I am surprised that we have not heard about Misty Knight and Colleen Wing as supporting characters on any of the upcoming series. The Daughters of  the Dragon have a history with all of those heroes and would fit right in with the tone that Marvel seems to be setting.  Let's hope as more information is announced, we'll hear about their involvement in at least one of the shows.

Thanks to Jason Powell for the inspiration for this team up!

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Task Force T



I pity the fool who wouldn't want to read the adventures of this group!  Personally I would be sold by the inclusion of Chaselon alone. Like being a sentient diamond with robotic limbs and a Green Lantern ring wasn't enough, he's got a mohawk to put his cool factor over the top!  No more jibba jabba! Here's my sixty cents!

Monday, March 30, 2015

Man-Thing Vs. The Spectre



Jim Aparo could draw just about anything, but he really shined on characters and stories that emphasized his excellent use of light and shadow as well as his knack for dramatic pacing.  In addition to the moody work he produced for heroes like Aquaman, Batman The Phantom Stranger and The Spectre, I would enjoy the occasional morality tale that he would illustrate for one of DC's horror comics. It would have been great to have seen him take on some of Marvel's more macabre characters like Man-Thing.

Sunday, March 29, 2015

Dick Tracy and Spider-Man



These two were the stars of my two favorite action comic strips growing up, and I would have loved to have seen some kind of crossover event between them.  When I look over those old strips, I am always impressed at how much information that Chester Gould, Stan Lee and Larry Lieber were able to include in 3-4 panels a day.  It takes a real skill to work in that medium and Dick Tracy and The Amazing Spider-Man were among the best examples of the form ever.

Saturday, March 28, 2015

Wonder Woman and Captain Britain



DC has released images of yet another new costume for Wonder Woman, and while most seem to like it, some have complained about the addition of strange hand spikes and the lack of skin showing.  Personally, I think it is a fine look.  Wonder Woman is one of those characters that I think would benefit from having multiple costumes anyway, depending on the event.  I don't mind when she switches to a skirt or wears a cape or extra armor on occasion.  As long as she has the trademark elements - tiara, bracelets, stars, eagle/WW and color scheme - I think it is cool for her to have a bunch of different looks.

Friday, March 27, 2015

The Blue Beetle and Captain America in "I'll Take Manhattan"



Like many kids, Captain America was a favorite character to role-play as because it was easy to use a trash can lid as a stand in for his shield.  I got pretty good at hitting targets and deflecting rocks with it, much to the annoyance of my father  who just wanted to darn things to fit on then trash cans.  Hey, it's not my fault he used cheap aluminum instead of a vibranium alloy!

Cap has also shared an adventure with Dan Garrtet's successor, Ted Kord.

Thursday, March 26, 2015

Han Solo and The Man From U.N.C.L.E.



Here's another suggestion from Back Issue's Michael Eury, one that I thought was from left field until the last name connection was pointed out.  Then I just had to give it a shot.  I was very glad to hear that Harrison Ford is expected to make a full recovery following his recent plane crash.  The only thing I want to see him piloting from now in is the Millennium Falcon!

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

The Demon and The Thing



With Constantine looking unlikely to return for a second season, it seems as though comic fans will only have Gullermo Del Toro's rumored Dark Universe movie to count on if they want to see DC's more mystical characters in live action.  Hollywood seems to love revisiting the King Arthur legend, so an anti-hero like The Demon with ties to that era might be a welcome and unique addition to the silver screen's growing roster of comic book stars.

These two heroes met once before, in an all-Kirby classic during my MTIO period...

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Wonder Woman and Captain America in: "Cheating... with Cheetah!"




Longtime followers of this blog know that from time to time I will revisit team-ups that I have featured before, sometimes presenting them in a new adventure and sometimes continuing off from where I left them last.  There is only one real ongoing saga, however - that is the marriage of Captain America and Wonder Woman.  This is the 8th cover featuring the official couple of STF and there will definitely be more to come.  To make them easier to see all at once, I have listened to a follower request and created a new label that you can click on: WW/Cap.


Monday, March 23, 2015

Hawkman and The Falcon in "Alien Inheritance!"



I loved watching The Falcon in Captain America: the Winter Soldier and I am hoping to see a lot more of him.  It sounds like I may get my wish as Anthony Mackie is in the cast list for Avengers: The Age of Ultron and is rumored to also possible be making an appearance in Ant-Man.  I thought I might have to wait until Captain America: Civil War to watch him take flight again, but it looks as though there will be some cool Falcon action before then.

These two crossed paths once before, way back in STF #41.

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