Monday, September 14, 2015

Space Ghost and The Justice League of America



I am a big fan of the "Satellite Era" of the Justice League and I am glad so many of the members of that era are finally going to get a chance to shine on TV.  Between The Flash, Supergirl, Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow, we'll have most of them in action somewhere, helping comics fans to bide our time while the big screen Justice League with the founding members is being made.  Let's hope there's room for Ralph Dibny in there somewhere...

Sunday, September 13, 2015

Man-Thing and Mr. Monster



I know that Man-Thing starred in a cheesy Sci Fi channel movie a few years back, but I would like to see him get another shot at live action.  Marvel was able to pull off Groot effectively in Guardians of the Galaxy, so there's no reason that they can't create a convincing CGI Man-Thing as well.  Where would he fit in though?  Perhaps a guest appearance in a Doctor Strange film would be the way to go.

Saturday, September 12, 2015

Supergirl and The Powerpuff Girls



I am cautiously optimistic about the upcoming Supergirl TV series.  I hope that it looks to the success of The Flash, and puts an emphasis on the superheroics, rather than too much teenage melodrama.  The Costume looks good (needs yellow in the S shield, though) and I love that Linda Danvers adopted parents will be played by Dean Cain and Helen Slater.  I have to admit that what really has me intrigued is the promise of Red Tornado showing up on the first season!

Friday, September 11, 2015

Green Arrow and Rawhide Kid



I always liked it when the superhero comics I read would cross over into other genres like horror or western.  I loved when the JLA went back in time to meet up with Jonah Hex, Bat Lash, Cinnamon and others.  I thought that Hawkeye and Two-Gun Kid's friendship in the pages of The Avengers was a great concept as well.

Thursday, September 10, 2015

Black Goliath and The Metal Men



I thought that Bill Foster was a great character that never really got a fair shake at Marvel.  Following his short lived series he seemed to have trouble finding a permanent home, making guest appearances here and there, but never settling down anywhere.  He finally got a story arc in Marvel Two-In-One, but it revolved around him being terminally ill.  Illness didn't kill him off though, it was a clone of Thor in one of Marvel's many crossover events which seem to require a sacrifice.  The guy just never got the respect he deserved, in my opinion.

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Captain Klutz Vs. Galactus



As a kid, I loved the humor and movie/TV parodies in Mad Magazine, but what really drew me to it was the art.  Sergio Aragones, Don Martin, Al Jaffe, Antonio Prohias and Dave Berg, among others, showcased a variety of artistic styles, and I loved them all.  While Aragones was probably my favorite, nobody ever used sound effects as effectively as Don Martin. "Poit" will forever be the sound of a finger poking someone in the eye to me.

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Lightray and Thor



Most of the New Gods stories I've read have revolved around Darkseid, Mr. Miracle or Orion.  I have always thought that Lightray was cool and wanted to learn more about him.  I liked his sunny disposition and power set - he seems like he would fit in quite well with Thor's supporting cast.

Monday, September 7, 2015

The Teen Titans & Triton / The Atom Vs. Ultron



I used to love anthology comics and it's too bad that they seem to be largely a thing of the past.  I loved seeing a variety of different characters, with multiple stories in a single issue.  I was a fan of Marvel Comics Presents and Solo Avengers.  On the DC side, I loved it when World's Finest became a dollar comic with all of the rotating back-up features and of course, Super-Team Family had a huge effect on me.

Sunday, September 6, 2015

Swamp Thing and The New Avengers



The Avengers always has a rotating roster, but it used to have some limitations.  These days just about any Marvel character can be an Avenger, or already has been, and that takes something away from the team, in my opinion.  It started when Wolverine and Spider-Man joined  - this move may have resulted in higher sales, but it never really made much sense to me .  The stories since Avengers Disassembled haven't grabbed  me the way the classic title did in the 70's and 80's.

Saturday, September 5, 2015

Sub-Mariner Vs. Superman



The new Superman costume which debuted with DC's New 52 has some changes that I do not care for.  I can understand the lack of red trunks, as that look is a bit outdated, but the rest of  the alterations strike me as rather arbitrary.  The high collar does not work for me at all, and I am glad the movies didn't follow suit there.  The odd lines and "S" shield shapes on his arms and legs are unnecessary and a little busy for my tastes.  I am glad that he still has the "S" shield on his cape, but wish they had gone with the traditional yellow/gold instead of black.  The new look has stuck for the time being, but I hope to see a return to a more traditional costume down the road.

Superman and Namor have crossed paths once before on the blog...

Friday, September 4, 2015

Hawkman and Sasquatch



I have liked Sasquatch since I first discovered the character in the pages of Marvel Two-In-One.  There are a lot of big strong guy characters out there, but I really thought that his design was cool - both his look and his massive size.  It's too bad that he and Alpha Flight have had a hard time maintaining a series for very long.

Thursday, September 3, 2015

The Creeper Vs. The Taskmaster



I think that this would be a close match up.  The Creeper's manic style mixed with his healing ability might allow him to get the upper hand against The Taskmaster... for a while.  I guess it be up to how quickly he can strike before his own moves start to get mimicked and countered.

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Enemy Ace Vs. The Rocketeer



I recently rewatched The Rocketeer and it is amazing how well the film hold up after 20 years.  A couple of the flight scenes have slightly dodgy special effects, but other than that I would put ir right alongside any of today's superhero blockbusters.  I was thumbing through my Dave Stevens Rocketeer hardcover as I watched it and it really is the comic coming right to life - the characters and designs in the movie are all spot on.  Between it and Captain America: The First Avenger, Joe Johnston has made two of my all time favorite comic flicks ever.

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Darkseid Vs. Thanos in "Fatal Flaw!"




With Justice League set to begin filming early next year, we will hopefully finally get a more solid idea of who the main villain of the film will be.  Will DC go ahead and use Darkseid, who was the first foe that the current incarnation of the JLA faced - or will they deem him too close to Thanos?  Will the rumors of Brainiac turn out to be true, or is he being saved for a future solo Superman outing?  Or will they surprise us with an out of left field selection like Starro?

Darkseid and Thanos have crossed paths once before on the blog.

Monday, August 31, 2015

The Black Widow and The Spirit



The Spirit always did have a knack for letting a beautiful woman get him into trouble...

Of course, his biggest trouble will be getting audiences to forget his poorly received movie so he can get another chance one of these days.  Will Eisner's artwork and inventive use of the comic page is what always stood out to me about the character, so I'd love to see an animated version that could really highlight those aspects.


Sunday, August 30, 2015

Stripesy and Bucky



I always thought that Pat Dugan was a cool character, and was glad that Geoff Johns brought him back to the DCU with his Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. series.  Lately, DC has had a bad record with its red-headed male characters though - they seem to be either forgotten, killed off, or changed into a non-redhead.  What's with the anti-ginger stance, DC?

Saturday, August 29, 2015

Lightning Lad Vs. Electro



With the teenage combatant movies (Hunger Games, Divergent, The Maze Runner, etc.) being all the rage, and superhero movies being the new blockbusters, I think the time is perfect for the Legion of Superheroes to hit the big screen.  DC seems to want to lay out its cinematic universe in a certain order though, so it may be a while before they expand into their future characters.  I say, dive right in - let's see the LSH - and throw in a Batman Beyond movie while you're at it!

Friday, August 28, 2015

The Haunted Tank and Tank Girl



I picked up a couple of Haunted Tank Showcase volumes just for the Joe Kubert art, and was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked the stories.  I was never a huge war comic reader as a kid, so all of the stories were new to me.  The tales are action packed and filled with last minute escapes and sage advice from the ghost that guards the tank - great stuff!

Thursday, August 27, 2015

Calvin & Hobbes meet Herobear & The Kid



I became a fan of Mike Kunkel from his excellent if all too brief run on Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam! It was an amazing all-ages title and frankly one of my favorite depictions of the Shazam Family.  His Herobear and The Kid looks to be a perfect title for folks missing Calvin and Hobbes.  It too features a boy and his stuffed animal that he shares adventures with.  Kunkel's artwork evokes Watterson's style as well - without aping it as some other artists do.

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Adam Strange and Flash Gordon



This is a pairing that I have been meaning to get to for a while. They seem like they would naturally cross paths sooner or later,   They would certainly have plenty in common, both being Earth men that became champions of a faraway world. Truly it would be an amazing sci-fi adventure!

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