Tuesday, November 14, 2017

Concrete and Yoda


I remember reading The Art of Star Wars when I was a kid and discovering the work of Ralph McQuarrie.  His advertisements, matte paintings and concept art absolutely blew me away, and gave me a real appreciation for the skill that goes into creating a fictional world.  watching the original trilogy again, you can see his artwork or influence in almost every scene.

Monday, November 13, 2017

Man-Thing and The Spectre in: "The Desperation of Doctor Thirteen!"



I always wondered why Dr. Thirteen was such a skeptic in his back up comic stories.  I mean, he lived in the DC Universe, where super heroes and villains were quite common,  The Justice League alone included an Atlantean, an Amazon and three aliens!  I think my mind would have been a little more open to the unknown.

Man-Thing First met The Spectre in STF #1081...

Sunday, November 12, 2017

Robin and Daredevil in "Duplicating the Dead!"



Netflix' Daredevil series  has begun filming on Season Three, according to Vincent D'Onofrio.  The last moments of The Defenders, coupled with the jailhouse meeting between Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk from Season Two have me really looking forward to where the series will go from here.  I am expecting elements from the Born Again story line will be used.

Daredevil and Tim Drake first met in STF #1121... DD had less of a cordial relationship with Jason Todd in STF #198... and a decidedly different DD met the Earth-2 Robin in STF #1509...

Saturday, November 11, 2017

7 Soldiers of Victory and The Human Torch



When people talk about accessibility of comics, sometimes I don't think they give kids enough credt for being able to figure things out.  One of the very first comic stories I read as a kid - and one that got me hooked was Justice League of America #100-102, which featured the JLA, JSA and Seven Soldiers of Victory in one big adventure.  Even Metamorpho came along for the ride!  I wasn't put off by so many characters I hadn't seen before - indeed, I was dazzled by them and wanted to find out more.

Friday, November 10, 2017

Firestorm and the New Warriors


New Warriors is another Marvel property being prepared for a television treatment.  Other than the casting of Milana Vayntrub as Squirrel Girl, I haven't heard too much about it. There are plenty of characters that they can choose for the roster as there have been multiple incarnations of the comic team over the years.  I'd love to see as many founding members as possible in the mix though, I really liked the original line-up.

Thursday, November 9, 2017

Wonder Woman and Wolverine in: "The Hunt for Artemis!"



This cover is tying off a loose end from way back in STF #189, where these two first appeared together. I teased a revelation about Logan's origins and family in that issue, and now over five years later, more light is being shed on this mystery.  I'm sure everyone else forgot about it, but this is a plot thread that I have been meaning to address for a long time.

Wednesday, November 8, 2017

Suicide Squad and Giant-Man


My favorite era of Suicide Squad is the John Ostrander-penned issues from their 90's series.  I hope that any cinematic sequel will draw from those stories.  I'd love to see characters like Bronze Tiger, Vixen and Nightshade join and the I think that Father Kraemer would be a great addition to the cast.  My guess is that the produceers will prefer to make it Harley-centric again, though.

Tuesday, November 7, 2017

The Hulk and The Flash (The TV Event!)


I still think that The Flash 90's TV series had one of the best live action costumes ever.  It's easily the best Flash costume.  Even with a slightly redesigned cowl and incorrectly-colored boots, I prefer it to either the current movie or TV versions.

These two shared a  more traditional comic book adventure in STF #1296...

Monday, November 6, 2017

Steel and Power Man


I have some issues with the costuming on DC's Legends of Tomorrow but I have to say they did a pretty good job with the look of Steel.  It's faithful to the comic version and looks good on screen, especially when he's powered up with the metallic skin.

Sunday, November 5, 2017

Doc Savage and The Shadow


As far as I know, these two pulp heroes have never crossed paths, which is a little surprising.  They seem as though they would work together well in in a story.  STF Patron Ken Roskos pointed out in a previous comments section that they both had the same publisher back in the 40's so it could have happened

Saturday, November 4, 2017

Red Tornado and Wonder Man


Dinosaurs and apes were frequently featured on the covers of comics of my youth.  It was said that their presence boosted sales. I'm not sure about how true that was, but I will say that as a kid I was drawn to the images.  Sure, we can get realistic looking ape and dino action on the big screen today, but in those days comics were the only place to truly see them in action (and not just men in animal costumes).

Friday, November 3, 2017

Dr. Fate and The Silver Surfer



News of a solo Doctor Doom film had me scratching my head.  If producers were looking for a property to spin off of the Fantastic Four franchise. The Silver Surfer seems like a much better choice.  He's got a great back story and his look was already perfected in his previous cinematic outing.  Plus, it would offer a second chance to get Galactus right - no cloud this time!

Thursday, November 2, 2017

The Lone Ranger Vs. Werewolf by Night!



Like Tarzan, The Lone Ranger is a classic property that the movies just can't seem to get right.  I keep waiting for a great adaptation of the material, but Hollywood keeps wanting to go tongue-in-cheek with the western hero. The most recent attempt was a complete misfire to me.  Johnny Depp as Tonto?  What were they thinking?

This cover is the result of a suggestion by Ken Roskos, a Patron of this blog.  Thanks, Ken!

Wednesday, November 1, 2017

Ch'p and Howard The Duck


Many a superhero fan began their love of comics with funny animal characters.  It's not surprising that animal heroes would strike a chord with them as they are a bridge between the two genres.  The question is, how realistic to depict them?  For me, it's different for each character - I prefer a more cartoonish Howard and a more naturalistic looking Ch'p.

Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Superman and The Son of Satan


As much as I loved superheroes growing up. I never dressed as them for Halloween, usually opting for something traditional and scary like a vampire or werewolf.  Only later when I went to more adult parties did I start whipping up superhero costumes - Green Lantern, The Flash, Superman, Bizarro... and my current emergency go-to, Clark Kent (Hair in a spit curl, glasses, suit with shirt unbuttoned to reveal "S" below). 

Monday, October 30, 2017

ROM & Star Trek Vs. Aliens


I watched Alien: Covenant recently, and while it was well made and acted, it felt kind of unnecessary.  Almost every big scene seemed to be recreating a moment from one either Ridley Scott's original Alien or James Cameron's sequel, Aliens.  The result just seemed bloated and derivative to me.  I liked a lot of the action, I just felt as though I had seen it all before.

Thank you to Tom Zilla, a patron of this blog, for suggesting this 3-way encounter!

Sunday, October 29, 2017

Cloak & Dagger Vs. The Demon


Continued from yesterday's cover, we now see who Constantine sent our heroes after.  Another reason that I like Cloak and Dagger is that they work well in both street-level adventures and stories that involve a supernatural element.  It might be fun to see them mix it up with the likes of Etrigan.

Saturday, October 28, 2017

Cloak and Dagger and Constantine


I've seen a trailer for the upcoming Cloak and Dagger TV show, and while it didn't show much in the way of powers or costumes, I liked what I saw.  The actors seemed well cast and the tone seemd right.  I think they are great characters for the small screen and the show has potential.  I'll definitely be checking it out.

Hmmmm - just who is responsible for terrorizing the neighborhood?  Make sure you come back tomorrow for the thrilling conclusion!

Friday, October 27, 2017

Kid Eternity and Captain Marvel


Kid Eternity is a character that I have been meaning to feature on the blog for ages now.  I used to read reprints of his adventures in Detective Comics and elsewhere, and liked his schtick of calling forth famous historical figures to assist him. We don't see much of him these days, I guess  with the impermanence of death in the comics, his abilities are less in demand.

Thursday, October 26, 2017

Thor and Starman


DC is all about legacy characters and Starman is one of the best.  I love how varied each of his incarnations have been, whether related to the original Ted Knight or not.  James Robinson did an amazing job at weaving all of the different characters to wear the mantle together in his classic 90's series, and the legacy aspect of the hero is stronger than ever because of that.  Stargirl currently wields the cosmic power, and will hopefully be part of a new Justice Society soon.

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