Tuesday, April 3, 2018

Deadman and Captain Marvel


There was lots of talk of Nanda Parbat on Arrow a few seasons back, so I was hoping they were planting the seeds for a Deadman appearance. Alas, it did not happen, nor did the proposed Deadman solo TV series that was proposed.  Boston Brand is usually mentioned as being a member of the on-again, off-again Justice League Dark movie... which seems to be off again these days, I haven't heard much news about that lately.  Hopefully comics greatest undead hero will finally end the curse and break through to live action soon.

Monday, April 2, 2018

The Falcon and Robin


Yes, even Alfred Pennyworth had super-abilities at one point, becoming the villainous Outsider.  Even as a young kid reading the story for the first time, I thought it was an odd development.  If memory serves, it was all part of a plan by DC to get Alfred off the table and replace him with Aunt Harriet at Wayne Manor.  Fortunately that new status quo was soon abandoned and Alfred was returned to his proper post (and life as well - I think they also killed him off).  I guess it's like being a supporting character on the CW's The Flash - hang around long enough and you'll get powers, too.

Sunday, April 1, 2018

Astro Boy and Big Guy & Rusty the Boy Robot




Geoff Darrow always amazes me with his ultra-detailed artwork.  There is so much to see in his illustrations, which makes the comics he's done art for a joy to revisit.  I'd be interested to see what kind of paper he does his original artwork on - I imagine it's got to be huge, much larger than the standard size for producing comics, just to fit all of the detail in.

Saturday, March 31, 2018

Spider-Man in the DC Universe


I pulled the Spidey in the coffin image from the first run of What If?, a series I remember fondly.  I didn't know quite what to make of it when it first came out, but I knew I loved it.  I had read a a few "imaginary stories" in the pages of Batman and Superman, but here was a whole series based on "what could have been" scenarios!  The possibilities of such a title seemed limitless, and indeed is one of the inspirations for this blog.

Friday, March 30, 2018

Sub-Mariner Vs. Blue Beetle


Ted Kord may be a mechanical genius and superhero, but part of his appeal is that he always remains relatable.  He kept his down to Earth personality throughout his adventures, has a great buddy relationship with Booster Gold and mentor relationship with Jaime Reyes.  He's even one of the few superheroes that has had to deal with weight problems - letting himself go for a while and having to work hard to get back into shape.  Is it any wonder that he is such a popular character with comic fans?

Thursday, March 29, 2018

Starfire and Gamora


I have enjoyed the dynamic between sisters Nebula and Gamora in the Guardians of the Galaxy films, and their participation in Avengers: Infinity War is one of the main aspects of that film that I am looking forward to.  It will be cool to see their interactions with their father, the Mad Titan, Thanos. Something tells me that their familial relations will be key to eventually defeating him.

Wednesday, March 28, 2018

The Punisher Joins Star Wars


Star Wars: The Force Awakens wasn't perfect, but for the most part I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Star Wars: Rogue One, I felt was great - so I was very excited to see Star Wars: The Last Jedi, which promised to finally give audiences Luke Skywalker back in action.  Unfortunately that film and it's many missteps have dampened a lot of my enthusiasm for seeing future installments.  I was really disappointed with what was done with Luke (as apparently was Mark Hamill), and with Admiral Ackbar unceremoniously dispatched and Carrie Fisher gone, there isn't a whole lot for fans of the original trilogy to look forward to.  I was enjoying the new characters, but not how they were portrayed in Last Jedi - Poe is suddenly a reckless jerk who gets scores of his allies killed by his actions, Finn is a coward just trying to escape and getting caught up in the cringe-worthy casino subplot with Rose Tico.  Rey comes out relatively unscathed, but she seems to instinctively do everything so well, it's hard to get concerned about the stakes for her character.  Solo: A Star Wars Story may be a decent palette cleanser, but reports from the set and the lead's ability to portray a young Harrison Ford do not fill me with confidence.  Let's hope Episode IX can end the saga on a proper note.

Tuesday, March 27, 2018

Hellboy and The Creeper


It's going to be interesting to see how different the upcoming Hellboy reboot film will be from the earlier movies by Guillermo del Toro.  Hellboy himself looks pretty much the same, but the story is supposed to be tonally different from what has come before.  I don't think we will ever see a live action Creeper, though.  He's got a look that works great for comics, but I just don't know how it would ever translate to live action (although I admit I have seen some decent cosplay).

Monday, March 26, 2018

Mister Miracle and Forge



Mister Miracle seems to be having a good year, with a new comic series that has been getting rave reviews and now the word of a New Gods film in development. He has such a signature look created by Jack Kirby, I hope that it is done justice in live action.  As a performer, there's no reason that his colorful costume, cape with high collar and all, should not be represented.  If I start seeing footage of Scott Free and Barda running around wearing black leather instead of their iconic looks, I will be sorely disappointed.

Sunday, March 25, 2018

Man-Bat and The Invaders


One scene I really liked in Justice League was Batman's battle with a Parademon at the beginning.  So far Batman has been facing off against his human, non-powered adversaries in the movies, and it was definitely time to see him fighting super powered characters on screen.  Now that the door has been opened I'd love to see Man-Bat show up in the next solo Batman flick.  They could have Kirk Langstrom working with Professor Hugo Strange.  Strange's genetic experiments created his Monster Men in the comics and could be a way to bring about characters like Man-Bat, Killer Croc and even Clayface.

Saturday, March 24, 2018

Batman goes Back to the Future



Yes, we are all living in the Future.   Now that the future date from Back to the Future Part II has come and gone, and I reflect on the past 30 years, my attitude about time travel has changed.  I used to think it would be great to go back and fix all the bad decisions in my life... but now I would be afraid to do so.  What if some different choice I make has a butterfly effect that causes one of my nieces or nephews not to be born? I'd never forgive myself.  The only way I would do it is if I could exist in the past for short bits as a phantom, unseen and unheard, so I couldn't muck things up.

Friday, March 23, 2018

The Light Brigade


Ever since I created Dark Matter, a team that specialized in the use of darkness and shadow, I have been meaning to put together a group of heroes with light-based abilities to balance them out.  It's good to know that these characters are getting more exposure lately.  There have been versions of Doctor Light and The Ray on the DC CW shows, Monica Rambeau is strongly rumored to be appearing in the upcoming Captain Marvel, Dagger has an upcoming series on Freeform, and Lightray will be a part of Ava Duvernay's New Gods film.

Thursday, March 22, 2018

Moon Knight and Elongated Man



Every once in a while, someone visiting this blog will say something along the lines of, "You should be running a comic company, so we could see these stories for real!"  A very kind sentiment, to be sure - but I have to laugh because they don't know what they are suggesting.  My eclectic tastes would favor offbeat team-ups like this rather than more popular crowd-pleasing fare.  The fact that these two heroes have so little in common is just what makes it a fun concept for me, but I have no illusions about the widespread appeal of such a pairing.  At any rate, I like these two together and plan to revisit their partnership again one of these days.

Wednesday, March 21, 2018

The Atom and The Avengers



Continued from yesterday's cover, we see that the feud between The Atom and Ant/Giant-Man has become The Avenger's problem as well...

The first full trailer for Avengers: Infinity War has been released, and it looks like the claims that it will be Marvel's biggest movie yet are accurate. It promises to be the longest, as well, which given the expansive cast of characters seems like a necessity. The Russo Brothers impressed me with their Captain America sequels, so I have full confidence that this film is going to be a blast to watch.

Tuesday, March 20, 2018

Giant Man Vs. The Atom


Ray Palmer and Hank Pym have a history on this blog - they were last seen battling Kang and Chronos in a two parter that began in STF #1843 and concluded in STF #1844... which was inspired by one of the back up stories featured in the epic STF #1000... They also found themselves in a sticky situation in STF #65...  and were at odds while Pym was in his Yellowjacket persona in STF #29...

This is only the first chapter of a two-part tale as well - make sure you come back tomorrow for the exciting conclusion!

Monday, March 19, 2018

Dazzler meets Josie and the Pussycats


I still haven't watched Riverdale, but it seems to be a big enough hit that more series set in the Archie Comics universe are popping up.  I've read of a new Sabrina series starring Mad Men's Kiernan Shipka, based on the more recent comics, which could be cool.  If that is a success as well, will it be much longer before Josie and The Pussycats get their own show again?

Sunday, March 18, 2018

Justice Society of America and Miss America



I love the fact that The Spectre was a regular member of the Justice Society of America at one point.  He's become so over-powerful that I don't think we will ever see him in a team setting again (Well, except maybe for The Damned).  John Ostrander's Spectre series in the 90's touched upon this era a couple of times, and it was interesting to read the flashbacks featuring the other JSA'ers reactions to working alongside Jim Corrigan.

Saturday, March 17, 2018

Black Lightning Vs. The Shocker


It was cool to see The Shocker in Spider-Man: Homecoming.  I'd have like to have seen him with a more comics-accurate costume, but at least there was a nod to the look above.  Now that Spidey has faced off against most of his A-list villains in his movies, it will be interesting to see who will show up next.  I'd love to see The Molten Man or The Beetle make appearances.

Friday, March 16, 2018

Scarlet Witch and Metamorpho


I discovered Metamorpho at a very early age and he quickly became one of my all-time favorite characters.  In my mind he was an A-Lister right alongside Superman, Batman and Spider-Man, and I always wanted him to have a higher profile.  He's found a home again in Jeff Lemire's new Terrifics series, which looks very promising.  It's good to see that comics creators are as fond of The Freak Who Never Fails as I always have been.

Thursday, March 15, 2018

The Phantom Stranger Vs. Dormammu



It's been interesting to see the cinematic depictions of some of Marvel's truly larger than life villains.  Hela was realized perfectly (visually at least, there were some changes to her back story), as was The Red Skull ans Surtur.  Dormammu wasa  character that I thought would be very difficult to pull off, but I was impressed with how he was handled in Doctor Strange.  It gives me faith that we will finally see a proper Galactus on the big screen one day.

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