Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Starfox Joins Femforce


If there's one group that Starfox would like to join, here it is.  He has long had a weakness for beautiful women, after all.  He's also been known to not always use his emotion-influencing abilities in the most ethical ways, though.  It was a good thing when She-Hulk finally had him own up to some of that misuse during a story arc in one of her series.

Tuesday, February 27, 2018

Doctor Strange and Adam Strange in: "Liberation From Limbo!"



I've been wanting to see a live action Adam Strange for a long time, and now it seems that I will get a chance with the upcoming Krypton series on SYFY.  How close will he be to the comic book version though?  The show will take place during the youth of Superman's grandfather, so Adam is not in the proper time or on either Earth or Rann - plus the one image released of him just has him wearing normal civilian clothes... so the verdict is definitely still out. 

Adam and Stephen Strange were first revealed to be brothers in STF #370...

Monday, February 26, 2018

Green Lantern Vs. Green Goblin in: "Double Jeopardy!"



I Wonder why Doctor Octupus was chosen to be Spider-Man's villain in the Superman Vs. Spider-Man, when The Green Goblin would have been a much better fit.  As much as I loke Doc Ock, GG has always been considered Spidey's greatest arch enemy, plus he is a wealthy and powerful businessman in addition to being a villain, making him more of a natural fit to join forces with Lex Luthor as well.  Perhaps the death of Gwen Stacy was still too fresh as the time the tabloid-sized crossover was released, and Marvel just didn't want to go there?

Green Goblin battled the Hal Jordan Green Lantern back in STF #660...

Sunday, February 25, 2018

Supergirl and Ms. Marvel in: "Pet... Peeved!"




Supergirl has had many costume changes over the years, and she got particularly inventive during her run in Adventure Comics. I believe at least some of the styles she wore in that era were from fan suggestions.  The outfit she is sporting in the above cover has always been my personal favorite.

This marks the seventh cover featuring The Danvers Twins:

They battled The Gladiatrix in issue #1872...

They faced a stone centurion in Issue #1808...

They had robot problems in Issue #1414

They were at odds with one another  in Issue #763...

They played a trick on the world in Issue #520...

...and they were first revealed to be sisters way back in Issue #152

By the way, later today I will be taping a video interview with Mr. Media himself, Bob Andelman.  In it I will go in depth into the creation of this cover to give an idea of the process.  I'll be sure to share the YouTube link once it becomes available.

Saturday, February 24, 2018

Iron Fist and Kwai Chang Caine


Getting home from school and watching an episode of Kung Fu was a regular ritual for my brothers and I when I was growing up. Poor Kwai Chang Cain was like Bill Bixby's David Banner - he just wanted to lead a peaceful life, but every time he moved on to a new town, there were some locals just stirring for a fight.  In both cases, the locals learned to regret their actions.

Friday, February 23, 2018

Wildcat and Hawkeye


Avengers Spotlight, once titled Solo Avengers, was a fun comic.  Not only was it the first time that Hawkeye had an ongoing series of his own, each issue had a back-up feature that focused on another Avenger that was in need of more exposure.  I liked finally seeing Hawkeye's back story filled out and enjoyed the rotation of artist and writers.  These days, there are many Avengers spin off comics, but it was still a cool thing to see back in the late 80's.

Thursday, February 22, 2018

Black Panther and Pink Panther



Black Panther is a great addition to the Marvel movies.  It is visually gorgeous, there's always something interesting to look at on screen.  The cast is solid across the board - I really enjoyed all of the supporting characters, particularly Shuri and M'Baku.  The villain had a decent motivation, and while the third act strayed into some familiar areas plot-wise, I found the film to be unique and engaging.  One minor complaint is that T'challa just felt like one character in an ensemble rather than the main star - I wish he had one or two more big scenes.  That and giving Klaw a more comics-accurate appearance would be the only issues I had with the film though, on the whole it's a blast to watch, and highly recommended.

Wednesday, February 21, 2018

Sgt. Fury and Mademoiselle Marie



It's been a while since I read the stories, but I seem to remember there being somewhat of a spark of romance between Mademoiselle Marie and Sgt. Rock when they would team up back ing the day.  Liked that Rock found some happiness in the midst of battle, and it made sense to me that he was attracted to a woman that was as capable and determined as she was beautiful.

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

Superman Vs. Nova


DC seems to be making a big deal out of the upcoming return of Superman's red trunks.  While I was getting used to his newest look since DC Rebirth, I never had a problem with the shorts, and I am glad to see the classic look return.  Will the movies, ahem,  follow suit? I wouldn't mind seeing them back, along with the "S" on the cape and a spit curl. 

Monday, February 19, 2018

Doc Samson and The Joker


The Joker has been known to be quite adept at manipulating psychiatrists, so this is a match-up that could be very interesting.  Samson isn't quite the pushover some of The Joker's previous shrinks have been though - he is used to highly unusual patients that are prone to violence, and plus he has that whole super-strength thing on his side.  They might find some common ground with the green hair, but that's about it!

Sunday, February 18, 2018

Spider-Man and Vixen


One thing that Marvel Team-Up proved to me is how versatile a character Spider-Man is.  Not only did the title show how well he works with almost any other character, the variety in guest stars meant that there was a wide variety of types of tales that could be told.  Whether the tales had an action, horror, or humorous slant, be they street level or cosmic, he fit right in.

Saturday, February 17, 2018

Justice League Of America Vs. Dr. Doom in: "Sentenced - by a Sadist!!"



Yes, it was a toy tie-n and later in his career, but it was still very cool to see Jack Kirby's artwork on DC's premiere heroes in the first two Super Powers mini-series.  I especially liked his take on Hawkman and The Martian Manhunter, I'd have loved to have seen him do more with those characters.

The JLA has faced off with Doom before - They first crossed him in STF #462, and the last time was in an epic two-parter that began in STF #1199 and ended in STF #1200...

Friday, February 16, 2018

Challengers of the Unknown and Jonny Quest



With Jonny Quest's sense of adventure, I can see him joining up with a team like the Challengers of the Unknown.  He's definitely got experience with going up against evil organizations and escaping near-death situations, after all.  Heck, he'd probably eventually end up running the group!

Thursday, February 15, 2018

Robin and The Beast


I have to admit, when I was a kid it took me a while to realize that the blue hairy guy in The Avengers was the same character as the guy with big hands and feet in The X-Men.  At. that point, I just read comics at random, whatever my older brothers left lying around, with little sense of continuity.  Eventually I stumbled onto an issue of Amazing Adventures and it started to become clear to me.  The fact that Hank McCoy went through this incredible transformation just made me like him all the more.

Wednesday, February 14, 2018

Power Girl and Power Man in: "Doomsday Preppers!"



For Valentine's Day, we see that Karen Starr and Luke Cage are continuing their courtship - the couple that battles together, stays together - at least in their case!

This is the fifth appearance of The Power Couple.  They last were seen battling The Parasite in STF #2064,  they found a bounty on their heads in STF #1892,  faced the mob together in STF #773 and first met in STF #71...

Tuesday, February 13, 2018

Spider-Woman and Batman in: "Targeted... By The Enforcer!"



Spider-Woman has been given a new, more utilitarian costume in recent years.  I assume it is to make her outfit more movie-friendly should she ever make the leap to the big screen. The original may be hard to translate into live action, but it still looks fantastic on the illustrated page.  it's  great design and I hope we have not seen the last of it.

Spider-Woman met Batman once before, way back in my B&B MS Paint days...

Monday, February 12, 2018

The Angel and Birdman


A winged human makes for a pretty impressive visual, which is one reason I didn't think changing Warren Worthington's feathers to metal and skin to blue was necessary to make him look any cooler.  The Apocalypse story line where that happened was fine, I just wish he hadn't kept the new Archangel look for so long.  I think he has the feathers back these days, but still has the blue skin.

Sunday, February 11, 2018

The Expansion Team in: "Stretching Out The Roster!"



I've gotten a kick out of having The Elongated Man join The Flash on the CW.  Hartley Sawyer does well in the role, and certainly has the looks to play Ralph Dibny (wish he had red hair though).  The stretching effects aren't used enough to my liking but have looked pretty good for the most part.  The last episode where he developed a Clayface-like ability to completely mimic anyone's appearance, including their voice was a bit much, though - he has never been able to do that in the comics.

This is the third appearance of The Expansion Team - they were last seen battling the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man in STF #1490, and first got together back in STF #934...

Saturday, February 10, 2018

Wonder Woman and Iron Man in :"Search for the Crown!"



Speculation is beginning to circulate about the villain(s) for Wonder Woman 2.  Circe is the top choice, and I already know the perfect casting.  Charlize Theron won an Oscar working with director Patty Jenkins before, and mentioned that she had wanted to be in the first film, but could not due to scheduling conflicts.  I think she would be great in the role.  Best of all, Circe is known to transform humans into animals, opening the door for Cheetah to join in on the action as well.

Wonder Woman and Iron Man first appeared together in STF #1886...

Friday, February 9, 2018

Jonah Hex and Quick Draw McGraw



When I was a kid, I loved to get up early on a Saturday to watch cartoons, and liked all of the Hanna-Barbera characters.  Disney was not represented in the mornings and while I loved Warner Bros. Looney Toons, they seemed to show the same episodes over and over - but H-B seemed to have a lot of different shows to offer, from Super-heroic Action to Funny Animals.  Every once in a while I will watch an old episode on YouTube and it brings me right back to those days.

Thursday, February 8, 2018

Black Panther and Black Lightning (Vs. the Hate Monger!)



After four episodes, Black Lightning has quickly jumped to the top of the CW DC Comics based series for me.  The cast is very engaging and the writing has not fallen into the same romantic melodrama that sometimes takes over the other shows.  I might tweak Black Lightning's mask a little, but so far that's the only nitpick that I have.  Black Panther is about to be a big success on the big screen, if the very positive advance reviews are any indication.  It's taken a while, but finally these heroes are getting the wider recognition that they have always deserved.

These two first joined forces in STF #1274...

Wednesday, February 7, 2018

Ghost Rider and Judge Dredd


While Dredd was not a huge financial success, the film was well regarded among fans and has become somewhat of a cult hit.  Every once in a while I will read something about a sequel or perhaps even a TV series to follow it up.  I think that factors like what size budget to use and Karl Urban's availability for the title role must be playing heavily into the decision whether to proceed or not.  Hopefully something will be ironed out, because I would enjoy seeing the further adventures of a live action Judge Dredd.

Tuesday, February 6, 2018

Eternity and The Justice Society of America



There have been lots of big big moves from DC lately, with the return of properties like Neil Gaiman's Sandman, Alan Moore's Watchmen characters and the heroes from his ABC Comics line... but still no sign of the classic JSA.  Their reintegration into the DCU has been teased for a while, but I am still waiting for the announcement of a new series with a top-notch creative team.

Monday, February 5, 2018

Man-Thing Vs. The Demon


This might be a fun match up.  Two incredibly powered creatures that nevertheless have strong ties to humanity despite their outward appearances, one silent and passive and the other eloquent and aggressive. 

Sunday, February 4, 2018

Captain Hero and Super Dagwood (Vs. Wimpy!)



I have been wondering whether to check out Riverdale.  I enjoy the CW superhero shows, but I am not crazy about a lot of the romance subplots they include.  I figured Riverdale would focus mostly on that aspect what with the classic Archie/Betty/Veronica love triangle, so I didn't bother to watch.  I've heard some good things though.

Captain Hero and Super-Dagwood first joined forces in STF #1494...

Saturday, February 3, 2018

Green Lantern Corps Vs. The X-Men




For the planned Green Lantern Corps movie, I'd definitely want the three GL's above to appear, along with John Stewart, Tomar Re and Katma Tui.  If there's room for another human GL, let's bring in Guy Gardner - I can imagine an actor like Sean William Scott really having fun with the role.

Hal Jordan and the Corps have been holding a grudge against Wolverine for a long time - since STF #209, in fact...

Friday, February 2, 2018

Mera and Namorita in: "Exiled... From Atlantis!"



Mera may have only made a brief appearance in Justice League, but she had the best and most comics accurate looking costume in the film. I look forward to seeing her really get a chance to shine once Aquaman's solo movie hits the theaters.  Her water based abilities looked cool onscreen and I am sure that director James Wan will present some amazing visuals with them.

Mera and Namorita first crossed paths in STF #1264...

Thursday, February 1, 2018

She-Hulk and The Flash


I know the Movie rights to the Hulk are a bit muddled - Marvel can use him but not in a solo film, I think - but does that extend to Hulk-related characters like Jennifer Walters?  I think she would be a great addition to the live action heroes.  It would be cool to see her in The Avengers, but my preference would be a TV show.  There's enough super powers, humor, heart and legal action to fill a series with.

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