Superman and Triton

 

I always liked the design of Triton.  As much as I enjoyed Aquaman and Namor as characters, Triton's appearance seemed to make a lot more sense for a hero that spends his time beneath the waves. Plus, he just looked really cool!

Moon Knight and Vigilante

 

Something about the Adrian Chase Vigilante series must have really inspired artists.  Going over the covers, I am really impressed by the consistent quality of them.  Every illustrator brought their A-game, and I can remember the issues really standing out on the racks back in the early days of the direct market.

The Shadow Vs. Werewolf by Night

 

Uh-oh - Has Lamont Cranston been bitten?  And what will happen if he becomes a werewolf himself? The exciting answers are just 60 cents away!

Avengers Vs. Composite Superman

 

If you were wondering where the rest of the Totalitarians were while Super-Skrull was battling Metamorpho a few days ago, well here is a partial answer to that question.  Let's hope that teamwork from Earth's Mightiest Heroes wins the day!

Firestorm and Nick Fury

 

There was a lot of clutter on the original Fury of Firestorm page that I needed to remove before I could add any new elements in.  Here's a look at the behind the scenes progress:

Katana and Valkyrie

 

Katana is better at wielding a sword, but Valkyrie has Asgardian strength to back her up.  This would be an interesting match up.  But just why would Brunnhilde want The Soultaker in the first place?

Metamorpho Vs. The Super Skrull in: "Pliable Rivals!"

These two first battled in STF #4761, in a more Silver-Age style cover.  I thought that round two could have more of a Bronze Age feel.  Another month or so and we will finally get to see Rex Mason in live screen action!

 

Tintin and The Phantom Stranger

 

There's nothing like a crisply detailed mystery to make for an entertaining afternoon of reading.  I'd like to see what kinds of secrets that this pairing could uncover together.

Falcon and Wildcat

 

These two heroes are used to more down to Earth, street level villains, so they might be over their heads when dealing with a cosmic entity like The Stranger.  I wouldn't count them out, though!

Superbaby and Spaceman Spiff

 

Don't consider it a retcon, maybe we were only part of the story.  This tale just fills in all of the missing parts - at least in Calvin's imagination...

Hawk & Dove and The Beast

 

I liked the fact that after their transformations into non-human forms, characters like Hank McCoy and Ben Grimm decided to lean into it and just wear trunks as their entire costume - they weren't hiding thier new appearances from the world!  It's too bad the movies aren't following suit, with Hank in his lab coat and now a fully suited Thing in Fantastic Four: First Steps.  Even The Hulk is completely dressed these days!

Aquaman and The Hulk in: "Hulk Splash!"

 

Aquaman and the Hulk first met way back in STF #344, and I thought that it was high time for them to cross paths again.  Especially when I realized that I had missed out on using such an obvious story title!

Spy Smasher Vs. James Bond

 

I guess it was only a matter of time before the Smasher faced off against the most famous spy of them all.  This confrontation is bound to leave him shaken, if not stirred.

The X-Men Vs. Batman's Villains

 

I feel that this would be an interesting series of match-ups, worthy of 100 pages.  Do you think the children of the atom have what it takes to defeat Gotham's most infamous foes? 

Here's a look at the full size versions of this issue's features: 

Superman and Dragnet

 

Before I cut the cable cord, I would have a few shows that I would often watch in the morning while working on new covers.  One was Dragnet, which played on MeTV early on weekdays.  I thought it might be fun to put TV's first live action superhero alongside the no-nonsense law enforcement stars of that classic series.

Coming tomorrow: STF #4800!

Man-Bat and Doctor Strange in "No Escape From Castle Mordo!"

 

This is another example of a cover that required the removal and patching of portions before any new images could be added to it.  Here is a look at the behind the scenes progress:

Man-Bat and Dr. Strange Previously met in STF#2993 and STF #2833...

Cheetah Vs. Kraven the Hunter

 

Could their savagery in battle lead to passion for one another?  Stranger things have happened.

Zatara Vs. Loki

 

I am guessing that Loki will play a pivotal role in Avengers: Doomsday.  Not only because of Tom Hiddleston's popularity in the role, but also because of where we last saw the character.  Loki was placed in charge of keeping all of the timelines intact, and I'm betting that that will play a factor in whatever multiversal shenanigans Doom is planning. Who knows - with the movie delayed we now have a lot more time to speculate.

Skyrocket and The Invaders

 

DC Comics may have forgotten about Skyrocket, but I haven't.  She's too cool of a character to keep on the shelf.  Hopefully they will realize her worth and create a comic that can present her further adventures.

Iron Man Vs. Solomon Grundy

 

A man whose technology has him living on borrowed time versus a menace with a body chemistry that will not let him stay dead.  Yes, this could make for an interesting match up.