Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Oddball Team-Ups

Doug:  I was down in the comic/exercise room a couple of weeks ago, checking out my Marvel Legends in between sets.  As I admired the Avengers shelf, it occurred to me that Thor and the Falcon would make quite an odd couple if ever teamed together in a buddy story.  So, because stimulate conversation is what we attempt to do around here, I thought I'd lay this at the feet of the masses and invite some thoughts from our readers.  As I was getting set to write this, our colleague Ross over at Super-Team Family posted one of his awesome fantasy covers teaming Superman and Wolverine.  Now there's a story possibility for you!

Doug:  Your job today is to tell of some combinations you'd like to see that would make either incredible or awful storylines.  Feel free to mix companies or eras if you'd like (the Punisher and Archie, anyone?), and there's no reason to feel like you have to be straight or silly -- anything goes, as long as you bring a ray of sunshine into the lives of the BAB community!

Scan courtesy of supermegamonkey.net


25 comments:

MattComix said...

I would love to see Captain America teaming with the Japanese superhero Kamen Rider. (Kamen meaning "masked"). Specifically the first Kamen Rider whose usually referred to as Ichigo (meaning "one".) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamen_rider

In the original Kamen Rider story a science student named Hongo Takeshi was turned into a grasshopper themed cyborg when he was kidnapped by an evil organization known as Shocker which is basically a crazy cult made up of ex-Nazi's and various other criminal types. Comparable to something like Hydra for example.

I think it would be awesome to see these two superhero icons from two different cultures have an adventure together. Also for Red Skull to team up with Shocker commandeers Shinigami Hakase or Col. Zol.

Doug said...

In case you missed it on our "Recent Comments" section of the sidebar, Gerry Conway left us all a comment on the Ms. Marvel post we ran several months ago. You can access it here:

http://bronzeagebabies.blogspot.com/2013/03/derivative-ladies-ms-marvel.html?showComment=1384247897839#c5438900554506852703

Doug

Edo Bosnar said...

Perhaps the easiest answer is "Howard the Duck and (insert the name of any superhero here)." Of course, it was done on more than one occasion, as Howard teamed up with Defenders (but never joind the team - drat!) and Spider-man, among others. However, I'm wracking my brains, but I don't ever recall Howard teaming up with the Thing, which I think wouldn't have been so oddball (they actually have a lot in common). Another apposite team-up would have been Howard and Thor when he was the Thunder Frog. Normal Thor and Howard - now there's an oddball team-up.

Otherwise, one odd couple a la Power Man and Iron Fist that I think could actually work out in a variety of settings is Tigra (the late '70s badass version, not the '80s flighty, cowardly and then crazy version) and Nightcrawler. I'd love to see them operating a private detective agency, or working as bounty hunters or something similar.

And what does it say about me when the thing that really bothers me about that Archie meets the Punisher cover is that it says "Riverdale High Sock Hop" in the background, but everyone on the dance floor is wearing shoes? If the Punisher is supposed to be the chaperone, he sure dropped the ball on that one...

Anonymous said...

Howard the Duck & the Silver Surfer

david_b said...

Howard's a pretty easy choice..

How about Man-Thing and..? Not a lot of buddy-banter going on there. Put him and Blackbolt together, you could have a virtual non-talk balloon story, 'cept for the baddies.

William said...

Here's one I did way back in the day as sort of an homage to the "Archie meets Punisher" story.

It was when Valiant Comics was still big - it's the team-up you demanged - "Archie and Armstrong".

http://i635.photobucket.com/albums/uu80/BilSande4/ArchieArmstrong_zps6b0e33bc.jpg

William said...

I forgot to mention one of the oddest and mis-matched Marvel/DC crossovers had to be "Batman vs. The Incredible Hulk".

Pat Henry said...

Aunt May, Galactus: Done.

Submariner and Power Pack, now there's an unlikely team-up!

Doug said...

Pat --

Am I dreaming, or do I recall seeing at one time a story where Aunt May was Nova, and a herald for the Big G??

Oddball, indeed!

Doug

Pat Henry said...

OK [cracks knuckles]...

Conan and Little Lotta. Can see a mini-series.

Martian Manhunter and Human Torch? Nah; bad marriage.

The Watcher and Metron? They'd spend too much time eyeballing each other.

Black Bolt and Swamp Thing? Not a lot to say to each other.

I've got it! Egg Fu and Fing Fang Foom, Counselors at Law,

Anonymous said...

In my search for all things She-Hulk I stumbled upon a weird "Fear Itself" tie-in mini-series that fits with this them. It features a version of the "Fearsome Four" made up of Howard the Duck, Nighthawk, She-Hulk and Frankenstein's Monster.

Weird, right? I haven't gotten it yet - but will eventually if I can get the issues for cheap b/c I am pretty sure it is crap.

Speaking of Oddball team-ups that have been done: Misty Knight and Valkyrie are team-mates in the current incarnation of the (Fearless) Defenders

The recent and absolutely worse comic event I have ever had the displeasure of reading "Age of Ultron" - features a running team-up of Sue Storm and Wolverine.

As for my own ideas for oddball team-ups.

How about Red Ghost and replacing his super-apes with Man-Ape, Mandrill and the Gibbon?

Or Ghost Rider and Wundarr?

Jack of Hearts and Franklin Richards.

Anonymous said...

Doug - yes.

Marvel Team-Up #137

J.A. Morris said...

You could do an entire "oddball team-ups" based on Rom team-ups & nothing else. Your favorite spaceknight & mine teamed up with the following:
Jack O'Hearts
X-men
Torpedo
Power Man & Iron Fist
Nova
Namor
Shang Chi
Soviet Super Soldiers
Alpha Flight
Ant-Man
Rick Jones(during his short-lived phase as Hulk #2)
Thing(in Marvel Two-In-One)

Team-up I'd like to see:
Speaking of Rom, I'm still not sure why we never got Rom-Hulk team-up. Mantlo-Buscema were the creative team on both titles,both Rom & Hulk were "feared and misunderstood" characters. Seems like a natural team-up.







Anonymous said...

How about Vampirella and Tank Girl? Alan Moore could write it...

@ J.A. Morris: Rom and Hulk DID meet in Incredible Hulk #296 http://www.leaderslair.com/noexcuses/hulk2-296.html

It seems like a lot of the team-ups mentioned here actually happened...maybe there's a Rule 34 for comic book team-ups? If we can think of it, it's already been done!

Mike W.

Doc Savage said...

Danny Chase from Teen Titans and Scrappy Doo. Two characters no one seemed to like, together as outcasts scraping together a living while drifting from town to town like Bill Bixby's Dr. Banner. Imagine the sales bump!

Pat Henry said...

How about Rachel Summers and "Mayday" Parker hooking up with the Super Sons?

Pat Henry said...

Matt Celis, Scrappy Doo and Snapper Carr? Scrappy and Snappy = crappy.

J.A. Morris said...

Mike W., thanks, I stand corrected.

Rip Jagger said...

I always thought a Judomaster and Captain America team up would be gangbusters!

I can see Bucky and Tiger not getting along at all while their more mature no-nonsense mentors mesh rather nicely.

The story would be titled "World War Two and Two More".

But I can only dream!

Others that occur to me are:

Thing and Concrete (story would be titled "Building Blockheads")

Wolverine and The Golden Age Atom (story titled "Shortchanged")

Golden Age Red Tornado and Forbush Man (story titled "Battle of the Bucket Heads" or "The Underwear versus The Underworld")

Rip Off

Doc Savage said...

Howard the Duck and Captain Carrot & His Amazing Zoo Crew seems like a natural. Howard might even want to live on Cap's world; it's at least closer to home than Marvel Earth.

Teresa said...

The Sentry and Red Tornado. Oh Lordy...So much whining and complaining.
Instead of "What If" it would be called "Why Me?"

I would dispatch myself using a dirty spork after reading it.

Anonymous said...

Hmm we've had a lot of teamups in Marvel Team up and Marvel Two in one, we've had Power Man & Iron Fist - off the top of my head how about Godzilla and Hulk? Both are green monsters who are chased incessantly but would prefer to be left alone. Or Conan and Captain America? That pairing would be way out there.


- Mike 'pairs up nicely with fried chicken' from Trinidad & Tobago.

Pat Henry said...

Captain America and Conan pairing, not so implausible...

http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/11111/111114743/3103187-3923136904-xmen1.jpg

Anonymous said...

Conan and Captain America tangle in What If #43 (1984)

Joseph said...

Pat Henry - nice job and this one is my favorite: Black Bolt and Swamp Thing. Not only would it be a quiet meeting, they live in such different worlds.

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