JD Hancock Photos

Duel 365

Duel 365 was a year-long project I started in 2010. The goal was to post one photo each day depicting a duel, usually between two pop culture figures, and asking the question, "If they had to fight, who would win?" At the request of those who came to follow the project, I also provided text descriptions of each character. One of the rules was to avoid using the same figure in multiple photos. Another challenge was that I was not allowed to use Photoshop or other advanced photo editors to create the scenes; all editing was done either in-camera or with Apple’s iPhoto software. Over 700 figures were used for the project, which believe it or not represents only a small part of my toy collection.

Fantastic Four

The Fantastic Four is a team of superheroes in comic books published by Marvel Comics. They were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and premiered as Marvel’s first super-team in The Fantastic Four #1. The original members of the team were given their powers in an accident in outer space, becoming the stretchy Mister Fantastic (Reed Ricards), the disappearing Invisible Woman (Sue Storm), the flaming Human Torch (Johnny Storm), and The Thing (Ben Grimm) a strong, stony monster. Frequent allies include the Silver Surfer, She-Hulk, Namor, Medusa, and H.E.R.B.I.E. The team’s costumes are blue with a number "4" on the chest. The Fantastic Four have appeared in several TV series and films, including Fantastic Four (2005).

The Flash

The Flash is the name given to several superheroes in comic books published by DC Comics. Jay Garrick, the first Flash, was created by Gardner Fox and Harry Lampert and premiered in Flash Comics #1 (1940). Each Flash has the benefits of super-speed in some form, including the ability to run very fast and extraordinarily quick reflexes. Although the role has been filled by many people the four most notable include Jay Garrick, Barry Allen, Wally West, and Bart Allen. The Flash costumes have varied but generally feature a lightning bolt on a field of red. Throughout their history Flashes have often been members of the various incarnations of the Justice Society and Justice League with fellow superheroes such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and others. The Flash has appeared in numerous TV series, including The Flash (1990) and Young Justice (2010).