Letters to Seven Soldiers #11

I have to echo Dave's comments, but the one moment that made this issue for me, and it's one that Don showed me before the issue posted, was the New Outsiders remark. So funny, and yet so true. Your grasp of these characters is fantastic, and as always, I'll be back next month. Look forward to the conclusion to this story!

Loved the main story. La Garra and Gimmick make quite a pair (careful, the noobs are starting to outshine the veterans!), and I'm intrigued to see what's up with Vulcan as well. Plus the possible beginnings of Infinity Inc.! Booyah!

Unfortunately, I have to say that the end of the '40s CA story felt rushed, up to and including the one bad guy doing major exposition on what exactly this whole gig was about. The parts regarding Wing, Claudia, and the killer read much better than "the big threat".

And in case anyone missed it, there's a major plot-point to the current SSoV run over in the new Who's Who #5, thanks to a very informative entry on Wing Travis (and his legacy!) by Don his own self. Go check it out if you haven't already!

We'll talk about Vulcan at the end, David, the behind-the-story story on him is...interesting. Haley and Yolanda are a blast to write, and I have a couple of real life models to work off of, and that just makes it more fun in a way. Both ladies face a lot of uncertainty to come in very different ways, rest assured. And Syl developing Infinity, Inc. is a tale I'm going to have lots of fun with.

Sir Justin's the interesting one of the time-hoppers, because he's jumped twice now, and had two very very different eras thrust on him from his home time of the Age of Chivalry (and earlier, actually, the dawning of the era of knighthood). He's done well adjusting, but now, the cracks are starting to appear, and worse still, now he can't do the one thing he's still sure about: battling injustice and protecting the innocent. It'll be tough on him, and we'll see if he can make it through, with the support of family and love of his wife (right?).

I love Joey's work, and I'll miss it while he's away. I hope he returns, and Joey, if you're reading this, anytime you're ready to come back, let me know, because working with you is a pleasure, and your colors and your dynamism of figures just makes each submission you give us a pure treat. Thanks for all your hard work!

I loved the New Outsiders remark as well, Charlie, one of my favorites in the whole series. The whole exchange just tickled my fancy, and great to see it do the same for others.

Sam, feeling bad for Justin is going to keep happening, I fear. He'll make it through, he's strong and brave and noble, and he'll turn out just fine...right? Sure. Of course...as long as he has his wife at his side. And she'd never leave him, right?

Greg's so easy to write. LOL He's fun, and how he interacts to all the Soldiers is a blast to work out. he's everyone's favorite uncle.

More Vulcan discussion coming...another big vote for him. Hmm...

This is the end for the "Sting of the Scorpion!" but rest assured, Lee, Wing, Claudia, and other Soldiers, will get their chances to fill the backseat and tell some stories from the past of our heroes.

Susan, glad you enjoyed the girls, and the name-dropping of Infinity. And another boost for Vulcan. Wow.

What's fascinating with your review of the end of the Avenger tale is that (aside from being rushed, it was a bit, I didn't want to go another chapter, and so it got a little squashed up) you hit the nail on the head. Lee's story wasn't the important one. The origin of the Avenger is important to Lee, but the struggle to save Claudia, Lee's ladies, and Wing himself were the more important elements of the story. The big threat was Scorpion, not Dark Cross, at least for our cast of characters, and as you'll see, that elemental callousness and misjudgment on Lee's part will come back to haunt them in the past, and down through to the present.

Thanks for the plug, though, yes, the Wing entry is kind of a "DVD extra" to the Crimson Avenger back-up, as well as the whole Wing storyline in Seven Soldiers.

Thanks a lot for the kind words, Brian. Glad you enjoyed Yolanda, and Justin. As mentioned, big things in the works for both these people.

And yeah, the Avenger was rushed in parts, but I'm glad you enjoyed reading the story, and hopefully, the next back-up serial will work better overall.

And now, Vulcan: what is it with this guy? LOL I love the reaction to him. Brenda Martin will make a big splash as part of this story, and Vulcan's main purpose in my outline was to bring Brenda's story about, move Justin's story forward a bit more, and to set up for the next arc with the return of an old Soldiers foe from the DCU, the Black Star. Now though, now I realize that he seems to be so much more. This guy is taken from the Seventies run of All-Star Comics, and a two-part JSA story battling Vulcan with his story and powers largely unchanged (save for the change in his astronaut mission), and he really was just a bridge villain to bring about a bunch of stories I have planned to run. Now though, now he's going to have to be more important, I'll have to plan out some new stuff for him down the road, since he's getting such a great reception. And that's awesome! I love to see that kind of thing. So thanks, guys, for making me work even harder now.

Take care
Don