Letters to Danger Trail #6

Once again your research of this time period shows. The mention of Blue Coal which I heard about as a fan of old time radio; the implication that certain songs weren't sung in polite or white society. All touches that enhance the story. The setting up of the DC2's version of the Xfiles and the expected appearance of Argent St. Cloud served as a good setup for next issue.
With Col. Darnell and Derek Trevor on the scene do I sense a certain Amazing Amazon on the horizon as well?

Has it only been six issues? You put so much into each one of these it feels like we must be somewhere in the 30s. You spoil us with how much action and adventure is jammed into each issue Don.

I too must join to chorus to say that it's a shame there's no cover to this, hopefully someone steps up to the challenge, this is one of the better titles out there, makes a better use of character, period and setting than anything else I'm reading, online or in print.

I like the whole angle you've come up with here, the whole supernatural notion fits these characters well and the way you describe them makes it seem almost natural. There's not much suspension of disbelief required for you to give us vampires, demons and whatever you've got up the pike.

The governmental beurocracy notion is captured perfectly as well - it would be like career beaurocrats to debate cutting of their nose to spite their face rather than give these guys the clearance to deal with what they deal with so well already. I like the notion especially of the reluctance to trust the mystery man, sort of plays well into Midnight's character.

Midnight is a lot of fun here, it's nice to see him back in his element again, though you know that won't last as he's going through it and boy does it go wrong for him in the end there. “Aw damn it! That’s just not right!” is just such a perfectly understated line that really caps off the scene and sort of softens the blow a little from what could have been a disturbing scene.

And what can you say about Speed - so dashing and sort of a wide-eyed James Bond/Indiana Jones hybrid - definitely a favorite character here. I loved his playful interraction with Harriet Cooper, it's great that you've paired them together since they play off one another so well.

I like how Faraday lays down the law. He knows what he wants and he looks out for the rest of the team, and doesn't let anyone put a stop to that. I liked that notion, and I thought you played it off well - he definitely comes off like a strong character here, and a smart one. He knows his advantages and knows where he can push.

The scene between Rose and Rupert proves ominous, I'm not familiar with any of these characters, but I'm interested in seeing where you take them, and the daughter referenced. It does seem far more than meets the eye is going on here, especially in light of the multiple debts it would appear Rupert owes that Argent may well be paying for.

And poor Midnight, he just keeps finding himself drawn into these weird, weird situations. I really feel for him, but enjoy the things he and the rest are drawn into, so I can't feel TOO bad about it.

As always, I enjoyed the hell out of this and the next issue can't come fast enough

Thanks for the kind words, everyone. I do work hard trying to get the period details down as accurately as possible, though I admit I cheat a bit here and there.

Blue Coal, for those not in the know, was a long-time sponsor of the Shadow radio program, so not only is Blue Coal historically alive in this period, but it's a nod to their own "mystery man" roots. There's a slight liberty in giving them a San Francisco presence, since they're mainly east coast, but I didn't think anyone would mind too much. Same with the song Speed has the band play. It's a hair early, but then again, this just proves the sorts of contacts he has, to grab a song he likes from the composer himself, clearly a friend of his. Speed is definitely filled with the "Young Indiana Jones" vibe, and I'm hoping to have that show up a bit more as the series progresses.

King Faraday is a strong character, and still full of energy and fire for his job. He's much more akin to a Daniel Craig "Casino Royale" James Bond, and while he's got a lot on the ball, he'll be making some mistakes coming up that will teach him some serious lessons in how politics is played.

Harriet Cooper...I love her, and I'm loving writing her, and I'll admit it, she's my shameless attempt to grab some of the Bat-family lovers' notices. This poor series needs all the help it can get. LOL

Does Derek Trevor signal an Amazing Amazon? Well, in the DCU, he's actually Miss America's husband, so the question should be, does he signal the coming of Project M? Or maybe it's a swerve to hide the coming of the Warrior Queen? Good question. The answer:

Yes.

The St. Cloud family is my other attempt to snap up some Bat-fans. I love Silver, and really wanted to use her. I've always easily pictured her as one of those characters that would show up opposite a Humphrey Bogart character in the classic B&W movies. Couldn't have Silver, but Argent...I hope Argent hits that same vibe for all of you.

Thanks for all the nice comments and I hope you enjoy the next issue, coming up very soon.

Take care
Don