Smorgasbord Tuesday !

There is a lot to cover over the next week - October solicits, creator interviews, and a lot of comics to review. So here are a some quick items while I get my thoughts together.

Marty Pasko was kind enough to visit the site and posted this on the DC Retro-Active post from a couple of months ago.

FYI, Supergirl appears in the '70s Retro-Active Superman title written by yours truly and drawn by Eduardo Barreto (with help from Christian Duce).

Martin Pasko

While I am thrilled to hear that Supergirl will be in the retro-active book (that most likely means the hot pants costume), I am floored that Marty Pasko came here! I loved Pasko's work growing up and look forward to this 70's flashback issue. Over on the DC Bloodlines blog, I recently reviewed a Dr. Fate story he did. Here is that link if interested: http://dcbloodlines.blogspot.com/2011/06/review-1st-issue-special-9-dr-fate.html
Here is the official DC solicit.

 DC Retroactive is an exciting event honoring the defining eras of DC's core heroes, featuring an original story by the legendary writers and artists who helped mold the characters! Martin Pasko revisits the Metropolis of the 1970s, telling an epic lost tale as Mr. Mxyzptlk returns for another go at The Man of Steel. Will he succeed this time around?

Supergirl writer James Peaty's new project 'The Ballad of Frank Sartre' is now up and running on the web. Here is the link: http://www.franksartre.com/index.html

I asked Peaty if he could give us some info about the book and this is what he wrote back:

The story's about Frank Sartre, a singer/performer in a version of reality somewhat different from our own. Frank's having a bit of a career renaissance, but parallel to this he's embroiled in a number of overlapping mysteries. Firstly, who is the mysterious woman that haunts his dreams? Secondly, what's his connection to a mysterious killer stalking the streets of his hometown, Cosmopolis. And, thirdly, what happened in his past that caused his band The 400 Blows to split up. Throw in some flying cars, a mind-altering super-narcotic, hot dames, evil doctors, cab-driving  gorillas, gangster pussy cats and a bloodhound crime reporter and you have - I think - a pretty fun comic book. Here's hoping other people agree!

Every Friday - around midday GMT - we'll be uploading at least four pages to the site, sometimes more, and the cost to the reader is absolutely nil.

I have read the first pages of the book and it looks like a great mash-up of film noir, Blade Runner, and Kirby's anthropomorphic animals. I also like that music plays an important role in the book. That seems to click. And what is better than free entertainment. Well worth checking out ... a much different and darker feel than the Supergirl stuff Peaty wrote.

Lastly, I wanted to again plug blog friend Valerie's Querl and Kara deviant art page. That site's latest coup is an article by Landry Walker about what the Kara/Querl relationship would have been like had Cosmic Adventures continued (maybe 'when Cosmic continues?'). Here is that link:
http://querl-and-kara.deviantart.com/blog/42258868/

The whole article is fantastic and Walker clearly gets the character of Supergirl, right down to the relationships she has. Here is a quote to whet the appetite:

 Come Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the 9th Grade, she and Brainiac 5 will meet face to face for the first time (when looking at the time line in the proper order). Their relationship through the series is contentious and acerbic in many ways, as their ideologies conflict. But it’s this tension in the face of adversity that creates a bond between them. A bond that is cemented home when Brainiac 5 illogically chooses to sacrifice…

It is definitely worth reading in its entirety. So go visit!