Crossover of the Week

Winter 1967

SATANIC SPIES AND OTHER MUSICALS 

The chauffeur for a cadet branch of the Falsworth family tells his friend about occult investigator Johnny Rich and his own chauffeur, partner, and lover May when they spot them at Lords. May’s mother employs dacoits and has access to poisonous vipers. The duo meets with the controller of British Intelligence and his employee George. One of rock star Bobby Belial’s followers is Helena Gurney, niece of the Earl of Gurney. Belial plays at a club owned by Danny and Tony Driscoll. The Driscolls and Harold Shand each claim the title of London’s boss. May is of Manchu descent. Johnny is a duke, and his late father was a legendary magus. After thwarting Belial, Johnny goes with May to the musician’s home, where they meet a Special Branch officer named Mendel. 

Short story by Frank Schildiner, originally available as an e-book from Pro Se Productions in 2017; reprinted in Johnny Rich, Pro Se Productions, 2018. Johnny Rich is the son of Dennis Wheatley’s occult detective the Duke de Richleau. May is the daughter of Fah Lo Suee and the granddaughter of Dr. Fu Manchu. The Falsworth family includes Montgomery Falsworth and his son Brian, both of whom operated as the masked hero Union Jack, and Montgomery’s daughter and Brian’s sister Jacqueline, aka the speedster superheroine Spitfire. All three are members of the Marvel Comics wartime superhero team the Invaders. Although superteams are rarely included in the CU, it has been established that the Invaders did operate briefly as a commando-style team, notably encountering a member of the Frankenstein family and his monster. Furthermore, Paul Hugli’s “As Time Goes By...” suggests a version of Union Jack exists in the CU. The head of British intelligence is Control, George Smiley’s boss in John le Carré’s spy novels. Inspector Mendel is also from the Smiley books. The Earl of Gurney is from Peter Barnes’ play The Ruling Class and its film adaptation by Peter Medak. Danny and Tony Driscoll are from the television series Only Fools and Horses. By extension, the spin-off The Green Green Grass and the prequel Rock & Chips would also be in the CU. Miss Tibbs and Miss Gatsby from Fawlty Towers appeared in the Only Fools and Horses episode “Homesick.” Harold Shand is from the movie The Long Good Friday. 

This crossover writeup is one of hundreds included in my book Crossovers Expanded: A Secret Chronology of the World Volume 3, which will be published by Meteor House! All three volumes are AUTHORIZED companions to Win Scott Eckert's Crossovers: A Secret Chronology of the World Volumes 1 and 2!