Crossover Cover: Toys in the Attic

 

The first appearance of the post-Crisis on Infinite Earths version of Superman’s foe the Toyman. The Man of Steel is told about the villain by two unnamed British intelligence agents who are clearly John Steed and Emma Peel. In general, it is preferable to keep the few superheroes in the CU in their original publication era. This, combined with the fact that the end of the story ties in with a companywide crossover event called Millennium, makes this comic an AU. 

This crossover is one of hundreds included in my book Crossovers: A Secret Chronology of the World Volume 3! Much like the first two volumes, this one will be published by Meteor House, and is an AUTHORIZED companion to Crossovers: A Secret Chronology of the World Volumes 1 and 2 by Win Scott Eckert!

Crossover Cover: The Secret Service

Spy Jack London trains his nephew Gary in the art of espionage. After Jack is shot and killed, Gary toasts his uncle with London’s own trainer, Rupert Graves, who says, “Your uncle and I toasted a lot of old pals over the years. Steed. Gambit. Even some of the old timers like Drake and Templar." Apparently John Steed (The Avengers and The New Avengers), Mike Gambit (also from The New Avengers), John Drake (Danger Man/Secret Agent and The Prisoner), whose birthday is today, and Simon Templar (aka the Saint) have all died or faked their deaths by the time this story takes place. The year is 2009 based on a reference to Elton John trying to adopt. The Secret Service is supposed to take place in the same universe as several of Millar’s other comic books, including Wanted, Kick-Ass, Nemesis, MPH, Superior, and Supercrooks. However, including all of these series would bring in many more superheroes and supervillains than can smoothly fit into the Crossover Universe. Furthermore, Wanted portrays the world as secretly controlled by supervillains, which also does not fit with CU continuity. Therefore, the events of The Secret Service must have occurred in both the CU and the “Millar-verse.”

For the record, I'm not a fan of Millar's writing, and Civil War in particular is one of my most hated comics of all time, so much so that I'm glad they're jettisoning most of Millar's plot for the film. That said, my policy is not to exclude works that have a valid link to the CU simply because I dislike them or their author. I know my tastes are not everyone else's, and there are works I love that are in the CU that not everyone in my circle of friends enjoys as much as I do.

Crossover of the Week

July 1962

OPERATION STARFISH

            James Bellmore is a Marine attached to the Joint Advisory Committee on Korea (JACK) as the assistant to the organization’s number two man, Colonel Doctor Wingate Peaslee, also known as the Terrible Old Man. The name of the agency is a front for their battles against eldritch horrors. Bellmore and Peaslee travel aboard the USS Miskatonic to Johnston Island. Bellmore had a fight with a midshipman who decided to sample a bottle from his case of Remmers Imperial Stout. Bellmore’s friends in London, Steed and Drake, suggested that he develop a hobby. Having taken up cooking, Bellmore sends some of the foodstuffs to his friends, though mostly to Brenner, a Swiss chef he briefly studied under in New York. Bellmore meets Adam Royston of British Experimental Research Group, Unit 3. The Miskatonic uses a Tillinghast Resonator to lure the monsters on the island to be killed, including the Hounds of Tindalos.

            Short story by Peter Rawlik in Kaiju Rising: Age of Monsters, Tim Marquitz and Nickolas Sharps, eds., Ragnarok Publications, 2014. Wingate Peaslee is from H.P. Lovecraft’s “The Shadow Out of Time.” His nickname of “the Terrible Old Man” is a nod to Lovecraft’s story of the same name. The USS Miskatonic is named after the Miskatonic Valley, the setting of many of Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos tales. Remmers is Rex Stout’s detective Nero Wolfe’s favorite beer. Wolfe’s Swiss chef is Fritz Brenner. Steed is British spy John Steed from the television series The Avengers and The New Avengers, while Drake is John Drake from the television series Danger Man (aka Secret Agent.) Adam Royston is from the movie X the Unknown. The Tillinghast Resonator is from Lovecraft’s story “From Beyond.” The Hounds of Tindalos are from Frank Belknap Long’s titular tale.

Crossover Cover: Steed and Mrs. Peel: We're Needed #2

A while back, I posted about a potential crossover with The Prisoner in this storyline. Unfortunately, the seaside town of Silver Sands is clearly not the Village, although it is a community for retired spies. Unlike the Village, Silver Sand's inhabitants choose to stay there, and are not barred from leaving. We can assume that Silver Sands was set up for agents who were considered less risky to have at liberty than Number 6 and the others in the Village. However, there is a reference to two fictional locations. Mrs. Peel drives past a sign that reads "St. Mary Mead, 25 Miles; Walmington-on-Sea, 50 Miles; Silver Sand, 10 Miles." St. Mary Mead is the home of Miss Marple, while Walmington-on-Sea is the setting of the British sitcom Dad's Army, which is set during World War II.

Crossover Covers: The Prisoner: Shattered Visage

In this comic book set twenty years after the end of the cult classic television series The Prisoner, John Steed and Emma Peel are glimpsed at a spy's funeral. According to Wikipedia, James Bond (with Sean Connery's likeness), Napoleon Solo, and Illya Kuryakin are also at the funeral. I haven't read the series myself, and Wikipedia can't always be trusted, so I don't know whether this is true or not. There is also a reference to another spy being a master interrogator, trained by Mr. Smiley himself. This is a reference to John le Carré's George Smiley.

Upcoming (Possible) Crossover: Steed and Mrs. Peel

The comic company Boom! is putting out a new Steed and Mrs. Peel comic. (For obvious reasons, they can't use the title The Avengers.) The plot description indicates that this will be a tribute to, and/or unofficial  crossover with, The Prisoner. I certainly hope it is, so I can include it in the books. :)