Crossover Cover: The House in the Witch Dreams

 

In this story by Charles R. Rutledge, occult expert Professor Carter Decamp helps college student Nancy Upton discover the source of dreams she’s been having about a witch and a house she senses is her own, though she’s never been in it before. Decamp shows Nancy a painting of a ghoul done by a rather infamous artist named Pickman in the 1920s and says the ghouls’ last recorded uprising was in that decade and was put down by a man named Kharrn. Decamp has a walking stick that conceals a blade. Carter Decamp is a recurring character in Rutledge’s fiction, including the Griffin and Price series, coauthored with James A. Moore. The immortal barbarian Kharrn is another of Rutledge’s recurring heroes. Pickman is from H. P. Lovecraft’s “Pickman’s Model.” The painter’s full name is Richard Upton Pickman, so he and Nancy Upton may be related. As established in Moore and Rutledge’s Blind Shadows, Decamp’s sword-cane is the same one that once belonged to Manly Wade Wellman’s occult detective Judge Pursuivant. Nancy says February 15 was last Sunday, suggesting the year is 2015.

This crossover is one of over a thousand covered in my book Crossovers Expanded: A Secret Chronology of the World Volume 3, coming this summer from Meteor House! All three volumes are AUTHORIZED companions to Win Scott Eckert's Crossovers: A Secret Chronology of the World Volumes 1 and 2!

Crossover of the Week

Autumn 1940

RED SHAMBHALA 

Jim Anthony battles a Russian villain called Koschei. Appearing or mentioned are: Xonira; the Heart of Fortune; the Bugle; the Globe; the New York Inquirer; Sovereign City; Maple White Land; Richard Upton Pickman’s infamous painting “Subway Accident”; Campalans; the Brainerd punch-card automata; Thunder Jim Wade; Doc Ardan; Hanoi Xan and his World Crime League; the Si-Fan; the Brotherhood of the Golden Chrysanthemum; the Vampires of Paris; the Order of the Cosmic Ram; Commissioner Warner; the Black Bat; the Kingscote School for Girls; St. Trinian’s; and a Freiburg dance academy of dubious reputation. 

Novel by Joshua Reynolds, Pro Se Productions, 2015. Jim Anthony appeared in the pulp magazine Super Detective. Xonira is from Derrick Ferguson’s Dillon series. The Heart of Fortune is the riverboat home and gambling casino of Ferguson’s character Fortune McCall. The Daily Bugle and the Daily Globe are from Marvel’s Spider-Man comics. The New York Inquirer is from the classic film Citizen Kane. Sovereign City is the setting of a book imprint from Pro Se; Fortune McCall is one of the city’s heroes. Maple White Land is from Arthur Conan Doyle and Edward Malone’s The Lost World. Richard Upton Pickman and his painting “Subway Accident” are from H. P. Lovecraft’s “Pickman’s Model.” The fictional cubist painter Jusep Torres Campalans was the subject of a biography by Max Aub. The Brainerd punch-card automata are based on technology invented by Johnny Brainerd in Edward S. Ellis’ The Steam Man of the Prairies. Thunder Jim Wade appeared in stories by “Charles Stoddard” (Henry Kuttner) in the pulp magazine Thrilling Adventures. Doc Ardan is from Guy d’Armen’s Doc Ardan: City of Gold and Lepers. Jean-Marc and Randy Lofficier’s adaptation and translation of that novel implied Ardan was really a famous American pulp hero. Hanoi Xan and the World Crime League are from the movie The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension. The Si-Fan is from Sax Rohmer’s Fu Manchu novels. The Brotherhood of the Golden Chrysanthemum is mentioned in several works by Reynolds. The Vampires of Paris are from the serial Les Vampires. The Order of the Cosmic Ram is from Reynolds’ Royal Occultist series. Commissioner Jerome Warner is from the Black Bat stories. The Kingscote School for Girls is from Antonia Forest’s Marlow novels. St. Trinian’s is the setting of a comic strip by Ronald Searle. The Freiburg dance academy is from the movie Suspiria.

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!

Crossover of the Week

Autumn 1928

THE GHULISTAN AFFAIR 

The Kurd Ali al-Ghazi meets with a Texan. Ali, who tried to scare off an American expedition to Shahr-i-Zahr a few years before, says, “Honestly, I reckoned Jim had his eye on them since they came by way of the Levant, and King would intercept them when they headed into the Khyber Pass.” The Texan says the expedition’s dragoman would never have willingly led them into the Land of Ghouls. Ali asks the Texan if he’s ever heard of the Leng Plateau, and gives him greetings from Sonora, who has a brother who has trouble walking and sells his fever-dreams to a pulp magazine called Cleft Hooves or something similar. He also mentions Aga Khan and Shah li-Zahr. The Texan mentions the Gorge of Ghosts. The members of the expedition included a former Foreign Legionnaire, a man with a camera, a young man who had wild stories about a village in Hungary they visited, and a poet who was engaged. Ali brings up Kara-Shehr, and the two discuss Clarney. The Texan asks which of the expedition said the name Ghulistan. Afghanistan was known as Afghulistan before the Flood. The Texan once fought someone named Konaszevski. 

Short story by Sam Inabinet in Pickman’s Gallery, Matthew Carpenter, ed., Ulthar Press, 2018. Ali al-Ghazi (or el Ghazi) is a disguise used by Robert E. Howard’s character Kirby O’Donnell. The Texan is another of Howard’s heroes, Francis X. Gordon, aka El Borak. Shahr-i-Zahr is meant to be Shahrazar from the Kirby O’Donnell stories “Swords of Shahrazar” and “The Treasures of Tartary.” Shahrazar is also mentioned in the El Borak story “Blood of the Gods.” The Land of Ghouls and Ghulistan are from the El Borak story “Three-Bladed Doom” and Howard’s Conan story “The People of the Black Circle.” Afghulistan is from the latter story. Aga Khan is Baber Khan from “Three-Bladed Doom,” while Shah li-Zahr is Shalizahr from the same story. Ivan Konaszevski is also from “Three-Bladed Doom,” as is the Gorge of Ghosts. Jim and King are James Schuyler Grim, aka Jimgrim, and Athelstan King from Talbot Mundy’s novels. The Leng Plateau is from H. P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos stories. Sonora is Steve Allison, aka the Sonora Kid, who appears in both his own series of stories by Howard and the El Borak tales. Sonora’s brother is James Allison, the wooden-legged hero of a series of stories by Howard dealing with reincarnation. “Cleft Hooves” is a reference to the magazine The Cloven Hoof from Howard’s John Kirowan story “The Children of the Night.” The Legionnaire is Randolph Carter from Lovecraft’s Dream Cycle. The photographer is Richard Upton Pickman from Lovecraft’s “Pickman’s Model.” The young man is Justin Geoffrey from Howard’s “The Black Stone.” The poet is Edward Pickman Derby from Lovecraft’s “The Thing on the Doorstep.” Kara-Shehr and Steve Clarney are from Howard’s “The Fire of Asshurbanipal.” Edward Pickman Derby married Asenath Waite in early 1929, a few months after they met, so this story likely takes place in late 1928. 

This crossover is one of hundreds included in my book Crossovers Expanded: A Secret Chronology of the World Volume 3, to 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!

Crossover Cover: Pickman's Other Model (1929)

This anthology includes the story “Pickman's Other Model (1929)” by Caitlín R. Kiernan. The narrator, a Mr. Blackman, says of actress Vera Endecott, who modeled nude for Richard Upton Pickman, “Later, I would come to recognize some commonality between her face and those of such movie ‘vamps’ and femme fatales as Theda Bara, Eva Galli, Musidora, and, in particular, Pola Negri.” Eva Galli is from Peter Straub’s novel Ghost Story. Much of Straub's work is connected. For instance Straub and Stephen King's novel Black House, which also has connections to King's other works, mentions the town of Arden, WI from Straub's If You Could See Me Now, as well as Don Wanderley (or Wanderly), a character from Ghost Story.

Crossover Cover: World War Cthulhu

This anthology contains two stories with crossovers, both written by authors with no little experience at same. One is "The Yoth Protocols" by Josh Reynolds. An FBI agent named Sarlowe thinks of centers of eldritch activity, such as the Warren site in the Big Cypress, the Martense molehills, and "certain secret cellars where a certain artist had painted certain pictures and almost certainly been eaten." He also thinks of Inspector Craig and his Special Detail in the subway tunnels beneath New York, as well as worms in the earth. Sarlowe’s partner Indrid Cold is described as having a wax-like face. It is stated there are worse things in Heaven and Earth than dreamt of in Alhazred’s philosophy. The local "old ones" include the Shonokins and the K’n-Yani. Sarlowe reminds Cold of the Yoth protocols. A circular stone covering the stairs leading to the mound where the K’n-Yani live was placed there after the Zamacona Cylinder was unearthed. "The batrachian hillbillies in Massachusetts" and N’Kai are mentioned. Cold is the only person who ever used the Voormithadreth Corridor and hadn’t rotted from the inside out. Cold identified Valusian spectrum radiation within the mound. The Russian necromancer Grigori Petrov refers to the Zann Concerto and the maw of Leng. Cold asks Petrov if he was planning to let Tsathoggua’s children loose to do his dirty work. Sarlowe quotes, "Evil the mind that is held by no head." Sarlowe is a relative of occult detective Baxter Sarlowe from Reynolds’ novel Wake the Dead. The Warren site in the Big Cypress is from H. P. Lovecraft’s story "The Statement of Randolph Carter." The Martense molehills are from Lovecraft’s "The Lurking Fear." The secret cellars where an artist painted pictures and was eaten are from Lovecraft’s story "Pickman’s Model." Inspector Craig and his Special Detail are from Robert Barbour Johnson’s story "Far Below." The worms in the earth are from Robert E. Howard’s Bran Mak Morn story "Worms of the Earth." Indrid Cold is an allegedly real person connected to the supposed Mothman sightings in 1966. His wax-like face implies Cold is a member of the wax-masked race of creatures seen in Lovecraft’s "The Festival," which is the source of the quote, "Evil the mind that is held by no head." Abdul Alhazred, the mad Arab, is the author of the Necronomicon in Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos. The Shonokins are from Manly Wade Wellman’s John Thunstone stories. The K’n-Yani, Yoth, the Zamacona Cylinder, and N’Kai are from Lovecraft’s revision of Zealia Bishop’s story "The Mound." "The batrachian hillbillies in Massachusetts" are a reference to Lovecraft’s "The Shadow over Innsmouth." The Voormithadreth Corridor is connected to Mount Voormithadreth from Cthulhu Mythos stories by Clark Ashton Smith. Tsathoggua is also from Smith’s Mythos tales. Valusian spectrum radiation is a reference to the kingdom of Valusia in Robert E. Howard’s Kull stories. The Zann Concerto is from Lovecraft’s "The Music of Erich Zann." The plateau of Leng appears in a number of Lovecraft’s stories. The other story that I will include is "Cold War, Yellow Fever" by Pete Rawlik. Mitchell Peel is an operative of the Joint Advisory Committee on Korea (JACK), receiving orders from Colonel Doctor Wingate Peaslee, aka the Terrible Old Man. Peaslee tells Peel and other JACK agents Esteban Zamarano was sent to Banes, Cuba as part of Operation Mongoose to enlist his family’s aid. The Zamaranos bought six volumes from the sale of the Church of the Starry Wisdom Library, including what appears to be a Spanish-language edition of The King in Yellow. After contact was lost with Zamarano, another agent traveled to Banes, and disappeared himself, though not before sending the message, "Where is the Yellow Sign?" The Soviets are willing to neutralize the threat, but Peaslee says Washington does not want to see another Gizhinsk, particularly so close to the U.S. borders. Peel and company work with Major Romero of the Cuban Security Forces and Agent Tanya Romanova of Soviet Army Intelligence to deal with the situation. Romanova refers to documented cases of childrens’ minds being stimulated to see the universe in ways adults cannot, such as the Paradine children and "that village in Winshire." After the mission, a traumatized and disfigured Peaslee is retired to a minimum security facility near Arkham, Massachusetts. Mitchell Peel is related to David Conyers’ series character Major Harrison Peel, an NSA consultant who appears in stories set in the milieu of the Mythos. Wingate Peaslee is from Lovecraft’s story "The Shadow Out of Time"; his nickname of "the Terrible Old Man" is an homage to Lovecraft’s story of the same name. The Church of the Starry Wisdom is from Lovecraft’s "The Haunter of the Dark." Arkham, Massachusetts is the setting of a number of Mythos tales. The King in Yellow is from Robert W. Chambers’ short story collection of the same name, and was incorporated into the Cthulhu Mythos by Lovecraft in his story "The Whisperer in Darkness." The Yellow Sign is also from Chambers’ book. Gizhinsk and "that village in Winshire" are from John Wyndham’s novel The Midwich Cuckoos. Agent Tanya (or Tatiana) Romanova is from Ian Fleming’s James Bond novel From Russia, with Love. The Paradine children are from the short story "Mimsy Were the Borogroves" by "Lewis Padgett" (Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore).

Crossover of the Week

November 1920

THE ARTIST AS WOLF

Charles St. Cyprian and Ebe Gallowglass attend a party where the art of Gabriel-Ernest Smythe is being displayed. St. Cyprian pronounces Smythe’s work “no worse than your average Pickman.” The party is hosted by Roberta “Bobbie” Wickham, who expresses surprise at St. Cyprian’s attendance, having thought he “would have gone into hiding with Bertie and the rest of the Drones.” St. Cyprian refers to Van Cheele and Toop.

Short story by Joshua Reynolds in Leather, Denim & Silver: Legends of the Monster Hunter, Miles Boothe, ed., Pill Hill Press, 2011. Gabriel-Ernest Smythe, Van Cheele, and Toop are from H .H. Munro’s werewolf story “Gabriel-Ernest.” Richard Upton Pickman is from H. P. Lovecraft’s “Pickman’s Model.” Bobbie Wickham appears in P. G. Wodehouse’s stories about Bertie Wooster and his valet Jeeves, and is also related to the author’s series character Mr. Mulliner. The Drones Club appears in the Jeeves and Wooster stories, as well as many of Wodehouse’s other interconnected works.

Crossover of the Week

1939

THE DEATH’S HEAD CLOUD

            Jim Anthony battles a madman who has created a fog that has a lethal effect on those it comes in contact with. Appearing or mentioned are: Inspector Craig; Malone; Joséphine Balsamo; Irma Vep; “that odd Persson woman”; Pickman; Dr. Death; Dr. Satan; “the Mephistophelean master of the Si-Fan”; Fantômas; the Daily Sentinel; Reid; Xonira; Reid Enterprises; Patricia Savage; the Bugle; the Globe; the New York Inquirer; the Sky Band; Police Commissioner Warner; the Kingscote School for Girls; St. Trinian’s; the Minchin’s Seminary; “a dance academy in Freiburg of dubious reputation”; the Black Bat; “that arachnid lunatic in the fright-wig”; Ellen Patrick; Margo Lane; “the Remmers that Wolfe sent around”; Maple-White Land; “a lama with an unfortunate predilection for the color green”; Ravenwood; and Captain Nemo.

            Novel by Joshua Reynolds, Pro Se Press, 2013. Jim Anthony appeared in the pulp magazine Super Detective, in stories written by Victor Rousseau Emanuel, Robert Leslie Bellem, and W.T. Ballard. Inspector Craig is from Robert Barbour Johnson’s short story “Far Below.” Malone is Detective Thomas F. Malone from H.P. Lovecraft’s “The Horror at Red Hook.” Richard Upton Pickman is from Lovecraft’s “Pickman’s Model.” Joséphine Balsamo is Arsène Lupin’s archenemy. Irma Vep is from Louis Feuillade’s silent film serial Les Vampires. Persson is Una Persson, a recurring character in Michael Moorcock’s Multiverse. Dr. Death’s misdeeds were chronicled by Harold Ward in a titular pulp magazine. Dr. Satan’s crimes were recounted by Paul Ernst in Weird Tales. The master of the Si-Fan is Dr. Fu Manchu. Fantômas is the vicious criminal mastermind created by Marcel Allain and Pierre Souvestre. Reid is Britt Reid, aka the Green Hornet. The Daily Sentinel and Reid Enterprises are both owned by Reid. Since Britt was based out of Detroit rather than New York, the reporter in this novel must be an employee of the Sentinel’s New York offices. Xonira is from Derrick Ferguson’s novels Dillon and the Legend of the Golden Bell and Dillon and the Pirates of Xonira. Patricia Savage is Doc Savage’s cousin. The Daily Bugle and the Daily Globe are seen in Spider-Man stories published by Marvel Comics. The New York Inquirer is from Orson Welles’ classic film Citizen Kane. The Sky Band was an all-female group of criminals featured in a storyline in Lee Falk’s comic strip The Phantom. The Black Bat appeared in stories by Norman Daniels in the magazine Black Book Detective. Commissioner Warner is also from the Black Bat stories. The Kingscote School for Girls is from Antonia Forest’s novels about the Marlow family. St. Trinian’s appeared in illustrated cartoons by Ronald Searle that were later adapted into a series of films. The Minchin’s Seminary is from Frances Hodgson Burnett’s book A Little Princess. The dance academy in Freiburg is from Dario Argento’s horror film Suspiria. “That arachnid lunatic in the fright-wig” is the Spider. Ellen Patrick is better known as the Domino Lady, who appeared in stories by the pseudonymous “Lars Anderson” published in Saucy Romantic Adventure. Margo Lane is one of the Shadow’s most loyal and trusted agents. Wolfe is Rex Stout’s detective Nero Wolfe; Remmers is the rotund sleuth’s favorite beer. Maple-White Land is from Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Lost World. The “lama with an unfortune predilection for the color green” is Jethro Dumont, aka the Green Lama, whose stories were written by Kendell Crossen for the pulp Double Detective. Ravenwood, “the Stepson of Mystery,” is an occult detective appearing in stories by Frederick C. Davis in the pulp Secret Agent X. Captain Nemo is, of course, from Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and The Mysterious Island.

 

Crossover Cover: It

Besides a Lovecraft reference, this book has ties to a number of other King works. An artist named Pickman is mentioned; this is Richard Upton Pickman from Lovecraft's "Pickman's Model." Elements of King's work that are mentioned are: the town of Hemingford Home, Nebraska (which must be a CU version of the town seen in The Stand, which takes place in an alternate universe); the deserted town of Gatlin ("Children of the Corn"); Shawshank Prison (which appears in a number of King's books and stories, most prominently in "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption"); a crazy cop who killed a number of women in Castle Rock, Maine (Frank Dodd from The Dead Zone); a black army mess cook in the '30s named Dick Hallorann (The Shining); Rebecca Paulson of Haven Village (The Tommyknockers); the Turtle (The Dark Tower); and a supernatural '58 Plymouth Fury (Christine.)