Crossover of the Week

Summer 1940

LADIES’ DAY 

Ellen Patrick (aka the Domino Lady) and her friend Diana are at a hair salon when the shop is held up by criminals led by a woman called Madame Orchid, who is looking for the owner. Ellen came to New York on the S.S. Claridon. Diana is romantically involved with a man named Kit, who “comes and goes like a ghost.” Other customers at the salon include a matronly society woman named Mrs. Claypool; Miss Dawn, a nightclub singer who’s been seeing a gang boss named Rocco; Jean Moray, and a former FBI agent who now works for a private citizen who specializes in taking down criminals like Madame Orchid and likes to stay in the shadows. The latter woman puts on makeup to appear Chinese and calls herself “Ming.” Madame Orchid seeks to collect ransom from the globetrotting cousin of the salon’s owner. Said owner is a tall, gorgeous woman with deeply tanned skin and bronze hair. Madame Orchid turns out to be Millicent MacGyver, a vengeful former employee of the salon. 

Short story by Matthew Baugh in Gentlemen Prefer Domino Lady, David Boop and Kim Perisin, eds., Moonstone Books, 2020. The Domino Lady is from Lars Anderson’s stories in the “spicy” pulps. Diana is Diana Palmer, the girlfriend (and later wife) of Kit Walker, aka the Phantom and the Ghost Who Walks. The S.S. Claridon is from the movie The Last Voyage. Mrs. Claypool is from the Marx Brothers movie A Night at the Opera. Gaye Dawn and Johnny Rocco are from the film Key Largo. Jean Moray is the assistant of scientific detective I. V. “Ivy” Frost, who appeared in stories by Donald Wandrei in the magazine Clues Detective Stories. The former FBI agent is an agent of the shadowy pulp hero, and frequently assumes the guise of a Chinese woman named Ming during her investigations. The salon’s owner is the bronze man’s cousin. Millicent MacGyver is presumably a relative of Angus MacGyver from the television series MacGyver. “Ming” became an agent of the shadowy vigilante in the novel The Invincible Shiwan Khan, which Rick Lai placed in late September 1939, so this story probably takes place in the early 1940s. 

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

Summer 1903

A PIRATE’S LIFE 

Dr. Eric Palmer is brought before Captain Nemo and Robur, who need his help to investigate a murder at the Pirate’s Conference they are hosting, which is held every fifty years, and whose attendees include sea and air pirates. James Gunn and Archibald Haddock escort Palmer to the scene of the crime. The dead man is the Dread Pirate Roberts, who is supposedly over three-hundred-years-old, but part of a succession of men who have used that identity. Others attending the conference include the German Captain Mors and members of the Singh Brotherhood. Palmer asks Gunn about pirate dynasties, and the latter names the Turners and Sala’s band of women. Gunn introduces Palmer to the Nautilus’ first mate, Mister Ishmael. Captain James Hook asks Palmer about his progress on the case. The alleged Dread Pirate Roberts was really Manfred von Warteck, whose family aspires to rival the great criminal brotherhoods of Europe, such as the Black Coats. 

Short story by Travis Hiltz in Tales of the Shadowmen Volume 16: Voir Dire, Jean-Marc and Randy Lofficier, eds., Black Coat Press, 2020; reprinted in French in Les Compagnons de l’Ombre (Tome 27), Jean-Marc Lofficier, ed., Rivière Blanche, 2020. Dr. Eric Palmer is from Paul Féval, fils’ novel Felifax, the Tiger-Man. Captain Nemo and his submarine, the Nautilus, are from Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues under the Sea and The Mysterious Island. Robur is from Verne’s Robur the Conqueror and Master of the World. James Gunn is a descendant of Ben Gunn from Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island. Archibald Haddock is from Hergé’s comic The Adventures of Tintin. The Dread Pirate Roberts is from William Goldman’s The Princess Bride. Captain Mors is a German pulp hero. The Singh Brotherhood and Sala’s group, the Sky Band, are from Lee Falk’s comic strip The Phantom. The Turners are from the Pirates of the Caribbean film series. Ishmael is from Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick. Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill’s comic book The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen portrayed Ishmael as the Nautilus’ first mate. Captain James Hook is from J. M. Barrie’s Peter Pan. Manfred von Warteck is related to Baron Glô von Warteck, the villain of Jean de La Hire’s The Nyctalope vs. Lucifer. The Black Coats are from a series of novels by Paul Féval. 

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 Comic Strip: The Twins' Futures

 

Are you a fan of Lee Falk's classic comic strip The Phantom?

Then you may enjoy this storyline, which has appearances by not only Mandrake the Magician and company, but also Mary Worth!

For more information, be sure to read my book Crossovers Expanded: A Secret Chronology of the World Volume 3 when it's 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 Covers: King

A sequel to the comic Kings Watch, which takes place in an AU, as I discussed in a previous post.

Crossover Cover: Flash Gordon: Zeitgeist

This ten issue miniseries is a reimagining of Flash Gordon’s first trip to Mongo. In this particular issue, the Phantom and Mandrake have a cameo. This story is irreconcilable with Alex Raymond's original tale, and therefore must be placed in an AU.

Crossover Covers: Kings Watch

The Phantom, Mandrake, Flash Gordon, Lothar, Karma, Dale Arden, and Dr. Hans Zarkov battle Ming the Merciless and the Cobra. The Phantom seen here is not a member of the Walker family, but rather had the identity passed to him by the last descendant of the original Phantom on his deathbed. Mandrake’s wife Narda has turned evil, becoming the Cobra’s henchwoman and lover. Flash Gordon and company are updated to modern times, and their first meeting here is under different circumstances than their first appearance in the comic strip. Therefore, this series must take place in an AU.

Crossover Cover: The Phantom/Captain Action

The Phantom and Captain Action (Cole Drake, the son of Miles Drake, the original Captain Action) battle a counter intelligence agency called Tatsu. The Phantom’s wife is called Diana Walker-Palmer in this story, but this must be fictionalization. The 22^nd Phantom, who became active in 1989 (as seen in the Marvel Comics series The Phantom: The Ghost Who Walks) was the grandson of the 20^th Phantom and Diana Palmer. After his death in 2016, his son took over as the 23^rd Phantom. He died in 2024, and his son became the 24^th Phantom in 2040, as seen in the animated series Phantom 2040.

Crossover Covers: Godfall

The Phantom, upon finding a hidden trap door, remarks “Mandrake would be proud.” Despite the modern trappings of this story, it features the 20^th Phantom, who has married Diana Palmer by this time, and thus must take place not very long after 1945.