Tales of the Gold Monkey

Howdy you Truly Adventurous Souls! 

I know why you're here!  I knew you were coming!  I didn't bake a cake though, but I do have  a true treat this time, team, a terrific trophy of television's times-gone-by called "Tales of the Gold Monkey"!  This is a re-working of an old article that I wrote a few years back for my "Odd Reviews by Oddcube", a feature of the former Abandoned Towers ezine.

 Be warned, There Are Spoilers!

"Tales of the Gold Monkey" aired its one-and-only season on ABC in 1982.  The show was created by some guy named Donald P. Bellisario, who created some other obscure shows with names like "Magnum, P.I.", "Airwolf", "Quantum Leap", "JAG", and "NCIS".  In fact, "Gold Monkey" was apparently the very first series that he got a "Created By" credit for.

So, the scuttlebutt from several online sources is that Bellisario created "Gold Monkey", inspired by such classic movies as "Only Angels Have Wings" and "To Have and Have Not" and that he began trying to sell it to the networks since the late 70's.  He was repeatedly turned down, as them dumb ol' TV execs thought no one would be interested in way cool adventure series set in the 1930's.  And then it happened:

"Raiders of the Lost Ark" was released in theaters, and was a smash hit!

Then all of a sudden, all three networks (yeah, there were only three back then, how did people survive?!) were scrambling to find something similar that they could air.  The good news here is that some guy at ABC remembered "Tales of the Gold Monkey", which came complete with a tropical island and a hero in a leather jacket!  ...The bad news is that they really wanted it to be more of an action-oriented adventure and less the character-driven drama Bellisario originally intended.  The resulting series is somewhere in between, and way cool!

"Tales of the Gold Monkey" takes place in the South Seas in 1938.  More specifically, on the fictional island of Boragora, part of the French Mandate which covers the southern half of the volcanic Marivella Island chain.  The northern half of the Marivellas compose the Japanese Mandate.  The show focuses on the adventures of Jake Cutter, a former Flying Tiger who is now a pilot-for-hire who transports passengers and cargo with his Grumman Goose (that's an airplane, if ya don't know).  Jake is played by Stephen Collins, whom you may remember from "Brewster's Millions" starring Richard Pryor and John Candy (he's the guy Richard Pryor gets to slug at the end), or from "Star Trek:  The Motion Picture" (he's the guy who merges with V'Ger at the end of the movie...in case ya fell asleep and missed that part, which is TOTALLY understandable!), or as a priest in the TV series "Seventh Heaven". 

Of course, a good hero needs good sidekicks, and Jake has several characters to back him up.  His best, or at least most loyal, friend is Corky, the best (and only) mechanic within a thousand miles.  Corky is amiable, optimistic, a little naïve, a little dense, and has a poor memory as a result of how much he drinks.  Corky is played by Jeff MacKay, who also played recurring roles on "Magnum P.I.", "JAG", "Battlestar Gallactica" (the original one), "Black Sheep Squadron", and "The Greatest American Hero".  And on top of all that, I found out that Jeff MacKay was Robert Redford's cousin!

Jake Cutter never went very far without his faithful friend, Jack, who was a one-eyed Jack Russell Terrier.  Jack was smarter than the average dog; in fact, he was often smarter than the average human.  He could hold a conversation with you by barking once for "no" and twice for "yes"...or is it the other way around?  To be honest, I think he switched it around every once in a while, just to confound people.  Jack had a glass eye made of opal with a star sapphire center, but Jake lost in a poker game in the pilot and Jack holds a king-sized grudge against him until he tracks it down and gets it back which, of course, Jake tries to do through the entire run of the show.  In the meantime, Jack wears an eye patch and is very cool, even though he's kinda contrary.

Next up, we have Sarah Stickney-White, who turns out to be an American secret agent...even though she sounds British...who has been assigned to eavesdrop and relay any information that may be useful to the U.S. in the upcoming war.  As her cover, she was the singer in Boragora's central meeting spot, The Monkey Bar.  In addition to all of that, she was Jake Cutter's romantic interest throughout the series, cuz you need that sort of tension in a series.  Sarah is played by Caitlin O'Heaney who was on "One Life To Live" for a while, and was in the Woody Allen films "Zelig" and "The Purple Rose of Cairo", and for a while she had her own perfume, called "Caitlin".

The most mysterious of Jake's companions is "Bon Chance" Louie. 
Louie is the French Magistrate in charge of Boragora and also the proprietor of the Monkey Bar.  Louie is a likable scoundrel and rogue who occasionally drops little hints about various experiences in his exotic and apparently infamous life.  In the pilot, Louie was played by Ron Moody, who has apparently been in tons of things, but I only know him from Mel Brooks' "The Twelve Chairs".  Also apparently, he and somebody didn't get along, because in the ongoing series, Louie was played by Roddy McDowall.  ...I don't have to tell you who Roddy McDowall is, do I?  I mean, he's Roddy McDowall!  Everybody knows and likes him, right?  He was in, like, EVERYTHING it seems like.

 Of course, a hero also needs some opposition, and there were some members of the regular cast to help in that capacity, too.  For starters, there was the Reverend Willie Tenboom, who was actually a Nazi spy assigned to Boragora.  Of course, he wasn't much of a spy; he was actually quite content to be stationed out on that tropical paradise mostly away from weighty worries like war and politics.  He was set up as a Reverend, and his favorite pastime was giving private--ahem--"blessings" to the local native girls.  He certainly didn't seem very devoted to the Nazi cause, and in fact was rather fond of the show's heroes.  As such a reluctant opponent, he wasn't really played up as a villain, but more as focal point for occasional comedy.  Willie was played by John Calvin, who seems to be in one episode of just about everything, and a couple of small movie roles, but "Gold Monkey" seems to be the largest part in his repertoire. 

A more affective villainess was the Princess Koji, a half-Irish/half-
Japanese princess who governed the Japanese Mandate in the Maravellas.  She was sort of a classic Dragon Lady type of character, very clever and cunning, and (of course) intrigued and enamored of our stalwart hero, Jake Cutter.  Princess Koji was played by Marta DuBois, who was also Thomas Magnum's wife on "Magnum P.I." and John Larroquette's love interest on the "McBride" series of mystery movies.

Princess Koji had several people at her beck and call, but her best servant is Todo.  Todo was some sort of samurai-guy who was fanatically loyal to the Princess.  He has a quick temper, unfaltering determination, and a samarai sword--and he's ready to use them all!  Todo is played by John Fujioka, who you might remember from "Pearl Harbor", or "Mortal Kombat", but I remember him from "The Private Eyes".

Anyway, "Tales of the Gold Monkey" is an adventure show, and there's plenty of adventure everywhere!  There are claim jumpers, guys trying to blow up members of Royal Families, kidnappers, slavers, killer apes, tigers, and curses from ancient island gods!  From start to finish, it's just plain cool!

Now, some of these plot elements were part of Bellisario's vision of what the series should be, but some of the more exotic things like ape-men and natives were apparently added at the insistence of the network.  Remember, they wanted it to be more Indiana Jones.  Well, remember also that this is the first series that Bellisario got "Created By" credit for, and since his name was on it, he was very insistent about how it turned out, too.  The short version here is that arguments ensued, and the series was not picked up beyond the first season, much to the surprise of rival networks and the disappointment of their growing fanbase. 

Despite stubborn, short-sighted network execs, the show retains a loyal cult following.  I guess I'm part of it, cuz I totally dig it the most.  And what's not to like?  There's adventure, excitement, romance, intrigue, and exotic scenery!  So if you like Indiana Jones, or Allan Quatermaine, or Jungle Jim, or the movie "Firewalker", or the Disney show "Talespin" (which itself was supposedly inspired by "Tales of the Gold Monkey"), then you will like this show, so check it out!

Or maybe you've seen it already?  If so, tell us what you thought about it in the comments below!

Until then, I wish you all...

Good Adventuring!
Timothy A. Sayell

The Shadow in Temple of Crime

Howdy, you Trackers And Sleuths! 

Hope everyone is doing well because we have a mystery to solve!  And it's a classic, too!  This time we're going to talk about a story that appeared in The Shadow magazine, it's called "Temple of Crime".

It was written by  Walter B. Gibson but published under the house name of Maxwell Grant by Street and Smith in November of 1941.  However, my copy is in "The Shadow #77" published by Sanctum Books in 2013.  I got my copy from Radio Spirits, a company that specializes in CDs of old-time radio shows and other (sometimes loosely) related items.

This issue also features another Shadow story called "The Curse of Thoth", a brief essay by Will Murray, and a radio script for an Egyptian-themed episode of Nick Carter.

So here's the situation in this one:  a rich guy named Amru Monak has reconstructed an Egyptian temple of Ammon-Ra on his estate and started up a cult to worship him.  The Shadow sent Margo Lane to join the cult, to investigate it from within.  During their first ceremony in the temple, a murder occurs!  

Amru Monak is one of the primary suspects, but not the only one.  The other two suspects are  Basil Gorth, an archaeologist who was part of the expedition who found the temple in Egypt; and Jan Ravion, a university professor who hopes to be the first person to translate the mysterious hieroglyphics on the pedestal that supports the statue of Ammon-Ra.

The premises are stalked by Monak's sinister servants and also a mysterious gang of ruffians who wear masks styled after Egyptian gods.  The weird temple seems to be magical...or haunted.  And at one point, The Shadow gets locked in a mummy case!

I'm not going to spoil the ending for you, but I will tell you that there are abundant action scenes, panicky crowds, the enigmatic Book of Thoth, and mysterious goings-on!  The Shadow does not "cloud men's minds" like he does in the radio show, but he does seem to have the supernatural ability to...well...become darkness, and therefore go unseen by human eyes. 

I have only read a few Shadow stories, so I don't know how the die-hard connoisseurs rate this one, but I enjoyed it very much.  If you like pulps, you'll certainly like this!  Or maybe you've found it already, if so tell us what you thought about it in the comments below!  I'll be back in a few weeks to talk about something else!

Until then, I wish you all...

Good Adventuring!
Timothy A. Sayell

Jack Hunter

Greetings, you Treasure and Antiquity Seekers! 

Good to have you back!  I hope you're ready for adventure because this time we're talking about the Jack Hunter miniseries.  I believe this debuted on the Syfy Channel (but don't quote me on that) around New Year 2008-2009.  

These three episodes run about an hour and a half each, forming a single, all-encompassing story arc.  First is "Jack Hunter and the Lost Treasure of Ugarit".."  Here we meet Jack Hunter, jaded and cynical archaeologist, on a mission to photograph a tablet in a private collection in Paris.  A bad run-in with a security guard smashes his camera, so he takes the entire tablet.

His friend and mentor believe this tablet holds a riddle that leads to a long-lost Ugaritic treasure.  Jack thinks it's a bunch of hooey and refuses to get involved until someone kills his mentor.  Before his death, the mentor marked a spot on a map, and this leads Jack to Syria, where he is joined by Nadia Ramadan from a local antiquities institute (she and Jack hate each other right away, so you know they end up together by the end of the series) and Tariq, a driver/tour/guide provided by some tourism bureau.

The main opposition is a rival archaeologist named Littman, who is working for the Russian Mafia.  There are other bad guys, too...but I don't even remember who they were supposed to be.  Some weird secret society that's still around from ancient times...they worship the magical staff that is part of the Treasure.

There were foot chases, car chases (Tariq is supposed to be their driver, but somehow every time Jack drives, there turns out to be a car chase...go figure!).   There are some caves and ancient ruins and weird ancien traps.  Anyway, all this leads to the staff.

What staff?  Oh yeah, there's this magic staff.  It's the first of a two-part ancient superweapon.  The weapon is called the Eye, and the Staff is the Iris.  It's a solar-powered magic staff that shoots a laser beam.  The secret society is trying to keep everyone away from it.

But they blew it.  Everyone gets to the temple where it's kept, and--of course--Littman gets it by the end of the first movie!  

But that's ok because we're not done yet!  We move to part two, "Jack Hunter and the Quest for Akhenaten's Tomb."  See, there's a second part to the superweapon.  It's called the Star of Heaven, and it attaches to the orb at the top of the staff, and...no one's quite sure what it does.  But Littman is after it, so we have to stop him!

Our heroes believe that the Star of Heaven was captured by the forces of the Pharaoh Akhenaten and hidden away in Egypt, so that's we they go next.  

More political intrigue, more ancient mysteries, another secret society.  But it turns out that the Star of Heaven is not here because thousands of years ago, the Romans looted the place and moved the entire treasure, but left a pair of Roman coins on the eyes of the Pharaoh.  Oh yeah, and we fail to get the Staff away from Littman!

But we're not through yet; we still have "Jack Hunter and the Star of Heaven."  This time there's a trail of private collectors that our heroes must follow to eventually find the Star.  And of course, Littman gets it, and we have to get it back before he can turn it over to the Russian Mafia...or is that even his true intention?  I won't spoil it, just in case you want to check it out for yourself.

So, how was it?  Well...it was okay.  The mystery and intrigue really weren't so bad.  They make the mistake of dressing the hero up in a way that reminds you of Indiana Jones, and I think that was a bad idea.  Jack Hunter is NO Indiana Jones.  

As I said, the plot is okay.  It has all the necessary parts to be something great, and it takes place in the modern world, which helps set it apart from period pieces like Indiana Jones.  However, in my opinion, none of the characters were very likable.  And the story just isn't told in the fun style of Indiana Jones or "The Mummy" with Brendan Fraser.  It's like they wanted all the corny adventure stuff but were hoping to inject verisimilitude and believability...or something.

It was good in its way, it was watchable, and I'm not sorry I watched it.  On the other hand, I'm in no hurry to watch it again.  It just wasn't as much fun as Indy or O'Connell.

But if you want to watch it, I'm sure you can find it on some streaming channel or other; I watched it on YouTube.

Have you seen "Jack Hunter and Lost Treasure of Ugarit"?  If so, tell us what you thought about it in the comments below!

Until then, I wish you all...

Good Adventuring!
Timothy A. Sayell

The Star Kings

Howdy-do to all you Travelers Among the Stars! 

Welcome back to another fun-filled thrill-a-minute report here at Squadron HQ!  This time, we're talking about a rollicking space opera adventure that encapsulates the sort of entertainment we strive for here at TAS.  It has everything!  It has telepathy, time-travel, planet-hopping, imposter royalty, romance with a space princess, mutant blob monsters, a massive space war, and a weapon that could destroy the entire galaxy!

What is it?  It's "The Star Kings" by Edmond Hamilton! 

Edmond Hamilton was, of course, a popular, prolific pulp writer whose stories filled the pages of many a sci-fi and horror magazine.  Later, he moved on to write stories for comic books like Batman, Superman, and Green Lantern.  He wrote several space opera stories, including the Captain Future and Starwolf series.

John Gordon is a pilot who survived World War II and returned to his everyday life as an accountant, which he now finds very dull.  At night when he drifts off to sleep, he begins to hear a voice in his head.  It is Zarth Arn, a prince of the Mid-Galactic Empire calling from 200 centuries in the future.  He wants to study history first-hand by switching bodies with John Gordon, kinda like in Quantum Leap.

Gordon--craving adventure, excitement, and really wild things--jumps at this opportunity.  His consciousness is transported through Time And Space into the body of Zarth Arn in his Earth laboratory 200,000 years in the future.  Zarth Arn is not only a prince (second-son of the Imperial Emperor) but also a scientist.  Apparently, he does this mind-swap thing with various persons throughout history, and his trusted associate is present to help Gordon get oriented and updated with simple things like language.

But then Gordon gets pulled into a much more exciting adventure than he planned.  The laboratory where the mind transfer took place is attacked by a group of political dissidents; they are troops of "the Cloud," headquarters of the League of Dark Worlds.  They want to kidnap Zarth Arn, who--as a member of the royal family--knows the secret of the Empire's super-weapon.  They have come for John Gordon!

They conveniently kill the assistant guy, the only guy who knows that Gordon is NOT Prince Zarth Arn.  Then, by luck and happenstance, these troops are in turn conquered by a passing patrol of the Imperial navy, and Gordon is saved!  Sort of!  They insist on reporting the incident to Zarth's father--the Emperor!--who orders his son return home to the safety of the Imperial capital city of Throon!  They take Gordon away from the lab and the precious mind-swapping device!

From here on out, Gordon's sole objective is to return to Earth and bring the real Zarth Arn back to deal with his own problems.  But Gordon just keeps getting farther and farther from this goal as he is bombarded with one setback after another!  

He is accused of treason, framed for the assassination of the Emporer, kidnapped by agents of the Cloud, tortured with a mind-reading ray, crash lands on a planetoid filled with monsters, causes a mutiny, and pressured to use a secret weapon that-if used incorrectly-could destroy the entire galaxy!  Wow!

This is a nonstop thrill ride!  Like, no kidding, EVERY chapter ends with a little cliffhanger that makes you want to keep going!  It is a little episodic, and, as others on the internet have pointed out, it is corny and cheesy--but these are just plusses, in my opinion!  

I WILL be reading this again sometime!  I've read some other Edmond Hamilton stories, but this just makes me want to find some more!  So if you like super-cheesy, action-packed space operas, I highly recommend that you read "The Star Kings"!  You won't go wrong!

Apparently, there are more stories in this series, but I haven't found them...yet!  Have you read this one?  Or any Edmond Hamilton stories?  Drop a comment below to tell us what you read and what you thought about it!

Until then, I wish you all...

Good Adventuring!
Timothy A. Sayell

Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins

Howdy you Truly Adventurous Souls! 

So, the other day, I was looking through some old video tapes and I found (among several other things) my copy of Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins.  Then I thought, "Hey!  That's adventure!  I should talk about it on the blog!"  So...I am!

The movie came out in 1985, but I never saw it until it got on HBO.  I must have been about twelve, and I had no idea who Remo Williams was.  For that matter, I had no idea who Fred Ward or Joel Grey were, either.  But I knew Wilford Brimley!  He was the only guy in the movie I recognized!

Anyway, Remo Williams was a New Jersey cop at the beginning of the film, and he was selected by a top-secret government organization to be their new recruit.  The first thing they did was fake his death, then they gave him reconstructive surgery (mostly shaving off his mustache) and informed him he had been recruited and given a new name:  Remo Williams.

The organization was CURE (I don't remember what the acronym was for), and seemed to be a three-man operation led by Wilford Brimley as Dr. Harold Smith, who implied that they were some kind of government institution.  So, they wanted Remo to be trained up to be an assassin, so they give him to an old Korean named Chiun who was to teach Remo the ways of Sinanju, kind of philosophy and a style of martial arts.  

I was kinda fascinated by the Sinanju training sequences.  The idea was that the human body was capable of so much more than we use it for.  Like...the way they say we only use a small percentage of our brain, but could do fancy telepathy and telekinetic powers if we could learn to use the rest of our brains.  Except, this was the whole body.  With Sinanju training and discipline, you were supposed to be able to do all sorts of fantastic Jackie Chan-type acrobatics and tings that seemed superhuman.

However, Remo is a typical American slob, and is very skeptical, but is impressed with the few uncanny moves Chiun has displayed and wants to learn because...it was just too cool.

On top of all this, there is a shady military arms dealer--an evil 80s business tycoon--who is fleecing the government for funds to build new weapons for the armed forces and only supplying shoddy equipment that blows up in the hands of our soldiers.  He had a sham weapons satellite that was rigged to blow up before anyone could get close enough to tell it was a phony.  This guy needs to be taken out, but whenever his stuff comes under investigation he gets away scott free and some underling gets all the blame.

This is a job for CURE, and they want to send Remo, their newest assassin, to eliminate him.

It was a nifty little flick when it came out, entertaining enough to occupy a couple of hours.  Fred Ward from the the first two Tremors movies played Remo.  Joel Grey played Chiun.  Wilford Brimley, as I said, was Harold Smith, the head of CURE.  And nowadays I recognize Kate Mulgrew, but I don't like her in anything since she stole Billy Crystal's novel in Throw Momma From the Train. 

It wasn't until years later that I found out it was based upon a series of books called "The Destroyer" by Richard Sapir and Warren Murphy.  Apparently a line of men's adventure novels akin to The Executioner.  I tracked some down, but I've only read one so far...and that was some years ago now.  I don't remember what the plot actually was.  I remember a Chinese lady with a big coat who kept stealing essential like toilet paper and carrying them in her coat.  And Remo fighting some guys from a karate school.  I think they ended up in China and he got the Sword of Sinanju...why was it in China instad of Korea?  Maybe I remember wrong.

Anyway, the movie is kinda neat, although I've read some opinions online that suggest the books are better.  Hey, big surprise, right?  I'll have to read a few more books and watch the movie again to see if I feel the same way.

I also read that the movie folks wanted this to become a big franchise to rival stuff like James Bond.  In fact, he was supposed to the blue-collar James Bond.  So they hired a writer who wrote a couple of James Bond movies, and a director who directed a couple James Bond movies...but in the end, it just didn't become what they hoped for.  Sad, really.  I would have watched more of them. 

I wouldn't be surprised if someone in Hollywood was trying to reboot the series.  I mean, seems like they try that with everything, doesn't it?

Well, I guess that's all for now.  See ya next time!

Until then, I wish you all...

Good Adventuring!
Timothy A. Sayell

Follow the Map...

Greetings all you Treasure/Antiquity Seekers!

So...

When was the last time YOU stumbled across a treasure map?

Yeah, I can't remember the last time I found one, either.

But they are a major staple in adventure stories.  A definite trope. perhaps even a cliche.  Every pirate and every western bank robber is supposed to have a map that leads to his ill-gotten gains.  You know it, I know it, everyone knows it!  I wonder how many I actually know of...

First of all, there's "Treasure Island".  When young Jim Hawkins got his hands on Mr. Flint's map, he had himself a proper treasure map that led to a secret pirate treasure!  Of course, there were a band of pirates who also wanted the treasure, chiefest of all was Long John Silver.

Then, of course in "The Hobbit", Bilbo Baggins and Thorin's Company had a map that led to a secret entrance of the Lonely Mountain, where the dragon Smaug slept upon their stolen gold.  A cool map that boasts hints and riddles written in a special invisible ink that can only be read in the light of the moon.

Hmm...except for a map--that we never got to see--that was tattooed on the back of a blind violinist in a Doc Savage story...I can't really think of any more treasure maps in literature.  I must be reading the wrong pulp.  I'll have to go to the Internet Archive and find some digital copies of Adventure Magazine.  In the meantime, I'll move on to movies!

You recall the beginning of "Raiders of the Lost Ark", where our stalwart hero, Indiana Jones treks through forbidden South American jungles with untrustworthy allies.  At one point he consult a map that had been ripped into three pieces.  We never get a good look at that map, but I found this interpretation online.

What everyone really remembers is the Map of Souls in the lost city
of Tanis.  Because, of course, if you position the Staff of Ra in the proper place, the sun will shine through the jewel in the Headpiece and a beam of light will show you where to find the Well of the Souls--the resting place of the Lost Ark!

But that's not the only treasure hidden in Egypt!  we know this because of "The Mummy" movie with Brendan Fraser.  The ancient puzzle box is actually an all-purpose key that opens secret books and forbidden sarcophagi, and it contains a map to the Lost City of Hamenuptra, where the wealth of Ancient Egypt is hidden.  

Meanwhile, a pair of Spanish rapscallions named Tulio and Miguel....or is that Miguel and Tulio?  Anyway, during a dice game they managed to win a map depicting "the wonders of the New World".  Through a series of madcap misadventures that may or may not have been influenced by some divine intervention, they sailed to the New World and found that the map depicted "The Road To El Dorado", the City of Gold itself!  They found themselves in the unique position to save this virtual paradise from a bloodthirsty and lunatic priest, but also the imminent arrival of Cortes and his conquistadors.

Of course, sometimes you don't have to go so far to find treasure and adventure.  "The Goonies" found it all right in their own backyard!  Well, okay, in their own hometown.  Because when your father is the curator for the local museum, and uses the attic of his house as extra storage space...that increases the likelihood that you and your friends can find a treasure map that leads to One-Eyed Willie's wrecked ship, and all his plundered gold.  Of course, you have to read Spanish to have a chance at the riddles, and a few piano lessons will help you conquer the music notes on the back.

On the other hand, in "Romancing the Stone", romance novelist Joan Wilder received her mail and found the map to El Corazon, a big heart-shaped emerald wanted by some antique smugglers and a South American warlord. 

This was an especially cool map because you had to fold it over to find some of the clues, if you didn't, you would never find the jewel.  Then how would it ever get swallowed by the crocodile?

Then again, sometimes maps don't lead to a specific item or
place...sometimes a map can lead to several, uh, locations of interest.  For instance, Sao Fang's rotating map in "Pirates of the Caribbean:  At World's End".  This fantastic navigational device leads to several weird and wonderful locations; including Davy Jones' Locker and the Fountain of Youth.  Who knows what other mysteries it can guide one to?

The only map I can readily think of that may be even more fantastic, is the map that belongs to the Supreme Being.  It is a map of all the holes in Time and Space, and it was stolen by some disgruntled employees who decided to use it to steal great treasures from various historical figures, then escape to another time so they could never be caught.  And while they were pursued by the Supreme Being, they were also constantly watched by Evil One, who also wanted the map for his own nefarious schemes. That's right, I'm referring to "Time Bandits".  But here again, they may have been part of some Divine Plan without realizing it at the time.

That seems to be all I can think of right now.  Can you think of any prominent treasure maps from literature or film?  And no, I DO NOT mean the "Map of the Realm" that seems to be included in very Fantasy novel nowadays.  I'm talking a map that leads to an actual treasure, or magical place.  I'll have to read less Hero Pulp and more Adventure Pulp to try and find more.

Until then, I wish you all...

Good Adventuring!
Timothy A. Sayell

The Phantom Sleuth

Howdy-do to you Tough-Guys, Agents, and Shamuses! 
...or is that Shamii?  ...I guess it's a shame-I don't know!  HA!

Yeah, I know, it was bad.  You know the worst part is?  I'm not even ashamed of it!  Isn't that terrible?

Anyway, welcome back!  Since the premier Saturday Serial, "The Crystal Cage" has ended, I want to talk about the next story, and what inspired it.

As you must know by now, I am a fan of the old pulp heroes.  The Shadow, the Spider, the Phantom Detective, the Black Bat, the Green Lama...there are so many, and they all have some distinct similarities.  Chiefly, they are all masked mystery men fighting against crime!  Some, like the Shadow and the Green Lama, have seemingly supernatural powers, while most of the others only have pistols and fanatical devotion to their cause.

Many such heroes had their own magazine, some had radio dramas, and some of the most popular ones had movies or movie serials.  The Masked Man of Mystery was a rock-solid trope of the hero pulps, so naturally I HAD to have one of my own!

My hero is the Phantom Sleuth!  This mysterious identity is actually shared by a pair of identical twin brothers:  Byron and Brian Twain.  Their parents were marked for death by the mob, and Byron was caught up in the mob hit while Brian escaped it altogether.  Now, Byron is believed to be dead, and both brothers have vowed to avenge their parents' death by waging a war against crime.

Brian Twain, the sole survivor of the family tragedy, is now a wealthy young socialite and sole heir to the family business empire.  Secretly, the Twain brothers created the identity of the Phantom Sleuth, and began to fight the underworld.  The two brothers take on the identity of the Phantom Sleuth in shifts, likewise the public identity of Brian Twain.

Byron is in love with Jane Wayland, who only knows him as Brian, the living twin.  As a star reporter of a local newspaper and the daughter of the Police Commissioner, she inadvertently supplies the Phantom Sleuth with various tidbits of useful information.  Meanwhile, her father deems the Sleuth to be a danger to the public at large, and strives to bring him in, like a common criminal.

The Phantom Sleuth is a crack shot, a master of disguise, and a skilled escape artist who fights the outlandish villains who threatened the peace and safety of the denizens of this beloved city.  Magicians, Mesmerists, Masterminds and more plague the criminal cases in his files!

You can get the first-ever Phantom Sleuth story, "The Case of the Villainous Vanishing Act", and a slew of other stories--for FREE--in "The Adventure Sampler" when you join the Adventure Society.  You can also read the first installment of newest adventure this Saturday!

Until then, I wish you all...

Good Adventuring!
Timothy A. Sayell