The Knight Avenger
The Knight Avenger was an idea I cooked after reading Will
Eisners Spirit.He like Danny Colt ,Richard Benson Guardner was thought to be dead,but actually got
resurrected by science secretly,in a hidden underground lab.I wanted him also
to create something along the lines of the Shadow and the Avenger-two pulp
crime fighters-who work at night,uses a team of assosiates to wage this war.He
wore a dark slouched hat over a black Iron Man mask and a bullet proof
trenchcoat over a thin suite of armor. The Knight Avenger chronicles the adventures of a masked vigilante –perhaps
from a long line of individuals,used the same identity,who fights crime with the blessing of the city's
police commissioner , an old friend. Jonathan Christopher Guardner is original
16th Century The Knight Avenger.
Despite The Knight
Avenger origin as detective Richard
Benson Guardner , Guardner
Investigation,Inc.The stories range through a wide variety of styles, from
straightforward crime
drama and noir to lighthearted adventure, from mystery and horror to comedy and love stories, often with hybrid elements that twisted genre
and reader expectations.
The Knight Avenger as a man with villainous characteristics, who
used them to battle crime, and complete
with a stylized imagery, a stylized name, sidekicks, supervillains, and a
secret identity. Clad in black, The Knight Avenger operated mainly after dark,
burglarizing in the name of justice, and terrifying criminals into
vulnerability before he or someone else gunned them down. The Knight Avenger wore a wide
brimmed black hat and a black, crimson-lined cloak with an upturned collar over
a jumpsuite suit,also acted as his suite of armor.The suite,was of mysterious
origin-possibly an ancient prototype Imperial Delkhon Battlearmor,mixed with
elements of The Zhatikhon Enforcers armor. a crimson scarf just below his nose
and across his mouth and chin. Both the cloak and scarf covered either a black
doubled-breasted trench
coat or regular black jumpsuit,that conseals all sorts
of weapons
- Vincent Willianson, an operative who work
as Private Detective for Guardner
Investigation,Inc.
- Marvin Vinchenzo," a cab
driver who doubles as The Knight Avenger and his agents chauffeur. Works Vinchenzo New York Metro Yellow
Cabs.
·
Leo Vinchenzo," a cab driver who doubles as The Knight Avenger and his agents chauffeur. Works Vinchenzo New York Metro Yellow Cabs.
·
Alexandria Kane, a Jewish socialite was granted the power of telepathy, and hence
the ability to pierce The Knight Avenger’s
hypnotic mental-clouding abilities.)
William Gilbert Kane New York
City Police Commissioner
·
Calvin Burke, a
newspaper reporter.
- Donald Branson, operator who maintains contact between The
Knight Avenger and his agents. Branson work for local Doomwatch-
·
Buddy Burke, a wrongly
convicted ex-con who infiltrates gangs using his crooked reputation.
·
Dr. Rupert Walsh, The
Knight Avenger’s personal physician.
·
Wilburr Elwood Watson, a
giant, immensely strong black man,.
·
Sarah Hill, who works
with The Knight Avenger to rehabilitate criminals.
·
Steve Ashton , who
sometimes pilots The Knight Avenger’s private jets,hover craft
·
Robert Schulz, a shady stock-broker
who collects information.
·
Suspender Bruce
Fellows,.Bookstore owner,
·
Howard Peel, a reformed
underworld snoop who trails gangsters and other criminals.
- Jessica Chang, a female operative
who uses the her restaurant in Chinatown as a base of operations The Knight Avenger and
his agents.
·
Inspector Bruce Tang, The
Knight Avenger’s contact man in New
York's Chinatown.
·
Fictional character biography[edit]
·
The Knight Avenger is
the name an urban legend that date for centuries,about mysterious force for
justice and enemy of evil,known throughout world since 16th
century crimefighter", was the hero persona of
young detective Richard Benson Guardner
·
. Richard Benson
Guardner seems only verson an
ancient,wealthy family,whose eldest male,dones the mantle of the • The Knight Avenger.
·
(To be precise, Richard
Benson Guardner Jr.)
·
·
Presumed killed in the
first three pages of the premiere story, Guardner later revealed to his friend, New York City Police Commissioner William Gilbert Kane,.
·
·
When Guardner began a life of fighting crime wearing only a small domino mask, blue business suit, red necktie, fedora hat, and gloves for a costume. The Knight Avenger’s dispensed justice with the aide of his various
assistant, , funding his adventures with the rewards for capturing
villains.
·
The Knight
Avenger’s was based originally in New York City , but
his adventures took him around the globe. He met up with eccentrics, kooks, and femme fatales, bringing his own form of justice to all of them. The story
changed continually, but certain themes remained constant: the love between The
Knight Avenger’s and Kane feisty protofeminist daughter Alexandria (Alex) ; Doctor Noah
Blackwell (a psychopathic criminal
mastermind who was never seen, except for his distinctive gloves)..Some believe
Doctor Blackwell urban legend that date
for centuries,about mysterious force for justice and enemy of evil,known
throughout world since 16th century . Richard Benson Guardner
believe simply the for mysterious Doctor Blackwell is fictional legend created the local agent for the Zhenn Lann Authority Black Market
operations.Imaging Technology can’t any sourse,for original picture,it seems a
several layered photoshopped images of several hundred sourse-actors like
Joseph Ruskin,fictional like Xaltotun from Conan of Cimmeria comic,various
Jesus Christ pictures,. Guardner believe either
ebarate hoax,,someone using a holographic persona or other.
A
stolen formula transforms ordinary people
into superhuman murder machines
The Black Death is from the May 1942 issue of the
magazine. Again
from the back cover: Targeted with The Black Death, The
Avenger
must unmask the satanic mastermind behind the Black Wings Cult
before his own life is forfeit.
Cargo of Doom originally saw print in the May 1943 edition of Clues
Detective Stories. From the back cover: A child makes an appeal
for help to Richard Henry Benson, leading The Avenger along the
deadly trail to a Cargo of Doom.
Zatikhon Enforcer Agents wear dark grey or black business
suits lined with a gold fabric, black dress shoes, a silver bar tie clip to complement
the tie, square sunglasses or Macroscope Visors, over the masks,that hide true
faces and a communication earpiece to inform them of any disturbances within
the system. These features are copied from the attire for plainclothes agents
of the United States Secret Service, as well as those of the Men in Black
conspiracy or the stereotypical G,Man/FBI official. Agents carry handguns in shoulder holsters
that are concealed beneath their suits. In addition Zatikhon Enforcers to
proficiency in the use of firearms, all Agents are masters of the martial arts
and hand,to,hand combat.They also carry Cosmic Canes,similar to certain members
of the Legion of Time Sorcerers,to appear as simply walking sticks,but are
actually disguised hand weapons.
Zatikhon Enforcer Agents are programmed to be extremely
agile,unlike regular Special Commerse Agents allowing them to perform
superhuman feats such as leaping great distances, while possessing exceptional
reflexes; on one occasion managed to directly counter a punch from with a punch
of their own to still,moving fist. They
can briefly move at speeds fast enough to evade gunfire, at least in most
circumstances; contact shots are effective, as are weapons with an extremely
high rate of fire, such as that from a as seen in They seem to be impervious to
pain, or to have an extremely high tolerance for it; when shoots one Agent with
a pistol or rifle, he shows no visible reaction to several bullets
piercing their arm. They can only be
"killed" by wounds that would be instantly lethal to a human; trauma
to the head, heart, upper spine, and plant like skeleton structure,that
somewhat similar to a cross between a human skeleton and a hard,bark like tree
structure,so on.The Zatikhon form are
made up of vegetable matter, and very difficult to harm,but can injured or
severly damaged.The Zatikhon Agents can easily regrow damaged or severed body
parts,
Neither the
Zhatikhon nor their planet were
ever named. Their human appearance was a disguise; they were never shown in
their true form except in one episode, "Genesis", in which an
ill Zhatikhon researcher loses their human form and are briefly seen immersed in a tank of water.
Unless they receive periodic treatments in what Vincent called
"regeneration chambers", which consume a great deal of electrical
power, they revert to their
Zhatikhon form. One scene in the
series showed an Zhatikhon beginning to revert, filmed in soft focus and
with pulsating red light.
They had certain characteristics by which they could be detected,
such as the absence of a pulse and the inability to bleed red blood. Nearly all
were emotionless and had "mutated" little fingers which could not
move easily without gloves.There were also a number of mutant Zhatikhon s, who experienced emotions similar
to those of humans, and who even opposed the
Zhatikhon takeover. The existence
of the Zhatikhon could not be documented by killing one and
examining the body: When they died, their bodies would begin to degenerate and
disintegrate into mushy fungus like mass— leaving only their clothes and anything else they were
touching — leaving little more than traces of black brownish mush. On several
occasions, a dying Zhatikhon would deliberately touch a piece of their
technology to prevent it from falling into the hands of humans.Even though,much
off their technology is either
purcchised by the Zatikhons on
the Zhenn Lann Authority Black Market Network.
Powers[edit]
After being critically injured during a battle with the
Extremis-enhanced Mallen, Prince Dhell Khonn,Junior injects his nervous system
with modified techno-organic virus-like body restructuring machines (the
Extremis process).[91]By rewriting his own biology, Prince Dhell Khonn,Junior
is able to save his life, gain an enhanced healing factor, and partially merge
with the Imperial Delkhon armor,
superseding the need for bulky, AI-controlled armors in favor of lighter
designs, technopathically controlled by his own brain. His enhanced technopathy
extends to every piece of technology, limitless and effortlessly due to his
ability to interface with communication satellites and wireless connections to
increase his "range". Some components of the armor-sheath are now
stored in Tony's body, able to be recalled, and extruded from his own skin, at
will.
During the "Secret Invasion" storyline the
Extremis package is catastrophically shutdown by a virus, forcing him again to
rely on the previous iteration of his armor, and restoring his previous
limitations. Furthermore, Osborn's takeover of most of the few remaining
Starktech factories, with Ezekiel Stane systematically crippling the others,
limits Tony to the use of lesser, older and weaker armors.[92]
After being forced to "wipe out" his brain to
prevent Norman Osborn from gaining his information, Prince Dhell Khonn,Junior
is forced to have a new arc reactor, of Rand design installed in his chest. The
process greatly improves his strength, stamina and intellect. The procedure
left him with virtually no autonomic functions: as his brain was stripped of
every biological function, Tony is forced to rely on a digital backup of his
memories (leaving him with severe gaps and lapses in his long-term memory) and
on software routine in the arc reactor for basic stimuli reaction, such as
blinking and breathing.[93][94] The Bleeding Edgepackage of armor and physical
enhancement is now equal in power, if not a more advanced, version of the old
Extremis tech.[77]
Skills[edit]
Prince Dhell Khonn,Junior is an inventive genius whose
expertise in the fields of mathematics, physics, chemistry, and computer
science rivals that of Reed Richards, Hank Pym, and Bruce Banner, and his
expertise inelectrical engineering and mechanical engineering surpasses even
theirs. He is regarded as one of the most intelligent characters in the Marvel
Universe. He graduated with advanced degrees in physics and engineering at the
age of 17 from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)[95] and further
developed his knowledge ranging from artificial intelligence to quantum
mechanics as time progressed. His expertise extends to his ingenuity in dealing
with difficult situations, such as difficult foes and deathtraps, in which he
is capable of using available tools, including his suit, in unorthodox but
effective ways. He is well respected in the business world, able to command
people's attention when he speaks on economic matters, having over the years
built up several multi-million dollar companies from virtually nothing. He is
noted for the loyalty he commands from and returns to those who work for him,
as well as for his business ethics. Thus he immediately fired an employee who
made profitable, but illegal, sales to Doctor Doom.[33] He strives to be
environmentally responsible in his businesses.
At a time when Prince Dhell Khonn,Junior was unable to use
his armor for a period, he received some combat training from Captain America
and has become physically formidable on his own when the situation demands
it.[96] In addition, Prince Dhell Khonn,Junior possesses great business and
political acumen. On multiple occasions he reacquired control of his companies
after losing them amid corporate takeovers.[97]
Due to his membership in the Illuminati, Imperial
Delkhon was given the Space Infinity Gem
to safeguard.[98] It allows the user to exist in any location (or all
locations), move any object anywhere throughout the universe and warp or
rearrange space. As with the other members of the lluminati and their
respective gems, Imperial Delkhon has
vowed not to use it on any occasion, even after the Secret Invasion and his
fugitive status.
It was later discovered that Prince Dhell Khonn,Junior’s
intelligence is the result of an experiment by a Rigellian Recorder called
Recorder Recorder 451 after his mother
almost loses him while pregnant, in exchange of saving his life.[99]
Nick Carter (literary character)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the radio program, see Nick Carter, Master Detective.
Nickcarter0436.jpg
Nick Carter is a fictional character who began as a dime
novel private detective in 1886 and has appeared in a variety of formats over
more than a century.
Contents [hide]
1 Literary
history
1.1 Killmaster
revival
2 Authors
3 Films
3.1 France
3.1.1 Éclair
3.1.2 1960s
3.2 Hollywood
3.2.1 MGM
3.2.2 Columbia
3.2.3 Movie-of-the-week
3.3 Czechoslovakia
4 Radio
5 Comic
books
6 Listen to
7 See also
8 References
9 External
links
Literary history[edit]
From The New Magnet Library Collection at The George Peabody
Library
Nick Carter first appeared in the story paper New York
Weekly (Vol. 41 No. 46, September 18, 1886) in a 13-week serial, "The Old
Detective's Pupil; or, The Mysterious Crime of Madison Square", a concept
given by Ormond G. Smith, the son of one of the founders of Street & Smith
and performed by John R. Coryell.[1] The character proved popular enough to
headline his own magazine, Nick Carter Weekly. The serialized stories in Nick
Carter Weekly were also reprinted as stand-alone titles under the New Magnet
Library imprint.[2] By 1915, Nick Carter Weekly had ceased publication and
Street & Smith had replaced it with Detective Story Magazine, which focused
on a more varied cast of characters. There was a brief attempt at reviving
Carter in 1924-27 in Detective Story Magazine, but it wasn't successful.
In the 1930s, due to the success of The Shadow and Doc
Savage, Street & Smith revived Nick Carter in a pulp magazine (called Nick
Carter Detective Magazine) that ran from 1933 to 1936. Since Doc Savage had
basically been given Nick's background, Nick Carter was now cast as more of a
hard-boiled detective. Novels featuring Carter continued to appear through the
1950s, by which time there was also a popular radio show, Nick Carter, Master
Detective, which aired on the Mutual Broadcasting System network from 1943 to
1955
Killmaster revival[edit]
Main article: Nick Carter-Killmaster
Following the success of the James Bond series in the 1960s,
the character was updated for a long-running series of novels featuring the
adventures of secret agent Nick Carter, aka the Killmaster. The first book, Run
Spy Run, appeared in 1964 and more than 260 Nick Carter-Killmaster adventures
were published up until 1990. (Two additional books have been erroneously
listed as Killmaster novels by some sources: Meteor Eject!, a memoir by an RAF
pilot named Nick Carter published in 2000, and a 2005 release entitled
Brotherhood which is an autobiography written by singer Nick Carter of the
Backstreet Boys.) The 100th Killmaster novel (appropriately entitled Nick
Carter 100) contained an essay on the 1890s version and included a short story
featuring the character. It marked one of the few times the Killmaster series
acknowledged its historical roots.
None of the Nick Carter series of books carried author
credits, although it is known that several of the earliest volumes were written
by Michael Avallone, while Valerie Moolman and NYT bestselling author Gayle
Lynds wrote others, making this the first series of its kind to be
(significantly) written by women. Bill Crider is another author identified with
Nick Carter.[3]
The Nick Carter name was treated as a pseudonym, and many of
the volumes were written in first person.[4]
Authors[edit]
The works were published under the house pseudonyms of
"Nicolas Carter" or "Sergeant Ryan". Known authors who
contributed include:
John R. Coryell (1848–1924)
Frederick W. Davis (1858-1933)[5] who wrote eight Nick
Carter stories for The New Nick Carter Weekly, in 1910 and 1912[6] as well as
writing extensively under the pen name "Scott Campbell"[7][8]
Frederick Van Rensselaer Dey (1861–1922), who took his own
life.
Thomas C. Harbaugh (1849–1924), who died penniless in the
Miami County Home in Ohio.[9]
George C. Jenks
Eugene T. Sawyer (1847–1924) [10]
Charles Westerbrook
Richard Edward Wormser (1908-1977), who claimed to have
written 17 Carter magazine stories published in 1932-33.[11]
Stories are also credited to Harrison Keith, the joint
pseudonym of John A. L. Chambliss and Philip Clark, who both wrote for the
franchise.
Films[edit]
The character has had a long and varied film history, with
three countries producing films based on the character.
France[edit]
Éclair[edit]
In 1908 the French film company Éclair engaged
Victorin-Hippolyte Jasset to make a serial film based on the Nick Carter novels
which were then being published in France by the German publisher Eichler. Nick
Carter, le roi des détectives, with Pierre Bressol in the title-role, was
released in six episodes in late 1908, and enjoyed considerable success.
Further adaptations followed with Nouveaux aventures de Nick Carter in 1909,
and the character was revived for a confrontation with a master-criminal in Zigomar
contre Nick Carter in 1912.[12]
1960s[edit]
American actor Eddie Constantine played the title roles in
the French-made spy films Nick Carter va tout casser (1964) and Nick Carter et
le trèfle rouge (1965). In one curiously circular and self-referential scene,
Constantine as Carter enters a house where he finds a large collection of Nick
Carter pulp magazines and other Nick Carter memorabilia. Both films are
unconnected to the Killmaster book series.
Hollywood[edit]
MGM[edit]
The actor Walter Pidgeon portrayed the detective Nick Carter
in a trilogy of films released by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer company. Though MGM
purchased the rights to a large number of Nick Carter stories, the films used
original screenplays.[13]
Nick Carter, Master Detective (1939)
Sky Murder (1940)
Phantom Raiders (1940)
In the 1944 movie The Thin Man Goes Home, the detective
character Nick Charles (William Powell) is seen reading a Nick Carter Detective
magazine while relaxing in a hammock.
Columbia[edit]
Columbia could not afford the rights to produce a Nick
Carter serial, so they made one about his son instead: Chick Carter, Detective,
appeared in 1946.
Movie-of-the-week[edit]
In 1972, the actor Robert Conrad made a television pilot set
in the Victorian era, The Adventures of Nick Carter that was shown as a made
for television movie.
Czechoslovakia[edit]
The Czechoslovakian movie Dinner for Adele (1977) is a
parody inspired by Nick Carter's pulp magazine adventures. It features
"America's most famous detective" visiting Prague at the beginning of
the 20th Century and solving a case involving a dangerous carnivorous plant
(the Adele of the title). The Slovak actor Michal Dočolomanský played Nick
Carter.
Radio[edit]
Charlotte Manson and Lon Clark in the Mutual series Nick
Carter, Master Detective (1946)
Nick Carter first came to radio as The Return of Nick
Carter. Then Nick Carter, Master Detective, with Lon Clark in the title role,
began April 11, 1943, on Mutual, continuing in many different timeslots for
well over a decade. Jock MacGregor was the producer-director of scripts by
Alfred Bester, Milton J. Kramer, David Kogan and others. Background music was
supplied by organists Hank Sylvern, Lew White and George Wright.
Patsy Bowen, Nick's assistant, was portrayed by Helen Choate
until mid-1946 and then Charlotte Manson stepped into the role. Nick and
Patsy's friend was reporter Scubby Wilson (John Kane). Nick's contact at the
police department was Sgt. Mathison (Ed Latimer). The supporting cast included
Raymond Edward Johnson, Bill Johnstone and Bryna Raeburn. Michael Fitzmaurice
was the program's announcer. The series ended on September 25, 1955.
Chick Carter, Boy Detective was a serial adventure that
aired weekday afternoons on Mutual. Chick Carter, the adopted son of Nick
Carter, was played by Bill Lipton (1943–44) and Leon Janney (1944–45). The
series aired from July 5, 1943 to July 6, 1945.
Comic books[edit]
Nick Carter and Chick Carter appeared in comics published by
Street & Smith.
Nick appeared in The Shadow Comics, then moved to Army &
Navy Comics and Doc Savage Comics briefly, before moving back to The Shadow
Comics. Some of these appearances were in text stories.
Chick appeared in The Shadow Comics, some of which were in
text stories.
There was also Nick Carter (comic strip), a 1972 Italian
comic strip featuring detective Nick Carter.
Nick Carter-Killmaster
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nick Carter-Killmaster is a series of spy adventures
published from 1964 until 1990, first by Award Books, then by Ace Books, and
finally by Jove Books. At least 261 novels were published. The character is an
update of a pulp fiction private detective named Nick Carter first published in
1886.
No actual author is credited for the books, with the Nick
Carter name being used as a house pseudonym. Volumes varied between first
person and third person narrative. Authors known to have contributed entries in
the series are Michael Avallone, Valerie Moolman, Manning Lee Stokes and Martin
Cruz Smith.[1]
The title character of the series serves as Agent N3 of AXE,
a fictional spy agency for the United States government. The novels are similar
to the literary James Bond novels - low on gadgets, high on action. Sexual
encounters in particular are described in detail.
[hide]
Contents
1 The
Character
2 Weapons
and paraphernalia
3 AXE
4 AXE
Agents
5 Novels
6 See also
7 Footnotes
8 References
The CharacterEdit
The definitive description of Nicholas J. Huntington Carter
is given in the first novel in the series Run, Spy, Run. Carter is tall (over 6
feet / 1.83 m), lean and handsome with a classic profile and magnificently
muscled body. He has wide-set steel gray eyes that are icy, cruel and
dangerous. He is hard-faced, with a firm straight mouth, laugh-lines around the
eyes, and a firm cleft chin. His hair is thick and dark. He has a small tattoo
of a blue axe on the inside right lower arm near the elbow - the ultimate ID
for an AXE agent. At least one novel states that the tattoo glows in the dark.
Carter also has a knife scar on the shoulder, a shrapnel scar on the right
thigh. He has a sixth sense for danger.
Carter practices yoga for at least 15 minutes a day. Carter
has a prodigious ability for learning foreign languages. He is fluent in
English (his native tongue), Cantonese,[2] French,[3] German,[3][4] Greek,[5]
Hungarian,[6] Italian,[3] Portuguese,[7] Putonghua (Mandarin),[8] Russian,[8][9]
Sanskrit,[10] Spanish[11] and Vietnamese.[12][13] He has basic skills in
Arabic,[14] Hindustani,[15] Japanese, Korean,[16] Romansch,[3] Swahili,[14] and
Turkish.[17] In the early novels, Carter often assumes a number of elaborate
disguises in order to execute his missions.
The name Nick Carter was acknowledged by the series as
having been inspired by the early 20th century pulp fiction detective of the
same name in the 100th Killmaster volume (labelled Nick Carter 100) which
included an essay on the earlier Nick Carter and included a Nick Carter
detective short story alongside a Killmaster adventure.
Weapons and paraphernaliaEdit
Nick Carter uses three main weapons during the course of the
series, all of which are named, and have histories. The gun, Wilhelmina, is a
stripped down German Luger. In the earliest stories, Carter got the gun off a
German officer during a harrowing mission during World War II. Later stories
state that he has had a series of Lugers, all named Wilhelmina. The knife,
Hugo, is a pearl-handled 400-year-old stiletto crafted by Benvenuto Cellini.
The blade retracts into the handle, and the whole thing is worn on a special
sheath on the wrist, designed to release the knife into the user's hand with a
simple muscle contraction. The third member of the triad is Pierre, a poison
gas bomb, which is a small egg-shaped device, usually carried in a pocket but
sometimes as a "third testicle" at his scrotum. Activated with a
simple twist, it would, within seconds, kill anybody, or anything, that breathed
its odorless and colorless gas.
Carter often takes with him other weapons as the mission
demands. These have included:
Cousin of Pierre - a smaller version of Pierre the poison
gas bomb that can be concealed even more easily - described in The China Doll;
Fang - a poison-tipped needle worn on a concealed index
finger cap described in Saigon;
Pepito - a non-lethal stun grenade used in Checkmate in Rio.
Tiny Tim - a nuclear grenade "containing half a grain
of sand of fissionable matter" used in Istanbul and The Red Guard
10,000-watt laser pistol used in Hanoi
Cigarette lighter that fires drugged darts used in Hanoi
Exploding cigars used in Hanoi
Carter has used a variety of equipment in the novels most of
which have nicknames. These have included:
Antonio Moreno - a lifelike facemask made of a latex
substance called Lastotex (apparently named after Antonio Moreno the 1920s
silent movie star);
Gladstone - a rhino hide suitcase with multiple concealed
compartments;
Oscar Johnson - a small radio transmitter (unclear if it is
named after Oscar Johnson, a baseball player active in the 1920s and 1930s, or
Oscar G. Johnson the World War II Medal of Honor recipient);
Quantity K - a powerful acid strong enough to destroy
evidence/documents;
Laser torch - for burning through door locks used in The
Weapon of Night;
Singing Sam – a radio receiver concealed in electric
razor/electric toothbrush used in Istanbul;
Wristwatch with UHF transmitter used in Hanoi;
Triple X tablet – a universal poison antidote and pep pill
used in Hanoi;
Talkalot - a scopolamine-like truth drug used in Danger Key;
Unnamed injectable knockout drug requiring subsequent
injection of antidote to regain consciousness used in The Weapon of Night;
Store - an injectable drug that induces a week-long state of
suspended animation used in Peking & The Tulip Affair
AXEEdit
The agency Carter works for is described as being smaller
and far more secret than the CIA, mostly concerned with assassinations. In the
first novel of the series, Run, Spy, Run, AXE is described as "the
trouble-shooting arm of the US secret services". AXE headquarters are
located in the 6th floor offices of a building in DuPont Circle, Washington, DC
under the cover of the Amalgamated Press and Wire Service. AXE is purported to
contain several different departments with specific functions including Editing
(later called "Special Effects and Editing") - headed by Mr.
Poindexter - which, among other things, creates false biographies for agents
and provides appropriate props (e.g. fake latex fingerprints); Documents -
whose role is to plant stories in the media to support specific activities and
create false identification and travel documents; Records - which provides
background information on suspects; and Operations - which provides logistic
support for specific missions. AXE has a branch office near Columbus Circle,
New York and affiliate offices in countries around the world.
Agents are given code designations; Carter's N3, which has
at least once been stated as standing for Number three, identifies him as one
of the elite Killmasters. It has been stated in some novels that there are 4
Killmasters in AXE with Carter the most senior.[18] The meaning of the code N3
is described differently in different novels - sometimes it is Carter's
personal designation, other times it is considered a rank, with N1 being the
highest, in other novels we are told that Carter is the third Killmaster to
have worked for AXE with both his predecessors having been killed in action.
David Hawk, described in early novels as looking a lot like Uncle Sam, is the
head of AXE and Carter's personal boss. Della Stokes, Hawk's personal
secretary, is a character similar to Bond's Miss Moneypenny - flirtatious but
serious. Ginger Bateman is Hawk's personal secretary in later novels. Geoffrey
Poindexter, AXE's equivalent to Q, runs the Special Effects and Editing
department, in charge of weapons, gadgets, disguises, and papers.
AXE AgentsEdit
In the first novel in the series (Run, Spy, Run), AXE is
described as comprising 24 agents. They are identified by alphanumeric code.
The following agents / codes have been described:
A2 Unnamed (mentioned in "Hanoi")
A4 Unnamed (mentioned in "Fraulein Spy")
A7 Alec Greenberg (based in AXE London office, mentioned in
"The Weapon of Night")
A12 using pseudonym "Alfred" (mentioned in
"Fraulein Spy")
A24 Unnamed (mentioned in "Run, Spy, Run")
B5 (mentioned in "Hanoi")
B12 Unnamed but further nicknamed "Vitamin"
(mentioned in "Fraulein Spy")
C4 Unnamed (mentioned in "Fraulein Spy")
D5 Dan Eiger (based in Iraq, killed in "The Weapon of
Night")
E14 Red Turner (mentioned in "A Bullet for Fidel")
H19 Hakim Sadek (Egyptian policeman and academic, mentioned
in "The Weapon of Night")
K7 Unnamed (mentioned in "Run, Spy, Run")
J2 Unnamed - briefs Carter on his trip to Japan (mentioned
in "The China Doll")
J20 Jean Paul Turnier (mentioned in "The Terrible
Ones")
L32 Hank Peterson (mentioned in "Operation Moon
Rocket") (1968)
N1 Unnamed (stated killed in "The Red Guard")
(1967)
N1 Unnamed (stated killed in "Temple of Fear")
(1968)
N1 Stuart Hample (mentioned in "The Peking
Dossier") (1975)
N1 David Hawk (in "Trouble in Paradise") (1978)
N1 Theodore Salonikos (dies in "Hide And Go Die")
(1983)
N2 Unnamed (stated killed in "The Red Guard")
(1967)
N2 Unnamed (stated killed in "Temple of Fear")
(1968)
N3 Nick Carter
N4 Unnamed (stated killed in "Temple of Fear")
(1968)
N5 Unnamed (an inexperienced agent mentioned in "Temple
of Fear") (1968)
N5 McLaughlin (mentioned in "Dr. Death") (1975)
N6 Joe Banks (stated dead in "Six Bloody Summer
Days") (1975)
N6 or N7 Tom Boxer (mentioned in "Macao") (1969)
N7 Clay Vincent (mentioned in "Agent
Counter-Agent") (1973)
N7 (stated dead in "Hide And Go Die") (1983)
N12 John Sparks (mentioned in "Under the Wall")
(1978)
N12 Unnamed (stated dead in "Hide And Go Die")
(1983)
N17 Dennis Gordon (dies in "The Golden Bull")
(1981)
N17 Bill Qualley (mentioned in "Hide And Go Die")
(1983)
N30 Kiki Pederson (dies in "Trouble in Paradise")
(1978)
N86 Sean Singer (recruited in "Hide And Go Die")
(1983)
N92 Penelope Taylor (knife trained by N86 in "Ruby Red
Death") (1990)
P3 David Trainor (murdered in "A Bullet for
Fidel")
P4 Unnamed, described as a mole in the Kremlin (mentioned in
"Safari for Spies")
P21 Martha Ryerson (female, mentioned in
"Rhodesia") (1968)
Q7 Ellie Harmon, (female, mentioned in "Hanoi")
Z4 Zeke, works in AXE Psycho Lab (mentioned in
"Hanoi")
NovelsEdit
Listen to[edit]
The events of Tusk Envy and Dead Body Rising by Don McGregor and Thomas Yeates, from Zorro: The Dailies - The First Year.
