G-8/Captain Midnight/Jet Jackson
The next blog posts I'll be covering, when time permits, will be Captain Midnight and the Shadow, both characters with roots in old time radio. The TVCU website doesn't cover radio often, as it's technically not on-screen, but it is a precursor medium that involved voice actors. I have previously covered some old time radio in my posts on the Green Hornet and Superman. With the Shadow, who has A LOT of crossovers already covered by a "crossoverologist" elsewhere, I may just stick to Shadow crossovers with other radio, television, and/or film series.
Winter 1892--DOC SAVAGE: HIS APOCALYPTIC LIFE/MONSTERS OF THE MOVIES MAGAZINE # 1--"The Life Story of King Kong"--Birth of Bruce Hagin Rassendyll, brother of Kent Allard (THE SHADOW) and half-brother of Richard Wentworth (THE SPIDER). His father is Ralph Rassendyll, cousin of Rudolph Rassendll (THE PRISONER OF ZENDA). Bruce will later go by the alias Jim "Red" Albright, and will have a heroic career first as G-8 then later as Captain Midnight. Bruce will also be the uncle of Cordwainer Bird.
1914 to 1918--The main era of adventures of G-8.
February to June 1916--THE ADVENTURE OF THE PEERLESS PEER--Holmes teams with Tarzan. Other crossover connections are: THE SHADOW, G-8, ALLAN QUATEMAIN, SIR HENRY MERRIVALE, and DR. GIDEON FELL.
1917--DAREDEVIL ACES--"Dynamite Cargo"--G-8 meets the Red Falcon.
Spring 1918--G-8 AND HIS BATTLE ACES--"Grun-The Green Terror!"--Herr Grun and Herr Doktor Krueger meet for the first time. Krueger is in possession of the "Einstein-Steinmetz-Edison time dislocator".
Winter 1918--DARE-DEVIL ACES--"Flight of the Vultures"--The Red Falcon is assisted by G-8.
1918--G-8 AND HIS BATTLE ACES--"Fangs of the Sky Leopard"--G-8 again teams with the Red Falcon.
1918--G-8 AND HIS BATTLE ACES--"Red Wings for the Death Patrol"--The third team-up between G-8 and the Red Falcon.
1918--G-8 AND HIS BATTLE ACES--"Red Wings Raiding"--The final recorded team-up between G-8 and the Red Falcon.
October 1918--Based on theories from published Farmerian essays and stories, Jim "Red" Albright, the brother of Kent "the Shadow" Allard, changes his call sign from G-8 to Captain Midnight.
THE BLOODY RED BARON: ANNO DRACULA 1918 (NOVEL BY KIM NEWMAN)
Release Date: November 1995 (Setting is 1918)
Series: Anno Dracula
Animated Series Crosses: Peanuts
Other Crosses: The Shadow; Biggles; Sherlock Holmes; The Vampyre; Ashenden; The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari; Fantomas; Dr. Thorndyke; Bulldog Drummond; The Saint; The Island of Doctor Moreau; Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos; Batman (Silver Age); Harry Flashman; Doc Savage; Captain Midnight; Sidney Reilly; Lord Peter Wimsey; Lady Chatterley’s Lover; Arrowsmith; The Sun Also Rises; Averoigne; Enemy Ace; Grave of the Vampire; Hellraiser; Dawn Patrol; Robur the Conqueror; La Bete Humaine; Alraune; The Great Gatsby; A Rebours; The Black Cat; All Quiet on the Western Front; Sadie Thompson; Lemora; The Blue Angel; The Roaring Twenties; Gigi; Tarnished Angels; The Good Soldier Svejk; Jules et Jim; Le Roi de Coeur; The Last Flight; Billy Bunter; Judex; Dad’s Army; The Vampire Thrills; The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp; Faustine; Citizen Kane; The Bridge on the River Kwai; Oh! What a Lovely War; Paths of Glory; Metropolis; The Spy in Black; Near Dark; Forever Knight; Parade’s End; The Heap; Where Eagles Dare; Fright Night; Journey’s End; Dracula; The Big Parade; Anak Pontianak; The Blue Max; Necroscope; Revelations in Black; The Dragon Waiting; Paths of Glory; Under Two Flags; Doctor Who
The Story: During World War I, 30 years afte the events of Anno Dracula, the Diogenes Club tries to stop the Nazies from creating undead fighter pilots.
Notes: The Anno Dracula Universe is a divergent timeline, where Dracula married Queen Victoria during the events of Bram Stoker’s novel. This led to a very different reality. Snoopy appears in this story, having been shot down by the Red Baron. In the main Cartoon Universe, Snoopy’s battles with the Red Baron didn’t really happen, and were merely part of Snoopy’s imagination. It seems that in this divergent timeline, Snoopy indeed existed as a pilot in World War I, placing those imaginary scenarios and two popular songs in this divergent timeline. Perhaps the Snoopy of the main reality gets visions of his alternate timeline counterpart, which inspire his playtime. Other crosses listed above are also divergent versions that exist in the Anno Dracula timeline.
Summer 1921--TALES OF THE SHADOWMEN VOLUME 2: GENTLEMEN OF THE NIGHT--"A Jest, To Pass the Time"--A mystery man sends several thieves off to find the legendary Moonstone. G-8 has a crossover. Too many others. Win Scott Eckert's Crossovers: A Secret Chronology of the World painstakingly reveals every crossover in the Tales of the Shadowmen series.
MONSTERS OF THE MOVIES MAGAZINE # 1 “THE LIFE STORY OF KING KONG” (STORY BY JIM HARMON)
Release Date: June 1, 1974 (Setting is 1931)
Series: King Kong (original)
Non-Horror Crosses: G-8; Captain Midnight; The Spider; The Shadow; Smilin’ Jack Martin; Tailspin Tommy; Jimmie Allen; Tarzan
The Story: In this essay, Jim Harmon speculates on the events of King Kong. Specifically, he believes that the bi-planes that attacked Kong were actually flown by Captain Midnight (also known as G-8), Smilin’ Jack Martin, Tailspin Tommy and Jimmie Allen.
Notes: Harmon speculates G-8 (the pulp hero) and Captain Midnight (the radio hero) are one and the same character, having used both identities at different times in his career. He also says he does not believe the rumor that G-8 did “hide in the shadows like some creeping spider.” This is a reference to Farmer’s assertion in Tarzan Alive that G-8, the Shadow, and the Spider were actually one person with multiple personalities, which he later altered in Doc Savage: His Apocalyptic Life to say they were brothers. Smilin’ Jack Martin and Tailspin Tommy were comic strip aviators. Jimmie Allen was a radio aviator hero.
November 1931--CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT--Red Albright (aka Bruce Hagin Rassendyll) begins his new adventures as Captain Midnight on a fairly more regular basis, with Chuck Ramsay, Patsy Donovan, Joyce Ryan, and Ichabod Mudd, who Win Scott Eckert believes to be an ancestor of Star Trek's Harcourt Fenton Mudd.
Early 1930s?--CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT CHRONICLES--"Death Master of the Secret Island"--Midnight uncovers an island that may have been inhabited by an ancient Cthulhu cult.
March 1937--CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT CHRONICLES--"Captain Midnight at Ultima Thule"--Midnight battles the German pulp hero Sun Koh with revelations of a link to ancient Opar! Other crossovers linked in this story include: SKYLARK, THE COMING RACE, G-8, LANCE STAR, FU MANCHU, ARSENE LUPIN, THE WORKS OF PHILIP JOSE FARMER, KING KONG, SHERLOCK HOLMES, OPAR, and TARZAN. Note that the "Wold Newton Universe" is not the Television Crossover Universe. There are some stories that fit within both shared realities, but there are some contrary methodologies between the TVCU (and its published counterpart, the Horror Universe) and the Wold Newton Universe (and its published counterpart, the Crossover Universe). We tend to include things here that might get relegated to alternate realities in Eckert and Sean Levin's crossover works. It makes since, as Eckert's Crossover Universe begins with Farmer's work at its center, a more pulp/victorian literature focused center. While we include that type of work, based on our methodology, the TVCU's center is "Lucy meets Superman", and the Horror Universe centers on Abbott and Costello Meets Frankenstein, so we often allow for a more surreal, sillier reality. While the WNU/CU is the secret history of the world outside your window, the TVCU is absolutely not the real world, and is the world seen on screen. But as I said, there are many stories that fit in both, including published stories that adapt the Farmerian method, and as a completist, and thorough researcher, I must adhere to my crossover methodology and include theories that make it into published works and deem them as official for TVCU purposes. Out of respect for the crossover research of Eckert and Levin, certain entries that have A LOT of crossovers, particularly if they are not TV/film related, I choose to only briefly mention the story synopsis and list the crossovers involved, but not go into too much detail on the specifics of the crossovers. Eckert and Levin have some fine books and websites that go into much greater detail on pulp and victorian literature crossovers. I'll stick to talking about mostly on-screen stories, my area of expertise.
Summer 1939--CAPTAIN SPECTRE--A bunch of kids learn that their favorite radio hero, Captain Spectre, is real, which leads them to theorize that other fictional heroes may actually exist. This story has crossover links to: TARZAN, JOHN CARTER, DOC SAVAGE, THE SHADOW, THE SPIDER, CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT, and THE GREEN HORNET.
December 1940--AIRBOY!/G-8--This crossover is the first meeting of Airboy and G-8, but the later Airboy/Midnight crossover seems to make them seem like a first meeting. Perhaps that was an intentional mislead from Midnight to not give away his previous identity. G-8 became Midnight allegedly in 1918. Perhaps Midnight maybe occassionally slipped between identities, just as he sometimes returned to his Midnight identity during his Jet Jackson era.
Early 1940s?--CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT CHRONICLES--"Captain Midnight Meets Airboy"--The two legendary pilots work together.
1942--PULP DETECTIVES--"The Nazi Spider Staffel"--This Lone Eagle adventure has crossovers with: SECRET AGENT X, HOGAN'S HEROES, G-8, and THE PHANTOM DETECTIVE.
World War II--RETURN OF THE ORIGINALS: BATTLE OF L.A.--G-8 teams with THE PHANTOM DETECTIVE, THE BLACK BAT, and THE DOMINO LADY. SECRET AGENT X is also involved.
June 1945--LEGENDS OF NEW PULP FICTION--"Chance of a Ghost"--This Green Ghost adventure includes crossover links to: LOVECRAFT'S CTHULHU MYTHOS, THE SHADOW, THE SPIDER, THE GREEN LAMA, SECRET AGENT X, THE SAINT, THE WHISPERER, THE BLACK BAT, NERO WOLFE, CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT, THE PHANTOM DETECTIVE, THE DOMINO LADY, KI-GOR, PIMPERNEL SMITH, THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL, DOC SAVAGE, THE WORKS OF PHILIP JOSE FARMER (commonly known as the Wold Newton Universe), JULES DE GRANDIN, THE WORKS OF WIN SCOTT ECKERT (the successor to Philip Jose Farmer), and THE FILMS OF QUENTIN TARANTINO. This story works within the framework established by Farmerians that in this fictional universe, the real world NYC commissioner is the commissioner of this fictional reality, and all the other NYC police commissioners seen in fiction are actually assistant commissioners assigned to particular burroughs of New York.
Fall 1945--IT'S THAT TIME AGAIN 2: MORE NEW STORIES OF OLD-TIME RADIO--"The Maker of Werewolves"--THE AVENGER (Jim Brandon) battles Doctor Krueger, who claims to have once been known as Moriarty. THE SHADOW appears at the end to advice Brandon to use his power of invisibility only for good.
Summer 1953--THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF NYOKA, THE JUNGLE GIRL # 1 - 3--Nyoka meets Chuck Ramsay, former sidekick of CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT.
1954 to 1958--CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT--Captain Midnight was a daring, jut-jawed war hero who led a mysterious government group known as the Secret Squadron. Midnight, his comic sidekick Icky, and the rest of the Squadron traveled around the globe stomping out evil. When the show went into syndication, Midnight's name became Jet Jackson, and the show's title was changed.
Winter 1971--IT'S THAT TIME AGAIN--"Any You Walk Away From"--Captain Midnight teams up with Sky King.
October 1973 to 1974--GREATHEART SILVER--Allegedly the deaths of many great heroes of the pulp era, including G-8. However, an explanation for the reappearance of some of these heroes later on may be reconciled here. Other crossovers include: DOC SAVAGE, THE SHADOW, THE AVENGER, JAMES BOND, PETE RICE, LONE RANGER, THE SCORPION, THE OCTOPUS, DR. YEN SIN, FU MANCHU, DR. DEATH, WU FANG, DAN FOWLER, SECRET AGENT X, THE SPIDER, DOC HARKER, THE SILVER BUCK, THE GREEN LAMA, CAPTAIN SATAN, THE CRIMSON MASK, THE SCARLET WIZARD, THE MOON MAN, THE PHANTOM DETECTIVE, THE WHISPERER, OPERATOR # 5, THE BLACK BAT, THE GREEN GHOST, CAPTAIN ZERO, TREASURE ISLAND, and DAVID COPPERFIELD.
Summer 1990--THE SPIDER'S WEB: STARRING WEB-MAN--"The Web of Time"--G-8's foe, Herr Gunn, travels from 1918 to the future to encounter Web-Man.
1998 to 2001--THE FAMOUS JETT JACKSON--After having spent years in California working as the TV action hero Silverstone, Jett Jackson decides to move the show to his hometown in hopes of pursuing a more normal life.
2000--PLANETARY: ALL OVER THE WORLD AND OTHER STORIES--Archaeologists discover a hidden history of extraordinary beings, including DOC SAVAGE, FU MANCHU, OPERATOR # 5, TARZAN, TOM SWIFT, G-8, THE SPIDER, GOJIRA, MOTHRA, GHIDORAH, and more.
2000--RADIO'S CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT: THE WARTIME BIOGRAPHY--Author Stephen A. Kallis publishes the biography of Captain Midnight.
21st Century--CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT--Captain Midnight returns after having been trapped in the bermuda triangle since World War II. Only... Midnight had adventures after that, all the way up to the 1970s. But it's the Bermuda Triangle. Remember that story where Han Solo and Chewbacca crashed on Earth and died, and we said that going through a time/space portal created a "transporter duplicate" of sorts? Perhaps this Captain Midnight popped out of the Triangle sixty years later while another version of him came out moments later. We also used this doppelgangers in the same timeline for the Munsters/Munsters Today explanation.
June 2001--JETT JACKSON: THE MOVIE--Jett decides to quit Silverstone and lead a normal life. On the day of his last episode he is hit on the head with a prop and in his dream he is Silverstone. He is the only one who realizes that this is a dream.
2007--THE FLYING SPY: A HISTORY OF G-8--A biography of G-8 is written by author Nick Carr.
Late September 2008--HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER--"The Best Burger in New York"--Your uncle Toby points out that Regis Philbin appears in this episode as himself. Using his rule called "the League of Themselves", which he discusses here, this connects HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER to other shows such as "All My Children", "One Life to Live", "Primetime Glick", "The Famous Jett Jackson", "LateLine", "Caroline in the City", "Style and Substance", "Second Noah", "Soul Man", Marry Me (1997 TV movie), "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air", "Hope & Gloria", "Women of the House", "The Cosby Mysteries", "The Larry Sanders Show", "Seinfeld", "Kung Fu: The Legend Continues", "Mad About You", "Number 96", "Spin City", "Lilo & Stitch: The Series", "The Simpsons", and "Family Guy". This episode is also the first appearance of Goliath National Bank. Your uncle James has provided me with this info: So, make of this How I Met Your Mother theory what you will, but TVTropes argues that the company Barney works for--Altrucell--is actually a front for COBRA.
From TVTropes:
Think about it: what do we know about the company Barney works for?
• They spend a lot of time acquiring banks, and theoretically, have a lot of bankers/financiers working with them
• They're evil
• They regularly get attacked by ninjas
• They have destabilized at least one nation
• They regularly do business with countries the U.S. considers threats (North Korea and China, at least.)
Sounds a lot like COBRA to me.
That same day that your uncle James told me this, I got an e-mail from COBRA INSURANCE. Cobra has many fronts, including Extensive Enterprises. There's also these: Fronts
To hide certain aspects of its operation, Cobra maintains a number of legitimate business fronts (in addition to the town of Springfield itself and its encompassing businesses) nearly all of which appear to be anagrams of the word "cobra".
Naja Trading Corp and its likely subsidiary, "Naja Hanna Video Corp", is the first of these fronts to appear in the comics. It has offices in both San Francisco as well as Rio Lindo in the Republic of Sierra Gordo. Cobra used it to smuggle MX missile guidance chips out of the country inside video games. Dr. Venom was in charge of the Rio Lindo office. "Naja Hanna" is Hindi for "King Cobra".[5]
Arbco (AKA ARBco Regional) is the largest and most prominent Cobra front in the Marvel RAH comics. Although it apparently started in Springfield, it grew to have offices in at least 10 major U.S. cities including Denver.
Arbco Furniture Company: Cobra maintained a secret testing lab within for a deadly plague toxin in Springfield, Vermont.[6]
Arbco Moving & Storage (AKA Arbco Moving): Cobra uses moving trucks with "Arbco" stamped on the sides to transport H.I.S.S. tanks covertly into Washington D.C. for an attack on the U.S. Treasury.[7] They were also used to transport sensitive spy equipment for reassigned undercover Crimson Guardsmen.[8] Cobra Commander maintains a mobile office in an Arbco Moving truck.[9]
Arbco Bros. Circus: Billy learned that Cobra uses the circus as a cover to transport HISS tanks and FANG copters (mistakenly referred to as "SNAP copters") around the country.[8]
Carbo Plumbing: A surveillance team of Tele-Vipers eavesdrop on a military inquest from a plumbing van outside the Pentagon.[10]
Robca Realty
Broca Bros. Carnival
Orbac - Cobra troops were moved into the Safeco Field Stadium in Seattle using trucks with this name on the side.[11] Zartan used an Orbac truck as a mobile HQ as well.[12]
Extensive Enterprises - This global company based out of the twin Enterprise Towers in Enterprise City existed primarily to serve Cobra's administrative needs with Tomax and Xamot as the corporation's CEOs. Its first appearance was in the third G.I. Joe miniseries and then in the regular TV series in the episide "Red Rocket's Glare". Although the company existed primarily in the TV universe, it would later be adapted by Devil's Due for use in the comics continuity as well. In the IDW comic continuity, it is a pre-existing, corrupt multinational firm that is absorbed into Cobra.
M.A.R.S.- Military Armaments Research Systems/Syndicate - a legitimate weapons manufacturing firm headquartered in Callender, Scotland. James McCullen Destro XXIV is the current owner and CEO.
ALTERNATE REALITIES:
SKY CAPTAIN--Sky Captain was inspired by Captain Midnight. Since Sky Captain doesn't fit in the TVCU (for instance, Godzilla attacking Tokyo in 1939), it could be that Sky Captain IS Captain Midnight of this alternate timeline.
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