The Felneyverse Characters

NORMAN SAXON

Picture

Name: Norman Saxon

Story: Norman Saxon

Universe: Nu

First seen in: Norman Saxon: Detective (RWB ns1)

Age: 35

Birthdate: 1866

Birth Place: London

Currently Lives: Chiltern Street, London

Politics: Liberal, for a Victorian

Kinsey Rating: -3 (IE Asexual)

Relationship: Has adopted Xin Zhou

General Info:

A brilliant private detective, who has also trained as a doctor. His powers of observation and deductive reasoning are second-to-none, and he's a dab hand at languages, too.

He was born into an upper-middle class family in 1866, and his father was a brilliant biochemist. He went to Calthorpe School, in Sussex - run by quite a 'radical' (for the time) headmaster who taught his boys to take people as they find them, and treat women and other races equally. Norman excelled in his lessons, and went up to Cambridge, before going to the Royal College of Surgeons in London. He then set up a private practice at his house in Chiltern Street, off Marylebone Road. Whilst at Cambridge, Norman met a Chinese chemist called Ying Chiang, who taught him both Cantonese and Mandarin, as well as about various poisons and toxins.

In 1899, Norman's friend Sir William Gracefield secured a job in Hong Kong, but he had somehow offended a Chinese triad called the Blood Fang. After a number of daring escapades, Norman bought down the triad. On his return to England (with Xin Zhou, a boy he met during his battle against the Blood Fang, in tow), he was able to solve a difficult murder case, and saved an innocent man from the gallows. This inspired him to set up as a private detective. The publicity from the murder case bought him many clients, and he also discovered a knack for stumbling into cases. Before long, detection became his main profession, and medicine a mere 'hobby'.

Occupation:

Doctor (general practice), Freelance detective (1899 on)

Mini Timeline:

1866: Born

1877: Went to Calthorpe School, Sussex

1882: Left School

1883: Went to Cambridge

1887: Graduated in medicine, "loaded with honours". Went into practice in Chiltern Street

1889: Took on Mrs Brownwell as housekeeper

1899: Helped a friend avoid assasination by a Chinese Triad. Met Xin Zhou.

1900: Solved a murder, decided to become a full-time detective

Vehicles:

Bicycle

Weapons:

Webley revolver

Relations:

Xin Zhou (assistant)

Mrs Brownwell

Friends:

Inspector Brayford

Maurice Crosse

Julian Sandforth

Current Status:

Working as a doctor and detective in London. It is 'currently' 1900 in the Norman Saxon stories. His first case from 1899 will be told in The Trident. His second case, originally in the Red, White & Blue (series 2) issue 1, will eventually show up in series 3, but I don't want to lead with a reprint!

Character Origin:

My main print comic, The Red, White & Blue, featured stories of Sexton Blake - an old Amalgamated Press detective character. The original creator of Sexton Blake died in 1898, so I assumed he was now public domain. But actually the copyright had been sold to the Amalgamated Press, so now rests with DC / Time Warner, "represented" in the UK by IPC. I asked them for permission to use Sexton Blake, but got turned down (perhaps because a new Sexton Blake Library was being launched in August 2014! ((PS: Jesus, it's twenty quid! (((PPS: Also they only released one issue)))))).

I'd semi-anticipated this, and had already come up with the names Norman Saxon and Tanner. Sexton Blake's first assistant was a Chinese boy called We-Wee, so I came up with a Chinese assistant called Xin Zhou, for when I re-wrote my earliest SB story (set in 1900). I then decided to make Xin Zhou turn Cockney, and become Norman's permanent assistant.

Little Known Fact:

Actually, he is Sexton Blake. If I ever win the Euro Millions and have enough money to "rescue" British comic character copyrights for the nation (why aren't the government doing it?), I'll re-release all the stories as Sexton Blake ones!

Picture
		Name: Norman Saxon
		Story: Norman Saxon
		Universe: Nu
		First seen in: Norman Saxon: Detective (RWB ns1)
		Age: 35
		Birthdate: 1866
		Birth Place: London
		Currently Lives: Chiltern Street, London
		Politics: Liberal, for a Victorian
		Kinsey Rating: -3 (IE Asexual)
		Relationship: Has adopted Xin Zhou
General Info:	A brilliant private detective, who has also trained as a doctor. His powers of observation and deductive reasoning are second-to-none, and he's a dab hand at languages, too. He was born into an upper-middle class family in 1866, and his father was a brilliant biochemist. He went to Calthorpe School, in Sussex - run by quite a 'radical' (for the time) headmaster who taught his boys to take people as they find them, and treat women and other races equally. Norman excelled in his lessons, and went up to Cambridge, before going to the Royal College of Surgeons in London. He then set up a private practice at his house in Chiltern Street, off Marylebone Road. Whilst at Cambridge, Norman met a Chinese chemist called Ying Chiang, who taught him both Cantonese and Mandarin, as well as about various poisons and toxins. In 1899, Norman's friend Sir William Gracefield secured a job in Hong Kong, but he had somehow offended a Chinese triad called the Blood Fang. After a number of daring escapades, Norman bought down the triad. On his return to England (with Xin Zhou, a boy he met during his battle against the Blood Fang, in tow), he was able to solve a difficult murder case, and saved an innocent man from the gallows. This inspired him to set up as a private detective. The publicity from the murder case bought him many clients, and he also discovered a knack for stumbling into cases. Before long, detection became his main profession, and medicine a mere 'hobby'.
Occupation:	Doctor (general practice), Freelance detective (1899 on)
Mini Timeline:	1866: Born 1877: Went to Calthorpe School, Sussex 1882: Left School 1883: Went to Cambridge 1887: Graduated in medicine, "loaded with honours". Went into practice in Chiltern Street 1889: Took on Mrs Brownwell as housekeeper 1899: Helped a friend avoid assasination by a Chinese Triad. Met Xin Zhou. 1900: Solved a murder, decided to become a full-time detective
Vehicles:	Bicycle
Weapons:	Webley revolver
Relations:	Xin Zhou (assistant) Mrs Brownwell
Friends:	Inspector Brayford Maurice Crosse Julian Sandforth
Current Status:	Working as a doctor and detective in London. It is 'currently' 1900 in the Norman Saxon stories. His first case from 1899 will be told in The Trident. His second case, originally in the Red, White & Blue (series 2) issue 1, will eventually show up in series 3, but I don't want to lead with a reprint!
Character Origin:	My main print comic, The Red, White & Blue, featured stories of Sexton Blake - an old Amalgamated Press detective character. The original creator of Sexton Blake died in 1898, so I assumed he was now public domain. But actually the copyright had been sold to the Amalgamated Press, so now rests with DC / Time Warner, "represented" in the UK by IPC. I asked them for permission to use Sexton Blake, but got turned down (perhaps because a new Sexton Blake Library was being launched in August 2014! ((PS: Jesus, it's twenty quid! (((PPS: Also they only released one issue)))))). I'd semi-anticipated this, and had already come up with the names Norman Saxon and Tanner. Sexton Blake's first assistant was a Chinese boy called We-Wee, so I came up with a Chinese assistant called Xin Zhou, for when I re-wrote my earliest SB story (set in 1900). I then decided to make Xin Zhou turn Cockney, and become Norman's permanent assistant.
Little Known Fact:	Actually, he is Sexton Blake. If I ever win the Euro Millions and have enough money to "rescue" British comic character copyrights for the nation (why aren't the government doing it?), I'll re-release all the stories as Sexton Blake ones!