This is the universe of my Norman Saxon stories. After IPC denied me permission to use Sexton Blake in my comics I decided to create my own Edwardian private detective / gentleman adventurer. As the Sexton Blake stories were "on their own" and separate from the rest of my stories I decided to do the same with Norman Saxon. The major world events in this universe are, again, similar to real life as in the Beta Universe, however Norman Saxon becomes a world-famous figure who at various points decides the destiny of whole nations.
He is also incolved in various worldwide sensations caused by flamboyant super-criminals. In addition there's some unusual technology invented by crazed geniuses which does not exist in the real world / other universes.
Series 2 of the Red, White & Blue told Norman's stories "in order", starting with his origin. Series 3 will probably just jump straight into the detectin', and leave the origin for later / longer stories in The Trident.
Stories in italics are no longer canon because they've been re-made. Or are just stupid.
The Silver Dagger
Set in
1899
Created in
2012 - Unfinished
Type
Written story
Main Characters
Description
Norman Saxon and his friend Sir William Gracefield travel to Hong Kong, where the latter has been given a civil service position. Norman teaches him Chinese on the way. They also meet Xin Zhou for the first time in Port Said. They come to possess an ornate silver dagger, which turns out to be a symbol of power to one of China's Triad gangs.
Status
Being written, very slowly. I've restarted it a good four times.
Location
To be published in The Trident issue 1 (new series)
Misc Note
A re-write of Sexton Blake in Hong Kong, from the Red, White & Blue issue 4 (series 1). By re-write I mean it's almost a completely different story!
Xin Zhou's Schooldays / The Blue Mask
Set in
1899 - 1900
Created in
2012 - Ongoing
Type
Written story
Main Characters
Xin Zhou, Others I need to look up, Watson, Billy Fowler, Ted Tudor, Carter, Ronald Harris etc
Description
A serial following Xin Zhou's time at Calthorpe public school. The first story is about his troubles with a secret society called The Blue Mask. This story is actually about the evils of racial prejudice and the effects of colonialism on the young minds of England, giving them a sense of superiority over the other races and nations and blah blah... so, In the third series of the Red, White & Blue, I'll re-make it, and make it more "fun".
Status
Overwritten in the continuity by the re-make.
Location
Serialised in The Red, White & Blue (series 2), from issue 2.
Misc Note
The story begins with Xin Zhou and his friends in the third form.
Xin Zhou's Schooldays re-make
Set in
1899 - 1904
Created in
Not yet
Type
Written story
Main Characters
Xin Zhou, Others I need to look up, Watson, Billy Fowler, Ted Tudor, Carter, Ronald Harris etc
Description
A re-made Xin Zhou's Schooldays. The setting and characters will be largely the same, but the old version made rather too much of bullies motivated by racism, and got very preachy in places. The new version will be focused more on funny schoolboy pranks, friendly rivalries (though there will still be bullies to defeat) and sport.
Status
Not started.
Location
To be serialised in the Red, White & Blue (series 3), probably from issue 1
Misc Note
Downdated for traditional audiences!
Norman Saxon, Detective
Set in
1900
Created in
2012
Type
Written story
Main Characters
Norman Saxon, Ronald Ormond, Major Haines, Dorothy Granwich, Lord Granwich
Description
Norman Saxon is at a party when Lord Granwich is shot in his study. Ronald Ormond is found with the smoking gun in his hand - but he is innocent! Norman Saxon has to prove it.
Status
Finished
Location
In the Red, White & Blue issue 1 (series 2)
Misc Note
Xin Zhou "sits out" most of this story at school.
Alternative title: The Case of the Smoking Gun!
This will likely be re-written for The Red, White & Blue series 3, but I don't imagine the plot will be changed heavily enough for it to count as a re-make. I'll also re-do the illustrations.
The Body in the Woods
Set in
1900
Created in
2012
Type
Written story
Main Characters
Description
Norman Saxon stumbles into the police investigation of a dead body in a forest clearing. Footsteps lead to and from it, suggesting it had been dumped there by a tramp. But Norman is convinced it got there some other way.
Status
Finished
Location
In the Red, White & Blue issue 2 (series 2)
Misc Note
Xin Zhou is at school again, so sits out this case.
Once again, this is likely to be rewritten, but not heavily changed, for the RWB series 3.
Two of my IRL friends of the time have a cameo as Victorian-era ladies in one of the illustrations. I made their expressions too blank, one of them commented she was probably wishing she had such a cool 1900-era car.
The Forgers
Set in
1900
Created in
2013
Type
Written story
Main Characters
Description
Norman and Xin Zhou are run down by a ship and left for dead. They are rescued, and then learn that the local area is being flooded with counterfiet money.
Status
Finished
Location
In the Red, White & Blue issue 3 (series 2)
Misc Note
Xin Zhou is on holiday from school... but badly injures his leg and once again sits out a story.
Also likely to be rewritten for the Red, White & Blue series 3.
Body in a Bare Room
Set in
1900
Created in
2020-ongoing
Type
Written story
Main Characters
Description
The police find a dead body in a cheap, barely-furnished flat. It turns out to have been the disgraced son of a rich aristocrat, who apparently drank himself to death... did he "fall so low" on his own, or was he pushed?
Status
Being written
Location
To be in issue 1 or 2 of the Red, White & Blue (series 3)
Misc Note
It's almost finished but I'm not happy with the middle bit!
The Stable-Lad's Secret
Set in
1900
Created in
2021-ongoing
Type
Written story
Main Characters
Description
An eavesdropping stable-lad near a big horse racing venue stumbles upon a quasi-religious criminal order, who are involved in massive race-fixing. He gets away and tries to inform Norman, only to succumb to rabies, leaving Norman with only part of a clue to go on.
Status
Being made
Location
To be published in the Red, White & Blue issue 1 or 2 (series 3)
Misc Note
Will also introduce a younger female assistant / secretary for Norman, based on the latter-day Sexton Blake characters of Paula Dane and Marion Lang.
Norman Saxon vs The Botanist
Set in
1901
Created in
2014
Type
Written story
Main Characters
Description
Norman Saxon finds a man who has been killed by a sudden growth of vines bursting out of him. Somebody's invented a super-fertiliser and is using it to murder people!
Status
Finished
Location
In the Red, White & Blue issue 4 (series 2)
Misc Note
Xin Zhou... oh, you get the picture.
Also likely to be rewritten for the Red, White & Blue series 3, probably really ramping up the creepy melodramatic descriptions and turning it into a proper horror story, targeted for an October release!
The "vines bursting out of somebody implanted with seeds" idea actually came from a sci-fi dream I had as a kid, which partially made it into the old comic UFO War 2. In the dream a woman kissed a bad guy out of the blue in a forest, then vines burst out of him seconds later. Later I found her by blasting away into long grass with a stun laser until it hit her leg. Only the "blasting away with a stun laser" bit made it into UFO War 2.
Son of Saxon
Set in
1936 - 1950
Created in
2018 - Unfinished
Type
Webcomic
Main Characters
Norman Saxon JR, Xin Zhou JR, Mrs Brownwell (original and best).
Description
Norman Saxon's son, who has been spending time in India with his elderly father, returns to London and is immediately thrust into a huge case. Also he is assisted by Xin Zhou, the same-named son of his father's own former assistant. Much like the long-running Sexton Blake comic strip in Knockout (Aka "The Knock-Out Comic" and "Billy Bunter's Knockout", at various times), this will take Norman JR through various WW2 adventures.
Status
Being drawn, very slowly!
Location
Misc Note
Dunno why I didn't just make this about the original Norman in the Edwardian period to be honest. Oh well, I've started it now.
Black Widowe
Set in
2012
Created in
2011
Type
Print-turned-web comic
Main Characters
Description
A story set in 2012, where freelance secret agents, "inheriting" Norman Saxon's role in the world of espionage and crime-fighting, battle supervillains. It was made for a mooted magazine called The Sentinel, but very little of that ever got done.
Status
Abandoned
Location
Misc Note
A re-make of sorts of Urban Assault, an old comic that was ripped-off from Streets of Rage in Sonic The Comic.
The Machine
Set in
2017 -
Created in
2018 - Unfinished
Type
Comic strip
Main Characters
Description
Norman Saxon is gone and forgotten by 2017, somebody else needs to bust crime! Enter Graham Manders, a lover of cycling who has been wheelchair-bound for the past 30 years. His research leads him to wonder if there is a way he could walk again through cybernetics. And if you're enhancing your legs with machinery, why not the rest of you, too?
Status
Being drawn, very slowly
Location
To be serialised in The Red Kite from issue 1
Misc Note
Basically a ripoff of Iron Man.
