Mystery Analysts: Metropolis

We're reviewing my candidates for franchises of Gotham City's "Mystery Analysts" and we've just arrived in Metropolis.

Melba Manton

Now, according to the last census, a good 17 percent of Metropolis works as a reporter or in journalism, so the place is lousy with nosy reporters.  But the one the Mystery Analysts deserve is that sassy, snappy  dresser, Melba Manton.

To be clear, I am not talking about the diluted version who mugged for the cameras at WGBS

LIVE from Crime Alley.

No, I'm talking the O.G. crazy-bold Melba Manton, whose escapades made Lois Lane look like Lucy Ricardo and whose wardrobe made Quentin Crisp look like a prison matron.

Really, how could you miss someone wearing THAT outfit?

Inspector Henderson

He's the classic police Authority Figure in Superman history.  He's not flashy, but unlike Metropolis's other well-known cop, Dan Turpin, he's low-key, slow on the trigger, and even-tempered.  He's the Cool Cop the Mystery Analysts of Metropolis deserve.

Shut up, Jimmy. Unlike Superman, Henderson has no time for suck-ups or any of your "Mr. Action" nonsense.

Maggie Sawyer might have been up for this role, but she moves around WAY too much.  Besides, she was always more of an action-cop than a detective.

Franklin Lester

It's not easy to forgive a character for being created by Cary Bates, but in Lester's case I will make an acceptation.  The original version of Franklin Lester was a private investigator trying to root out Metropolis's Masher Mob and resorted to becoming a costumed vigilante named "Tartantula", based on a cancelled TV series his son used to watch.

Not hard to see why the show was cancelled. That costume doesn't really scream "TARANTULA!" In fairness, Spider-Man's costume is astonishingly non-spider-like and I wonder whether this character was a riff on that fact.

Now, we like costumed vigilantes BUT we do NOT like ones who kill people, and he killed a lot of people.  

Special exceptions can be made, of course.

A redux of the character could simply be a private investigator, with some cute nod to the character's history, such as having him be the writer of (or writers' expert consultant) a "The Tarantula" show or comic book.  

Continuing to STRETCH to find usable pre-existing characters....

Chief Smith

No first name needed, with such a unique surname.

He was the pre-Crisis police chief in Metropolis.  He's a blank slate but could fill the "police authority" slot in Mystery Analysts of Metropolis. I mean, it's not like you ever actually saw JIM GORDON solve a crime, is it?

Really desperate at this point. I disqualify the 10,000 named reporters in Metropolis, because they would be redundant with Melba Manton. So...

Jose Delgado

Only in Metropolis do gang members carry rayguns.

Look I know "Gangbuster" isn't really anyone's idea of a DETECTIVE, per se.  But, you know, he must have been able to at least track down gangmembers and leaders so that's something.  No one's done anything with this character for many years, so he could be reintroduced as either a retired vigilante or just a crusader against low-level semi-organized crime.  

See, José has already proven his worth as a detective by finding the next member (and saving him from a runaway piano)!

Slam Bradley

Slam! One of comics' original hard-boiled private investigators.  He was created by Siegel & Shuster (the creators of Superman), so he's a natural for the Metropolis Mystery Analysts franchise.

Well, technically he was conceived by Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, the mad comic book publishing pioneer:

"We want a detective hero called 'Slam Bradley'. He is to be an amateur, called in by the police to help unravel difficult cases. He should combine both brains and brawn, be able to think quickly and reason cleverly and able as well to slam bang his way out of a bar room brawl or mob attack. Take every opportunity to show him in a torn shirt with swelling biceps and powerful torso[.]"

But Siegel & Shuster actually drew and wrote the character.  He's perfect!

The Mystery Analysts of Metropolis actually seems like an interesting group of people. Certainly more lively than their Gothamite counterparts.