Taking my game to a higher level

My very crafty husband has gifted me with props for enlivening my Heroclix games, with which I am delighted.  Together we created an elevated, transparent and blank "supra-map" that I can put above outdoor maps to represent the airspace above and on underwater maps to represent the surface of the sea.

You can see it in use in the photo, where it represents the airspace above a public park where Hawkman and Hawkgirl (with some pals) are confronting some Manhawks, Satana, Byth, and Ira Quimby.

The Manhawks, Satana, Byth, and Ira Quimby are all customs.  You have to be willing to put in the work for a Hawkman-specific Heroclix game.

You can also see some of the aerial props he made (you should see the RAINBOW, not pictured).  

Okay, fine; there's the rainbow.

The rules adapt quite simply to a second level: there is no line of sight between the levels (it's too high up!); it costs one square to move up or down; a figure can only move up or down in one turn, not both.  It really brings life and purpose to flying characters and battles!

Here's a photo of the supra-map being used to represent the surface of the sea in game where Aquaman and his finny friends are taking on Black Manta and his goons.

These are the props for use in temperate/cool waters.  He made separate sets for Tropical Ocean and Polar Ocean. These things matter to me.

The Tropical Ocean props

Tropical surface of the sea close-up.

The Polar Ocean props. Brrrr.

The iceberg combo is a really nice touch.

Anyway, this has reinvigorated my enthusiasm for the game and inspired me to make a new map of my favorite, freaky fictionopolis: Apex City!

As in my original Apex map, all of these locations (including the two bridges) and place names are from references in actual Martian Manhunter stories, which were always specific about just WHERE something was happening.  We know more specific places in Apex City than in Metropolis.

My inspiration for the map was post-war beach-town tourist maps and postcards. That really does seem like J'onn's natural habitat (to the degree that J'onn seems "natural" anywhere!).

I am eager to figure out a way to have random meteors, fires, and plane crashes occur during the game and threatening the Martian Manhunter as an added challenge.

The props are ready.

I am also planning to make flocks of Apexians as "mobile hindering terrain".  I just have figured out the game mechanism for their auto-movement. 

Because what is Apex City without its flocks of panicked citizens?

Speed Saunders Jumps to a Conclusion

Disguised Speed Saunders had just discovered that his boss/host at the San Jose Mission ("Padre") is in fact just a toady of Evil Sugar Plantation owner, useful-female-informant abductor, and suspected murderer, Nick Del Borno.

The "Evil" modifies Nick, of course.  It's not like he grows Evil Sugar or anything. Although he MIGHT, I suppose, if he's working for Mr. Slugworth.

So, faced with a soup-faced fat guy and an ineffectual (and now unarmed) knife-thrower, Speed either beats them up or just pulls out his pistol on them.

Psych.  He runs away upstairs for no accountable reason whatsoever.  

What he does next will surprise you! 

Watch 'til the end!

I can only surmise that since no mystery can withstand his scrutiny, Speed, who gets bored easily, has to act bizarrely and unpredictably to spice up his own adventures for himself.  Why else would he almost immediately turn around and LEAP at the very people he's running from?

Aerial advantage, I guess.

A Thimble Theater Donnybrook follows, with all the flying stars you could ask for.

Fortunately, Speed has no dignity to damage.

Then Speed does exactly what he could have done when he ARRIVED in San Jose. Pulls out his pistol and threatens to shoot if someone doesn't tell him who killed Arthur Bell.

Speed always takes the direct approach.
In the most indirect way possible.

So the "mystery" is, um, solved...?

I'm sure that testimony given under duress of a loaded gun will hold up in court.

Then again, perhaps Speed simply shot them right there.  I mean, it's Chinatown, Jake; who's going to stop him?

P.S. Speaking of no one daring to stop Speed, it's clear that his real boss, "Mr. Marr", did NOT fire him for taking this jaunt, aa threatened.  Speed is still working for the NYC Harbror Patrol for at least four more issues.

My name is Speed and I'll be your server.

When we last left Speed, he'd been koshed into unconsciousness by one of Nick Del Borno's confederates for punching Nick Del Borno in the face, and was recuperating at the hut of what I hope is a "poor farmer" and not a "door farmer".

Pretty sure he's figured that out, Sr. Farmer; he IS a detective, after all.

The kindly campesino then supplies Speed with the next piece of information he needs and gets a fiver for his trouble.

"Here's a little extra for not removing my obvious disguise."

By the way, if you are wondering at what point we learn(ed) that Nick Del Borno runs the rival business to the victim's sugar plantation, just keep wondering because we are never actually told that directly.  It's Speed Saunders, you just have to try to keep up, people.

I myself am wondering why a sugar planation owner lives at a Catholic Mission. The plantation must be doing terribly. And you wouldn't expect a Catholic Mission to put up with someone who raises cane.

The Padre falls for Speed's Old Beggar Disguise and kindly takes him in.

BTW, I'm assuming that Speeds speaks flawless rural San José-accented Spanish to pull off this ruse. I mean, if he can fly a aeroplane while holding a map, why not?

Padre seems really nice; gives him a job.

"I knew my Cordon Bleu Grand Diplôme would come in handy some day!
I hope that one day my studies of goldfish are similarly utile!"

Luckily for Speed, he doesn't have long to wait for his quarry to surface.

Last time, Nick Del Borno caught him off-guard. THIS time Speed has prepared.

"I mean, now that I've killed her *ahem* 'friend', it seems the only decent thing to do."

And what Speed has prepared is SOUP. Revenge may be a dish best served cold, but JUSTICE is best served PIPING HOT.

"Hi, my name's Torgo and I'll be your server tonight... OF JUSTICE!"

Then Speed socks Nick Del Borno in the face, which worked SO well for him last time.

I mean, he may be morally justified but the legalities of punching an un-indicted face after dosing it with hot soup are questionable.  Even in San José.

But then ... Judas reveals himself as, once again, Nick Del Borno has a confederate at hand!

Everbody run;
the Homecoming Queen's got a gun.

Padre turns out to be a Nick Del Borno flunky AND a poor knife-thrower!

Art. Who needs "The Night Watch" when there's Speed Saunders?

Tomorrow: Padre refuses to sign Speed's timecard.

Speed Saunders, Whiskered Pig

We left Speed Saunders (who apparently can pilot a plane and has immediate access to one) as he, map in hand, flew to the Caribbean island of San José (south of Cuba, as most such islands are). 

I love the image of Speed just hopping into a biplane with a map rolled up in his hand and confidently sailing off to a Caribbean Island he's never heard of before. What could possibly go wrong?

Speed finds the island and lands the plane.

Yes, Speed; not having an airstrip can definitely make landing an aeroplane challenging.

"Throw out the anchor"? Clearly Speed was a NAVY pilot.

Speed has expended the equivalent of SIX PANELS flying to San José, leaving him cripplingly behind in his mystery-solving.  But he is intent on making up for lost time!

Which he does by morphing into a Ragged Old Beggar and approaching a woman who will clearly turn out to be one of the Useful Female Informants the universe always supplies him.

Okay, just a pause for art's sake:

This wordless panel is pure Golden Age gold. It's like they hired Edward Hopper.  Good job, "Fless".

At this point, you may be wondering: why on earth did Speed feel a need for a DISGUISE? Truly, he is the Benoit Blanc of his universe and must disguise him to go unknown even on obscure Caribbean islands.

But me? I AM wondering: Did Speed just hone in on the one gringa who looks like her boyfriend just died?  How does he know to talk to her? We'll never know, because Speed has no spare time to explain his investigative process (having spent six panels just flying).

"Be quiet and talk to me" is just such a MAN thing to say.

Conveniently but unsurprisingly, this woman turns out to be the victim's "friend".  What are the odds?

Naturally, she knows who Speed Saunders is.  

In this panel, Speed namedrops one of our dramatic personae, Nick Del Borno.  How did this happen? Did May Adams bring up Nick Del Borno in conversation and Speed is asking for clarification on who that is? Did the name just pop into his head as the next necessary clue and he's looking for elucidation from her?

 We will never know THAT either because the next thing that pops up is...

Nick Del Borno himself.

How convenient!  But Speed, who is accustomed to the universe providing informants and suspects to him on a silver platter, is most focused on having been called a Whiskered Pig, which clearly does NOT suit his mood. "I'll have you know this is the finest Torgo cos-play money can buy, you bloated capitalist!"

Nick may be the villain but he is as committed to efficiency as Speed and resolves to move the story, and its participants, along.

Speed, having considered all possible responses to having been called a whiskered old beggar while disguised as a whiskered old beggar, chooses fisticuffs.

ZOWIE.

Having knocked the stars out of Nick Del Borno's hat, Speed enjoys only a moment of victory before...

POW.
Why the author felt THIS needed a caption I cannot fathom.

I'm guessing this is a shortcut to take Speed to the villain's hideout, where Speed will somehow cleverly turn the tables on his captors!

I think I should give up guessing what's going to happen in Speed Saunders stories.

Tomorrow: The Door Farmer Gives Speed an Exit.

Speed Saunders in San José: Do You Know The Way?

You really didn't think the Fourth Wall could stop Speed Saunders, did  you?

It's 1937 and Detective Comics is ruled by the one and only

(not yet "Ace Investigator")

who is about to tackle

I am assuming "Fless" is Creig Flessel,  frequent 'Tec cover artist of this era.

To save time (always a priority in a Speed Saunders story), the plot is given to you by an exposition box in the first panel.

I like to imagine that "Peace" and "Happiness" were the names of the two rival sugar plantations.

Sounds too simple!  Next, with no further ado or explanation, we are given the dramatis personae:

The comic didn't give a caption, so I won't either.

Well, the two guys on the left are comedically evil-looking, so I bet that's a red herring. I'm betting our villain is, in fact, the brutally handsome Arthur Bell.  I'd also keep my eye on that dame, Adams!  

Oops. I guessed wrong.

So much for the Arthur Bell theory. Since he's the victim, I supposed the other four are the suspects (three, really, since Speed Saunders only kills in the line of duty).  But all this is prologue. The story proper begins with a newsie interrupting Speed, who was about to travel by silhouette (his favorite mode of transport while in the big city).

Speed's Face of Judgement must be husbanded for the guilty.

Apparently, Tommy the Newsie has been specifically waiting to deliver the paper to Speed.

As always, everyone knows and defers to Speed Saunders, who definitely did NOT pay for that paper.

Of course Speed knows Tommy; Speed knows everyone (or, at least, everyone he needs to). And sure enough....

Speed knows the murder victim.  Because of course he does. Because it's convenient.

Exactly how a harbor patrol detective in New York City knows a sugar cane plantation manager on the (fictional) Caribbean island of San José we will never know.  I mean, at least, Jessica Fletcher would give us a throwaway line to explain her connection to the deceased!  But Jessica had 50 minutes to work with and Speed has only six pages.

His connection must be strong enough to call for Speed's investigation of the murder; the Bell tolls for he.  

Speed's putative boss, Mr. Marr.

Mr. Marr threatens to fire Speed if he gets involved. Mr. Marr, by the way, is never heard from again.  

Ignoring Mr. Marr's bluff, Speed heads right out.

"Do you KNOW the way to San José?"

Speed has a map. That's all you needed back in the day.  That's how he knows that it's too far to travel by tesseract, or silhouette, or even with the Saundersmobile!

Did I mention that after calling Speed crazy, Mr. Marr was never seen again?

Aeroplane; yes, that's the usual means of access for Caribbean islands.  So I guess Speed just buys some tickets for the next island hopper and relaxes with a drink on board.

Oh. That was bad guess, too.

Tomorrow: SPEED ARRIVES AT SAN JOSÉ.