THE VELVET
WASP
Creator:
H David Blalock
Characters
Diane
Green (Jane Smith – alias. Charlene is stage name)
Walter
Evanston (The Angel Club owner)
Vincent
Salvatori (The Angel Club manager)
Vic
Anderson (Music Conductor)
Adele
Fornost (Diane’s room mate)
Captain
Sheridan
Sergeant
Miller
Marlene
Fornost (Adele’s twin sister)
The
Outlanders (Local Mob)
Sir
(Runs the Mob)
Michael
Kravitz (Assistant D.A.)
Edgar
Juness (Mayor)
Elaine
Juness (Mayor’s wife)
Tom
Carlton (Mob muscle)
Nicholas
(Doorman)
Mike
(Elevator Operator)
Jonathan
Morgan
Hercules
Hathaway (Local city vigilante)
Crime is rampant in
Olympus City, and dominated by corrupt officials and a local mob called the
Outlanders. Diane Green, a flaming redhead, sings at the Angel Club under the
stage name of Charlene. When her roommate is murdered and Diane discovers
diamonds hidden in Adele’s powder compact, she suspects the Outlanders murdered
her, and wants revenge. She is a Texas farm girl, and has always taken matters
into her own hands. She decides Charlene must disappear, and becomes the Velvet
Wasp.
The
Velvet Wasp wears a red velvet outfit, hostess pants with black lace trim, a
brimless cloche hat over her newly brunette Charleston Cut. To hide her
identity she added a Mardi Gras mask. At first her weapon of choice is a .32
Savage. In the second story, the gun was changed to a Berreta Model 1920
automatic. In the third story she carries a .25 caliber Model 1908, which
replaced her Model 1930 (?). In the third story she also carries an air piston
that fires tranquilizer pellets – her sting. By the 4th story we
learn that she had trained in jiu-jitsu, karate, and learned the pressure
points to render someone unconscious. Being a Texas farm girl she could lift
her own weight, and hold her breath for nearly three minutes. Her outfit now
contains not just folds for her equipment, but panel pockets; she also carries
a police slapjack to knock crooks out.
Walter
Evanston is the Angel Club’s owner, and the Velvet Wasp’s assistant and lover.
The wall by his bedroom door contains a hidden recess; he tapped a button
beside a medieval portrait and part of the wall parted, revealing an opening
six feet across. The secret panel contained pistols, revolvers, sabers, epees,
a couple flintlocks, and several smaller hand weapons.
Police
officers Captain Sheridan and Sergeant Miller are really only present in the
first story, and they are revealed to be under the pay of the Outlanders.
Hercules
Hathaway is mentioned in most of the stories, but never makes an appearance. He
is the local hero that usually protects Olympus City. Maybe he will appear in a
future story.
There
are four stories in this first volume, and they take place between 1927 and
1934: O Death, Where Is Thy Sting; Stinging
Nettle Tea; The Sting of The Saboteur; The Sting of The Lash.
“The
Velvet Wasp” (Pro Se Press) 2018
