Kind of seems like every case in A Fumble in the Dark is some kind of Romantic Longing Saw Trap for Francis "I Recently Realized I'm In Love With My Lifelong Best Friend Because He Went Missing For a Year" McQueen, isn't it
Like 9 months ago I was gently prodded into thinking on the topic of Prohibition Era Miami Vice, and I produced like 90% of this cast photo redraw and about half the characters' bios, and then got distracted and forgot about it until I was gently prodded into thinking about it again today
Anyway it is 1924 and Sonny Crockett is definitely a real rum runner and not an undercover agent, wink
Sonny Crockett - A World War I vet working undercover as a rum runner. Though Sonny avoided an official diagnosis of shell shock, the leg injury he suffered during a trench collapse left him unable to continue playing football when he returned to the states, and when the weather is bad he walks with a slight limp. He and his wife are permanently separated but, as their parting was agreeable, they have not sought divorce so as not to tarnish either of each others' reputations legally. They live separately, with Caroline returning to her parents' hometown, and Sonny mostly living on the boat he (purportedly) uses for smuggling. Sonny has a breezy, affable demeanor undercut occasionally by moments of incredible violence and melancholy; he tries very hard not to think about the fact that crime has increased across the US since prohibition was enacted.
Ricardo Tubbs - A New York PI who recently came to Miami to look into the disappearance of his older brother, who had been working in the shipping industry before he went missing. Rico believes his brother was kidnapped or killed, possibly by dirty cops in the pocket of the Italian mob, and he suspects it may be because he was going to be a witness in an upcoming court case against Stefano Calderone. Despite being all smiles on the surface, at his core, Rico is somewhat cynical, with a tendency to lean into sarcasm or unpleasant bluntness when irritated; however, he is also more inclined to self-reflection than Sonny.
Martin Castillo - Official files, in contradictory fashion, first note the existence of Martin Castillo both in the dismantling of a massive German-backed international fruit exportation business in Central America and as a provocateur for the French in neutral Spain. What he was actually involved in during the war, and who exactly he may have been beforehand are both unknown. He was brought in to replace the deceased Lieutenant Rodrigo against the wishes of a number of higher-ups-- especially those who suspect he may have been chosen because he was deemed "completely unbribeable."
Gina Calabrese - The child of a Cuban singer and an American marine, Gina Calabrese joined the Cuban Red Cross and followed in her father's footsteps, finding her way to the Western Front as a volunteer nurse. When her own talent for music was discovered, she was recruited as a spy-- soldiers will tell a pretty "Spanish" singer just about anything. When she was offered the opportunity to continue her work with the US army rather than go home to what would likely be a quiet domestic life, she took it, and eventually ended up working for the federal government investigating prohibition.
Trudy Joplin - With an extremely keen eye for detail, a steel trap memory, and no excess of strong opinions, Trudy Joplin tended to find herself mostly in trouble, bored, or both before the loophole of the Naval Reserve Act gave her and other women an opportunity to sign up for a clerical role with the navy. She worked with the Muster Roll department near the end of the war, tracking ships and personnel, and was able to parlay that experience into a job with the Miami Dade anti-bootlegging division.
Stan Switek - When the order came for most private radio stations to be shut down or taken over by the government, radio engineer Stan Switek found himself with a choice-- find a new career, or become a "Wireless Man" with the US government. His expertise in audio electronics makes him the right man for almost any surveillance mission, and his laid back attitude means most people don't even mind hanging out in a box full of squealing equipment with him all that much.
Larry Zito - Never quite settling down, Larry Zito has been a boxer, a photographer, an aluminum siding salesman, and very nearly a priest. He was in seminary school when the war broke out, and (to his great relief) missed being drafted as a result. He never completed his ordination, and instead decided to follow in his late father's footsteps and become a policeman. His many past lives come in handy as an undercover and surveillance officer, and his breadth of experience makes him very even-keeled.
Ultimately, I wanted to come up with backstories for all of the characters that made sense in terms of like, them becoming more or less the same people, but trying to figure out how that would work in a turn of the century kind of context, as well as coming up with somewhat realistic reasons for all of them to end up in an-anti-bootlegging squad, and that part of it was because they were picked because none of them seem like obvious G-Men. (Clearly the story here would ultimately be about how the government is in the wrong and they all have much more in common with the criminals.)
Starsky makes it very easy to make dinner. Two of @yearoftheotpevent 's August prompts, "cooking together" and "'you're thinking too much.'" Textless version under the cut!
Page Two of a 2 page Jaws 50th Anniversary Comic! (Page one here!)
I'm a day late and a dollar short, but happy Anniversary to Jaws and to the Good Shark Boys (and Matt being grumpy about not being taken at face value despite never revealing anything serious without a veneer of sarcasm.)
A slightly belated happy birthday to Sonny Crockett with two of @yearoftheotpevent 's July prompts, "Vacation" and "Kidfic art". Nothing more important that time on a boat with your boyfriend and your son.
