Nick Carter, King of Detectives, was based out of an apartment on Madison Avenue in New York City, and later out of Manchester. He was the son of detective Sim Carter, who taught him investigation techniques at a young age, and encouraged physical activity. In his first appearance, Carter, disguised as his father, took on one of his father’s cases: to locate Mabel Livingston, the daughter of a banker. In the course of the investigation, his father was murdered. Carter felt compelled to follow in his father’s footsteps. Soon after his first case, Carter married Ethel Dalton and had a son named Ralph. Ralph was kidnapped by Carter’s enemies and taken to the Asian kingdom of Kurm, where Carter rescued him. Ethel was later murdered in a hit ordered by a jealous Dazaar. Although Carter never re-married, it is mentioned he had two children, possibly twin sons. Carter generally kept a low profile, and was a master of disguise. In fact, he spent so much time in disguise, only the people closest to him actually knew what he looked like. He used a few alternate identities, including Detective Harvey Jones, Joshua Juniper, and Thomas “Old Thunderbolt” Bolt (a shaggy old country detective). Carter carried a tool kit and simple disguises with him at all times. He kept spring-activated guns up his sleeves, in addition to two other revolvers. He rarely drank or smoked, never swore, and was not fond of pretense. Although only 5′-4”, he was tough and athletic, with at least one early description stating that he could “lift a horse with ease, and that too, while a heavy man is seated in the saddle,” and “he can place four packs of playing cards together, and tear them in halves between his thumbs and fingers.” Carter was nicknamed “The Little Giant.” Carter had considerable resources, starting his own detective school, and owned several houses and a yacht called “The Gull.” His mansion on Madison Avenue acted as a headquarters for his detective agency, and was even designed to hold prisoners that Carter wasn’t ready to run over to the police. In the early days, Carter and his friends sometimes operated a little outside the law, breaking into places and searching them without a warrant. Carter tracked down many master criminals, including his arch-enemy Dr. Quartz, Zanoni, The Woman Wizard, Dazaar the Arch-Fiend, Zigomar, and Fantômas. Other enemies included Baroness Latour, Burton Quintard, Dan Derrington, The Danley Brothers, The Bulwer Sisters, Jimmy Duryea, Scylla the Sea Robber, and Zanabyah, among many, many others.
Appearance List Appeared in over 4000 stories and over 220 novels from 1886 to 1990; he also appeared in comic strips, comic books, radio shows, pulps, and movies. Hundreds of his dime novel stories were reprinted, and he appeared in unauthorized sequels, across South America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa from 1908 to 1939, according to Jess Nevins.
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Description Nick Carter, King of Detectives, was based out of an apartment on Madison Avenue in New York City, and later out of Manchester. He was the son of detective Sim Carter, who taught him investigation techniques at a young age, and encouraged physical activity. In his first appearance, Carter, disguised as his father, took on one of his father’s cases: to locate Mabel Livingston, the daughter of a banker. In the course of the investigation, his father was murdered. Carter felt compelled to follow in his father’s footsteps. Soon after his first case, Carter married Ethel Dalton and had a son named Ralph. Ralph was kidnapped by Carter’s enemies and taken to the Asian kingdom of Kurm, where Carter rescued him. Ethel was later murdered in a hit ordered by a jealous Dazaar. Although Carter never re-married, it is mentioned he had two children, possibly twin sons. Carter generally kept a low profile, and was a master of disguise. In fact, he spent so much time in disguise, only the people closest to him actually knew what he looked like. He used a few alternate identities, including Detective Harvey Jones, Joshua Juniper, and Thomas “Old Thunderbolt” Bolt (a shaggy old country detective). Carter carried a tool kit and simple disguises with him at all times. He kept spring-activated guns up his sleeves, in addition to two other revolvers. He rarely drank or smoked, never swore, and was not fond of pretense. Although only 5′-4”, he was tough and athletic, with at least one early description stating that he could “lift a horse with ease, and that too, while a heavy man is seated in the saddle,” and “he can place four packs of playing cards together, and tear them in halves between his thumbs and fingers.” Carter was nicknamed “The Little Giant.” Carter had considerable resources, starting his own detective school, and owned several houses and a yacht called “The Gull.” His mansion on Madison Avenue acted as a headquarters for his detective agency, and was even designed to hold prisoners that Carter wasn’t ready to run over to the police. In the early days, Carter and his friends sometimes operated a little outside the law, breaking into places and searching them without a warrant. Carter tracked down many master criminals, including his arch-enemy Dr. Quartz, Zanoni, The Woman Wizard, Dazaar the Arch-Fiend, Zigomar, and Fantômas. Other enemies included Baroness Latour, Burton Quintard, Dan Derrington, The Danley Brothers, The Bulwer Sisters, Jimmy Duryea, Scylla the Sea Robber, and Zanabyah, among many, many others.
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