Mystery Train (31st Anniversary Review)

[MacGyver]

Does Nancy actually mention Frank and Joe Hardy in that Files book or just reference the events of the case?

[tomswift2002]

Yes Nancy doesn't mention them out loud because it's one of those third person author moments where the author mentioned that Nancy remembered working with the "Hardy brothers" on the case.  It's on the first page of Chapter 13 of Out of Bounds.  I don't have the book near me right now so I can't get the actual quote.

[Hardy Boys UB Fan]

The only time that Tom Swift interacted with the Network was in The Alien Factor.  And the only times that Nancy has interacted with the Network is in the SuperMystery'88 series such as Buried in Time, Best of Enemies, etc., otherwise the Network only appeared in the Hardy Boys Casefiles series.  Really, the Casefiles was the one main series that was tied into the majority of the other Files-Casefiles series, as the Hardy's and aspects of the Casefiles appeared in the SuperMystery'88 series, and in the Nancy Drew Files #45 Out of Bounds has Nancy remembering working with the Hardy's and the drug mystery of Dangerous Games.  And then of course you had the Ultra Thrillers which saw the Hardy's meet Tom Swift (of the Archway series) twice (if you want to know that one, read Time Bomb where Frank and Joe also meet the Black Dragon), and get sent by the Network to investigate the Swifts.

But Tom himself never worked for the Network like Frank and Joe did? Nancy didn't either for that matter, than.

[tomswift2002]

Nancy never did, however, at some point prior to working on a Network case with the Hardy's, she was made aware of the Network, but how she came to be aware was never revealed.

And with Tom, it was never stated he did, although with Swift Enterprises having government contracts and Tom Jr. being second-in-command, he might've.

[Hardy Boys UB Fan]

Nancy never did, however, at some point prior to working on a Network case with the Hardy's, she was made aware of the Network, but how she came to be aware was never revealed.

And with Tom, it was never stated he did, although with Swift Enterprises having government contracts and Tom Jr. being second-in-command, he might've.

Tom Jr, is that same one that's in the current books now or is that another Tom?

[tomswift2002]

It's a different Tom Jr. from the current Tom Jr (and older).  The Archway Tom Swift series is suppose to be in the same continuity as the Tom Swift Sr (1910-1941) & Jr (1954-1971) and before the Wanderer series (1981-1984) (just like the Files-Casefiles universe is in the same continuity as the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories.  The newer Tom's are in different continuities just like the newer Hardy's and Drew are different.

[Hardy Boys UB Fan]

It's a different Tom Jr. from the current Tom Jr (and older).  The Archway Tom Swift series is suppose to be in the same continuity as the Tom Swift Sr (1910-1941) & Jr (1954-1971) and before the Wanderer series (1981-1984) (just like the Files-Casefiles universe is in the same continuity as the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories.  The newer Tom's are in different continuities just like the newer Hardy's and Drew are different.

Is the Wanderer series the ore where Tom meets the Hardy Boys?

[tomswift2002]

No.  It's the Archway Tom.

[Hardy Boys UB Fan]

No.  It's the Archway Tom.

Is that a different one?

[tomswift2002]

The current Tom's are different continuity Tom's.

[MacGyver]

Yes Nancy doesn't mention them out loud because it's one of those third person author moments where the author mentioned that Nancy remembered working with the "Hardy brothers" on the case.  It's on the first page of Chapter 13 of Out of Bounds.  I don't have the book near me right now so I can't get the actual quote.

Okay- thanks for answering that. I always appreciate continuity.

[tomswift2002]

And for continuities sake, the piece connecting ALL the books in the Files-Casefiles universe to the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories by Grosset & Dunlap, Wanderer, Minstrel & Aladdin comes from River Heights #1: Love Times Three, specifically in the Prologue where Nikki Masters is visiting Nancy and is in Nancy's bedroom and picks up the Old Clock which Nancy got for solving her first mystery ("The Secret of the Old Clock").  And the Archway Tom Swift does try to tie-into what was established in the Tom Swift Adventure Series, specifically "Tom Swift and His Big Tunnel", but it does get a few facts of that story wrong ("Monster Machine"—-also establishes that that Tom Sr is the Archway's Tom's grandfather).  So far, I haven't found anything definitive connecting the Hardy Boys Casefiles to the Hardy Boys Mystery Stories aside from some very vague references that Dead On Target might not have been the Hardy's first case, but again they are very vague.  There vagueness even means that the Clues Brothers series could be a prequel to the Casefiles.

[MacGyver]

Nice! I like that connection in the River Heights books.
The best I can think of offhand for The Hardy Boys Casefiles and the original series is that late in the Digests books there are some Casefiles-specific crossover character appearances. I think there may have even been an appearance of Mr. Pizza but I may be totally off on that. I will have to check my book collection when I can to confirm that.
   I don't think there are connections going from the Casefiles universe books back to the originals beyond vague hints. (As was mentioned, I believe Frank and Joe talk about not giving up their "usual cases" in order to take on higher stakes jobs with The Network at the end of Dead on Target.)

[MacGyver]

It was mainly The Hardy Boys #171 The Test Case I was thinking of before. And here's the thread where I mentioned it previously a few years back.

[tomswift2002]

Nice! I like that connection in the River Heights books.
The best I can think of offhand for The Hardy Boys Casefiles and the original series is that late in the Digests books there are some Casefiles-specific crossover character appearances. I think there may have even been an appearance of Mr. Pizza but I may be totally off on that. I will have to check my book collection when I can to confirm that.
   I don't think there are connections going from the Casefiles universe books back to the originals beyond vague hints. (As was mentioned, I believe Frank and Joe talk about not giving up their "usual cases" in order to take on higher stakes jobs with The Network at the end of Dead on Target.)

Mr. Pizza showed up early in the S&S era of the Mystery Stories as off hand I remember a mention of it and Tony in #98 Spark of Suspicion from 1989.