Jinx Alameda

The Dick of the Day

Created by Brian Michael Bendis

When I first came across JINX ALAMEDA sometime in the mid-nineties, I thought: Oh! Thankl God!

Still going through withdrawal  from the apparent recent disappearance of Max Allan Collins’ Ms. Tree, it felt like a last-minute rescue.

Here was a character-driven crime comic that looked and felt like classic noir, with every bit of the grit and wit intact, but definitely and defiantly set smack dab in the middle of the here and now! It was almost too good to be true.

And, alas, I was right.

Not that there’s anything wrong with the actual book. Juliet “Jinx” Alameda is a hard-assed, foul-mouthed female bounty hunter/bail bondsman, working the not-so-nice streets of Cleveland, pushing thirty and getting mighty tired of “the Life.”

Once upon a time, she was a tea-and-muffin, keeping-a-journal do-gooder kinda gal, who started out in the the biz cutting bonds, figuring she’d help people.

But that was a long time ago.

Now she’s hooked up with Dave “Goldfish” Gold, a grifter with “a rap sheet longer than Tupac” and his slimy, swarmy partner, Columbia, and their hunt for a mountain of money that could be the way out for all of them.

Complicating things is the growing attraction between Jinx and Goldfish, and Columbia’s ever-growing paranoia. A truly unique comic with a “fuck you” DIY style all its own, a two-fisted stylized montage of art and clip art photos and dark, dark shadows, spunky attitude and street-level grit that owed more to punk rock than anything.

The catch?

After a short burst of issues with Caliber, and another short run with Image, the series folded.

Poof! Gone!

It had been ignored by almost everyone, it seemed, but the handful of critics and fans who loved it.

Like I said, alas…. Too good to be true.

But for those few brief couple of years it was awesome.

Jinx’s creator Bendis first entered the comic world with Goldfish, originally published in 1995 as a series of one-shots by Caliber Comics, which first introduced Goldfish and Columbia. Jinx is actually a sort of prequel to that series (“sort of” because both books ignore pivotal events in the other).

From there it was a short step to Jinx.

But what we all missed was that Bendis was just getting started. He’s since become one of the biggest creators and writers in the comics biz. He’s gone on to bigger (if not necessarily better things), writing the Spawn spin-off, Sam and Twitch (“a gritty look at crime in the world of Spawn [and possibly the] best thing ever associated with Spawn?” according to Comic Book Resources) and a slew of both creator-owned and licensed titles, most notably for Marvel, where he’s became, for several years. one of the dominant forces in shaping the Marvel Universe, thanks to his often dark and hard-boiled work on The Ultimate Spider-Man, The Avengers, X-Men, Guardians of the Galaxy, Daredevil and others. Other crime comics include Scarlet (a provocative and edgy must-read meditation on corruption, vigilantism and personal and social responsibility), Torso, Powers and notably — at least for fans of this site — Alias, which introduced Jessica Jones, a former superhero turned rough-and-tumble Manhattan P.I. set loose in the Marvelverse.

But Jinx (who bears more than a few similiarities with Jessica) seems to have remained close to Bendis’ heart. In the fall of 2000, a couple of years after Jinx faded away, Bendis revived her in the “Bounty Hunter Wars” story arc in Sam and Twitch, his book about an Odd Couple team of New York cops. And he keeps threatening she’ll return… one day.

But that was before he became a big shot at Marvel. And before he jumped ship in 2018 to become a big shot at DC.

Who knows? With all the clout Bendis’s accumulated over the years, it just might happen. One can always hope, and it would hurt if Slam Bradley got a partner.

UNDER OATH

  • “Among the best attempts to do crime noir in comics… ever! Buy them all.”
    — Noir Magazine
  • “Distinguished from the rest of Bendis’ sharp dialogue, tight storytelling, and crisp, stylized artwork.”
    — Wizard
  • “It’s just a great piece of work. The characterization in this book is so much better than in so many comics. It’s definitely an original.”
    — Hero Illustrated
  • “It’s a comic just begging to be made into a movie. In a medium full of talentless imitators, Bendis stands out as an exciting and original shining new star.”
    –– Mike Sangiacomo, On Comics
  • “These characters are very well written. There’s no doubt that Brian Michael Bendis has an ear for dialogue and a real talent for characterization.”
    —Comic Shop News

COMICS

  • GOLDFISH
    (1995, Caliber)
    5 issues
    Black & white
    Written and drawn by     Brian Michael Bendis
    Jinx makes her debut.
  • JINX
    (1995-96, Caliber)
    7 issues
    Black & white
    Written and drawn by Brian Michael Bendis.

    • “–” (April 1996, #1)
    • “Goldy hits on Jinx from a payphone” (January 1996, #2)
    • “The Big Date” (June 1996, #3)
    • “Jinx clocks Goldfish (July 1996, #4)
    • “Jinx thinks Goldy is cool” (1996, #5)
    • “Goldy is kidnapped” (1997#6)
    • “Goldy and Jinx punch Columbia” (1997, #7)
      Issues actually don’t have titles. These are from the Comicbookdb.com
  • JINX CHARITY SPECIAL
    (1997, Caliber)
    1 issue
    Colour
    Written and drawn by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Scott Ricketts
    Art by Daniel Brereton, David Mack, Philip Craig Russell, Adam Warren, Galen Shoman
    A 72 page all star spectacular! All proceeds went to environmental and homeless charities.

    • “My So-Called Jinx”
  • JINX
    (1997-98, Image)
    5 issues
    Written and drawn by Brian Michael Bendis

    • “Bedroom Confessions” (June 1997, #1)
    • “Game Show” (August 1997, #2)
    • “Stoplights” (October 1997, #3)
    • “Follically Challenged” (December 1997, #4)
    • “Pitch the Bagel” (February 1998, #5)
      Issues actually don’t have titles. These are from the Comicbookdb.com
  • JINX: TRUE CRIME CONFESSIONS
    (1998)
  • SAM AND TWITCH
    (1999–, Image Comics)
    Written by Brian Michael Bendis
    Drawn by Alex Maleev
    Jinx makes an appearance in one story arc.

    • “Bounty Hunter Wars, Part 1” (October 2000, #15)
    • “Bounty Hunter Wars, Part 2” (November 2000, #16)
    • “Bounty Hunter Wars, Part 3” (December 2000, #17)
    • “Bounty Hunter Wars, Part 4” (January 2001, #18)

COLLECTIONS

FURTHER INVESTIGATION

THE DICK OF THE DAY

Report respectfully submitted by Kevin Burton Smith. Thanks for the heads up, Gerald.

Published

Leave a Reply