My Bookshelf: Noir: The Illustrated Crime Fiction Quarterly

My Bookshelf
Noir:  The Illustrated Crime Fiction Quarterly
Edited by Christopher Mills

A year after his ambitious one-shot anthology The Detectives,  editor Christopher Mills let fly with the even more ambitious Noir: The Illustrated Crime Fiction Quarterly, an attempt to re-create The Detectives on a regular basis.

It never quite caught on, lasting a mere three issues, but boy was it something, offering both illustrated prose and comic stories (both original and classic reprints), plus non-fiction, interviews and and reviews.

The first issue sported a cover by Brian Stelfreeze (as would the subsequent two issues), and stories by Max Allan Collins, Terry Beatty, Mike W. Barr, Nicola Cuti, Rick Burchett, Jeff Gelb, Darren Goodhart, Ed Gorman, Wendi Lee, Rick Magyar, William Marden, Richard Pace and Joe Staton. It also included some non-fiction: a look at the then- current crime fiction scene; a review of Mickey Spillane’s Murder Is My Business, and an interview with Max Allan Collins and Terry Beatty about their revival of Johnny Dynamite. 80 pages of B&W good stuff, all for $3.95.

The second issue saw a new publisher, a price jump of a buck, and a title going from the rather long-winded Noir: The Illustrated Crime Fiction Quarterly to the much more succinct Noir Quarterly, but once again what a feast for fans of the hard stuff! There were stories and art by Robert J. Randisi, William Marden, Ron Fortier, C.J. Henderson, Brian Michael Bendis, Rick Burchett, Bob Cram Jr., Gary Kato, Steve Crompton, Mike Harris, and Lee Weeks.

The third and final issue boasted stories and art by Nicola Cuti, C.J. Henderson, Charles Hoffman, Ardath Mayhar, Ron Fortier, Ron Goulart, Joe Staton, Mike Harris, Delfin Barral, Gary Kato, Steve Crompton, and Brian Michael Bendis, and a fond remembrance of The Saint by Ed Gorman.

COMICS

• NOIR:  THE ILLUSTRATED CRIME FICTION QUARTERLY
  (Winter 1994, Alpha Productions)
  Edited by Christopher Mills
  • “Surrogate” by Ed Gorman; illustrated by Richard Pace
  • “Salad Days” by Wendi Lee; illustrated by Terry Beatty (Angie Matelli)
  • “The Return of Johnny Dynamite” by Jeff Gelb, Max Allan Collins & Terry Beatty (interview)
  • “The Heat Is On” by Mike W. Barr; illustrated by Rick Magyar (The Maze Agency)
  • “Focus on Death” by Nicola Cuti; illustrated by Joe Staton (Mike Mauser)
  • “Fool’s Gold” by William Marden; illustrated by Darren Goodhart
  • “The Love Rack” by Max Allan Collins; illustrated by Rick Burchett
  • “Scene of the Crime” by Christopher Mills (editorial)
• NOIR QUARTERLY | Buy this book
  (Spring 1995, CFD Productions)
  • “The Noir Files” by Christopher Mills (editorial)
  • “The Fixer’s Mob” (Johnny Dynamite)
  • “A Centennial Interview with Dash Hammett” by William F. Nolan
    A reprint from· Hardboiled #19 1994; a “conversation” with the ghost of Hammett.
  • “Hardfall” by Robert J. Randisi
  • “Three by McBain” (review)
  • “The Unwritten Law” by William Marden
  • “Scenes of the Crime” by Jonathan Anger (review)
  • “Blood Red Lips” by Ron Fortier
  • “Mickey Spillane: Vengeance Is His” by Christopher Mills (interview)
  • “A Fine Officer” by C.J. Henderson (Jack Hagee)
  • “A.K.A. Goldfish: Queen” by Brian Michael Bendis
• NOIR QUARTERLY
  (Fall 1995, CFD Productions)
  Edited by Christopher Mills
  • “The Noir Files” by Christopher Mills (editorial)
  • “Mike Mauser, Private Eye: The Cayugan Curse” by Nicola Cuti ; illustrated by Joe Staton (Mike Mauser)
  • “Granny Gumption Solves a Murder” by C. J. Henderson & Charles Hoffman; illustrated by Michael Harris (Granny Gumption)
  • “Four-Colour Crimes” by James Chambers (article)
  • “The Wallow” by Ardath Mayhar; illustrated by Delfin Barral
  • “Remembering the Saint” by Ed Gorman (article)
  • “Scenes of the Crime”  by Jonathan Anger (reviews)
  • “Speakeasy: Ray Solvane Went Flying” by Ron Fortier; illustrated by Gary Kato & Steve Crompton
  • “They’re Gonna Kill You After Awhile” by Ron Goulart; illustrated by Brian Michael Bendis (John Easy)
  • “Skinny” by Ron Fortier; illustrated by Randy Buccini & Byron Peneranda

FURTHER INVESTIGATION

• Flashback
  Chris Mills recalls the trials and tribulations of putting together Noir.

Respectfully submitted by Kevin Burton Smith.