Johnny Dekker

Created by Johnny Dekker
Pseudonym of Maurice Anglowitz
Other pseudonyms include Mick Anglo
(1916-2011)

Another denizen of the Mushroom Jungle, private eye JOHNNY DEKKER appeared in perhaps as many as twenty or so pulp paperbacks in the late 40s. Though the paperbacks were published in Britain, they were written very much in the “American style.”

Johnny was your typical mushroom eye of the era, a stereotypical hard-boiled American dick (possibly living in New York), never far from a gunfight or a sexy babe… or a front cover illo depicting both.

Great literature? Probably not, but they sure had some great tiles. The Cuban Heel? Nuts to Nylons? Pinballs and Pinups?

But what makes them even more memorable/collectible is that the books, although credited to “Johnny Dekker,” were actually written by soon-to-be legendary British comic book writer and artist, Mick Anglo, who not only wrote the suckers, but also painted the great covers.

Michael “Mick” Anglo was born Maurice Anglowitz in 1916. After completing his National Service, he landed a job writing for a small publishing company, Martin & Reid, cranking out westerns, romances and crime thrillers under the pen-name Johnny Dekker, and occasionally illustrating the front cover illustrations for his own novels. Martin and Reid liked what he was doing, and suggested he try doing some strips for their comics line, which led Anglo to a long and successful comics career for various publishers, including the creation of much-loved British superhero Marvelman.