THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN
Web comics, baby. That’s where it’s at. Or at least where it was…
About the time this site began, back in the nineties, the web was just starting to kick detective pulp fiction free from the confines of big-time print publishing’s alleged market demands, and the same thing was happening in comics in a very big and very DIY way.
It was almost punk–a heady time with fresh new voices and fresh new visions suddenly gaining a world-wide audience, and The Thrilling Detective Web Site was there to proudly help these new barbarians kick out the jams, presenting some of the very first of the new breed of web comics, which were updated here regularly. Or at least as regularly as we could—we were all flying by the seats of our pants. The comics we presented here ranged from charmingly amateurish to totally professional jobs, but they all offered something a little different. Maybe even sometimes… edgy?
Copyrights, time and other factors have conspired to prevent us from re-posting most of them (who knew this site would still be here decades later?), but here are the strips that used to live here…
- The Continentals
by Darryl Hughes & Monique MacNaughton
The Continentals followed the adventures of Continental ops Jeffrey Tiffen Smythe and his gender-bending, swash-buckling partner Lady Fiona Fiziwiggs, as they stalked the mean streets of Victorian England, hot on the trail of the perpetrator of a series of brutal “mangling” murders that had plagued the city of Mansfordshire, and other miscreants seen as a danger to the quality of life. The strip was a real mash-up, combining detective fiction, action/adventure, historical drama, gothic horror, science fiction, and even steampunk. - Detective Fork
by Kevin J. Guhl
Okay, okay — he may not have been the shiniest piece of cutlery in the drawer, but Silver City’s own private eye Detective Fork somehow manages to get the job done, in this heart-felt spoof by artist/writer Kevin J. Guhl that started way back in his college days. It ought to please fans of hard-boiled detective fiction and eating utensils everywhere. I mean, really… a piece of cutlery in a trenchcoat and fedora. What’s not to love? - Dick Hammer
by Chris Wisnia
Hot-tempered, foul-mouthed, crotch-scratching DICK HAMMER was a private skulk working the web comic mean streets of Crude Bay, Southern California. Yeah, Crude Bay. But don’t let the the fact that artist/writer/creator Chris Wisnia apparently has his tongue wedged firmly in his cheek fool ya–this was the stuff hard-boiled private eye dreams were made of–and still are. - The Dingus
by Christopher Mills & Joe Staton
Like Femme Noir (see below)? Check out this eight-part spin-off story arc, which featured Port Nocturne’s Mike Hammer-ish private eye, Red “Rusty” Nales, and the villainous K. Burton Smythe (where does Mills come up with these ridiculous names?). “The Dingus” saw print in AC Comics’ Femforce #121 in the Fall of 2003, but visitors to this site were able to catch the whole thing right here. - Femme Noir
by Christopher Mills and Joe Staton
From the creator of private eye Matthew Dain and the co-creator of Mike Mauser came the dark tales of a very shady lady, the mysterious Femme Noir. The strip is a funky blend of hard-boiled crime, costumed crime fighter and good ol’ retro four-colour excitement. Catch the spirit! - Odd Jobs
by Timothy Broderick
Thrilling Detective Comics was proud to present Odd Jobs, a web comic written and drawn by Tim Broderick. This slice-of-life strip followed the adventures of David DiAngelo, a man who earns his living doing those “odd jobs” nobody else wants to; a sort of Travis McGee for the new millennium. It was smart, it was quirky, and when you weren’t looking, it could break your heart. - Velda, Girl Detective: Velda Goes on a Treasure Hunt
by Raoul Molnar and Ron Miller
Everyone’s (or at least my) favourite stripper-turned-P.I., Velda Bellinghausen, decides life is not necessarily a day at the beach. Over the years, we presented a slew of comics, stories, and other goodies (A Calendar! A Little Big Book! A Pin-up!) to whet your whistle.
Respectfully submitted by Kevin Burton Smith.
