As Chosen by the Members of Rara-Avis Compliled by Joe Dante and Mark Blumenthal In March and April of 2002, the members of Rara-Avis, the web's premier disscussion group for all things hard-boiled, decided to poll its members on the The Top 100 Hard-Boiled Characters of the Twentieth Century. Readers were invited to submit their … Continue reading The Rara-Avis Top 100 Hard-Boiled Characters of the Twentieth Century (2002)
Category: This Just In
Jupiter Jones, Bob Andrews & Pete Crenshaw (The Three Investigators)
Created by Robert Arthur, Jr. (1909-1969) “The question mark is the universal symbol of something unknown. We are prepared to solve any puzzle, riddle, mystery, enigma, or conundrum which may be brought to us.” -- Jupiter Jones in The Secret of Terror Castle Purists may snicker, and suggest there's no real reason to include this … Continue reading Jupiter Jones, Bob Andrews & Pete Crenshaw (The Three Investigators)
Hector Belascoarán Shayne
Created by Paco Ignacio Taibo II (1949- ) "It was a joke. just one hell of a big joke. Thinking that he could be a detective in Mexico. It was crazy." --Hector ponders his chosen profession in An Easy Thing Mexico City's one-eyed HECTOR BELASCOARÁN SHAYNE (his mother was an Irish folksinger, and his father … Continue reading Hector Belascoarán Shayne
Dan Fortune
Created by Michael Collins Pseudonym of Dennis Lynds "We are a species that preys on itself. We live on our own kind, hunt each other. That's what I wanted to tell the girl who faced me across the desk in the office part of my one-room loft, but I didn't. I told her what the … Continue reading Dan Fortune
S.J. Rook (The Ross Agency)
Created by Delia C. Pitts The Ross AgencyPrivate InvestigationsLost? Missing? Cheated?Your Problems--Our Solutions-- the agency's business card The Ross Agency is a tiny Harlem detective firm on the side of the angels, dedicated to offering affordable services to its clients, taking those cases the police are too busy--or too indifferent--to solve. Things like tracking down … Continue reading S.J. Rook (The Ross Agency)
Cardula
Created by Jack Ritchie Pseudonym of John George Reitci Other pseudonyms include Steve Harbor, Steve O'Connell & Steve O'Donnell (1922-1983) Private eye CARDULA sucks! Then again, he's a vampire, so I guess allowances must be made. Bet he really enjoys sinking his teeth into a good mystery. He's the sole employee of the Cardula Detective … Continue reading Cardula
Lord Darcy
Created by Randall Garrett Pseudonyms include David Gordon, John Gordon, Darrel T. Langart, Alexander Blade, Richard Greer, Ivar Jorgensen, Clyde Mitchell, Leonard G. Spencer, S. M. Tenneshaw & Gerald Vance (1927-87) In a sort of parallel world where magic and ESP, not to mention knights and castles, co-exist peacefully alongside railroads, handguns and various other … Continue reading Lord Darcy
Abe Applebaum (The Kid Detective)
Created by Evan Morgan "It's difficult to accept the difference between who you are in your head and who you are in the world." Most coming-of-age films don't follow a man in his thirties, but the quirky, creepy indie The Kid Detective sure does. ABE APPLEBAUM became the pride and joy of his small hometown … Continue reading Abe Applebaum (The Kid Detective)
The Private Eye Writers Bulletin Board
Word on the street is... This is something new-ish I'm trying out here, but it really depends on you. If you're a private eye writer, and you've got something in a private eye vein coming out in the next little while, please let me know via email, DM or just use the Comments Section on … Continue reading The Private Eye Writers Bulletin Board
Speed Walker
Created by Cris Hammond For some reason, the number of comic strips featuring private eyes have been few and far between. Off the top of my head, there's Alex Raymond's Rip Kirby, his and Hammett's Secret Agent X-9, and the short-lived Mike Hammer strip, but that's about it. But in the eighties, just at the time that newspaper strips … Continue reading Speed Walker