Created by Iman Vellani (2002--) It's 1979, and Hollywood-obsessed Leila, a 19-year-old Pakistani-Canadian college student, is a long way from home. She's in Tinsel Town, hoping to hook up with with her estranged uncle — her "Chachu," the brother of her late father. I have no idea what his real name is — Leila simply … Continue reading Chachu
Tag: Comics
Henry Dorsett Case (Neuromancer)
Created by William Gibson (1948--) "The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel." And with that straight-outta-Chandler opening, William Gibson's genre-bending science fiction classic Neuromancer (1984) began. Not that Raymond Chandler is the only inspiration for what many consider the one of the very first and finest examples … Continue reading Henry Dorsett Case (Neuromancer)
Lance Wingman (Destination Kill)
Created by Joe Palmer Got dystopia? Not sure how "PI-ish" this 2026 comic book is, but it does have ex-copper turned private eye LANCE WINGMAN as a major character, teaming up with his former partner on the force, Gina Serene, a burned-out, pill-popping detective charged with squelching a worker's uprising in the corporate-controlled, robot-dominated hellscape … Continue reading Lance Wingman (Destination Kill)
Hank Howard (Pizza Detective)
Created by Robert Venditti and David Lapham "Just because pizza is round doesn't mean you can cut corners." HANK HOWARD isn't a man you meet every day. No matter how you slice it. Sure, he's a private eye, a hard-boiled and slightly rumpled doofus right out of central casting, complete with the obligatory fedora and … Continue reading Hank Howard (Pizza Detective)
Henry Archer (The Other/Half)
Created by Jim McCann and Joe Eisma Released on National Coming Out Day in March 2026 was The Other/Half, a rom-com/mystery mini-series featuring rough-and-tumble NYC private eye and backstreets rambler (he needs a shave and wears a rumpled trench coat) HENRY ARCHER and his fiancée Ethan Herbst, a suave, sophisticated man-about-town socialite currently on the … Continue reading Henry Archer (The Other/Half)
JJ Flask
Created by Chris R. Notarile Sing along if you know the words... In 2021, a black & white film short, J.J. Flask, was announced, written and directed by filmmaker Chris R. Notarile. The eponymous hero, JJ FLASK, we're told, is "an old fashioned, hard-boiled P.I. in a modern day setting," trying to scrape out a … Continue reading JJ Flask
Mike Hammershlammer
Created by Melvin Slane Pseudonym of Al Feldstein & Jack Davis "The papers say I'm a kill-crazy shamus. Well, maybe I am..." For many of us of a certain age, our first exposure to spoofs, lampoons, parodies and satires — whatever you want to call 'em — of pop culture came in the pages of … Continue reading Mike Hammershlammer
My Scrapbook: Luke Cage, Page One
My ScrapbookLuke Cage, Page One The above splash page, presented in all its pre-press, pasted-up, camera-ready glory, is from the very first issue of Luke Cage, Hero for Hire (June 1972), garnered a lot of attention when it came up for auction at Heritage Collectibles. Not just because it's one righteous, bad ass piece of … Continue reading My Scrapbook: Luke Cage, Page One
Flip Minnow, P.I. (Kermit the Frog)
Created by Roger Langridge The Muppets created by Jim Henson Down those mean streets a frog must go? KERMIT THE FROG, musician, performer, and banjo player, but probably best known as the beloved hard-working emcee and stage manager of television's long-running The Muppet Show, may be the hardest working amphibian in show biz, but when … Continue reading Flip Minnow, P.I. (Kermit the Frog)
Ace Fedora
Created by Chris Gumprich and Jason Rainey Just the thing for all you comic-loving fedora fetishists out there! ACE FEDORA is the alter ego of a daydreaming numbers cruncher caught up in a tangled web of lies, office intrigue and his own warped imagination, in Ace Fedora, Private Eye, a witty little 2004 mini-comic. He's … Continue reading Ace Fedora