Created by Stan Lee & Steve DitkoSpider-Man Noir created by David Hine & Fabrice Sapolsky In their endless battle to reel in more customers, it's long been an established practice in the comic book biz to take established superheroes and revamp, revise, reboot and regurgitate them. Pump some new air into tired lungs. Or just … Continue reading Spider-Man Noir
Tag: Films
George Harmon Coxe
(1901-1984) George Harmon Coxe was a journalist, prolific pulp writer, and novelist; an early star of hard boiled crime fiction, and one of Cap Shaw's beloved Black Mask Boys. In a long and prolific career, Coxe put his name to over sixty novels, the last being published in 1975, and hundreds of short stories. His … Continue reading George Harmon Coxe
Kent Murdock
Created by George Harmon Coxe (1901-84) KENT MURDOCK Â was a refined, cleaned-up version of author Coxe's rumpled, fast-talking crime photographer, Flashgun Casey, who appeared in the pages of Black Mask and several novels. In fact, Murdock was whipped up by Coxe explicitly to the much more lucrative book market less than a year after the … Continue reading Kent Murdock
Ed McBain
Né Salvatore Lombino Legally changed to Evan Hunter in 1952 Pseudonyms include Hunt Collins, Richard Marsten, Curt Cannon, Ezra Hannon, John Abbott, Dean Hudson, Ted Taine, S. A. Lombino, D. A. Addams (1926-2005) ED McBAIN was best known among crime fiction fans--and rightfully so--as the creator of the ground-breaking 87th Precinct police procedural series. Nope, … Continue reading Ed McBain
Albert Parkis (The End of the Affair)
Created by Graham Greene Definitely not a private eye tale, or even a mystery, really (at least in the traditional sense), but Graham Greene’s 1951 novel, The End of the Affair does feature private investigator ALBERT PARKIS of the Savage Detective Agency in a pivotal, if secondary, role. In London, as World War II rages and the bombs … Continue reading Albert Parkis (The End of the Affair)
Edward Mercer (Venetian Bird)
Created by Victor Canning (1911-86) Private eye EDWARD MERCER, like most of prolific British thriller writer Victor Canning's other P.I. creations (such as James Helder and Rex Carver) leans more toward the international thriller than the mean streets, but that doesn't mean they're not worth checking out. In Bird of Prey (1950; aka “The Venetian Bird"), … Continue reading Edward Mercer (Venetian Bird)
Shane Mack (I Know What You Need)
Created by Stephen King Adapted by Shawn S. Lealo "That's not love...that's rape." -- Alice has concerns Back in the late 1970s, Stephen King had the bright idea of selling the film rights to his short stories--any of his short stories--for a buck to any young filmmaker. An actual dollar, to be mailed to Stephen … Continue reading Shane Mack (I Know What You Need)
Film Noir: Bringing Darkness to Light
DOCUMENTARY (2006) The 2006 documentary Film Noir: Bringing Darkness to Light, from director and film historian Gary Leva, was originally tucked away on various DVD film noir collections from Warner Bros. (it's on Film Noir Classic Collection Vol. 3, and still shows up occasionally as a "bonus feature"), but it's also available separately. It's billed as … Continue reading Film Noir: Bringing Darkness to Light
Tom O’Toole (Everybody Wins)
Created by Arthur Miller Everybody hated this film, except maybe me. In his first original screenplay since The Misfits way back in 1961, Arthur Miller (The Crucible, Death of a Salesman, etc.) tackled the private eye genre in 1990's moody, cynical Everybody Wins, starring Nick Nolte and Debra Winger. Nolte plays TOM O'TOOLE with a … Continue reading Tom O’Toole (Everybody Wins)
The Casting Ouch!
Unlikely Private Eyes (No, Really...) What the hell were they thinking? Sometimes you just have to scratch your head. Some people should just NOT play private eyes. Some of them shouldn't even act at all. And yet, all these people, more famous for other things or other roles, have been cast at one time or another … Continue reading The Casting Ouch!