Created by Philip K. Dick Developed for the screen by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples When the topic of sci-fi/private eyes comes up for air, so does director Ridley Scott's grim and gritty 1982 film Blade Runner, and, occasionally, the 1968 Philip K. Dick novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? that it was loosely (very … Continue reading Rick Deckard (Blade Runner)
Tag: Future
McNihil
Created by K.W. Jeter In the appropiately-titled Noir (1998), K.W. Jeter introduces McNIHIL, an ex-Collection Agency information cop with a fetish for 1940's crime flicks, stuck in the same bleak, apolyptic L.A. of the future as Ridley Scott's classic 1982 noir/sci-fi flick Blade Runner. And why not? Jeter had already written two novels by 1998 … Continue reading McNihil
Mathew Swain
Created by Mike McQuay Sorry, but this sci-fi/P.I. hybrid works better as spoof, than straight. McQuay dedicated the whole series to to the memory of Raymond Chandler, "because he understood." It's too bad McQuay didn't. Chandler wanted to rise above the pulps, not wallow in them. But a bit of misguided name-dropping aside, the series … Continue reading Mathew Swain
Jake Cardigan
Created by William Shatner (1931--) When I first heard about this one, I was all set to lace into this one. I mean, Tiberius Hambone a writer? But he -- or at least Ron Goulart -- pulled it off. The first novel, TekWar (1989), which kicked off the whole franchise, was nothing earth-shattering, but decent … Continue reading Jake Cardigan
Jim Haley
Created by Ron Goulart (1933--) Ron Goulart's fiction transcends genre -- or even easy explanation -- being a general mish-mash of detective, fantasy, satire, straight sci-fi, parody and just plain silliness, reflecting the author's passion for the detective and science fiction pulps and comics of yesteryear. He's a serious scholar, and has published several key … Continue reading Jim Haley
Ben Jolson
Created by Ron Goulart (1933--) BEN JOLSON is a rather unique twist on the old master-of-disguise master-detective bit. It seems Ben's a chameleon, a Special Agent of the Political Espionage Office of the Planet Barnum, part of the Galactic Chameleon Corps, and able to assume the shape of any life species, be it bird, a baboon … Continue reading Ben Jolson