Created by James Thurber (1894-1961) A parody of the tough guy P.I. story, in which all the characters are animals in the forest? Seriously? It's a wandering rabbit job, with hard-boiled, rye-drinking FRED FOX called in by old Mrs. Rabbit to find Daphne, one of her descendants. As you might guess, old Mrs. Rabbit has a … Continue reading Fred Fox
Tag: "Oh mama I got dem cosmic anthropomorphic P.I. blues again…"
Rex Shepard (You Never Can Tell)
Created by Lou Breslow and David Chandler "Oh Goldie, these are humans we're dealing with. You can't just tell them the truth and expect them to believe it." -- Rex explains the inadequacies of humans. Speaking of unfortunate viewing habits, how could you not include You Never Can Tell in the list of movies on your … Continue reading Rex Shepard (You Never Can Tell)
Sam Spayed (Garfield)
Created by Ron Tuthill, Kevin Campbell and Jim Davis Oh yeah, the dame. She was beautiful. Too beautiful to trust. "Are you Spayed?" she asked. I hate that question. He made his first appearance in 1985, but Garfield the Cat's private eye alter-ego SAM SPAYED was soon parlayed into a well-received book and an Emmy-winning TV … Continue reading Sam Spayed (Garfield)
Meat Hamburg
Created by Walt Kelly (1913-73) "A question was burning a hole in my brain..." Say what? Walt Kelly, one of America's most beloved comic strip artists and writers--not to mention political satirists--wrote not one, but two, parodies of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer? Right in the heart of Hammermania! Hard to believe, eh? But it's true. … Continue reading Meat Hamburg
Immanuel Diamond (Animal Noir)
Created by Izar Lunacek & Nejc Juren What is this? The long neck of the law? Could we just stop the madness? Please? This craze for anthropomorphic detectives is starting to smell like clean-the-cages day at the zoo. Sure, there have been some good ones. The decidedly adult Blacksad immediately springs to mind, and there have … Continue reading Immanuel Diamond (Animal Noir)
Danny and Harry
Created by Walter Brogan and Charles Santino "Danny's a cat. Harry's a seagull. They're private eyes. Proceed." -- the tagline for this web comic says it all. DANNY was a lieutenant in the Big One, and for a while, he pounded the beat as a street cop. But after beating up a corrupt police captain, … Continue reading Danny and Harry
Sam the Cat
Created by Linda Stewart Pseudonyms include Sam Stewart, Nick Carter Okay, anyone who knows me knows that I think animal detectives of any sort, but especially cats, are generally about as useless as tits on a bull detective. But, in this case, since it's a book for kids, I'll make an exception. SAM THE CAT … Continue reading Sam the Cat
Chet Gecko
Created by Bruce Hale "It was a hot day in September. The kind of day when kindergartners wake up cranky from their naps." -- Chet sets the scene in The Chameleon Wore Chartreuse It's not enough that the gumshoe is in grade four? He's also got to be a lizard, too? Even if I hadn't already … Continue reading Chet Gecko
Private I. Guana
Created by Nina Laden "What color was he when you last saw him?" - I. Guana grills his client in "The Case of the Missing Chameleon" The original reptilian gumshoe, as far as I can tell, has a few tricks up his sleeves. And they're not just for kids. Anyone who thinks Eric Garcia's Anonymous Rex … Continue reading Private I. Guana