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
Tag: Satire
A. Kimrean & Z. Kimrean
Created by Edgar Cantero (1981--) "Elmore Leonard said it's bad style to open a book with the weather. Well, fuck him — it was blazing hot." — the opening line of This Body's Not Big Enough for Both of Us Are you ready for the Pronoun Challenge? San Francisco private eyes ADRIEN KIMREAN and ZOE … Continue reading A. Kimrean & Z. Kimrean
Meg Hammer
Created by Henry Beard (1945) Appearing under the gag pen name of Germaine Spillane, it's obvious that "My Gun is Cute" was intended of a parody of Mike Hammer. Only problem? With Spillane it's hard to tell who's zooming who, since more than a few people think Mike Hammer was already a parody. But here … Continue reading Meg Hammer
Let ‘er Rip!!!
Some of My Favourite Spoofs & Parodies "Somewhere a Roscoe" October 15, 1938, The New Yorker By S.J. Perelman The humourist's affectionate tribute to pulp writer Robert Leslie Bellem and his greatest creation, Hollywood orb, Dan Turner. "The White Rabbit Caper" November 19, 1941, The New Yorker By James Thurber A parody of the tough … Continue reading Let ‘er Rip!!!
Mater (Mater, Private Eye)
Created by John Lasseter, Rob Gibbs, Daniel Chong, Valerie LaPointe & Matthew Luhn Lord knows I've seen plenty of private eye spoofs in my day, with private peeper permutations from the sublime to the obnoxiously ridiculous. I've seen cats and dogs and robots and demons and cavemen stepping into the gumshoes of the Shamus Game, … Continue reading Mater (Mater, Private Eye)
Droopy (Droopy, Master Detective)
Created by Tex Avery and Rich Hogan "Hello, all you happy people. Created by Tex Avery and Rich Hogan for MGM for cartoon shorts back in the forties, DROOPY was the slow-walking, slow-talking, seemingly indestructible and certainly unflappable bloodhound who somehow always seems to get his man (or woman) (or wolf). Since he first appeared, … Continue reading Droopy (Droopy, Master Detective)
Howard the Duck (aka Howard Duckson)
Created by Steve Gerber & Val Mayerik (art) 'Trapped In a World He Never Made!' -- the most-used tagline In the mythology of the Marvel Universe, HOWARD THE DUCK (real name Howard Dickson) looms surprisingly large--a relatively bit player punching well above his weight. A cranky, cigar-smoking, foul-tempered (or should that be fowl-tempered?) anthropomorphic duck … Continue reading Howard the Duck (aka Howard Duckson)
Danny O’Brien (Silver City)
Created by John Sayles Silver City was a 2004 indie flick by John Sayles rushed out in an attempt to derail the re-election of George W. Bush and the Republicans in that year's American presidential election. It didn’t work. Sure, on the political level, it's easy to see it as just another over-exuberant bit of … Continue reading Danny O’Brien (Silver City)
Are You Trying to Be Funny?
The Funniest Eyes No, really. Call it "Humour in a Severed Jugular Vein," if you must, but people have been poking fun at the P.I. genre -- and the whole mystery genre, for that matter--almost as soon as it appeared. But there were a few brave souls over the years who dared to suggest that … Continue reading Are You Trying to Be Funny?
It’s Hammer Time!
Send-ups and Put-Downs of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer "I passed this kid sucking a lollipop. Don Brown dead, and him sucking a lollipop. I rammed it down his throat. I hate injustice." -- from "Don Brown's Body" by Jean Kerr As literary poobah Christopher La Farge pointed out in an article on the Mickey Spillane … Continue reading It’s Hammer Time!