Created by Jordan Blum, Tim Seeley & Scott Koblish There was a whole lotta shaking goin' on... In The Big Shakedown, a 2026 four-issue comic mini-series from Dark Horse, it's the not-so-distant future and the long-promised "Big One" has finally hit, laying waste to most of Los Angeles, crumbling its freeways, leveling its skyscrapers and … Continue reading Ester Blanco (The Big Shakedown)
Tag: SoCal
Billy Weber & Joe Soperton (Palmdale)
Created by Kirk Fox Billed as a "dirtbag noir," comedian Kirk Fox's first novel, Palmdale (2026), features a couple of mismatched local private eyes from the high desert SoCal suburban shithole of the title (my adopted hometown). They get tangled up in the murder of a wealthy heir of a powerful Iranian family from Belair, … Continue reading Billy Weber & Joe Soperton (Palmdale)
Chachu
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
Andy Barker (Andy Barker, P.I.)
Created by Conan O'Brien & Jonathan Groff "Andy Barker. Accountant by day, private eye by accident." THE BEST P.I. show in years? Probably not, but it says a lot about the shaky state and even shakier confidence of modern American television (and the growing pervasiveness of technology) in 2007 that NBC only produced six episodes … Continue reading Andy Barker (Andy Barker, P.I.)
Ellis Dunaway
Created by Keith Edward Vaughn Wannabe screenwriter ELLIS DUNAWAY inherited his dad's Los Angeles-based Dunaway Private Investigation agency in a series that pretty much drips with Hollywood tropes and touchstones, 1990s style. Broke? No clients? A bad coke habit? Lousy at relationships? Cult nut jobs? Vicious thugs? Seductive starlets? Classic rides? Drugs cartels? Malibu beach … Continue reading Ellis Dunaway
Oke Oakley and Secrets. Inc.
Created by Frederick C. Davis Pseudonyms include Clark Aiken, Garry Grant & Stephen Ransome (1902-77) Just in case anyone thought Joe Gores was the first to relate the adventures of a large, fictional detective agency with his justifiably acclaimed Dan Kearney & Associates series, they ought to check out pulpster Frederick C. Davis' tales of … Continue reading Oke Oakley and Secrets. Inc.
Spade Hearns
Created by James Ellroy(1948--) It's 1942 in post-Pearl Harbor Los Angeles, the blackout's on and the "Jap scare" is going full-tilt, and SPADE HEARNS is a laudanum-tippling P.I. wondering where the lights went, in the short story "Torch Number" by James Ellroy. Hard up for paying cases, the former LAPD detective finds himself working for … Continue reading Spade Hearns
Terry Strong
Created by Lo Monaco Pseudonym of Virginia Welker "I am a private investigator. My name is Terry Strong. I spy on people. I nose into their most personal spaces and dirty secrets and tattle all. Everything is for my clients. They pay me to find the people they think have done them wrong." — Lethal … Continue reading Terry Strong
Ricardo “Ricky” Tellez (Death to Pachuco)
Created by Henry Barajas & Rachel Merrill Set against the backdrop of June 1943 Los Angeles, Death to Pachuco is a five-issue comic mini-series (later a graphic novel) from Image worth investigating. The US has just entered World War II, but tensions — racial, political, cultural, economic — are ratcheting up back home, particularly in … Continue reading Ricardo “Ricky” Tellez (Death to Pachuco)
Nefra Adams
Created by Gary Phillips Known around these parts for his acclaimed crime and detective fiction (Ivan Monk, One-Shot Harry Ingram, Nate Hollis, etc.), and his thundeous voice rumbling across vast convention rooms, let the truth be known: Los Angeles author Gary Phillips is just a big nerd, a slavish devotee to all things pulp, be … Continue reading Nefra Adams