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 murder itself just might also be funny…
Below are a few characters who weren’t necessarily making fun of the genre–they just wanted to have fun with it.
Nick & Nora Charles by Dashiell Hammett- Dan Turner by Robert Leslie Bellem
- Bill Crane by Jonathan Latimer
- John J. Malone by Craig Rice
- Max Latin by Norbert Davis
- Shell Scott by Richard S. Prather
- Trace/Digger/Murphy by Warren Murphy
- Fitzroy MacLean Angel by Mike Ripley
- Almost Anything by Carl Hiaasen
- Stephanie Plum by Janet Evanovich
- Pete Ingalls by Ellis Weiner
- Dan Albright by L.B. Gregg
Of course, just as sometimes it’s difficult to tell what’s supposed to be parody and what isn’t, it’s also hard to suss what’s supposed to be funny and what’s just hilariously bad writing. A case could be made that people like Robert Leslie Bellem and Richard Prather were intentionally parodying the genre (among other things) and not just having fun with it. But all the following were definitely having a laugh at the genre’s expense, and deliberately trying to be funny (I think)…
Roger Ackroyd by Jules Feiffer- Spike Bludgeon by Marion Mainwaring
- C. Card by Richard Brautigan
- Nancy Clue, Cherry Aimless & The Hardly Boys by Mabel Maney
- Eddy Deco by Gahan Wilson
- Nick Danger by The Firesign Theatre
- Red Diamond by Mark Schoor
- Max Hamm, Fairy Tale Detective by Frank Cammuso
- Helena Handbasket by Donna Moore
- Kaiser Lupowitz by Woody Allen
- Sam Marlow by Andrew J. Fenady
- Michael McGill by Warren Ellis
- Conrad Metcalf by Johnathan Lethem
- Chance Purdue by Ross H. Spencer
- Guy Noir by Garrison Keillor
- “Silky” Pincus by Leo Rosten
- Eddie Bear and Jack by Robert Rankin
- Mac Slade by John Blumenthal
- Dudley Sledge by Hunt Collins
- Lenny Schneider by Ed Goldberg
- Surf by Raymond Embrack
- Eddie Valiant by Gary K. Wolf
- Russell Wren by Thomas Berger
List respectfully compiled by Kevin Burton Smith. Any comments, additions or suggestions are welcome.
