Private Eyes in the Comics [Paperback]

John A. Dinan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2003

Ever wondered what role the private detective played in comic books? Here's the first book on PIs in the comics! A history and appreciation of the tough guy, the deadly dame and the dog in the trenchcoat. Illustrated.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This is a comprehensive look (at least to this untutored eye) at the use of private detectives in the US comics industry up to 1989, when the first edition of this book was published. The first chapter, From the Pulps to the Comics looks at detectives from the pulp era and then looks at comics deriving from them, starting with Robert Leslie Bellem s Dan Turner who appeared in 15 issues of the comic Crime Smashers in the early 1950s and continuing with The Maltese Falcon, which appeared as a comic in Feature Books #48 in 1946. Indeed the author describes this issue as perhaps the best rendering of a hard-boiled P.I. story in comic form. The authorn then moves through a variety of private eyes, originals such as Nathaniel Dusk, for example, and adapted, like Mike Shayne. In subsequent chapters the author looks at Defective Detectives , The Ladies such as Ms Tree, The Futuristic P.I. , Graphic Novels , Super-Hero as Private Eye , The Occult Private Eye , Animal P.I.s such as Mickey Mouse in the story Private Eye For Hire or the comic Roscoe the Dawg, Ace Detective, and Second Banana in which a p.i. features in a comic devoted to another character. I m no expert on comics but this seemed a pretty comprehensive look at the subject and is certainly a book I enjoyed reading. --Geoff Bradley (editor, CADS)

Thrilling, Informative, Handsomely Illustrated! --Echoes

About the Author

John is now ten years retired from the aerospace business where, after college, he had worked for The National Security Agency, Avco, RCA, GTE Sylvania, Systems Development Corp, and Raytheon as a human factors psychologist. After the army he worked as a prison psychologist (Clinton Prison at Dannemora) and school psychologist (Clinton County New York). Since retirement he has spent time frolicking in dime novels, pulp magazines, comics and other such wonders.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: BearManor Media (December 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 159393002X
• ISBN-13: 978-1593930028
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 1.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,971,313 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars This is a Cheat, a Con and a Rip-Off!, May 28, 2011

By 

Gulliver - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Private Eyes in the Comics (Kindle Edition)

This is a rip-off! Amazon should be embarrassed for putting it up and the person how did it should be taken off for being a thief and con-artist.

Presented in the description as a history of the detective in the comics with "a variety of private eyes, originals such as Nathaniel Dusk, for example, and adapted, like Mike Shayne. In subsequent chapters the author looks at Defective Detectives , The Ladies such as Ms Tree, The Futuristic P.I. , Graphic Novels , Super-Hero as Private Eye , The Occult Private Eye , Animal P.I.s such as Mickey Mouse in the story Private Eye For Hire or the comic Roscoe the Dawg, Ace Detective, and Second Banana in which a p.i. features in a comic devoted to another character."

What it is, is just 14 pages of covers of random detective themed comics. With out a single word about any of the item above. Or for that matter any text at all.

Not only that but they aren't even formatted correctly, so that 6 5/8" x 10 1/2" comic covers come out as square completely distorting them.

Shame on whoever did this, they should be banded. And Shame of the people at Amazon who let it get on the site.