The Thin Man by Dashiell Hamett

Who would have thought that Dashiell Hammett's The Thin Man was a Christmas novel? Okay, maybe it's more of a Christmas story like Die Hard is, in that the first half of the book takes place on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and the remainder occurs up to just about New Year's Eve. The holidays are responsible for getting San Francisco socialites Nick and Nora Charles to spend Christmas in Nick's hometown of Manhattan. It's also what gets the former private investigator involved in the life of the Wynant family as daughter Dorothy is desperate to find her estranged family, Clyde.

On Boxing Day, it's revealed that dear old dad's mistress was murdered. The prime suspects are the missing Clyde or his ex-wife Mimi, who was present when the other woman passed on to her eternal reward. Nick just wants a quiet holiday in the Big Apple. Nora is enthralled by her husband's previous career and the chance at playing amateur sleuth. The police need all the help they can get. So it seems no matter how much he tries to distance himself from the case, it appears that Nick Charles, P.I. is back in business.

The Thin Man is very much a Dashiell Hammett work and it's also very different. I've always thought that Hammett was more wordy than Raymond Chandler. The Maltese Falcon wasn't so bad with the unnecessary dialogue. But Hammett's in rarer form here. Three whole pages were devoted to an account about a cannibal in the Old West. A whole paragraph is about a book sent to Nick as a Christmas card for testing your urine at home. Neither item has anything to do with the murder of Clyde Wynant's mistress and neither were some sort of foreshadowing of plot developments to come. And no matter how much I have tried, I cannot find a definitive answer as to why Hammett put these accounts in this book. Plus, I probably would have finished this book several days earlier than I did going back and trying to figure out who this person was or is pretending to be; not to mention those other rabbit holes... And if they're red herrings- I HATE red herrings.

I did find myself liking this book a lot more than The Maltese Falcon. It was rapid fire with Nick and Nora's one-shots at each other. I liked how the plot played out like an Agatha Christie novel with so many other secrets and deceptions coming to life. Plus, I like the fact that I solved who the murderer was! (I always like when I do that.) I  also like to think it's a sign of a good story when you want to read more adventures starring the main characters. To my regret, Hammett never wrote another Thin Man story as a novel. But he did write several of the screenplays that followed up the live action film starring William Powell and Myrna Loy. I'm excited to say that I managed to get one of them recorded on my DVR to watch over my holiday break!

You might think that this novel being from 1934 and a condensed version first appearing a year earlier in Redbook, that The Thin Man is a fairly innocuous little story. With the impropriety, boozing, murder, assaults on women, dirty cops and at least 1 erection, I can't believe this made it into a women's fashion magazine. Something like GQ or Playboy, sure I could see The Thin Man making an appearance in the pages of those. Maybe the 1930s was a different time for women's mags. 

This was an interesting read that makes me want more. Yeah, it had some flaws. But it wasn't enough to keep me from visiting the works of Dashiell Hammett some time in the near future.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

The Simple Art of Murder by Raymond Chandler

This is my first venture into the Philip Marlowe archetype stories written by Raymond Chandler. Well, almost. If you thought George Lucas was bad with his constant retooling of the original Star Wars trilogy, you have never encountered Raymond Chandler. The celebrated crime author was never happy with the end result of his work and he struggled for years with perfection. It is listed as one of the underlying causes of his chronic alcoholism. 

The character began with the name Mallory. Ever the perfectionist, Chandler switched up his ultimate character ideal with another private investigator named Carmady, then Malvern before settling on John Dalmas, whom the author made the focus of a majority of his crime works from 1936-1939 when Philip Marlowe picked up the baton in the form of an ever smoking revolver to fight and solve crime in the Los Angeles area.

Once he was happy with Philip Marlowe, Chandler began to go back to his older pulp shorts and reworked the shamus into them. Stories that I have previously read such as 'Finger Man', 'Red Wind' and 'The Lady in the Lake' were written before Raymond Chandler was satisfied with his protagonist. Yet, the editions I read were the second final drafts. In this collection, I got to read the original published works. It was almost like coming across a DVD with the original 1977 theatrical cut of Star Wars- before it was retitled as Episode IV: A New Hope.

This anthology of Chandler short stories begins with the title essay 'The Simple Art of Murder'. Chandler wrote a lot of essays on crime and mystery writing. This one is considered the Gettysburg Address of brief dissertations on the medium. It gives insight into the thought process behind crafting a mystery story. It also lets me a little off the hook when I find myself feeling like something didn't gel right as Chandler argues that crime stories are full of inaccuracies, red herrings and are in a word, implausible. 

Along with the piece that was first published in the Atlantic Monthly, there are 8 short stories. My favorite was 'I'll Be Seeing You'. It was the shortest story in the book and is considered the most perfectly set mystery story of all time. It certainly was memorable and I didn't want it to end. 'The King in Yellow', 'Pickup on Noon Street' and 'Spanish Blood' were really good as well. That last story sees the main character spending some time in the same mountain town where The Lady in the Lake took place and I enjoyed the sense of a shared universe because of the setting.

I was excited to see 'Guns at Cyrano's' in this volume. That story was originally published in Trouble is My Business. But the edition I read omitted it. It was story that was worth the wait. 

I was on the fence about 'Nevada Gas'. I like that the protagonist was something other than a PI. Here, he's a mid-level hood who is simultaneously fighting off a romantic rival as well as gangsters trying to frame him for the aerosol murder of a businessman. But this story also has some gaps like in one scene when the main character walks in on his girl and the rival, who disappears but is never mentioned as ever having exited the scene.

The one story I could have done without was 'Smart-Aleck Kill'. It seems like an open and shut case of suicide. But the murder weapon is a hand gun that's been filed, which doesn't seem to fit the M.O. of a suicide. So the detective on the case goes to the widow of the gun's original owner and that's when things are supposed to get really good. But I was bored with this story. It just didn't resonate with me. It took me several days to finish and I couldn't wait for it to be over.

Though I wasn't a fan of every story, I love the crime noir world of Raymond Chandler. Even with some tales having flaws in them! I'm totally hooked right now and I want to read more. But as there's so many volumes of collected works that often have some of the same works. I think I am gonna need a list so I can keep straight what I have read and what's still out there to uncover.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Masterworks: Golden Age Marvel Comics, Vol. 1

In 1939, comic books were relatively still in their infancy. The previous year's debut success of National's Action Comics, thanks to a mysterious super man from planet Krypton, inspired countless publishers to test the waters of this new medium. New York City's Martin Goodman was one of those commissioners who took notice. 

Already having published several pulp magazine devoted to action and adventure, sci-fi and of course, sex, Goodman founded Timely Comics. Then taking the name for one of his publications, Marvel Science Stories, Goodman hired Funnies Inc. to produce a book's worth of new material for his first ever comic book called Marvel Comics.

The first and third stories are tales that I know by heart. They introduce a yin-yang pair of anti-heroes who will lay the foundation for the plethora of heroes that will define the Marvel Age of Comics and beyond. Carl Burgos kicked things off with an android that bursts into flames when exposed to oxygen. First deemed a menace to society, exposure to natural elements corrects the design flaw allowing the Human Torch to control his flammable powers. Then Bill Everett takes readers to the icy waters off the coast of Antarctica where a human-Atlantean hybrid is the underwater kingdom's newest weapon in a proposed attack against the land breathers. 

Compared to Carl Burgos work, Bill Everett's Sub-Mariner was year 3000 stuff. Compared to the adventures of Superman over at National, the first 3 stories starring Prince Namor was year 3001 material. Why Bill Everett isn't given the level of love and respect of Jack Kirby or Wil Eisner is beyond me. Dying in 1973 at a young age of 55, I think Everett's lesser body of work compared to other super stars of the golden age of comics is to blame for this. 

The rest of the material in issue #1 along with the other 3 issues contained in this collection are the stuff of the pulps. The overly powerful un-super powered Angel is much like the Shadow, taking on the dregs of the criminal underworld; only he's decked out in a blue leotard. Ka-Zar, who one day will become lord of the dinosaur filled Savage Land, got his start as a pulp hero. Much like Tarzan, Ka-Zar is able to communicate with the animals and acts as their protector from the greedy white men and fierce natives that seek African wildlife for game and sport. Rounding things out was a Western starring the Masked Rider, a clone of the Lone Ranger, who wore a full black mask in the desert heat as his took on cattle rustlers and claim jumpers. 

A name change comes in issue #2. Marvel Comics became Marvel Mystery Comics, perhaps to further differentiate the comic book from the pulp title. A new character debuts in the second issue. 'Perry Webb, American Ace' is a young lad who is traveling throughout Central Europe in his small propeller plane. The fictitious leader of a small European nation has amassed a small but formidable war chest and is about to begin a massive campaign to rule the world. Poor Perry Webb arrives in the first nation to come under attack and soon finds himself injured and with a wrecked air ship. As Perry recovers, the American Ace talks of needing to fulfill a special mission. Sadly readers will never discover just what that mission was as Issue #3 was Perry Webb's last appearance in Marvel Mystery Comics.

Younger readers will hate these books. The artwork is considered by many, including foreword author Roy Thomas, to be quite primitive. Because of the newness of comic books, that detriment can be overlooked. What many readers might not be able to excuse is the level of violence towards women, stereotypes of Asians and Africans, and other outdated portrayals that were overtly glorified in the pulps. Yet, with Martin Goodman's Marvel Mystery Comics, there's a level of respect towards minorities and females as well as aptitude to point out the sinful faults of white men that foreshadows a lot of groundbreaking stuff that Stan Lee will be championed for doing differently than the Distinguished Competition in the 1960s and 70s. 

If you wish to see what was the essential blueprint of 'Stan's Soap Box', these golden age collections are the things to read. Without them, there would be no Fantastic Four, no Black Panther, and definitely no Marvel Age of Comics. As for getting my hands on the other 6 volumes of this collection, I would love to read the rest. I don't think I'd want to add them to my collection as these books aren't really items I have on my wish list. I got this book in a grab bag years ago and Marvel Masterworks books are not cheap- hardcover or trades. Especially, since you only get 4 issues in each volume! But if I found further books for a good price, I would acquire and read them before trading for something else that I really needed to have on my bookshelf.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

The Official Jungle Jim by Alex Raymond Collection (Vol. 1)

Before creating his most popular character, the swashbuckling spaceman Flash Gordon, cartoonist Alex Raymond took readers to the deepest, darkest jungles of the Malay Peninsula. It is there that Jungle Jim Bradley took on poachers, pirates and deadly dames with the help of his trusty servant, Kolu. Jungle Jim wasn't just stuck to the rain forests of Asia. At least one story in this book is set in a British controlled Afghanistan. 

For some reason, I really thought Jungle Jim took place in Africa. With Kolu being black and some of the pirates in the very first story also being black, I would have lost money if you bet me that this series took place in South East Asia. Adding to the confusion is that the series of live-action films that starred Johnny Weissmuller (Tarzan) as Jungle Jim were all set in Africa. Heck, I would be willing to bet money that I've seen at least 1 Jungle Jim flick and mistakenly thought it was a Tarzan feature.

Alex Raymond's artwork is so distinctive. There's a Roman influence on the way the male characters appear. Strong noses. Thin eyes and even thinner hairlines. And chiseled physiques. As for the women, I get the strong sense that Dorothy Lamour was the inspiration to at least one of the female characters in this book.

The Official Jungle Jim by Alex Raymond Collection was Pioneer's only graphic novel sized collection of strips. The action stops in the middle of a story with nothing like a 'To be Continued' or any other claim to finding out more in the pages of another volume. This also happened with the Official Prince Valiant Collection Pioneer published at around the same time as this. Pioneer did release 17 comic book sized issues of strips, along with 1 annual. From what I can tell, this trade paperback collects at least the first 3 issues of the floppies series that ran from 1988-89. But as to whether that multi-year series managed to collect the entire story is another unknown to me.

That all being said, if I was to run across a nice collection of Alex Raymond Jungle Jim strips (for a nice price, mind you), I would definitely add it to my collection. The artwork was amazing. The stories were pretty good, despite being a tad dated and bearing norms and action that by 2020's standards are archaic. On at least 2 occasions, Jim slaps a female for getting too emotional. I see these books as historic documents of the 1930s time period full of artistic genius and flawed ideals of masculinity and Anglo-American Imperialism. But above all, I enjoy these books as they take me to corners of the world I've never visited; let alone knew existed.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

The Official Prince Valiant Collection (Vol. 1)

A young prince rises through the ranks of King Arthur's Court. Thus begins the saga of Hal Foster's Prince Valiant. 

I'm not sure where I scored this over-sized collection of early newspaper comics. I think it might have come from a grab bag which is a pretty nice find if that's the case. Nearly 100 pages of story. 

That had to be how I came across this book. As a child, I loved the dynamic artwork of Prince Valiant. But the writing and lack of word bubbles bored me to tears. Prince Valiant was always the lead feature in my area's Sunday Funnies. Yet, there never was anything funny about it. Plus, with the story being continued week after week, if you missed anything, you were totally lost.

That's why I appreciate this collection. At least 3 stories are collected in their entirety here and there's a beginning of a fourth. Though the cover doesn't say it, this is supposed to be volume 1 of a continuing series. However, I don't think publisher Pioneer was in business long enough to produce other volumes. There is a small shining light of hope to all this as Pioneer did manage to release 18 issues and an annual of further Prince Valiant material. So I could continue the story if I ever felt like searching for the other 15 issues not covered by this edition.

This book does manage to collect the very first stories of Prince Valiant. Getting to read the character's origin story was really cool. It's set at a time where dinosaurs are dying off but there's just enough for folks to think they're dragons and monsters. The aspect of Prince Valiant not just being around in the days of King Arthur's Court but also as a full-fledged member of Camelot was new to me. The original full title of Hal Foster's series was Prince Valiant in the Days of King Arthur. However, by the 1980s when I first encountered the strip it was simply shortened to Prince Valiant.

A lot must be said of Hal Foster's work. Yet, I don't think it all could be put into words. There's an air of realism mixed with bravado in Foster's art. Every character looks modeled after a movie matinee idol. The scenery is given just as much loving eye to detail as the characters. And Foster's prose is a mix of Old English bard and 1930s pulp.

I enjoyed this read. I think I was finally old enough to enjoy it. Having a bunch of the strips in order helped too. Though the editing of them was a bit hap-hazard. Whomever was in charge of formatting this book did happen to number the panels, often of different shapes and sizes, from time to time. But I shouldn't have to find panel #3 right next to panel #8 of the next page over!

Swashbuckling action in the vein of Errol Flynn or in this case: Robert Wagner. Google it!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Siegel and Shuster: Dateline 1930's #1

Sometime around 1937, right before National Periodicals picked up Superman to star in Action Comics, the duo of Siegel and Shuster created a tabloid comic for a Cleveland newspaper. It contained dozens of new comic strips, but never saw the light of day. That is until the early 80s, when Eclipse Comics printed it for the first time ever.

This book was intended to be the first of many weekly comics. So, expect lots of cliffhangers with unresolved plots. However, for it’s historical significance, it’s a treasured piece of comic history. Imagine if this had become a weekly piece of a small potatoes Cleveland rag. There might have never been a Superman. The Superhero may have never become the “flavor or the month” for publishers. The comics industry might look very different or have never existed at all. The possibilities are endless and frightening.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.