Mickey Spillane started writing for the pulps and comics back in the 1930s. When World War II broke out, he entered the serivce and served with distinguishent.  Upon being discharged in 1945, Mickey started his writing career again, this time targeting the new, burgeoning paperback market.  In 1946 his masterpiece of crime fiction, I, THE JURY, was published.  It was the start of a fantastic career and the birth of the toughest private-eye hero of them all, Mike Hammer.  If it can be argued that Dashiel Hammett was the father of the modern day private-eye genre, then Spillane was his rightful heir, or more fittingly  bastard son.  Unlike Sam Spade, Mike Hammer didn't think too much about anything and his way of solving a problem was to attack it, pretty much like the tool he was named for.  He was tough as nails and unsympethetic.  Men envied him, dames lusted for him.  He truly was an American original.  I was born the same year this book was published.  I would find a dog-earred copy of it in a barber shop 14 years later, read it and become a fan instantly.

Earlier this week, at his South Caroline home, Mickey Spillane died at the age of 88.  There won't ever be another like him.  He was the last of the tough guys and rather than mushy sentimentally, we should grab a brew and lift our mugs to the Mick.  Rest in piece, Mick, we are going to miss the hell out of you, pal.

Of course with Spillane's passing, lots of my colleagues have been discussing his body of work and all the movies, good and bad, made from them.  In regards especially to all the actors who've portrayed Mike Hammer.  I never cared for Stacy Keach's TV interpretation and there were only two Hammer's I liked.  The first was Ralph Meeker in the 50s version of KISS ME DEADLY and the second was the 80s take on I,THE JURY with Armand Assante.  Sure, the movie had its flaws, but the pacing and action were great and Assante, in his prime at the time, made a dynamic, edgy, Hammer as I always imagined him.  Now if this ever comes out on DVD, somebody please give me a holler.

This past week has seen lots of activity on the Captain Hazzard front.  Those of you wondering when the comic book version of Python Men of the Lost City is ever going to come out, rest easy.  Most of the art team on this book has been straight out on the project and these people do have full-time jobs and obligations.  Penciller Craig Shepard and inker, Chuck Bordell turned in pages 17 & 18 this week and they are great.  To see both of them in the whole, check out our Gallery section.  With fingers crossed this will wrap early winter.

On the pulp end of things, I've started writing my third Captain Hazzard novel; CURSE OF THE RED MAGGOT.  This one is similar to my efforts on the first book, PYTHON MEN OF THE LOST CITY, where I took the original pulp novel and re-wrote it start to finish.  Whereas this one is a bit trickier.  You see, when Captain Hazzard was cancelled back in 1938, after only one issue, the publisher actually had a second script ready to go.  When the mag folded, the script was rewritten as a Secret Agent X adventure and appeared months later in that particular series as, The Curse of the Red Maggot.  When it was first made known that I was going to be doing new Captain Hazzard books, a pulp fan sent me a xerox copy of that entire Secret Agent X magazine and asked if I'd consider reworking it back into a Hazzard story?   Talk about a challenge. So this week, with Curse of the Red Maggot on my desk beside my PC, I've been slowly rewriting the book and doing my best to revamp it into a bonafide Captain Hazzard adventure.   So far it's been a blast.  I'll keep you posted on when the book is done and ready for publication.

And finally, just in time for the big San Diego Comic Convention now in full swing, the U.S.Post Office has released a series of DC Superhero postage stamps. These things are just too cool, featuring most of the big guns from DC Comics.  Let's hope they do Marvel next.

That's about it for another week, loyal airmen.  Weather here in southern NH is still hot and sticky.  In two days Valerie and I host a Comics Creators Pool Party.  Hopefully the weather will cooperate and make being outdoors fun, instead of miserable.  Fingers crossed.   The Red Sox, after taking a drubbing by the Oakland A's are back on their winning ways, still atop the AL East.  But still a lot of season left to go.  They need a new starting pitcher in the worst way.  Let's hope they get one.

Ron, over and out.