To start with I confess that it was I who suggested this book. I'd read a few Ken Shannons and liked them; I hope others do, too.
The first thing you notice is the incredible Reed Crandall artwork!!! That guy was so-o-o good. As Mazzucchelli observes, Crandall drew great women. Hell, he drew great everything. In case you can't tell, I liked the art.
The stories aren't much as mysteries, but they're great fun. The author (Joe Millard) puts an entertaining spin on the old tough-guy dialogue and never loses his sense of humor. Anyone who can write "Linda Tarrent, who liked any kind of men--except dead ones." is all right in my book. It's the humor that makes Ken Shannon stand out from the other comic detectives, who were either suave and dull like Chip Gardner or down-and-dirty like Johnny Dynamite. One Millard trademark is in evidence: the way people exclaim "Awrrrk!" all the time.
I find Ken himself appealing. I like that he's a bit of a dumbbell. That impression is heightened by Shannon's enormous jaw. The detective doesn't take himself seriously, and even admits to being scared out of his wits. Dee Dee is great fun, though she st-st-stutters t-t-too m-much when she's excited. She's a hottie. As are the other women in the book.
Storywise, I like "The Case of the Butchered Butcher" most. You can't miss with a story featuring a beating with a dead pig. Second is "Corpse that Wouldn't Sleep." The guilty party is immediately obvious, though the details of how it was done aren't. There's some funny character interplay, e.g. Dee Dee saying, "Well, well, all of a sudden we're back to normal!" The premise of "Someday I'll Kill You" is weaker than the other stories, though it's very nice to look at.
I can't make up my mind about "Angles O'Day." I don't like stories starring sharpers and grifters, but there are some funny moments and Miss Moore is a great character. I'm in the minority in that I don't get excited over Jack Cole. But MM's posing is so fresh and authentic...look at the panels on page 16 where she's arranging her hair, and the panel on page 17 where she's climbing out of the pool (though the arm's a bit off). She really comes to life. Her expressions are great, too. The one thing I can't understand is page 15, in which we never see the girl they're chasing. Maybe Cole did it deliberately intending it as a comic effect, but it doesn't work for me.
I didn't read the text story. I guffawed at the ad asserting that "T-Man" is a "true adventure magazine." And that $1.98 Texas Ranger outfit! Even at the height of the cowboy craze I would have been laughed off the street for wearing that. Want to bet it was made of cardboard?
About the cover. Nice, huh? This series had great covers. Check out the Ferris-wheel scene on #5.Three of the Shannon covers had horror themes. It was the height of the horror craze; probably the editor hoped to mislead kids into buying the comic thinking it was a horror mag.
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Topic: Week 55 - Ken Shannon #3 (Read 3515 times)
