Fri 8 Nov 2019
Comic Book PI Stories I’m Reading: From KEN SHANNON #1 “The Evil Eye of Count Ducrie!”
Posted by Steve under Comic Books I'm Reading[3] Comments
“The Evil Eye of Count Ducrie!” Appeared as the first story in KEN SHANNON #1. Quality Comics, October 1951. Bi-monthly. Art unsigned but generally known to be by Reed Crandall. [Story by Joe Millard. See comment #1.]
Hardboiled (and somewhat lantern-jawed) private eye Ken Shannon’s first appearance was not in this, the first issue of his own comic, but rather in issue 103 of Police Comics (December 1950). That’s when both Plastic Man and The Spirit were dropped, and a new lineup of non-superhero crime-stoppers were introduced. Evidently he was popular enough there that the folks at Quality gave him his own title, all the while continuing on in Police Comics.
His assistant (and quite possibly a very close girl friend) was the fiery red-haired Dee Dee Dawson, and as “The Evil Eye of Count Ducrie!” the first story in this issue begins, she and Shannon stop a young girl from jumping off a bridge. It seems as though she believes her life is cursed. All of her recent boyfriends have died in strange and unusual ways.
Taking the true blame, however, is her current suitor, the much older and quite evil-looking Count Ducrie, who threatens Shannon with death when he tries to interfere, and he very nearly succeeds. If this sounds screwy, that’s because it is,and yet, in spite of anything I expected, this is a fair play mystery, or at least it makes a good effort to try to be.
Two more Shannon stories, “The Playful Pickpocket” and “The Carrier Pigeon Case!,” appear later in this issue. Both are seven pages long, as compared to ten for the lead story. All three of the Shannon stories are filled with action and fisticuffs, but they’re surprisingly heavy on dialogue as well. You do have to read them!
Sandwiched in between the first and second Shannon story is a five page untitled adventure of Angles O’Day, another private eye whose cases were decidedly on the humorous side. His stories, all backups in Shannon’s comic books, were drawn by Jack Cole, creator of Plastic Man of superhero fame, and who later became quite well known as a cartoonist for Playboy magazine.
November 9th, 2019 at 11:59 am
In this week’s installment FRIDAY’S “FORGOTTEN” BOOKS, Todd Mason says that the script for this story was by Joe Millard:
http://socialistjazz.blogspot.com/2019/11/fridays-forgotten-books-and-more-links_9.html
I’d looked, but only in a cursory fashion, and hadn’t come up with that information. I’ll have to get up to speed on what’s available online regarding sources where I can find credits like this on my own.
I’ve also been thinking about who the reading audience might have been foe comic books such as this. I’d have been less than ten years old when this came out, and it certainly couldn’t have been meant for me. It’s way too adult for that.
I was reading superhero comics at the time, though, but superheroes were on there way out, and crime comics were on their way in. Teenagers may have been able to read and enjoy this one, but a lot of readers 21 and older must have been buying comic books then too.
November 9th, 2019 at 4:35 pm
Fred MacMurray had the honor of being the model for both Captain Marvel and Ken Shannon.
The Shannon stories are mostly fun, and the best, like this one, have the work of legendary Reed Crandall who was best known for his work on the Blackhawks and later for Bill Gaines EC and the Warren black and white horror line.
Is this the same Millard who wrote the SF classic THE GODS HATE KANSAS?
Before the uproar caused by SEDUCTION OF THE INNOCENT comics were often read by adults with some lines like Fiction House and Ziff Davis aimed primarily at older readers. During the War American soldiers had been avid readers of comics, and they came back with the habit still strong.
Oddly enough in Europe, Japan, and much of South America comics were always read by children and adults with so called “fumetti” aimed at adult audiences and older teens, digest sized books such as Diabolik, Krimminal, Satanik, Isabella, Play Colt and others vying between merely being adult (the first three) to pornographic (the last two). In Europe it’s not unusual to see bank clerks and businessmen reading comics on the underground on the way to and from work.
November 9th, 2019 at 11:53 pm
Here’s some information about Millard from Hubin:
MILLARD, JOE; [i.e., Joseph John Millard] (1908-1989); Ref: CA. (chron.) (assoc.)
[] *The Hunted (Award, 1974, pb) [Oklahoma; 1900 ca.] Novelization of the “Hec Ramsey†TV series.
[] *The Hunting Party (Award, 1971, pb) Tandem, 1971. Novelization of film: United Artists, 1971 (scw; William Norton, Gilbert Alexander, Lou Morheim; dir: Don Mefford).
[] *Mansion of Evil (Gold Medal, 1950, pb) [Pennsylvania] THIS IS IN “COMIC BOOK” FORM.
[] *Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (Award, 1974, pb) [Montana] Tandem, 1974. Novelization of film: United Artists, 1974 (scw & dir: Michael Cimino).
[] *The Wickedest Man (Gold Medal, 1954, pb) [Pennsylvania] Muller pb, 1960.
And from ISFDb:
Novels
The Gods Hate Kansas (1964) [also as by Joseph Millard]
Serializations:
The Gods Hate Kansas (Complete Novel) (1941)
Short Fiction
The Corpse Marathon (1940)
The Crystal Invaders (1941)
Crash on Viar (1941)
Valley of the Storm King (1941)
Lone Wolf of Space (1941) with Raymond A. Palmer [only as by Joseph J. Millard and A. R. Steber]
The Earthquake Girl (1941)
The Glory of U.S.L. (1942) [only as by N. J. Westwood]
Mister John Doe, Earthman (1942)
Thunder to Venus (1942)
Minnie of Mars (1942) [only as by N. J. Westwood]
The Earth-Saver (1942)
Aimless Asteroid (1943) [only as by N. J. Westwood]
The Conquest of Venus (1943)
And a long list of story credits at the Grand Comics Data Base:
https://www.comics.org/searchNew/?q=joe%20millard
And a brief bio here:
https://comicvine.gamespot.com/joe-millard/4040-58831/