A Killing in Comics

by Max Allan Collins

This cutting-edge mystery novel--the first in a new series--combines the illustrations of Batman artist Beatty with a New York Times bestselling author.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 042521365X
• ISBN13: 9780425213650
• Release Date: May 2007
• Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime
• Length: 261 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.6" x 8.2"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Superb period mystery, roman a clef

Max Allan Collins, is America's greatest living mystery writer when it comes to penning fictional novels based on true crimes. Although this one uses made up characters, it a thinly veiled roman a clef for the story of how the real creators of Superman got the shaft from the comic book producers. Set in 1948 in New York City, Collins does his usual masterful job of creating an extraordinarily believable and intriguing ambiance of the time and place. Aided by his parnter, Terry Beatty's artful comic strip style illustrations, Collins creates a wonderous who-done-it full of fun and intiguing historical information. The Shamus award winning author has scored again big time with "A Killing in the Comics."

Is the world crazy, or am I?

I swear, MAC is a fantastic writer. I don't know why he's reduced to writing CSI novels. Maybe he is just keeping it real - the man is a great pulp writer, easily as good as the best of the classics. But this book is just amazing. Not only does he give us Jack Starr, an Archie Goodwin for a generation who doesn't know who Archie Goodwin even is, but he builds a delicious, fully fleshed out world of real midcentury aethetics, down to Starr's food and drink choices, and his Bauhaus furniture. Amazing. I didn't want to leave this world, and I didn't want the book to end. The plot is a little cheesy, and so is the revelation of the murder - but that's completely authentic and no different than anything Rex Stout ever wrote! The comics background was interesting, I thought even more so than Chabon's too-long, mopey, boring tale of sexual confusion and comics The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay. This was exactly to my liking, and I hope he keeps up the fantastic work! Also, if you liked this, make sure to check out his most awesome contribution to the fantastic Hard Case Crime Series, Two For The Money (Hard Case Crime).

Great storytelling: A blend of good words and comic illustrations

A Killing in Comics is an eminently readable mystery novel by Max Allan Collins. The action takes place in the world of comics circa 1948. The book is written in the style of the hard-boiled detective story. The protagonist is Jack Starr, who is a vice-president of Starr Syndication, and as a licensed private investigator, he is responsible for looking after the interests of Starr Syndication and its writers. When Donny Harrison, the publisher behind the "Wonder Guy" comic, dies at his own birthday party, Jack is asked by his boss and stepmother to investigate. Wonder Guy is one of their best comics, and the creators were at the party, and thus suspects. As Jack investigates, he finds that not everything about the comic industry is fun and games. There is no shortage of suspects, ranging from Donny's mistress to a crime boss to the creators of the comic strips, all with plenty of motive to murder Donny Harrison. The panels at the beginning of each chapter drawn by Terry Beatty are in a 1948 style, adding another element of style to the book Max Collins writes the mystery in the classic Ellery Queen style. He even has a summary in comic strip form, thanks to Terry Beatty. All the information to solve the case is available to the reader. The question is whether the reader has picked up on all the important clues. A Killing in Comics was an enjoyable read, without unnecessary gore or violence, and it has a terrific cast of characters. I had fun comparing his fictional comic book characters to the real-life characters that were the staple of the day. The author's treatment of the comics and his characters rings true to life, he plays by the rules of the classic mystery, and has a lot of fun while he does so. Armchair Interviews says: Crime in classic Ellery Queen style. Collins is a CSI author and Road to Perdition creator with lots of books to his name (and his pen name).

excellent historical mystery

Harry Spiegel was the writer with a dream and he shared that with Moe Shulman; together they created a hit comic series Wonder Guy and sold it to Donny of American Comics. However they were two innocents who signed away all rights including fees for merchandise based on the comic.. Their contract is coming up and they might not sign up with American Comics. Stark Syndication, the outlet that distributes their work to newspapers across the country would be fairer to them. They have an idea for a comic book and they want to sell that to Stark Syndication. At Donny's birthday party, he keels over and dies. A toxicology report reveals he was poisoned and Jack Stark, V.P. and troubleshooter for Stark syndication starts an investigation rights. His interest is purely financial as he doesn't want a long protracted investigation involving three players in their stable. By finding the killer, (he is a licensed P.I.) the company will know what business decisions to make but he soon realizes he has his work cut out for him. Donny was a man who many people had a motive to want him dead. A KILLING IN COMICS takes place in 1948 Manhattan and has a nourish gothic feel to it as well using some comic book Golden Age history . It is a trip down memory lane when people believe that comics are destroying the minds of children who read them. The well executed plot and the Phillips Marlow type protagonist makes this an excellent historical mystery. The illustrations by Terry Beatty are fantastic and visualize key plot points. Harriet Klausner