BEACH BUM COMICS : DELL COMIC'S GRITTY MIKE SHAYNE PRIVATE EYE EXTRAORDINAIRE !!!

I love getting lost in a good private eye story, whether it be a novel or a comic book.

Dell Comic's Mike Shayne was primarily written by Ken Fitch with art by Ed Ashe with great painted covers. Dell Comics used the familiar Mike Shayne logo as used on the covers of the paperback novels.

The stories do have a gritty quality visually, but it's too bad the first person narrative wasn't used, as in the novels. These are some of the better private eye comics out there.

What I found interesting, is that Mike Shayne was initially married in the novels, his beautiful, young wife Phyllis Shayne, was a somewhat limited character and often out of town. She was "killed off" when the movie rights to the series were sold. In the book Blood on the Black Market, the comedy aspect of the earlier novels disappears as Shayne is forced to deal with his wife's death.

Mike Shayne Private Eye #1 The banshee scream of skidding tires, the blasting roar of a pistol, blend together in...The Private Practice of Mike Shayne!
"The Private Practice of Mike Shayne"
Written by Ken Fitch with art by Ed Ashe

Adapted from the Brett Halliday novel.

Mike Shayne Private Eye #2 In Every Sinister Shadow Danger Lurks with Telltale Meaning...!
"Bodies Are Where You Find Them"
Written by Ken Fitch with art by Ed Ashe
Adapted from the Brett Halliday novel.

Mike Shayne Private Eye #3 The greed of selfish men brought Shayne once more to fighting pitch!
"Heads...You Lose"

I recently came across my Nathaniel Dusk comics, which I will be covering before too long.