#Crime stories

[atomic-chronoscaph]

Stag magazine illustrations by Mort Künstler (1950s, 1960s)

[scirqle]

Recreating a scene from frank miller’s Sin City, with some of my own flourishes. Sketched on iPad using procreate.

[retropopcult]

November 1946

[kayotickp]

[pulpsandcomics2]

Detective and Murder Mysteries September 1937

[braywright]

Arsène Lupin: Gentleman-Burlgar: The Anti-Sherlock

In the late 19th century/early 20th century, writers seemed to develop of taste for creating highly intelligent main characters and putting them into all sorts of odd situations.

Think Sherlock Holmes. Jeeves the butler. And, our current focus, Arsène Lupin.

Arsène Lupin: Gentleman-Burlgar is a 1905 collection of short stories by Maurice LeBlanc. As implied by the title, Arsène Lupin is a thief and the stories all center around his criminal exploits. Lupin is basically an anti-Sherlock. Both characters were written around the same time period and often take place in similar upper class settings. But while Sherlock devotes his time and intellect to solving crimes, Lupin devotes his to committing them.

However, I can easily see why the Lupin stories have not maintained the same level of pop culture significance as the Sherlock canon. The Sherlock stories have a distinct and notable cast of characters that readers come to care for. This collection did not have that. Most of the characters are one-dimensional side characters, meant to be robbed and cry wolf. The only one I distinctly remember is Lupin’s police nemesis, and even that is only because his character is a genre convention.

The character of Arsène Lupin himself is not much better. He exists more as a mysterious criminal archetype than a full character in his own right. Which would work in a detective narrative, but is harder to care about as a main character.

Additionally, one of the things people love about heist stories is the feeling that unconventional justice has been served. Often, heist stories are about lower class or beaten down people avenging themselves against the rich who took advantage of them. Think Robin Hood or Leverage or Ocean’s Eight. Even the modern Lupin series made by Netflix is about a man getting revenge for his father. But in the original Lupin stories, we don’t get that sense of justice. All we see is a mysterious, who was possibly already rich or upper class, robbing other rich people. Satisfying in some ways, but not the same feeling of justice.

It’s not a bad collection by any means. The stories are fun and easy to read. And this is only the first nine stories ever published, so perhaps the later stories help to remedy my issues with this particular collection. But I never found myself particularly attached to the character of Lupin in any way.

(Fun fact for readers: I am not the only way to make comparisons between Lupin and Sherlock. Maurice LeBlanc himself wrote an crossover between the greatest detective and greatest thief. However, Doyle never approved of this crossover, so it was edited to Herlock Sholmes instead of Sherlock Holmes. Now that Sherlock is in the public domain, modern reprintings will use the correct name, but older editions may still feature Herlock.)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 6/10

[dddragoni-drabbles]

1:43 AM: Error: invalid entry code entered at NE door. 1:44 AM: Error: invalid entry code entered at NE door. 1:47 AM: Error: invalid entry code entered at NE door. 1:48 AM: Unauthorized entry attempt at NE door. Security droids 22E, 44S, 88J deployed. 1:52 AM: Security Droid 44S connection lost. 1:53 AM: Security Droid 22E connection lost. 1:56 AM: Security Droid 88J connection lost. 1:58 AM: NE door opened by Security Droid 44S. 2:03 AM: Error: Security Droid 44S is not permitted to enter High Security Area Beta. 2:08 AM: NE door opened by Security Droid 44S. 2:10 AM: NE door opened by Security Droid 88J. 2:15 AM: High Security Area Beta door opened by Security Droid 88J. 2:17 AM: Director's Office door opened by Security Droid 88J. 2:19 AM: Damage to wall of Director's Office detected. Maitenance ticket created. 2:25 AM: Damage to item: Director's Safe detected. Maintenance ticket created. 2:26 AM: Director's Office door opened by Security Droid 88J. 2:28 AM: Director's Office door opened by Security Droid 88J. 2:31 AM: Damage to item: Omega Chamber detected. Maintenance ticket created. 2:31 AM: Foreign contaminant detected in Omega Chamber. Initiating facility lockdown. 2:33 AM: Damage to wall of Director's Office detected. Maitenance ticket created. 2:34 AM:: Damage to wall of Director's Office detected. Maitenance ticket created. 2:36 AM: Damage to item: Director's Desk detected. Maintenance ticket created. 2:45 AM: System logon successful. Welcome, user NULL. 2:45 AM: Error: cannot open door during facility lockdown. 2:46 AM: Command not recognized. 2:46 AM: Command not recognized. 2:48 AM: Shutdown initiated. SYSTEM OFFLINE.

[pulpman2]

Flowing White Dress

As Alice Carr, Private Detective, part-time reporter, socialite and general busy body, stepped out of her sporty yellow number, she eyed the Wilton Club House with a mixture of irritation and envy. Larry Stewart, playboy, would-be Republican Senator and, as Alice was determined to prove, corrupt insider trader, had taken refuge in this male-only domain. Alice seethed. This was 1952! she fumed to herself. How much longer were men to be allowed to mess up the world from the privacy of their exclusive billiard rooms and golf courses? Nothing daunted, the red headed PI followed the carpark around the side of the building, reckoning if she coukd find a trade entrance she could, once in the place, yet pass herself off as a cleaner or caterer and get close to Stewart that way.

As she entered a poorly lit section of the environs, all crumbling tarmac and flickering standing lamps, Alice was suddenly gripped hard by the wrist. The woman pulled away immediately, assuming her assailant to be a masher, a type she was used to depositing on the seat of his pants, but before getting into self defence for women mode, Alice noticed the dull grey metal of a gun in the man’s other hand. She paused, unresisting as the leering face of an identikit thug came into focus, “You ask too many questions, sweet cheeks,” his gravelly voice said, “and my job is to put you on ice.” The detective needed no second warning. She pulled down hard with her gripped wrist, unbalancing the man and as she did so, she braced her right leg to bring her left swinging round hard in a roundhouse kick. As she felt her low-heeled foot connect satisfyingly with the jaw of the surprised man, she thanked her decion to drop the tight skirt she had originally plannned to wear tonight for the benefit of the doorman, in exchange for a flowing white dress that allowed maximum movement for her shapely, but deadly, nyloned legs.

The man slumped to the ground, his gun falling from his limp hand. Alice scooped it up and trained it on the thug as he stared resentfully up at the woman, still dazed. “You really need to get into practice, pal” Alice laughed, “my younger sister could take you out and she’s a Sunday School teacher!” The man glowered at her. “Get lost, witch!” he snarled. Alice grinned back at him. “I think I’d better better get you tied and gagged and into the trunk of your car, jerk.” she replied cheerily. “Care to flip it open while I find some stockings in my purse to waste on you?”

*

Later, Alice slammed the trunk of the car closed on the furious Mmmmmphs! emanating from her nylon-bound and gagged erstwhile attacker. Now she knew she was onto something, she reflected, and clearly getting close. ‘Maybe this time I can earn my bonus and get a Pulitzer!’ she thought to herself with an expectant smile. Alice noticed a door ajar at the side of the building. “Open Sesame…” she breathed.

My interpretation of the story behind this cover to Kidnap-Murder of Patricia Ann Cook, True Detective magazine (October 1952). Art by Mort Kuntsler

[misteria247]

Mr. Ballen in his video: There's an abandoned town in the remote part of Alaska known as Portlock.

Me who's watching: Oh? I've never heard of this!

Mr. Ballen: The town had a promising future in the fish canning industry however very shortly after business started booming and people had become settled into the town strange occurrences began happening.

Me: ??

Mr. Ballen: People started to go missing when they entered the forests surrounding the town, and mutilated bodies were found in the lagoon beside it as well. The people believed that they were at first animal attacks however Native Alaskans were quick to step forward and explain that they were not animal attacks. But instead they were the work of large, hairy creatures that stood on two legs who lived in the forests surrounding the town.

Me starting to sweat: Oh god it's one of those stories......

Mr. Ballen after explaining a few accounts: After dealing with this for so long the townspeople finally had enough. In the span of one night everyone had evacuated the area, save for the post man who had to stay till the government came down to close it down. The post man stated in his reports that it was awful, every night he'd see large creatures moving in the treeline and howls in the night. He was glad to leave. Now due to all of this most existing pictures of Portlock are incredibly old, since no one ever goes there. Those who did quickly left asap and thus there's no real modern photos of the town, save for one.

Mr. Ballen shows a photo of a lone building surrounded by a thick forest and a murky lagoon: This is one of the remaining buildings that haven't crumbled from nature over the years, surrounding it is the very same woods that the young men who lived in the town had vanished in and the very same lagoon were dozens of bodies had been discovered. Anyways! That's all for today if you liked this video please-

Me pulling out a list: Places to avoid at all costs. Portlock, Alaska. Got it.

[etherealworldofmine]

Agatha Christie's books aesthetic

I love her crime stories sm because it's old- fashioned and irreplaceable.

[atomic-chronoscaph]

art by Samson Pollen (1960s-1970s)

[people-and-politics]

Verdict: MI v Jennifer Crumbley, School Shooter Mom Trial

Good! Hold more parents who raise and aid monster children accountable! She even looks cold and evil. Can see where he gets it from.

[dustybluerose]

Black cat really surprised me 🐈‍⬛

[joncronshawauthor]

Capers and Castles: A Guide to the 10 Must-Read Fantasy Novels Featuring Thieves

Fantasy novels often offer a unique twist to traditional crime stories, and tales about thieves are no exception. Whether it’s a heist gone wrong, a daring escape, or a cunning scheme, these stories are full of action, suspense, and thrilling twists. Here are ten must-read fantasy novels about thieves that will keep you on the edge of your seat: 1. “The Lies of Locke Lamora” by Scott…

[mythawolf]

Is it concerning that I've thought of multiple methods of committing crimes to use in stories that could actually work on real life?

[pulpsandcomics2]

Exciting Mystery October 1942