[ MAUKA MAKAI ]
DRAWN & QUARTERED
Graphic Arts As Literature
Hard-boiled detective Byrd is ready for danger in the '50s Honolulu-based "Hawaiian Dick" comic book mini-series.
Hawaii is the stuff of exotic dreams -- and equally exotic nightmares. While the sun-drenched islands always hold allure for those living elsewhere, our nights supposedly offer romance against backdrops of a full moon and tiki torches. And when crimes are committed here, they are far from mundane due to Hawaii's richness in folklore and the supernatural. Comic set in isles tells
thrilling tropical tales
By Gary C.W. Chun
gchun@starbulletin.comPut all of these five decades into the past and you've got what could be tagged as "tropical noir." Writer B. Clay Moore is hoping this new genre, as exemplified by his new Image series "Hawaiian Dick," will attract comic book readers. The first of the three-issue series came out Dec. 18; the second issue is scheduled to hit stores the last week of January.
Along with the Hawaiian folklore, Moore liberally mixes in '50s-era detective fiction. The series' artist is Australia-based Steven Griffin, whose impressionistic drawing and shorthand pacing style are similar to those of master Will Eisner.
The first issue's cover.
Set in territorial Hawaii circa 1953, our detective protagonist is a rugged and unshaven World War II vet named Byrd -- continuing the "bi(y)rd of paradise" legacy that started with the hokey 1932 and 1951 Hollywood movies, and continuing up to the canceled TV series of recent years.
Part of Byrd's requisite stormy past involves having been kicked off the police force back on the mainland. So Byrd retreats to Hawaii and hooks up with his old Army pal, burly detective Mo Kalama. Together, the two take on Honolulu's sleazy, underworld elements, specifically drug dealer Bishop Masaki.
MOORE PITCHED this series to potential publishers as a cross between "The X-Files" and "The Rockford Files."
"This stuff has a pretty broad appeal," Moore said in an interview with Seth Jones that appeared on www.comixtreme.com. "I don't think it's just for comic fans, even. People who like cool stories and funky art are going to like it. People who like supernatural stories are going to like it."
Fans of "Hellboy" and "Powers" should also like it, and "Hawaiian Dick" already seems to be a hit with comic book readers who picked up the first issue.
If for no other reason, local readers should find the use of our back yard for Moore's storytelling interesting. He appears to have done his homework; he's gotten a handle on the complexity of racial relations, and the "exotic woman," waitress Princess Kahami (sorry, B. Clay, not a Hawaiian name!), will be one to watch, along with other characters that will seem familiar.
Nuuanu Avenue was misspelled as "Nuuenu" (probably more the letterer's error than Moore's), but this is corrected in the helpful "A Brief Guide to Byrd's Hawaii" in the back of the book.
Overall, "Hawaiian Dick" is an entertaining read that won't insult us.
AS FOR THOSE out there with comic strips on the brain, we're still running readers' contributions to "Strip Show," in typical comic-strip formats. All that we ask is for a horizontal, multi- or single-panel strip with content reflecting our local lifestyle.Cartoonists have been known to be a little out there, so with the Star-Bulletin being a family paper and all, we request that you keep those strips relatively clean for parents' sake.
You can color the strips yourself, but if finances only allow for black ink, our resident comic enthusiast Burl Burlingame can color it for you. (Don't worry -- he'll make you look good!)
Address all strips to "Strip Show," Attn: Burl Burlingame, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, Honolulu, HI 96813. Thanks!
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