I'll never get over how the best line in all of noir – "I've got eight slugs in me. One's lead, and the rest are bourbon" – doesn't come from Raymond Chandler or Dashiell Hammett, but Calvin and Hobbes
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Here's a fun version from a 1963 noir, Die a Little Every Day, by Lawrence V. Fisher:
"The dick had gone for his gun, and left the store with four slugs in his belly—lead slugs instead of bourbon slugs. When it was all over, the pacing and worrying did no good , because the detective died."
Especially funny is that Bill Watterson said he didn't read or watch much noir, so Tracer Bullet's dialogue derives from a very vague awareness of the genre's tropes and stereotypes.
Funnily, most of Calvin's main personas are from genres Bill Watterson isn't interested in. He's not into noir and hates superheroes. Presumably he likes science fiction though, as Watterson's original comic strip idea was a sci-fi parody focusing on Spaceman Spiff. The idea for Calvin came later.
I remember reading this as a ten year old and not really understanding, and then realizing years later how great the line was. Like, literally, pouring myself some Bourbon at age 22 or whatever and thinking... oh shit, I get it now.
Still reading Calvin and Hobbes. Was Bill Waterson the first to make a "Boomers are old and suffocating culture with their iron grip on pop culture" joke? Truly ahead of his time.
It's actually kind of a thing. I have a feeling that a lot of people have hardboiled orphan prose knocking around and like a parody is as a good of a use as any.
I introduced the dame to my friend who is close to my heart. A little down and left to be specific. My friend is an eloquent speaker, he made three profound arguments while I excused myself from the room. I always leave when the conversation gets philosophical.
This line is tied for me with "my friend was an eloquent speaker. He made three profound arguments while I excused myself from the room" in terms of absolute S-tier noir vibes in Tracer Bullet.
So much attention to detail. Most of them are called out in the sketch (the gauzy close-up! the waist-height snub nose!) but he even has the cut to print quality before the title fades in.
I did this panel with a brush pen. Came out pretty good. Funny thing is that Waterson didn't really read a lot of noir, so he claimed that it's a satire of noir.
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"The dick had gone for his gun, and left the store with four slugs in his belly—lead slugs instead of bourbon slugs. When it was all over, the pacing and worrying did no good , because the detective died."
And I’m surprised that he wasn’t/isn’t a fan of the genre, it seems up his alley.
I love it when i thought id seen all of c & h, then I’m surprised
By other metrics, more of a mixed bag.
...actually might be too old, I should throw it out.
the Tracer Bullet strips are so so good.
Meet Sam Spayed.
“Are you Spayed?”
… I really hate that question.