Leo Pulp is a “real” detective that lives in the times when detective stories and the “tough-guy” persona were all the rage. Like hardboiled private investigators in classic noir stories, Pulp has a knack for smelling out the intrigue of 1940s Hollywood, and getting in over his head. His fee is $25.00 a day plus expenses, his weapon an automatic Browning, his car an old jalopy that often won’t start, his main asset a damn good knack for smelling out the mysterious intrigues of 1940s Hollywood.
Imagine the humor of Sledge Hammer mixed with the presence of Darren McGavin played by Bruce Campbell with Nicolle Sullivan as the love interest, and you’ll be close to understanding what Leo Pulp is about. In fact, I would love to see a TV show, animated or live action, made of Leo Pulp, with the above two names attached to the project.
Humor is the thing here, and Leo Pulp is not only one of the funniest things I have come across in a long time but also one of the funnest. It is a raucous joy to read, containing elements of parody and satire. It has meta moments of breaking the fourth wall and is laugh out loud funny for the crime fiction fan, containing references to Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, Hollywood in the ’40s, the real life Black Dahlia case, and tons of others. There are visual gags as well as written gags. Just one of the running gags is that Leo’s police contact on the force is named Nick Tracy and looks just like a certain hook-nosed detective. Leo constantly calls him “Dick,” causing him to yell at him “My name is Nick!”
Massimo Bonfatti’s art has a kind of Sergio Aragones feel to it. Each panel is jam-packed with bits of information, stories and jokes that makes the world of Leo Pulp come to life. The comic was first published in Italy, and the only examples I could find were in Italian, so the dialogue will be lost on English readers but will give a feel for the art.
Leo is the straight man in a world of comedians, and the juxtaposition of the two results in a hilarious book. If you love the old pulp tales, then you’ll love this affectionate and good-humored take on all the old characters. Leo Pulp is the most fun you can legally have reading a crime comic.
One of the practical real world things that should be addressed with this book is the somewhat hefty price tag. At $27.99, Leo Pulp is more expensive than most other crime comics in the market right now. But it should be pointed out that for the money you are getting what is essentially a three-book omnibus.
