I was sitting in my office, working late, when an interesting video came up on my youtube feed. It was the entirety of a mid '90’s cartoon called Fish Police. I watched the first episode to get a hint at what the show was like.
It was a show about a fish named Gil. He was a detective for the police precinct in some fictional underwater city. I watched, rapt, in this vehicle for fish-based wordplay. Reminded me of a few other pieces of media.
- Darkwing Duck, another mid-90’s cartoon and
- MOUSE: P.I. For Hire, a recent video game that copied the style of rubber hose animation.
What did all 3 have in common? Outside of pet protagonists and a penchant for puns? They were all rooted in the hard-boiled detective, film noir style. Curious.
This trend has continued up to today. There will soon be a whole show dedicated to a film noir version of spiderman, played by Nic Cage. The greatest casting choice of the decade. Even on the internet, it seems as though nowadays any time someone wants to make a video that contains the slightest amount of investigation, they use the trappings of this genre to do so. I turned on the Coffeezilla video I was watching before all this to be proven correct in the hypothesis immediately.
But this didn’t just start in the 90’s. I discovered a large spate of books and movies made in the 1940’s and 50’s that used this exact style. This rabbit hole is deeper than I thought, and goes straight to the heart of American culture.
I began getting my pin board set up to get to the bottom of this, when my Partner walked in the room. They needed a ride to work. They were in their uniform, black pants and a button-up for their job as a concierge at a local hotel. Perhaps not the most showy clothes but their beautiful smile made up for it. I swear if my parents divorce hadn’t done my head in all those years ago, I’d propose on the spot. My office, being a spare bedroom in our apartment, was easily accessible though I asked not be disturbed while I’m working. They were understanding but they reminded me I had already committed to driving them. Checkmate.
I guess this mystery will have to wait…
One of those Marxist professors who successfully programmed me said that he considered film noir as liberal apologia for class society. The hero is often shown to be honourable, capable, and compassionate, but remains in the “darkness” due to some single vice or mistake, much how capitalism excludes those who don’t measure up to its demands. The femme fatale represents ascending into the light via underhanded means - betrayal of the hero and/or the system itself - and thus represents the temptation of corrupt/criminal dealings.
This was a long time ago and it’s all coming from memory, so I’m probably massacring his original idea.
One of those Marxist professors who successfully programmed me said that he considered film noir as liberal apologia for class society
Fun fact: One of the original noir writers was a former pinkerton turned communist. Dashiell Hammett
Speaking of noir, Calvin & Hobbes’ artist Bill Watterson also had fun with the style. I still think that the hardest line in noir is his. “I’ve got eight slugs in me. One’s lead, the rest are bourbon.”
He’s written that he really enjoyed doing them, but that they took a lot longer to draw.
Bill Watterson has such an incredible range. These noir strips sit somewhere in the middle. That’s the thing I love about his work. He has all this incredible skill and talent and used it to draw silly little guys.
These are good
You ought to read Calvin and Hobbes if you haven’t. Very thoughtful comic.
It wasn’t serialised where I live, but I’ve read a few of the strips just by being online. Might have to get a compilation. Thanks for the suggestion :)
I actually only read it in compilations lol
I was sitting in my office, working late, when an interesting video came up on my youtube feed.
You had me for a minute, I was about to say this sounds like a noir cliche and then realized you were doing a bit.
I think it’s all because of Detective Pikachu
