Michael Hammer is a fictional character created by the American author

Mickey Spillane Frank Morrison Spillane (; March 9, 1918July 17, 2006), better known as Mickey Spillane, was an American crime novelist, whose stories often feature his signature detective character, Mike Hammer (character), Mike Hammer. More than 225 million c ...

. Hammer debuted in the 1947 book ''

I, the Jury ''I, the Jury'' is the 1947 debut novel of American crime fiction writer Mickey Spillane, the first work to feature private investigator Mike Hammer. Plot summary The novel opens as private detective Mike Hammer is called to the apartment of i ...

''. Hammer is a no-holds-barred

private investigator A private investigator (often abbreviated to PI and informally called a private eye), a private detective, or inquiry agent is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private investigators of ...

who carries a Colt .45

M1911A1 The M1911 (Colt 1911 or Colt Government) is a single-action, recoil-operated, semi-automatic pistol chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge. The pistol's formal U.S. military designation as of 1940 was ''Automatic Pistol, Caliber .45, M1911'' for the ...

in a shoulder holster under his left arm. His love for his secretary Velda is outweighed only by his willingness to kill a killer. Hammer's best friend is Pat Chambers, Captain of Homicide NYPD. Hammer was a

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

army veteran who spent two years fighting jungle warfare in the

Pacific Ocean theater of World War II The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

against Japan.

Creation

In 1946, Spillane, an established comic-book writer, worked with illustrator

Mike Roy Joseph Michel Roy (1921–1996) was a Canadian comic book and comic strip artist, working during the Golden Age of Comic Books and the Silver Age of Comic Books. He is best known for his stories about Native Americans. Biography Born in Queb ...

and Edwin Robbins to create the private-eye character Mike Danger for proposed comic-book or comic-strip publication. Unable to sell the project as a comic, he reworked the story as the novel ''

'', converting Mike Danger to Mike Hammer and supporting character Holly to Velda.Mike Danger
at

Don Markstein's Toonopedia Don Markstein's Toonopedia (subtitled A Vast Repository of Toonological Knowledge) is an online encyclopedia of print cartoons, comic strips and animation, initiated February 13, 2001. Donald D. Markstein, the sole writer and editor of Toonopedi ...

Archived
from the original on March 8, 2016.

Character

While

pulp Pulp may refer to: * Pulp (fruit), the inner flesh of fruit Engineering * Dissolving pulp, highly purified cellulose used in fibre and film manufacture * Pulp (paper), the fibrous material used to make paper * Molded pulp, a packaging material ...

detectives such as

Sam Spade Sam Spade is a fictional character and the protagonist of Dashiell Hammett's 1930 novel '' The Maltese Falcon''. Spade also appeared in four lesser-known short stories by Hammett. ''The Maltese Falcon'', first published as a serial in the pulp ...

and

Philip Marlowe Philip Marlowe () is a fictional character created by Raymond Chandler, who was characteristic of the hardboiled crime fiction genre. The hardboiled crime fiction genre originated in the 1920s, notably in ''Black Mask'' magazine, in which Dashiel ...

are hard-boiled and cynical, Hammer is in many ways the

archetypal The concept of an archetype (; ) appears in areas relating to behavior, historical psychology, and literary analysis. An archetype can be any of the following: # a statement, pattern of behavior, prototype, "first" form, or a main model that ...

" hard man": brutally violent, and fueled by a genuine rage against violent crime that never afflicts

Raymond Chandler Raymond Thornton Chandler (July 23, 1888 – March 26, 1959) was an American-British novelist and screenwriter. In 1932, at the age of forty-four, Chandler became a detective fiction writer after losing his job as an oil company executive durin ...

's or

Dashiell Hammett Samuel Dashiell Hammett (; May 27, 1894 – January 10, 1961) was an American writer of hard-boiled detective novels and short stories. He was also a screenwriter and political activist. Among the enduring characters he created are Sam Spade ('' ...

's heroes. In ''The Big Kill'', Hammer describes himself to a

bargirl A bargirl is a woman who is paid to entertain patrons in a bar, either individually or, in some cases, as a performer. The exact nature of the entertainment varies widely from place to place; depending on the venue this can be individual enterta ...

as a

misanthrope Misanthropy is the general hatred, dislike, distrust or contempt of the human species, human behavior or human nature. A misanthrope or misanthropist is someone who holds such views or feelings. The word's origin is from the Greek words μῖσ ...

. Spillane admitted to pulp writer

Carroll John Daly Carroll John Daly (1889–1958) was a writer of crime fiction. Early life Daly was born on September 14, 1889, in Yonkers, New York. Career Daly has been credited with creating the first hard-boiled story, "The False Burton Combs", published in ...

, generally regarded as the inventor of the hard-boiled private eye figure, that Hammer was also loosely modeled on Race Williams, Daly's most frequently used detective character. While other hardboiled heroes bend and manipulate the law, Hammer often views it as an impediment to justice, the one virtue he holds in absolute esteem. Hammer nevertheless has a strong respect for the majority of

police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...

, realizing they have a difficult job and their hands are frequently tied by the law when trying to stop criminals. Hammer is also

patriotic Patriotism is the feeling of love, devotion, and sense of attachment to one's country. This attachment can be a combination of many different feelings, language relating to one's own homeland, including ethnic, cultural, political or histor ...

and

anti-communist Anti-communism is Political movement, political and Ideology, ideological opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in the Russian Empire, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, w ...

. The novels are peppered with remarks by Hammer supporting American troops in

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

, and in ''Survival...Zero''

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

. In '' One Lonely Night'', where Hammer attends a

communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

meeting in a park, his reaction to the speaker's

propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded ...

is a sarcastic "Yeah." So far as violence is concerned, the Hammer novels leave little to the imagination. Written in the first person, Hammer describes his violent encounters with relish. In all but a few novels, Hammer's victims are often left vomiting after a blow to the stomach or groin. Hammer is an

ageless character A floating timeline (also known as a sliding timescale) is a device used in fiction, particularly in long-running serials in comics and animation as well as other media, to explain why characters age little or not at all over a period of time—de ...

. Spillane said of his character: "See, heroes never die.

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed The Duke or Duke Wayne, was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films made during Hollywood's Gol ...

isn't dead,

Elvis Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

isn't dead. Otherwise you don't have a hero. You can't kill a hero. That's why I never let him get older." The ''

Washington Times ''The Washington Times'' is an American conservative daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., that covers general interest topics with a particular emphasis on national politics. Its broadsheet daily edition is distributed throughout ...

'' obituary of Spillane said of Hammer, "In a manner similar to

Clint Eastwood Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western TV series '' Rawhide'', he rose to international fame with his role as the "Man with No Name" in Sergio Leone's "''Doll ...

Dirty Harry ''Dirty Harry'' is a 1971 American neo-noir Neo-noir is a revival of film noir, a genre that had originally flourished during the post-World War II era in the United Statesroughly from 1940 to 1960. The French term, ''film noir'', translates ...

, Hammer was a cynical loner contemptuous of the 'tedious process' of the legal system, choosing instead to enforce the law on his own terms."

Novels

By Mickey Spillane

*''

'' (1947) *'' My Gun is Quick'' (1950) *'' Vengeance Is Mine'' (1950) *'' One Lonely Night'' (1951) *'' The Big Kill'' (1951) *'' Kiss Me, Deadly'' (1952) *'' The Girl Hunters'' (1962) *'' The Snake'' (1964) *'' The Twisted Thing'' (1966) ritten in 1949- chronologically follows after ''Lady, Go Die!'' *'' The Body Lovers'' (1967) *'' Survival... Zero!'' (1970) *'' The Killing Man'' (1989) *'' Black Alley'' (1996)

By Mickey Spillane with Max Allan Collins

*'' The Goliath Bone'' (2008) - chronologically follows after ''King of the Weeds'' *''The Big Bang'' (2010) - chronologically follows after ''The Will To Kill'' *''Kiss Her Goodbye'' (2011) - chronologically follows after ''Survival... Zero!'' *''Lady, Go Die!'' (2012) - chronologically follows after ''I, the Jury'' *''Complex 90'' (2013) - chronologically follows after ''The Big Bang'' *''King of the Weeds'' (2014) - chronologically follows after ''Black Alley'' *''Kill Me, Darling'' (2015) - chronologically follows after ''Kiss Me, Deadly'' *''Murder Never Knocks'' (2016) - chronologically follows after ''Complex 90'' *''The Will To Kill'' (2017) - chronologically follows after ''The Snake'' *''Killing Town'' (2018) - chronologically precedes ''

'' *''Murder, My Love'' (2019) - chronologically follows after ''Masquerade for Murder'' *''Masquerade for Murder'' (2020) - chronologically follows after ''The Killing Man''

Short stories

By Mickey Spillane

*''The Night I Died'' (published in the anthology ''Private Eyes'' first published in 1998, although short story was written in 1953) *''The Duke Alexander'' (published in the book ''Byline: Mickey Spillane'' first published in 2004, although it was originally written circa 1956) *''The Killing Man'' (short story later turned into a full-length Mike Hammer novel published in ''Playboy'' magazine December 1989, later republished in the book ''Byline: Mickey Spillane'' in 2004) *''Black Alley'' (short story later turned into a full-length Mike Hammer novel published in ''Playboy'' magazine December 1996, later republished in the book ''Byline: Mickey Spillane'' in 2004)

By Mickey Spillane with Max Allan Collins

*''The Big Switch'' (published in ''The Strand Magazine'', 2008, reprinted in paperback in ''The Mammoth Book of the World's Best Crime Stories'', 2009) *''A Long Time Dead'' (published in ''The Strand Magazine'' 2010) *''Grave Matter'' (published in ''Crimes By Moonlight,'' ed. Charlaine Harris, 2010) *''Skin'' (e-book short story 2012) *''So Long, Chief'' (published in ''The Strand Magazine'', Issue XXXIX, Feb. - May 2013) *''It's In The Book'' (e-book short story 2014) *''Fallout'' (published in ''The Strand Magazine'' 2015) *''A Dangerous Cat'' (published in ''The Strand Magazine'', Issue XLVIII, Feb. - May 2016) *''A Long Time Dead: A Mike Hammer Casebook'' (A collection of short stories by

and

Max Allan Collins Max Allan Collins (born March 3, 1948) is an American mystery writer, noted for his graphic novels. His work has been published in several formats and his ''Road to Perdition'' series was the basis for a film of the same name. He wrote the '' Di ...

2016 - published by Mysteriouspress.com/Open Road. This collection reprints the stories ''The Big Switch'', ''A Long Time Dead'', ''Grave Matter'', ''So Long, Chief'', ''Fallout'', ''A Dangerous Cat'', ''Skin'' (first time in print format), and ''It's In The Book'' (first time in print format)) *''Tonight My Love'' (published in ''The Strand Magazine'', Issue LVI, Oct. 2018 - Jan. 2019 -

developed this short story from a

radio-style playlet that was part of a Mike Hammer jazz LP - Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer Story - produced in 1954 by

. This is the story of how Mike Hammer met Velda.)

In other media

Several films and radio and television series have been based on the books in the Hammer series. The actor most closely identified with the character in recent years has been

Stacy Keach Walter Stacy Keach Jr. (born June 2, 1941) is an American actor and narrator. He has played mainly dramatic roles throughout his career, often in law enforcement or as a private detective. His most prominent role was as Mickey Spillane's fictiona ...

, who portrayed Hammer in a

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

television series, '' Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer'', which ran from 1984–1987 and had a syndicated revival in 1997–1998. (An earlier syndicated version, originally aired in 1957–1958, starred

Darren McGavin Darren is a masculine given name of uncertain etymological origins. Some theories state that it originated from an Anglicisation of the Irish first name Darragh or Dáire, meaning "Oak Tree". According to other sources, it is thought to come from ...

as Hammer.) Spillane himself played Hammer in a 1963 motion picture adaptation of '' The Girl Hunters''. Spillane himself favoured ex-

Marine Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military * ...

and former

Newburgh, New York Newburgh is a city in the U.S. state of New York, within Orange County. With a population of 28,856 as of the 2020 census, it is a principal city of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown metropolitan area. Located north of New York City, a ...

police officer Jack Stang, on whom he based the character, to play him. Stang appeared with Spillane in the 1954 film '' Ring of Fear'' and in the film adaptation of ''

''.

Movies

Feature films

*''

'' (

United Artists United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the studi ...

, 1953), filmed in 3-D starring

Biff Elliot Biff Elliot (born Leon Shalek; July 26, 1923 – August 15, 2012) was an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his role as popular detective Mike Hammer in the 1953 version of ''I, the Jury'' and for his guest appearance as Schmitter i ...

as Mike Hammer. *''

Kiss Me Deadly ''Kiss Me Deadly'' is a 1955 American film noir produced and directed by Robert Aldrich, starring Ralph Meeker, Albert Dekker, Paul Stewart, Juano Hernandez, and Wesley Addy. It also features Maxine Cooper and Cloris Leachman appearing in the ...

'' (United Artists, 1955),

Robert Aldrich Robert Burgess Aldrich (August 9, 1918 – December 5, 1983) was an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. His notable credits include '' Vera Cruz'' (1954), ''Kiss Me Deadly'' (1955), ''The Big Knife'' (1955), '' Autumn L ...

was the

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

Ralph Meeker Ralph Meeker (born Ralph Rathgeber; November 21, 1920 August 5, 1988) was an American film, stage, and television actor. He first rose to prominence for his roles in the Broadway productions of '' Mister Roberts'' (1948–1951) and ''Picnic'' ...

was cast as Hammer, while

Maxine Cooper Gladys Maxine Cooper Gomberg (May 12, 1924 – April 4, 2009) was an American actress, activist, and photographer. She was perhaps best known for her role as private detective Mike Hammer's secretary Velda in the 1955 film ''Kiss Me Deadly'', ...

portrayed Hammer's sexy secretary/companion Velda. *'' My Gun Is Quick'' (United Artists, 1957),

Robert Bray Robert E. Bray (October 23, 1917 – March 7, 1983) was an American film and television actor known for playing the forest ranger Corey Stuart in the CBS series '' Lassie'', He also starred in ''Stagecoach West'' and as Mike Hammer in the mo ...

was cast as Hammer, with more of the violence originating from the villain than the detective. The film grossed $308,000 with a total of $602 overseas. *'' The Girl Hunters'' (Colorama Features, 1963),

was given the rare opportunity to portray his own creation in this film. This is one of the few occasions in film history in which the creator of a literary character was later hired to portray that character in a film. Producer

Robert Fellows Robert Fellows or Robert M. Fellows (August 23, 1903 in Los Angeles – May 11, 1969 in Los Angeles) was an American film producer who was once a production partner with John Wayne and later with Mickey Spillane. Biography Fellows entered Ho ...

and Spillane planned to follow the film with ''The Snake'' but it never materialised. *''

'' (

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

, 1982),

Armand Assante Armand Anthony Assante Jr. (; born October 4, 1949) is an American actor. He played mobster John Gotti in the 1996 HBO television film '' Gotti'', Odysseus in the 1997 mini-series adaptation of Homer's ''The Odyssey'', Nietzsche in ''When ...

plays a brutal, energetic Hammer opposite

Laurene Landon Laurene Landon Coughlin (born March 17, 1957) is a Canadian film and television actress. She first began appearing in movies in the 1980s. She is best known for her roles in ''Maniac Cop'' and ''Maniac Cop 2'', ''I, the Jury'', ''Hundra'', '' A ...

's sexy, athletic Velda in this hard R-rated 80s adaptation written by

Larry Cohen Lawrence George Cohen (July 15, 1936 – March 23, 2019) was an American screenwriter, producer, and director of film and television, best known as an author of horror and science fiction films — often containing police procedural and ...

and directed by

Richard T. Heffron Richard T. Heffron (October 6, 1930 – August 27, 2007) was an American film director. He worked on many television series such as ''The Rockford Files'' and films including '' I Will Fight No More Forever'' (1975), ''Futureworld'' (1976), ...

. Considered by the majority of Spillane fans (including Spillane co-author

) to be the most authentic adaptation of the "psychotic" early Hammer novels.

Television films

*''Margin For Murder'' (1981 TV movie),

Kevin Dobson Kevin Patrick Dobson (March 18, 1943 – September 6, 2020) was an American film and television actor, best known for his roles as Detective Bobby Crocker, the trusted protege of Lt. Theo Kojak (played by Telly Savalas) in the CBS crime dr ...

plays Hammer in this made-for-TV movie. *'' Murder Me, Murder You'' (1983 TV movie),

played Hammer in this TV pilot for the TV Series that ran in the 1980s. This update featured a traitor to the U.S. and a daughter Hammer does not know he has. *''More Than Murder'' (1984 TV movie),

again played Hammer as a high-stakes poker game is robbed and police Captain Pat Chambers intervenes as the thieves make their getaway. He is shot in the back and then framed as a drug dealer. Hammer makes it his job to clear Pat and find out who nearly killed him. *''The Return of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer'' (1986 TV movie),

reprises his role as Hammer in this pilot for the third season of his Hammer TV show AKA

The New Mike Hammer ''Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer'' (later titled ''The New Mike Hammer''), with Stacy Keach in the title role, is an American crime drama television series that originally aired on CBS from January 28, 1984, to May 13, 1987. The series consisted ...

. In this April 1986 TV movie, a young girl is kidnapped and there is an attempt on the daughter of a well-known actress, after which the kidnapper then turns up dead. Hammer is hired to protect the girl and travels to Los Angeles. *'' Mike Hammer: Murder Takes All'' (1989 TV movie), Keach reprises his role of Hammer co-starring

Lynda Carter Lynda Jean Cordova Carter (born July 24, 1951) is an American actress, singer, and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss World USA 1972 and finished in the top 15 at the Miss World 1972 pageant. Carter is best known as the star of th ...

Michelle Phillips Michelle may refer to: People *Michelle (name), a given name and surname, the feminine form of Michael * Michelle Courtens, Dutch singer, performing as "Michelle" * Michelle (German singer) * Michelle (Scottish singer) (born 1980), Scottish wi ...

and the pre-stardom

Jim Carrey James Eugene Carrey (; born January 17, 1962) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian and artist. Known for his energetic slapstick performances, Carrey first gained recognition in 1990, after landing a role in the American sketch comedy te ...

. He is asked by a Las Vegas entertainer named Johnny Roman ( Edward Winter) to come to Vegas. Mike refuses, he is then knocked out and dropped literally into Las Vegas. *''Come Die with Me: A Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer Mystery'' (1994 TV movie),

Rob Estes Robert Estes (born July 22, 1963) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Harry Wilson on the teen drama series '' 90210'', as Sgt. Chris Lorenzo on the crime drama series '' Silk Stalkings'', and as Kyle McBride on the primetime soap ...

plays Hammer in this TV movie, opposite

Pamela Anderson Pamela Denise Anderson (born July 1, 1967) is a Canadian-American actress and model. She is best known for her glamour modeling work in ''Playboy'' magazine and for her appearances on the television series ''Baywatch'' (1992–1997). Anders ...

as his secretary, Velda. *''Mike Hammer: Song Bird (2003) (V)'' – a

direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy was p ...

compilation of

Mike Hammer, Private Eye ''Mike Hammer, Private Eye'' is an American syndicated television program based on the adventures of the fictitious private detective Mike Hammer, created by novelist Mickey Spillane. Like the previous series, it was produced by Jay Bernstein ...

's 1998 episodes of ''"Songbird: Part 1"'' and ''"Songbird: Part 2"'', where

played Mike Hammer and

Shannon Whirry Shannon Whirry is an American actress. Career A native from Green Lake, Wisconsin, where she was the salutatorian of her 1983 high school graduating class, in 1985 Whirry was accepted to study at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, one of onl ...

played his secretary Velda.

Television

There have been several television shows based on the exploits of Mike Hammer. * A 1954

television pilot A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie), in United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television network or other distri ...

was developed starring

Brian Keith Brian Keith (born Robert Alba Keith, November 14, 1921 – June 24, 1997) was an American film, television, and stage actor who in his six-decade career gained recognition for his work in films such as the Disney family film '' The Parent T ...

that was written and directed by

Blake Edwards Blake Edwards (born William Blake Crump; July 26, 1922 – December 15, 2010) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Edwards began his career in the 1940s as an actor, but he soon began writing screenplays and radio s ...

, it was not picked up. *'' Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer'' (1958–1960; starring

) *'' Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer'' (January 1984–January 1985; starring

) *''

'' (September 1986–May 1987; starring

) *''

'' (September 1997–June 1998; starring

)

Comics

A short-lived

comic strip A comic strip is a sequence of drawings, often cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions. Traditionally, throughout the 20th and into the 21st ...

starring Mike Hammer was distributed by Phoenix Features Syndicate from 1953 to 1954. It was entitled ''From the Files of... Mike Hammer'' and written by Spillane, Ed Robbins and Joe Gill, with art by Ed Robbins. Collections of the strip were published in the 1980s. In 1956 the Turkish comics artist

Oğuz Aral Oğuz Aral (1936 – 26 July 2004) was a Turkish political cartoonist and comics artist, known for his satirical style. He was also active as a theatre designer, playwright, ceramist and animator, establishing the first Turkish animation studio. ...

created a parody of Mike Hammer titled ''Hayk Mammer''.

Walt Kelly Walter Crawford Kelly Jr. (August 25, 1913 – October 18, 1973), commonly known as Walt Kelly, was an American animator and cartoonist, best known for the comic strip ''Pogo (comic strip), Pogo''. He began his animation career in 1936 at The Walt ...

wrote two parodies of Mike Hammer first published in collections of original work of his Pogo comic strip. They were: "The Bloody Drip - by Mucky Spleen" (Uncle Pogo So-so Stories, 1953) and "Gore Blimey - The Bloody Drip Writhes Again " (Pogo Peek-A-Book, 1955). In 2013

Hermes Press Hermes Press is an American publisher of art books, comic books, and comic book reprints. The company was founded in 2000 and is best known for their archival reprints of classic comic book and strip series and art books. History Hermes Press was ...

reprinted the complete "Mike Hammer" comic strip, with a special introduction by Max Collins.

Audio

* Radio Series - A December 1952 to October 1954

Mutual Broadcasting System The Mutual Broadcasting System (commonly referred to simply as Mutual; sometimes referred to as MBS, Mutual Radio or the Mutual Radio Network) was an American commercial radio network in operation from 1934 to 1999. In the Old-time radio, golden ...

radio series titled ''That Hammer Guy'' starred

Larry Haines Larry Haines (born Larry Hecht; August 3, 1918 – July 17, 2008) was an American actor. Early years Haines was born on August 3, 1918 in Mount Vernon, New York. (Some sources say August 18, 1918, in the same city). He had been active in dramati ...

then George Petrie and Ted DeCorsia as Mike Hammer and

Jan Miner Jan Miner (October 15, 1917 – February 15, 2004) was an American actress best known for her role as the character "Madge", the manicurist in Palmolive dish-washing detergent television commercials beginning in the 1960s. Biography Early life ...

as Hammer's secretary Velda and the voice of other female characters on the show. It was written by Ed Adamson and was directed by Richard Lewis. * Audiobooks - An array of Spillane's novels have been produced as audiobooks. Several of these are performed by Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer veteran Stacy Keach. Examples include '' Black Alley'' (Penguin Audio, 1996), The Big Kill (Simon & Schuster, 2010) and The Killing Man (Simon & Schuster, 2010). Also, in 2015, Simon & Schuster released the unabridged version o
"I, The Jury"
narrated by Mike Dennis. * Blackstone Audio Productions - In 2008,

reprised the role of Mike Hammer in the first of a series of radio-style dramas entitled ''The New Adventures of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer''. Keach refers to the production style, that is somewhere between an audiobook and radio drama, as a "radio novel."Support for Games
/ref> http://supportforgames.com/

Audie Audie or Audy is a given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: * Audie Bock (born 1946), American film scholar and politician who served in the California State Assembly from 1999 to 2000 *Audie Cole (born 1989), American Nation ...

-nominated inaugural production features the episodes, ''Dangerous Days'' and ''Oil and Water''. Both were written exclusively for audio by M.J. Elliott and produced with a full cast, music and sound effects in radio drama style by Carl Amari of Falcon Picture Group, who personally selected Elliott to script the Audie Award-nominated dramas. Volume 2 of the series was released in 2009, featuring a 2.5 hour story entitled ''The Little Death''. The story was written exclusively for audio by

from a story by

and

. Volume 3, ''Encore for Murder'', was released in March 2011. All three volumes have been released by

Blackstone Audio Blackstone Audio is one of the largest independent audiobook publishers in the United States, offering over 30,000 audiobooks. The company is based in Ashland, Oregon with five in-house recording studios. Blackstone distributes directly to consu ...

and star Keach in the title role. Keach also arranges and performs the music featured in the productions and his wife, Malgosia Tomassi, portrays yoga instructor Maya Ricci.

In popular culture

* Novels featuring Hammer were referenced several times in '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine''. Both

Odo Odo or ODO may refer to: People * Odo, a given name; includes a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Franklin Odo (born 1939), Japanese-American historian * Seikichi Odo (1927–2002), Japanese karateka * Yuya Odo (born 1990), J ...

and Miles O'Brien were fans. * The film ''

The Hebrew Hammer ''The Hebrew Hammer'' is a 2003 American comedy film written and directed by Jonathan Kesselman. It stars Adam Goldberg, Judy Greer, Andy Dick, Mario Van Peebles, and Peter Coyote. The plot concerns a Jewish blaxploitation crime fighter known a ...

'' makes a reference to Mike Hammer as well. * Four direct to video films known as the "Maiku Hama" films were released in Japan: ** Waga jinsei saiaku no toki (The most terrible time in my life), 1994 ** Harukana jidai no kaidan o (The stairway to the distant past), 1995 ** Wana (The trap), 1996 ** Shiritsu tantei Hama Maiku: Namae no nai mori - 2002 * The

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese TV series ''Detective Mike'' stars a young detective called 'Hama Mike' (Japanese pronunciation of 'Mike Hammer'). * The 1986 video game ''Killed Until Dead'' by Artech Digital Entertainment features spoofs of famous characters including a "Mike Stammer". *

John Zorn John Zorn (born September 2, 1953) is an American composer, conductor, saxophonist, arranger and producer who "deliberately resists category". Zorn's avant-garde and experimental approaches to composition and improvisation are inclusive of jaz ...

's ''Spillane (album), Spillane'' is a tribute to Mickey Spillane, which uses quotes of Mike Hammer voiced by John Lurie. * The popular Canadian band Moist (Canadian band), Moist wrote a song titled "Mike Hammer" on their fourth studio album ''Mercedes 5 and Dime''. * A police detective sarcastically identifies himself as 'Mike Hammer' in ''The Secret in Their Eyes, El secreto de sus ojos'', the Academy Award, Academy Award-winning 2009 Argentina, Argentine film.

References

External links

Biography of Jack Stang - The Real Mike Hammer
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hammer, Mike Mike Hammer (character), Fictional private investigators Fictional World War II veterans Series of books, Mike Hammer Characters in pulp fiction Characters in American novels of the 20th century Literary characters introduced in 1947 Thriller film characters Male characters in film Male characters in literature