Eddy Deco's Last Caper

by Gahan Wilson

In words and pictures, the popular "New Yorker" cartoonist and short story author parodys the classic Sam Spade-type, hard-boiled detective novel in this story of hard-drinking private detective Eddy Deco

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller

213 pages, Hardcover

First published October 12, 1987

About the author

Gahan Wilson was an American author, cartoonist and illustrator known for his cartoons depicting horror-fantasy situations.

Wilson's cartoons and illustrations are drawn in a playfully grotesque style, and have a dark humor that is often compared to the work of The New Yorker cartoonist and Addams Family creator Charles Addams. But while both men sometimes feature vampires, graveyards and other traditional horror elements in their work, Addams's cartoons tended to be more gothic, reserved and old-fashioned, while Wilson's work is more contemporary, gross, and confrontational, featuring atomic mutants, subway monsters, and serial killers. It could be argued that Addams's work was probably meant to be funny without a lot of satirical intent, while Wilson often has a very specific point to make.

His cartoons and prose fiction have appeared regularly in Playboy, Collier's Weekly, The New Yorker and The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. For the last he also wrote some movie and book reviews. He has been a movie review columnist for The Twilight Zone Magazine and a book critic for Realms of Fantasy magazine.

His comic strip Nuts, which appeared in National Lampoon, was a reaction against what he saw as the saccharine view of childhood in strips like Peanuts. His hero The Kid sees the world as a dark, dangerous and unfair place, but just occasionally a fun one too.

Wilson also wrote and illustrated a short story for Harlan Ellison's anthology Again, Dangerous Visions. The "title" is a black blob, and the story is about an ominous black blob that appears on the page, growing at an alarming rate, until... He has contributed short stories to other publications as well; "M1" and "The Zombie Butler" both appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction and were reprinted in Gahan Wilson's Cracked Cosmos.

Additionally, Gahan Wilson created a computer game titled Gahan Wilson's The Ultimate Haunted House, in conjunction with Byron Preiss. The goal is to collect 13 keys in 13 hours from the 13 rooms of a house, by interacting in various ways with characters (such as a two-headed monster, a mad scientist, and a vampiress), objects, and the house itself.

He received the World Fantasy Convention Award in 1981, and the National Cartoonist Society's Milton Caniff Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005.

Gahan Wilson is the subject of a feature length documentary film, Gahan Wilson: Born Dead, Still Weird, directed by Steven-Charles Jaffe.

Reviews

[GlenK · Rating 4 out of 5]

This 1987 work - from the bizarre mind of artist/cartoonist Gahan Wilson - is subtitled “An Illustrated Mystery” and is a loving homage to vintage private eye novels. Set in what would seem to be the 1930s and what would seem to be something like New York City, “Eddie Deco’s Last Caper” reads like “The Big Sleep” with a bit of the film “Big Trouble in Little China” plus space aliens mixed with H.P. Lovecraft. Wilson also stocks the book with some iconic and very recognizable characters: an Edward G. Robinson type is there as owner of - what else - Rico’s, and Peter Lorre also shows up. This is an entertaining, convoluted treat with the reader - as a bonus - finding out what skyscrapers really are.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is really more science fiction than anything else, but there's plenty of hard boiled tropes thrown in as well. Not what I was expecting, but still very fun. I don't read illustrated prove novels often (I read plenty of graphic novels) so this was a nice change of pace.

Plenty of great art and a funny story. If you are familiar with Gahan Wilson, you'll have some idea of what to expect.

[Gareth Howells · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent and unique book that has Wilson's unmistakable illustrations on every page. It's a noir tale with a twist.

[Tom Donaghey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eddy Deco’s Last Caper (1987) by Gahan Wilson. You may best know Mr. Wilson as a cartoonists and artist. His works have often appeared in the New Yorker and Playboy as well as many other magazines. His work is strange but funny, if you can get the joke.
This is an illustrated detective noir set in something that resembles a New York of the 1940s. The title character is a down-on-his-heels detective of the title and there is a murder to be solved. From this point in the story begins to become bizarre, a world that Mr. Wilson has drawn before. And a nice surprise is the narrative is broken by illustrations that give the reader Eddy’s view of the situation, something novel in a novel.
The book stands up to rereading as it is easy to forget what very unexpected twists there are. But like the mysteries of the golden age, all the clues to the identity of the killer is on display. It is up to you a solve it if you can.
Enjoy to voyage back to another place and time.

[Jc · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are a lover of Mr. Wilson’s bizarre, horror-fantasy cartoons, you will love this little homage to the 1930s noir private eye (ala Sam Spade or Philip Marlowe). Wilson of course has his own special approach to the writing – many scenes can only be understood if you examine the accompanying illustrations which are Eddy Deco’s eye view of what is happening. Less a pastiche than a loving satire of the pulp fiction era detective yarn. What makes this particularly intriguing is that the 1930s atmosphere is laid upon a late 1980s landscape. Also fun: trying to catch his references, both to fictional characters and to real life people. Don’t expect deep literature here, this is just Wilson having fun – and giving pleasure to his audience.

[Laura Rye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, so its not really a mystery....but it uses almost every 1920s-30s gangster cliche' in the book. It was good light reading--a change from the heavy murder mysteries...and hey, it has brilliant illustrations by Gahan Wilson too. If you know his work---well, you know his work....and the drawings are pure gold. The story itself----well, I can see when Men in Black might have gotten some of its ideas.... its a sci-fi/fantasy/mystery....a quick light read...fairly entertaining...not too deep....but as I have said-- the illustrations are pure gold....If you like Gahan's work give this a try.

[Jade · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always found Gahan Wilson unnerving. And this book sealed that impression. It’s a good caper, filled with horror . . . and cannot be read without fully understanding the illustrations.

[Fishface · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delicious Forties-style noir detective story by Gahan Wilson, with that special touch you've come to expect from him. Needless to say it was illustrated by the author. Here's the really cool thing that I've never seen in any other book: every few pages, an illustration will stand in for the text, so you're reading along, and turn the page, and see what the hero is seeing, so it doesn't have to be explained in print. This book is incredibly inventive and original, and it only gets better with re-reading.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book. Wilson is one of the cartoonists who was very influential in my appreciation of the macabre and just plain weird. It is exactly what a book by Gahan Wilson should be.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun book, worth a read. 3/4 written 1/4 pictures