Words and Drawings by Phil McAndrew
This is my uncle Stan. He’s still living, so this one isn’t based on any old photos or newspaper clippings or anything. Uncle Stan is, of all things, a private investigator. I don’t actually know much about what sort of cases he usually takes, but I like to imagine him tailing people, wearing disguises and going on stake-outs.
And hey! ARE YOU MAN ENOUGH and several other fine mini comics are still available in my store. I want to get rid of these things!
I know Max wrote fiction and had at least one novel published in the 40’s (I think), “The Piano Murders.” I can’t seem to find anything anything about him or the book online, so my guess is that it’s been out of print for quite a while. I don’t have a copy of the book, but I’m told that there is one somewhere in my grandmother’s house.
Aside from some photos and a clipping of a brief but nice review of The Piano Murders from a newspaper (not sure which paper it’s from), I do have what appears to be an unfinished short story or a draft of the first chapter of a book. It’s written by hand and has scribbles and notes all over it, so it’s pretty tough to read. I may attempt to type it up for you guys at some point.
I don’t have any evidence of it, but some of my older living family members are pretty sure that Max spent some time living in Hollywood, possibly writing screenplays. I can’t find him on IMDB, but I do know that back in the 30’s and 40’s it wasn’t uncommon for screenwriters to work uncredited or under pseudonyms.
