Mickey Spillane and Mike Hammer; Love and Hoods

Spillane's books are laced with sex and violence. This was his staple diet and he created a character named Mike Hammer who has all the trademark of the original Bond. He is strong, macho and a man who loves the company of women. He is an ex cop and he fights the hoods at their game. Mickey created Mike Hammer as a hood, a lawman hood to catch the evil hoods. Mickey always felt that to catch a hood you needed a hood. Mike hammer was loved by the reading public in the fifties and sixties of the last century. I understand Mike Hammer's books alone sold 60 million copies. That is a massive figure. Mike also killed without compunction and loved and left women like pebbles on a beach.

Spillane was a veritable machine and churned out some 18 books with him as hero. Prominent are "I The Jury", "My Gun is quick", "vengeance is Mine", " One lonely Night", " the Big Kill" and many more. One can't forget the last line of a I the Jury, which ends with the lines " Juno was a man !".

Mike Hammer endeared himself to the American public and a string of TV serials about him have sprung on the screen. The last serial was in 1997 with Stacy Keach playing the role of Mike Hammer. Hollywood was not far behind and over 20 films with Mike hammer as the central character have been made. The last being " Come Die With me " in 1994 and a compilation " Mike Hammer: song Bird" in 2003. Spillane was a genius and deserves credit in literature's hall of fame. I place the character Mike Hammer on a par with James Bond