Frank Vatel
@Vatel1675
Reader, watcher, and scribbler of noir. Also, book-cover illustrator and designer. Published by Punk Noir Magazine, Bristol Noir, and Reckon Review.
Finally got to combine my day job—illustration and design—with my love of crime fiction. That’s right, I’m officially a pulp-cover artist. DM me, writers and publishers. I work for reasonable rates! And buy BOP CITY SWING by Proctor & Thayer. It’s an amazing hardboiled novel!
I agree, @heyThomasTrang. A person’s reading universe should always expand. It shouldn’t contract, especially at the behest of others. Those who argue otherwise—no matter how noble their reasons—fill me with a very particular kind of dread. We’ve seen this movie before.
Getting a contact high from reading this statement of intent. Yes, please. And preferably in that order.
A day of reading and writing. I’m in.
When you have no sweat glands and the laws of gravity cease to exist. @RussellThayer10
Because of course Ava Gardner looked like this playing tennis.
Trump sent officials to see Ghislaine Maxwell quicker than he sent FEMA to Texas
Amazon claims to have "miscalculated" revenues paid us last month and as a result are docking this month's revenues, on which we rely to pay writers and artists and keep the magazine going. If you want to fill holes in your collection, now's a great time amazon.com/dp/B095ND66GC
A real treat tonight on #NoirAlley. RIFIFI might warrant consideration as the most entertaining of all French crime films merely on the strength of its characters. When you fold that breathless, thirty-minute heist sequence into the mix, it becomes a thing of wonder. #TCMParty
You might love a film, but that’s where it usually ends. This is a film I wish I’d WRITTEN.
Marathon Man (1976) screens in 35mm August 13th - 15th.
The color palette of our childhoods, that is. Boomers—as always—are to be held responsible.
Our editor has a creepy story (well, he thinks so) in the excellent B&H today.
Short story "Lake Trout" by Anthony Neil Smith “I dumped Harriet into Grindstone Lake in broad daylight. Pulled my truck off the road, heaved her body bag over my shoulder and away she went.” bloodhoneylit.com/fiction/lake-t…
Didn’t love THE CAPTAIN MUST DIE, so I decided to give Robert Colby another try with MURDER MISTRESS. Once again, my reaction is mixed. The author writes nicely complicated heroes, but his villains are caricatures and the suitcase-fulla-cash plot loses steam. A slight miss.
No wonder Maigret was so busy down at the Paris Police Judiciaire!!! @carlottadale38 @MEProctor3
This month STONE'S THROW wants stories of the Earth in revolt. Hundred year storms every other month. Flash flooding. Tornados. Fire-nados. Bee-nados. Shark-nados. How do your characters cope? And do some of them see opportunity in the face of disaster? Submissions open Aug 1-5.
After watching a Michael Haneke film, there’s always a moment when I wonder if he’s the greatest director in the world. The Criterion Channel is now showcasing a large collection of his films, including some early works I’ll be chuffed to see for the first time.
Hey, Murder In Common did a mini review of Bop City Swing, the more I dwell into noir, the more I love it. Cheers @RussellThayer10 and @Vatel1675 (got my poster of the cover!) Thanks @JuneLorraineR 😍 murderincommon.com/2025/07/20/m-e…
WIFE: That couple doesn’t like me. ME: I can tell. The guy just made a nasty face. WIFE: Pffft, whatever. Loser shoes! ME: Is that something all the kids are saying, or did you just make it up? WIFE: Make what up? Did you see his shoes? They’re loser shoes.
"There's two ways to do things, God's way and your way." "Well between the two, I'll take my way. It pays better." It's an honor to have a piece at @slicesofanxiety. 5K words, and I'd be thrilled to be in your TBR pile. athinsliceofanxiety.com/2025/07/fictio…