Mickey Spillane, dead at 88

While not exactlly a fantasy or science-fiction writer, he was still one of the great ones.  Famous for his Mike Hammer books and his rough-and-tumble pose style, Spillane was one of the more successful writers of his day.  And, according to <a target="_blank" href="http://tv.msn.com/tv/article.aspx?news=227868&GT1=7703">his obituary on MSN</a>, that's how he thought of himself, as a writer who sold his work.  It was a job to him, a way to make money, not high art.  I can respect that attitude.  Get it written and get it sold.  Interestingly enough, Spillane got his fiction-writing start in comics writing for Batman and Superman, but then World War II broke out and his plans changed.  After the war, he turned to full-length fiction to earn money.

Mickey Spillane died yesterday, Monday, July 17th, at the age of 88.  He was married three times and the father of four children.