A while back--make that a couple of years ago--I finally checked out a comic series that was given the spotlight in the "Comics You Should Own" column for the Comics Should Be Good blog on Comic Book Resources. That series was the 1988 whodunit mystery comic "The Maze Agency", by writer Mike W. Barr (Batman and the Outsiders) and artist Adam Hughes (Justice League America, among others).
The comic itself had a history of changing publishers during its original run, starting out at Comico before reappearing at Innovation, then having stories appear in two comics published by Alpha Productions before winding up at Caliber Comics. Currently, IDW has the rights to the series. (Though a prose story appeared in 2009 courtesy of Moonstone.)
As for the story within the series, the style is a homage to the Ellery Queen mystery series, in that the mysteries are fair-play whodunits. Barr is a fan of Ellery Queen, so much that he incorporated that particular style of mystery into The Maze Agency--so much so, that in issue 9 of the series, he had Ellery Queen the character guest-star (as part of the character's then-60th anniversary).
The series focuses on the Maze Agency, a New York-based PI firm owned and run by Jennifer Mays, an ex-CIA agent-turned-private detective. With each mystery that's presented to her, she frequently teams with her on-again, off-again lover Gabriel Webb, a true-crime writer with aspirations of writing more thought-provoking stories. Their relationship serves as the series' core, reminiscent of the Bruce Willis/Cybil Shepherd dynamic in Moonlighting (which was airing on TV around the time The Maze Agency first came out). As thrillingdetective.com's entry on the series states:
"It's a real relationship, suitably adult, and their differences make them an interesting, appealing and very effective combination. She's always dressed impeccably, he tends to to raggedy jeans and Patrick Henry University (his alma mater) sweatshirts. She never has a hair out of place, he usually needs a shave. She works out and is a member of the New York Smal Businesswoman's Club, he's a couch potato and bookworm. She drives a classic red and white 1955 Corvette, he drives a multi-hued old clunker. She's ready to slug it out with the bad guys, he'd rather call in the cops."
A sample of this kind of banter:
I definitely saw how appealing all that was when I read IDW's TPB reprinting the first five issues of the series, plus the try-out story originally drawn by Alan Davis. But hey, don't just take my word for it, check out the aforementioned Comics You Should Own entry:
http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2010/08/16/comics-you-should-own-the-maze-agency/
And this, for good measure:
http://www.thrillingdetective.com/maze.html
It made me think that this would make a great movie adaptation, so my fancast gears started turning....
Here's how I picture a Maze Agency picture:
1. The movie would be a period piece taking place in the late 80's, complete with an appropriate music track befitting such a time period.
2. It would be an anthology movie, with Jennifer and Gabe solving four mysteries total in the film. This was the same kind of approach that was done with the 1983 adaptation of The Twilight Zone.
3. Barr himself would consult on the screenplay for the film, to lend a bit more authenticity to the story. This was similar to my idea for Mike Grell to consult on the screenplay for my figurative film based on "Jon Sable Freelance".
And it wouldn't be a decent movie without a talented cast bringing the characters to life (do note--I was unable to find pics of a few characters, so bear with me on this one):
"Jennifer Mays is a smart, tough, and sexy ex-CIA agent who runs the private detective agency for which the comic is named. Gabriel Webb is one of the few people to see her softer, tender side." After leaving the CIA, Jen worked for a time at Swift Investigations, owned by Ashley Swift, but later left to start her own agency. For a time, she was involved with a married man named Arthur Drogan who died under very bad circumstances, causing his ex-wife to blame Jen. In a bit of role-reversal, she's got a long-suffering male secretary by the name of Sandy. Her parents are also constantly bickering.
McAdams has that same kind of sex appeal that I see in Mays, but also has the right amount of talent to really bring out Mays' character on-screen. I was also partially inspired by her Irene Adler in the two Guy Ritchie "Sherlock Holmes" films.
"Gabriel Webb is a true-crime writer who longs to create more cerebral stories than his sensationalist editors like. He's a little scatterbrained and easily distracted, but has a first-rate deductive mind. Although, he's romantically involved with May and helps her with many of her cases, he feels that the relationship makes accepting her repeated offer to join her business professionally inappropriate. As a former student of theology, Gabe is able to pull out an appropriate bible quotation whenever he needs one." He's also the guy responsible for 'The Summation' at the end of each mystery. Whenever he stumbles upon a good clue or a sudden realization, he always says "It's as simple as gravity..."
Wilson was my immediate choice for playing Gabe. He looks like the character, and can definitely play a character like him. I could imagine he and McAdams would have great chemistry together.
"Detective Roberta Bliss is an NYPD homicide detective of Puerto Rican descent whom Webb and Mays often deal with in solving cases. She is sometimes annoyed by their tendency to complicate cases, but knows that they have the ability to crack murders that she'd have a hard time solving alone." Bliss is one of the most well-developed of the supporting cast, and does have a good relationship with Mays and Webb. At one point she states that she downplays her Puerto Rican heritage because she doesn’t want to be accused of getting special treatment from her superiors. She also has a few issues with her ex-husband, and is mother to two boys.
I picked Ortiz based on her performance as Det. Anna Ramirez in "Batman: Gotham Knight", and felt she would be great as one of the two Inspector Lestrades to Mays and Webbs' Holmes and Watson, with the other one being...
Juliana Marguiles as Ashley Swift
"Ashley Swift is the head of the rival Swift Detective Agency, and Jennifer's former boss. She's a good detective, though not as good as Jen and Gabe, but her arrogance has a habit of rubbing her ex-employee the wrong way." Basically, every time Ashley shows up to a crime scene and starts acting superior to Jen, it ticks her off as she's solved more cases than Ashley has.
Citing her ruthless character from The Good Wife, I thought Marguiles would be an interesting match as a rival to McAdams' Jennifer Mays. I could certainly see the two trading barbs as one of them tries to solve the case before the other.
Michael Cera as Sandy
Sandy, as mentioned before, is Jen's long-suffering guy secretary. In the series, we don't learn much about him until the 21st issue, where it's revealed he's gay and has had issues with his father.
I thought this would be an interesting role for Cera, it's certainly different from the usual unlucky nerds he's played for a while now.
Jeff Garlin as Sgt. Stubbs
Stubbs is Bliss's overweight, cigar-chomping schlub of a partner in the NYPD.
I thought Garlin would be funny enough to provide some of the comic relief in the movie, and this character definitely fit what I had in mind for him.
*Guest Character Crossover*
Johnny Lee Miller as Ellery Queen
If any of you here are mystery readers, you all know who Ellery Queen is. Queen was featured in the 9th issue of The Maze Agency, so I figured it would make this movie a bit interesting to feature a literary detective not as high-profile as say, Sherlock Holmes, Miss Marple, Poirot, or Sam Spade. While Miller is already playing a take on Sherlock Holmes, I think this would be an interesting challenge for him to take on.
And now, the plots of the four mysteries in the movie, each based on a classic issue of the series:
1. "The Adventure of the Rogue's Gallery"
"When international art thief The Rogue decides to come out of retirement for one last heist, the gallery calls on Jennifer Mays, an ex-CIA operative turned New York City private detective, to stop him. Things get really weird when The Rogue steals the frames but leaves the paintings. Together with her new love interest, crime novelist Gabriel Webb, Jennifer falls into a web of intrigue."
2. "The Murder: The Lost Episodes"
"Gabe Webb is so excited about the nine "lost episodes" of his favorite old TV sitcom that he doesn't care how they've resurfaced! Private detective Jennifer Mays begins her investigation when a crime is committed... and a corpse is the result!"
3. "The Death Warmed Over"
"Cryogenics divides the family of a man whose attempted resurrection is tearing them apart! Is it an act of love, or inconceivable blasphemy?! Strong convictions lead to rather rash results and yet another murder case for the MAZE Agency. Meanwhile, Jennifer's personal life is no great shakes either--could Jen be seeing green where Gabe's concerned?"
4. "The English Channeler Mystery"
"Gabe, Jennifer, and famous sleuth Ellery Queen stalk a killer who moves through sand without a clue - and who has been dead for 10,000 years! Margaret Chalmers-Rune claims that she can channel the spirit of Noraga, whose body "died 10 centuries ago when the seas swallowed Atlantis," but Margaret is poisoned after delivering an ominous message... and her husband asks Ellery Queen to solve the case. Meanwhile, her stepson and daughter have engaged Jennifer and Gabe. As the bodies pile up, Gabe and Ellery both try to deduce the identity of the killer. Who will solve the crime first?"
And there you have it, another fancast all wrapped up with no loose ends...or is it?
For taking the time to look at this--Ladies and gentlemen, straight from the soundtrack of Beverly Hills Cop II, BOB SEGER AND THE SILVER BULLET BAND: