Episode 324. We read Secret Identity by Alex Segura, a prose novel set in the world of 1970s comic book publishers. Carmen Valdez is a publisher's secretary trying to break in as a writer, and when she finally gets the chance to introduce her own superhero, her co-creator winds up dead and her name is missing from the comic's byline. We discuss the myriad mysteries in this book beyond the whodunnit, the moral murkiness that makes it a noir story, the worldbuilding of fictional comic companies alongside the real works of Marvel and DC, and racking up bills taking informants out for dinner.
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