Dick Tracy
17 primary works
Book 3
Complete Chester Gould's Dick Tracy Volume 3
by Chester Gould and Max Allan Collins
Published 11 December 2007
Presenting the third volume of IDW Publishing's deluxe hardcover collection of Chester Gould's timeless comic strip, Dick Tracy. Volume Three once again contains over 500 comic strips from the series' early years, this time covering material that originally ran from January 1935 through June 1936. This special volume features an introduction from Consulting Editor and longtime Tracy writer Max Allan Collins. Each volume will feature book design from award-winning designer/artist Ashley Wood. -The Library of American Comics is the world's #1 publisher of classic newspaper comic strips, with 14 Eisner Award nominations and three wins for best book.
Book 5
Presenting the fifth volume of IDW Publishing's deluxe hardcover collection of Chester Gould's timeless comic strip, Dick Tracy! Volume Five once again contains over 500 comic strips from the series' early years, this time covering material that originally ran from January 1938 through July 1939. Included in this collection are Tracy story arcs such as "Chief Shellberry," Karpse," "Scardol," and "Whip Chute."
Book 9
Chester Gould's fertile imagination continues at a breakneck pace, as he introduces The Brow, Flattop, Shaky, Breathless Mahoney, Measles, Gravel Gertie, B.O. Plenty, and the Summer Sisters!
Edited and designed by Eisner Award-winner Dean Mullaney, and containing all daily and Sunday comic strips from March 23, 1944 through September 19, 1945, this volume features an introduction by Max Allan Collins, and includes a special feature by Jeff Kersten of the Dick Tracy Museum about the famous radio program, "Dick Tracy in B-Flat," starring Bing Crosby, Dinah Shore, Frank Sinatra, Jimmy Durante, and Bob Hope!
Edited and designed by Eisner Award-winner Dean Mullaney, and containing all daily and Sunday comic strips from March 23, 1944 through September 19, 1945, this volume features an introduction by Max Allan Collins, and includes a special feature by Jeff Kersten of the Dick Tracy Museum about the famous radio program, "Dick Tracy in B-Flat," starring Bing Crosby, Dinah Shore, Frank Sinatra, Jimmy Durante, and Bob Hope!
Book 10
Calling all law-abiding citizens! Witness the introduction of the famous Two-Way Wrist Radio, created by the aptly-named Brilliant! Enjoy an ever-expanding cast that includes Diet Smith, Themesong, and Christmas Early, as well as the return of Vitamin Flintheart and Snowflake, while the two most unlikely characters get married! Thrill to the capers staged by the villains Influence, Shoulders, Itchy, Nilon Hose, and Gargles!
Edited and designed by Eisner Award-winner Dean Mullaney, with introductions by Max Allan Collins and Jeff Kersten, this collection contains all the Dick Tracy daily and Sunday comic strips published from September 20, 1945 through March 16, 1947.
Edited and designed by Eisner Award-winner Dean Mullaney, with introductions by Max Allan Collins and Jeff Kersten, this collection contains all the Dick Tracy daily and Sunday comic strips published from September 20, 1945 through March 16, 1947.
Book 14
What does Crewy Lou do with Bonny Braids? Dick and Tess’s baby isn’t the only child in danger in Volume 14: wait ‘til you meet Sparkle Plenty’s new best friend, "Little Wings," and discover the ominous reason she appears to glow in the dark! Chester Gould also ramps up the violence and death traps, introduces more inventions (closed circuit surveillance, the first broadcast police line-up), and more crazy characters such as Tonsils, Dot View, Mr. Crime, Odds Zonn, Newsuit Nan, and Spinner ReCord, plus the touching story of the girl known as Model. Including all strips from September 16, 1951 — April 18, 1953.
Book 15
In Volume 15, reprinting all daily and Sunday comic strips from April 19, 1953 to October 24, 1954, we learn the fate of "Little Wings" and her radioactive dad. On the lighter side, we meet Canhead (B.O.'s brother, Kincaid Plenty), his not-so-light and not-so-nice ex-wife Pony, and her crony, the downright creepy 3-D Magee. Meanwhile, Tracy has to deal with TNT vests and killer ants while showing Open-Mind Monty that he's no "dummy." Plus, the unlikely duo of Dewdrop and Sticks, the oversized Rainbow Reiley, and Chester Gould's latest and greatest grotesque: Rughead.
Book 16
In Volume 16 — reprinting strips from October 25, 1954 through May 13, 1956 — Chester Gould presents an amazing number of memorable characters: grotesques such as the murderous Rughead and a 467-lb. killer named Oodles, health faddist George Ozone and his wild boys named Neki and Hokey, the despicable "Nothing" Yonson, the amoral teenager Joe Period, and the introduction of nightclub photog-turned policewoman Lizz. Plus, for the first time, Gould brings back an old villain: Mumbles, who was thought drowned in 1947. And finally, he introduces what may be his most mature story of the 1950s — starring none other than Flattop Jr.!
Book 18
The 1950s just about came to a close in Volume Eighteen as Chester Gould introduces one character after another whose crimes start off as relatively petty, but who end up trapped in larger and more deadly conspiracies. New characters include the gamecock queen Miss Egghead, Cuban secret serviceman Wunbrow, the tragic Headache, and bizarre Popsie and her mother. Throw in a wacko named Pantsy, a cross-country chase after a million dollars of hidden heist loot, Tracy left for dead on a deserted island, a couple more million in slot machine coins, and a throwback to the 1940s in the Mole-lookalike named Rhodent, and it’s clear that Chester Gould is definitely not resting on his laurels. Included are all strips from December 15, 1957 through July 11, 1959.
Book 19
Dick Tracy meet Spots (a small-time grifter who suddenly gets big-time ambitions), a hitman named Halfa Million and his brother, the syndicate boss "Willie-the-Fifth," plus a legal eagle named Flyface, one of Chester Gould’s most visually memorable villains. Throw in a couple of skeletal remains, a death-dealing tidal wave, a gun moll named Olive Tomate, and the return of B.O. Plenty, Gravel Gertie, and a plump cereal-overeating Sparkle Plenty — then watch the sparks fly, as Dick Tracy nears its thirtieth anniversary in the complete strips from July 12, 1959 through February 19, 1961.
Book 20
Dick Tracy embarks on a seven-month-long complicated manhunt when he relentlessly tracks the Brush and a million-dollar sack of cash—but with his foe on the lam without his trademark face wig, Tracy doesn't even know what the murderer looks like! The dauntless detective also encounters killer chimps and slashing panthers, protects Little Boy Beard from a deadly revenge plot, investigates a shady surgeon named Keip Choppin, and finds himself immersed in a forty-year-old cold case suddenly turned very hot. The strip enters its fourth decade as Chester Gould also presents a poignant story that rivals the "Model" narrative, when Tracy has to protect Junior from disturbing news about an important figure from the boy's past. Included are all strips from February 20, 1961 through August 26, 1962.
Book 23
The iconic square-jawed detective's adventures fighting a menagerie of grotesque villains remain a highlight both of comics history and of crime fiction as a whole. The series is ripe for introduction to crime prose readers who haven't previously ventured into comics.
Tracy is on the trail of the aptly-named Mr. Bribery and his equally grotesque sister, Ugly Christine, in a story that also features a substance-abusing witch doctor and a shelf of shrunken heads. Meanwhile, newlyweds Junior and Moon Maid enter the story, and Dick Tracy’s troubles are compounded when he comes face to face with master criminal Haf-and-Haf, one side of whose face is hideously disfigured. Included are all strips from December 27, 1965 to July 2, 1967.
Tracy is on the trail of the aptly-named Mr. Bribery and his equally grotesque sister, Ugly Christine, in a story that also features a substance-abusing witch doctor and a shelf of shrunken heads. Meanwhile, newlyweds Junior and Moon Maid enter the story, and Dick Tracy’s troubles are compounded when he comes face to face with master criminal Haf-and-Haf, one side of whose face is hideously disfigured. Included are all strips from December 27, 1965 to July 2, 1967.
Book 24
The iconic square-jawed detective's adventures fighting a menagerie of grotesque villains remain a highlight in the history of comics and of crime fiction in general. This series is ripe to introduce to crime prose readers who haven't previously ventured into comics.
Chester Gould's morality play enters the late '60s, as the cartoonist tackles concepts of retribution, constitutional rights, economic warfare, and Space Age intrigue--all amidst the usual array of murder and violence. The stakes, however, seem higher, and the body count soars: death in space, on the high seas, behind closed doors--by gun, by laser, by asphyxiation, by explosion, and by freezing. The action moves from Earth to the lunar surface as Moon Maid zaps bad guys, Lizz goes undercover, Tracy nearly loses his head--and, when Diet Smith sets up a factory on the moon, will mankind also export greed and murder to its crime-free orbiting satellite? Bad guys include steely mobster Piggy Butcher, Chin Chillar, underworld boss Mr. Intro, and the bootlegger named Posie, among others. Plus the return of Sparkle Plenty and a special feature about the aborted 1967 Dick Tracy TV show from the same producer who made Batman a pop culture icon. Included are all strips from July 3, 1967 to April 2, 1969.
Chester Gould's morality play enters the late '60s, as the cartoonist tackles concepts of retribution, constitutional rights, economic warfare, and Space Age intrigue--all amidst the usual array of murder and violence. The stakes, however, seem higher, and the body count soars: death in space, on the high seas, behind closed doors--by gun, by laser, by asphyxiation, by explosion, and by freezing. The action moves from Earth to the lunar surface as Moon Maid zaps bad guys, Lizz goes undercover, Tracy nearly loses his head--and, when Diet Smith sets up a factory on the moon, will mankind also export greed and murder to its crime-free orbiting satellite? Bad guys include steely mobster Piggy Butcher, Chin Chillar, underworld boss Mr. Intro, and the bootlegger named Posie, among others. Plus the return of Sparkle Plenty and a special feature about the aborted 1967 Dick Tracy TV show from the same producer who made Batman a pop culture icon. Included are all strips from July 3, 1967 to April 2, 1969.
Book 25
The adventures of this iconic square-jawed detective fighting a menagerie of grotesque villains remain one of the highlights in the history of not just comics but crime fiction in general. The series is ripe to introduce to crime prose readers who haven't previously ventured into comics.
Dick Tracy closes out the 1960s by moonlighting--literally! The master sleuth takes a part-time second job as Head of Security and Law Enforcement for Diet Smith's operations based on the moon. Soon Tracy learns that an international crime syndicate, the Apparatus, has infiltrated Smith's organization on the lunar surface. Determined to expand its nefarious empire, the Apparatus snares Dick and Tess Tracy, leaving them caught in one of the most frightening death traps in the history of the series. In the aftermath Dick Tracy is left blind, with the killers still after him! Tracy then meets Tinky, a young blind girl who will play a key role throughout the 1970s.
Two other major characters are also introduced. First is cartoonist Vera Alldid, who comes looking for his step-uncle B.O. Plenty and instead finds himself enamored with B.O. and Gravel Gertie's daughter Sparkle. Is there such a thing as "kissin' step-cousins?" The second is Groovy Grove, fresh from prison after serving twelve years for a crime he didn't commit. Groovy joins the police force and not only has to defend himself against a blackmail scheme from his former cellmate, Diamonds, and his accomplice the Doll...he has to rescue kidnapped little Tinky! All this and more in these classic Chester Gould comic strips, from April 3, 1969 to December 23, 1970.
Dick Tracy closes out the 1960s by moonlighting--literally! The master sleuth takes a part-time second job as Head of Security and Law Enforcement for Diet Smith's operations based on the moon. Soon Tracy learns that an international crime syndicate, the Apparatus, has infiltrated Smith's organization on the lunar surface. Determined to expand its nefarious empire, the Apparatus snares Dick and Tess Tracy, leaving them caught in one of the most frightening death traps in the history of the series. In the aftermath Dick Tracy is left blind, with the killers still after him! Tracy then meets Tinky, a young blind girl who will play a key role throughout the 1970s.
Two other major characters are also introduced. First is cartoonist Vera Alldid, who comes looking for his step-uncle B.O. Plenty and instead finds himself enamored with B.O. and Gravel Gertie's daughter Sparkle. Is there such a thing as "kissin' step-cousins?" The second is Groovy Grove, fresh from prison after serving twelve years for a crime he didn't commit. Groovy joins the police force and not only has to defend himself against a blackmail scheme from his former cellmate, Diamonds, and his accomplice the Doll...he has to rescue kidnapped little Tinky! All this and more in these classic Chester Gould comic strips, from April 3, 1969 to December 23, 1970.
Book 26
The adventures of the iconic square-jawed detective fighting a menagerie of bizarre villains remains one of the highlights in the history of not just comics, but crime fiction in general.
Having returned to policing duty on Planet Earth, former Space Sheriff Tracy finds a world markedly changed from the one he left. Feeling handcuffed by expanded legal protections afforded suspects and stricter guidelines of evidence, Tracy all but begs bad guys to shoot first, and he may get his wish, thanks to nemeses such as explosion-crazed Jonny Scorn, the hand-grenade toting revolutionary called El Tigress, and the aptly-named Dope King, in a story that features Tracy's most direct assault on drug traffickers, coinciding with Richard Nixon's "War on Drugs!"
These early '70s adventures also see the dauntless detective facing off against one of the strip's best late-era grotesque villains: Pouch, who uses a repulsive hidden flap in his neck to hide anything from stolen diamonds to automatic pistols. The plot also features a rare return by an earlier villain, as the Mole is released from prison after serving nineteen years, only to learn his granddaughter, Molene, is part of Pouch's gang!
All this, plus: Tracy grows a mustache, Groovy seems to fall for a certain long-legged policewoman, and Gravel Gertie tries to figure out the mysterious link between the world's oldest tattoo artist and a million dollars in missing gems. Finally, an attempted burglary of rare metals from Diet Smith's plant introduces Peanut Butter, the smartest kid in the strip since Brilliant, the inventor of the Two-Way Wrist Radio.
Volume 26 reprints all dailies and Sundays from December 24, 1970 to September 27, 1972.
Having returned to policing duty on Planet Earth, former Space Sheriff Tracy finds a world markedly changed from the one he left. Feeling handcuffed by expanded legal protections afforded suspects and stricter guidelines of evidence, Tracy all but begs bad guys to shoot first, and he may get his wish, thanks to nemeses such as explosion-crazed Jonny Scorn, the hand-grenade toting revolutionary called El Tigress, and the aptly-named Dope King, in a story that features Tracy's most direct assault on drug traffickers, coinciding with Richard Nixon's "War on Drugs!"
These early '70s adventures also see the dauntless detective facing off against one of the strip's best late-era grotesque villains: Pouch, who uses a repulsive hidden flap in his neck to hide anything from stolen diamonds to automatic pistols. The plot also features a rare return by an earlier villain, as the Mole is released from prison after serving nineteen years, only to learn his granddaughter, Molene, is part of Pouch's gang!
All this, plus: Tracy grows a mustache, Groovy seems to fall for a certain long-legged policewoman, and Gravel Gertie tries to figure out the mysterious link between the world's oldest tattoo artist and a million dollars in missing gems. Finally, an attempted burglary of rare metals from Diet Smith's plant introduces Peanut Butter, the smartest kid in the strip since Brilliant, the inventor of the Two-Way Wrist Radio.
Volume 26 reprints all dailies and Sundays from December 24, 1970 to September 27, 1972.
Book 27
The adventures of this iconic square-jawed detective fighting a menagerie of grotesque villains remains one of the highlights in the history of not just comics but crime fiction in general.
With one end of a rope around Tracy's neck and the other end attached to an innocent young boy hanging out of a high-rise window, Chester Gould proves that he can still invent unique death traps for the sharp-jawed detective. The tension and excitement continue throughout the stories collected in this book, as Tracy and his team are led on one relentless chase after another. And just when they think they've captured the criminal mastermind known as "Button," he escapes...and escapes again!
Also featured are Button's sister named Hope Lezz; the knife-throwing ex-vaudevillian Keeno-the-Great; a con man named Big Brass, who peddles atomic nose rings; and a seemingly demure grandmother named Florabelle, who dresses up her long-dead brother's skull with a wig, hat, shirt, tie, and cigar...and just happens to keep a razor-sharp guillotine in her basement. Things never slow down in Dick Tracy Volume 27, which reprints all dailies and Sundays from September 25, 1972 to July 6, 1974.
With one end of a rope around Tracy's neck and the other end attached to an innocent young boy hanging out of a high-rise window, Chester Gould proves that he can still invent unique death traps for the sharp-jawed detective. The tension and excitement continue throughout the stories collected in this book, as Tracy and his team are led on one relentless chase after another. And just when they think they've captured the criminal mastermind known as "Button," he escapes...and escapes again!
Also featured are Button's sister named Hope Lezz; the knife-throwing ex-vaudevillian Keeno-the-Great; a con man named Big Brass, who peddles atomic nose rings; and a seemingly demure grandmother named Florabelle, who dresses up her long-dead brother's skull with a wig, hat, shirt, tie, and cigar...and just happens to keep a razor-sharp guillotine in her basement. Things never slow down in Dick Tracy Volume 27, which reprints all dailies and Sundays from September 25, 1972 to July 6, 1974.
Book 28
The adventures of this iconic square-jawed detective fighting a menagerie of grotesque villains remains one of the highlights in the history of not just comics but crime fiction in general.
In these latter-day Dick Tracy adventures Chester Gould again proves that he was never one to rest on his laurels. The square-jawed detective fights it out with one thug after another, including Lispy and the visually grotesque villain appropriately named The Brain. These stories are replete with murder, suicide, gangland execution, dope smuggling, a deadly natural disaster, and not one but two main characters on the verge of death. The singular motive behind it all? Money, plenty of money.
All this and the return of retired Chief Brandon in the penultimate volume of Chester Gould's Dick Tracy, collecting strips from July 7, 1974 to March 14, 1976.
In these latter-day Dick Tracy adventures Chester Gould again proves that he was never one to rest on his laurels. The square-jawed detective fights it out with one thug after another, including Lispy and the visually grotesque villain appropriately named The Brain. These stories are replete with murder, suicide, gangland execution, dope smuggling, a deadly natural disaster, and not one but two main characters on the verge of death. The singular motive behind it all? Money, plenty of money.
All this and the return of retired Chief Brandon in the penultimate volume of Chester Gould's Dick Tracy, collecting strips from July 7, 1974 to March 14, 1976.
Book 29
This last volume in the series completes the iconic comic series by Chester Gould. The adventures of this iconic square-jawed detective fighting a menagerie of grotesque villains remains one of the highlights in the history of not just comics but crime fiction in general.
After 46 years-two months-and-twentyone-days writing and drawing Dick Tracy Chester Gould retired at the age of 77. In these historic final strips, Gould pits his dynamic detective against the latest in a long line of grotesque villains--Pucker Puss, the hitman who literally spits death at his opponents. Tracy, meanwhile, takes his law and order campaign to television, while his past catches up to him when a criminal he helped convict twenty years ago puts the detective on his "to kill" list. To round out this volume, the squadroom is kept busy with two members of B.O. Plenty's extended family who are anything but law-abiding--Perfume Plenty and her larcenous cousin Dade. All this and more in the ultimate volume of Chester Gould's Dick Tracy, collecting strips from March 15, 1976 to December 25, 1977.
The series is ripe to introduce to crime prose readers who haven't previously ventured into comics.
After 46 years-two months-and-twentyone-days writing and drawing Dick Tracy Chester Gould retired at the age of 77. In these historic final strips, Gould pits his dynamic detective against the latest in a long line of grotesque villains--Pucker Puss, the hitman who literally spits death at his opponents. Tracy, meanwhile, takes his law and order campaign to television, while his past catches up to him when a criminal he helped convict twenty years ago puts the detective on his "to kill" list. To round out this volume, the squadroom is kept busy with two members of B.O. Plenty's extended family who are anything but law-abiding--Perfume Plenty and her larcenous cousin Dade. All this and more in the ultimate volume of Chester Gould's Dick Tracy, collecting strips from March 15, 1976 to December 25, 1977.
The series is ripe to introduce to crime prose readers who haven't previously ventured into comics.