Chester Gould's Dick Tracy

I’ve been asked to recommend one volume of IDW’s “The Library of American Comics” Dick Tracy series. First, a brief overview. Volumes 1-6 contain strips from 1931-1941 in which Tracy fights mainly gangsters. Unlike other “Library of American Comics” series, Dick Tracy Sundays are reprinted in black and white. Chester Gould really hit his stride in the 1940s, so I’m going to look at the major players of volumes 7-11 in a bit more detail before making my recommendation.

doc photo said:

If you were to recommend one Dick Tracy volume from IDW which would it be? I'd like to jump in at a point where one or two of Tracy's rogues gallery are featured.

Volume 7 (1941-42): Little Face Finny, The Mole, BB Eyes, plus the introduction of Frizzletop.

Volume 8 (1942-44): Pruneface, Laffy, 88 Keys, Mrs. Pruneface, and the first half of the Flattop story, plus the introduction of Vitamin Flintheart.

Volume 9 (1944-45): Villains: Flattop, The Brow, Shaky, Measles, and Breathless Mahoney, plus the beginning of the Itchy Oliver story. Friends: Gravel Gertie, B.O. Plenty and Snowflake Falls.

Volume 10 (1945-47): Itchy, Shoulders, Gargles, Influence, plus the introduction of Diet Smith.

Volume 11 (1947-48): Hypo, Coffyhead and Mumbles.

All of these volumes are good, but for my money the best are 8 and 9. Volume 9 provides a little more bang for your buck in terms of character variety, but it begins in media res. OTOH, 8 begins with the beginning of a story and ends with what appears to be the end of a story (Flattop is captured but soon escapes). I really can’t make up my mind between these two.

If you had to pick one volume only of Dick Tracy, it has to be the one that features Flattop the most!

Tough to call; it’s roughly half-and-half. Me, I’d prefer to read the Flattop story from the beginning, but volume 9 gives one a taste.

Every storyline in Volume 9 is a classic -- and incredibly bloody and sadistic, too (especially the Brow story).

What George says is true.

Volumes 7 & 8 are very war-on-the-homefront-oriented. While some other comic strip characters went to war, Tracy stayed behind to help the war effort stateside by capturing spies, saboteurs and black marketeers. By volume 9 Gould began expanding his cast of supporting characters, as well as providing more cross-continuity between stories (as he had previously done with Pruneface and Mrs. Pruneface in volume 8). Gravel Gertie and B.O. Plenty started off on the wrong side of the law, but eventually reformed, met, married, moved to “Sunnydell Acres” and had a baby, Sparkle.

I still can’t decide between volumes 8 & 9 (but I’m leaning toward 9 based on George’s comments above).

Replies

Philip Portelli July 25, 2011 at 10:35pm

If you had to pick one volume only of Dick Tracy, it has to be the one that features Flattop the most!
George July 25, 2011 at 11:05pm

Yep. Every storyline in Volume 9 is a classic -- and incredibly bloody and sadistic, too (especially the Brow story). All this and the introductions of B.O. Plenty and Gravel Gertie!
Figserello July 25, 2011 at 11:32pm

I picked up a couple of thick volumes of great Dick Tracy adventures at the time the Beatty movie came out. (ie not today or yesterday!) They seemed to have all the hits. Certainly the Brow and Flattop that I recall.
Luke Blanchard July 26, 2011 at 6:21am

The Celebrated Cases of Dick Tracy, which was reprinted around that time, had the Flatop and Brow stories but omitted Sundays (including the ending of the Brow story). The Dick Tracy Casebook, which Max Allen Collins edited, had the full Brow story.
Jeff of Earth-J July 26, 2011 at 7:41am

If you had to pick one volume only of Dick Tracy, it has to be the one that features Flattop the most!

Tough to call; it’s roughly half-and-half. Me, I’d prefer to read the Flattop story from the beginning, but volume 9 gives one a taste.

Every storyline in Volume 9 is a classic -- and incredibly bloody and sadistic, too (especially the Brow story).

What George says is true.

Volumes 7 & 8 are very war-on-the-homefront-oriented. While some other comic strip characters went to war, Tracy stayed behind to help the war effort stateside by capturing spies, saboteurs and black marketeers. By volume 9 Gould began expanding his cast of supporting characters, as well as providing more cross-continuity between stories (as he had previously done with Pruneface and Mrs. Pruneface in volume 8). Gravel Gertie and B.O. Plenty started off on the wrong side of the law, but eventually reformed, met, married, moved to “Sunnydell Acres” and had a baby, Sparkle.

I still can’t decide between volumes 8 & 9 (but I’m leaning toward 9 based on George’s comments above).
doc photo July 26, 2011 at 8:19am

Scanning the descriptions, Volume 9 is the one that jumps out at me as the must have edition.

Tracy's rogues gallery, if not the best, is right there near the top of the list with Batman and The Flash.
Jeff of Earth-J July 26, 2011 at 8:42am

If/when you buy/read it, be sure to post your thoughts here! chester Gould did once cite The Brow as his favorite villain, but if asked on a different day I suspect his might have answered Flattop or Pruneface or any one of a number of others.
doc photo July 26, 2011 at 10:46am

I checked My Comics Shop which is my main source for comics these days and they only have the early volumes in stock, but I can add Volume 9 to my watch list in case a copy becomes available. They do have a TPB The Very Best Of Dick Tracy from IDW that covers virtually every decade - I may pick that one up as a start.
Philip Portelli July 26, 2011 at 8:04pm

The only great thing that came out of the Beatty movie were the book retrospectives! Plus Madonna as Breathless!

Figserello said:
I picked up a couple of thick volumes of great Dick Tracy adventures at the time the Beatty movie came out. (ie not today or yesterday!) They seemed to have all the hits. Certainly the Brow and Flattop that I recall.
Philip Portelli July 26, 2011 at 8:05pm

Both are must-haves for any Tracy fan or those wanting to know to know why he was so important and influential.

Luke Blanchard said:

The Celebrated Cases of Dick Tracy, which was reprinted around that time, had the Flatop and Brow stories but omitted Sundays (including the ending of the Brow story). The Dick Tracy Casebook, which Max Allen Collins edited, had the full Brow story.

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