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Complete Chester Gould's Dick Tracy Volume 10 |  | Author: Chester Gould
Artist: Chester Gould
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Category: Book
List Price: $39.99
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Rating:  5 reviews
Sales Rank: 148151
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 364
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 3.4
Dimensions (in): 11.2 x 8.7 x 1.6
ISBN: 1600105785
Dewey Decimal Number: 741.5973
EAN: 9781600105784
ASIN: 1600105785
Publication Date: June 22, 2010
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
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.
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| Customer Reviews:
Meaner, if less memorable, villains and some great supporting players introduced here July 27, 2010
Christopher Barat (Owings Mills, MD, USA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I'm tolerably familiar with this portion of Chester Gould's oeuvre, since it furnished the raw material for three of the five issues of Gladstone Comics' DICK TRACY ADVENTURES in the early 1990s. This period produced no readily memorable bad guys -- the vicious, forever-scratching gang leader Itchy Oliver is probably the best known, and that's only because he was one of the recurring villains in UPA's animated DICK TRACY SHOW -- but Gould was still pretty close to his peak in terms of quality of work and public visibility. His imagination was so fertile during this period, in fact, that he saw nothing wrong with introducing characters who would have lasted for years in other strips and then consigning them to the discard pile without a second thought. (Fans of TALE SPIN will know exactly what I mean.) B.O. Plenty, Gravel Gertie, and ulcer-riddled industrial magnate Diet Smith -- atypical supporting players with long-term staying power -- managed to hang in there because (1) judging by the large number of single-panel shout-outs dished out by Gould in the midst of his various crime narratives, Gould's fans simply wouldn't let the cartoonist forsake B.O. and Gertie; (2) even the extravagantly profligate Gould recognized the potential story lines that could be spun off of Smith's access to unlimited funds (such as those that produced the legendary 2-Way Wrist Radio, introduced herein). "Ham actor" Vitamin Flintheart wouldn't be that lucky, though Gould would give him a few more featured roles (including this volume's creepy tale of "The Evil Influence") before dropping him for good in 1950.
What the villains of this era lack in terms of "instant recognition factor," they make up for in sheer viciousness. Itchy is relatively unmemorable apart from his scabrous habit but thinks nothing of shooting down his gangland pals in cold blood or starving the captured Tracy almost to death, just for kicks. The skin-crawling mesmerist Influence's bizarre appearance is only a surface reflection of the fact that he's quite patently insane; he strangles several people and tries to burn Pat Patton alive, among other gruesome things. Political "fixer" Shoulders abandons his "moll" without a second thought and guns down a little girl. The supposedly quasi-comical Gargles, after running the most ludicrous shakedown operation in living memory ("mouthwash bootlegging"? Couldn't it at least have been something that was still subject to postwar rationing?), whacks a store owner and a sick, elderly woman just to get back some incriminating photos. Even the origin story of the 2-Way Radio, which could have been a nice, simple case of industrial espionage, features a near-fatal shooting of Diet Smith and the disgruntled Smith employee Irma's cynical manipulation of her blind genius son, Brilliant. Flattop and The Brow may have been flashier (and uglier), but these were NOT nice people.
Brilliant and comely radio DJ Christmas Early are just two of the characters introduced in this volume who would have shorter-than-deserved shelf lives. The third and most intriguing of the significant short-termers here -- a character who really should have enjoyed a much longer career, IMHO -- is the spirited street urchin, Themesong. Think DARKWING DUCK's Gosalyn Mallard, only with TALE SPIN's Kit Cloudkicker's back story and a much better singing voice. Even when she's technically a villain, Themesong is a thoroughly appealing character, and we definitely feel for her after she is shot by Shoulders and Gargles subsequently offs her mom. (There's a definite "spiritual connection" to Gosalyn's Grandpa Waddlemeyer and his fate at the hooves of Taurus Bulba there.) How I would have loved to have seen Junior Tracy, who himself experienced more than his share of time on the wrong side of the tracks, take Themesong under his wing, as it were, and become her friend, conscience, and ally. The formation of Junior's Crime Stoppers' Club was just under the horizon; why couldn't Themesong have joined Junior's generic guy pals as one of its members? I guess there is such a thing as being too inventive at times, and Gould simply wanted to move on (either that, or the thought of a co-ed kids' club never occurred to him). At least Theme (1) ultimately found a happy home with Christmas Early and (2) made at least one appearance as an adult during the Max Collins-Dick Locher era of TRACY.
The volume "makes its weight" with columns by Max Collins, Jeff Kersten, and Michael Price (who discusses the RKO Dick Tracy films). As always, these comments are far more than mere "filler" and maintain the Library of American Comics' high standards for supplemental material. I can't express how grateful I am to IDW for giving these "sequential-art classics" the treatment they deserve.
Gould at his most FUN-tastic! June 30, 2010
Ventura Angelo (Brescia, Lombardia Italy)
In this book we see Gould at his most pyrotechnic, charachters good and bad, comic and tragic are at their most poignant, where a whirlwind of adventure and crime fighting keeps the reader wanting more and more! First we have Itchy story, when this freakishly repulsive scratcher gives BO Plenty the works and goes on to spread general mayhem, being confronted by Junior and by Tess, in one of her best performances! Itchy's a ruthless, greedy sadist who tries to starve Dick Tracy, and nearly succeeds! his demise is followed by the story of Diet smith, Brilliant and the fabulous Two Way wrist radio, a gizmo that will remain a feature of the strip! After the hapless criminals Rod and Nilon hoze, Tracy meets the cute urchin Themesong and fights the ruthless, pitylessly brutal Shoulders, a criminal with no redeeming quallties. Meanwhile the redeemed BO Plenty "courts" Gravel Gertie, and the most improbable duo goes from reciprocal loathing to love! Gargles and Influence are two exquisitely crafted grotesques, vicious in a very weird way. Moreover, Vitamin Flintheart returns, and Dick Tracy finds himself stalked by Misty Waters,whose zany infatuatin for Tracy closes the book.
The golden age of Dick Tracy reaches its peak, here!
The Genius of Chester Gould July 16, 2010
N. Caputo
Chester Gould's Dick Tracy is an exceptional comic strip. Gould was able to create a world that featured a mixture of brutal, quirky villains and comic figures. Gould's storytelling skills are excellent and his artwork is unique. The only thing missing is color sundays, which the Annie collection has. I look forward to
future volumes collecting this iconic character.
Nick Caputo
Onward into the classic period of Dick Tracy July 16, 2010
Michael R. Brown (Tamarac, FL)
Well, here we are in the 10th volume of IDW's complete reprinting of Dick Tracy, now in the classic period of this strip. While the 'grotesques' may not be as well known in this volume, I think the important stuff going on is in the secondary characters. First off is with the characters of BO Plenty and Gravel Gertie. BO gets 'reformed', BO gets his beloved 'Sunny Dale Acres' estate and mets & courts Gravel, and they get married. As important is the introduction of new secondary character Diet Smith. Diet would be the vehicle for Gould to introduce many high-tech gadgets, the first in this volume: the 2-way wrist radio. This would be followed by other items like the 2-way wrist tv, flying buckets, and the moon coupe! As to other secondary characters, we are briefly re-united with Tess & Junior, and Vitamin Flintheart & Snowflake make a return.
As to the 'grotesques', these include Itchy, Rod & Nilon Hoze (not really grotesques), Shoulders, Gargles, and Influence.
As to the storylines. First off, we have Itchy story, which also includes Mrs Mahoney. Itchy is after BO Plenty's money, and is able to convience Mrs Mahoney to help out. But things don't work out to well for her or BO. Tess & Junior return and run afowl him as well, as does Tracy.
In a bizarre twisty, Itchy is able to capture Tracy, with the help of BB Eye's widow, who wants revenge. They try to starve Dick Tracy (for 3 weeks), but he gets the upper hand and Itchy pays the ultimate price.
Next up is the story of Diet Smith, where we are introduced to Brilliant and the 2-Way wrist radio. BO Plenty is also involved. Then we have the hapless criminals Rod and Nilon Hoze, who are trying to save their aunt from a crook, but things get out of hand and they pay the price.
Then Tracy meets the cute urchin Themesong and this leads him to dealing with Shoulders. By the way, as these stories are going on, BO Plenty has moved into "Sunny Dale Acres", and has met and "courts" Gravel Gertie, and will soon get married. But Breathless Mahoney, on death-row, tries to throw a spanner in the works.
And then we have Gargles and Influence. Also, Vitamin Flintheart returns, and Dick Tracy finds himself stalked by Misty Waters.
Unlike previous volumes, the bulk of this volume was all knew. I had seem some of the stuff regarding the wrist radio, and knew that BO & Gravel married and their home was "Sunny Dale Acres", but now I see where this all came from.
I look forward to the next volume (whenever it will come out) were we will get characters like Mumbles, Coffyhead, and the Volts.
changes on the way August 9, 2010
A. Grossman (Florence, Oregon USA)
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is another great Tracy book but change is on the way. The days of the wonderful grotesques are about gone. None of them here are memorable. Instead Gould gives us large doses of Gravel Gertie, B.O. Plenty, Vitamin Flintheart and Diet Smith. And down the road are Sparkle Plenty and (gasp!)the Moon Maid! And what is space travel doing in Tracy?
In the forthcoming volume 11 the baddies are named Mumbles, Coffyhead, Hypo. Bronko, Kiss Andtell, Acres O'Riley, Heels Beals and Autumn Hewes. With the possible exception of the first, the rest are bland and unmemorable. With this volume Gould begins to make the same mistake that Al Capp did with Li'l Abner, changing direction to make his strip more merchandisable and it suffers. The strip continues to be very interesting but the glory days are gone. And it starts here in volume 10.
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