BOOK REVIEW - THE COMPLETE DICK TRACY VOLUME 27 BY CHESTER GOULD (1972-1974)

 

For those regularly reading my blog, you'll notice I've reviewed volume 3, 4, and now 27 of the Complete Dick Tracy. I'll confess - the ones I read I get from the library, and these are the only three of the 29 part collection they have. Thus, no Flat Top, no Blow Top, no Pruneface, no Mumbles, no Mousy, no Influence, no Oodles, no Pearshape! (At least I got Lips Manlis/Bob Honor and the Blank.)

I will admit that this was not as enjoyable as the earlier books I read. I thought the Button story was silly, disappointing, and illogical (kidnapping a news reporter to post things about the villain giving to church? Really?) His sister Hope Lezz said she was tired of his abuse but we never saw that abuse (except asking to hide out at her house) and the story ending depressing. I found Peanutbutter (a smart but trouble making 10 year old) annoying, and Moon Maid (that is, Mrs. Dick Tracy Junior) was a stretch. Big Brass' story didn't fare much better. The only redeeming character was the kidnapped reporter Jack Grafic. 

Another admission - I became a Dick Tracy fan through Max Allan Collins' tenure with the strip and via the 1990 Warren Beatty movie. Would I have gotten hooked with the '60's and '70's Chester Gould strips?  Maybe as a silly teenager, and maybe not.

If you are a die-hard fan and want to see the entire collection, get this. If, like me, you want to get introduced to Dick Tracy at his best, get the older books, like 3, 4, maybe 8, 9, 10 and 13. 

BOOK REVIEW - THE COMPLETE DICK TRACY VOL. 4 (1936-1938) BY CHESTER GOULD

 

I've been aware of Dick Tracy most of my life, but I didn't have a lot of time reading the strip. I only saw two or three days worth when Chester Gould was still doing the strip when on vacation. I got to know a few villains via MAD Magazine and my dad mentioning them (e.g. Flattop, Pruneface, and Oodles). For a few years, I saw the strip occasionally in the '80's and 00's, the 40's movie "Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome" co-starring Boris Karloff, Warren Beatty's 1990 film, and read a book which included a few series including the introduction of Sam Ketchem and Gould's final story.

I had previously seen the third volume of this collection. The final story (featuring Lips Manlis who was in the '90 movie) was at a stopping point. But it wasn't finished - it too another 10 weeks worth to conclude it. There were three other stories in this volume, and stories 3 and 4 flowed together, as the final story let you know that it would be finished in Vol. 5.

Besides Lips, the only villain I was familiar with in this volume was The Blank, who had a key role in the '90 movie (a much bigger role than Manlis). However, Beatty's dealing with the villains differed from the original comic strip. 

I enjoyed reading these books, and recommend them.

BOOK REVIEW - THE COMPLETE DICK TRACY VOL. 3 (1935-1936) BY CHESTER GOULD

My interaction with Dick Tracy has been sporadic. I saw some parodies from Mad Magazine (such as "What if Gilbert and Sullivan wrote Dick Tracy?"), had a few times when I was able to follow the strip ('81-'84, '86-88, and some in the 2000's), saw a few books reprinting a story, and seeing the old movie "Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome" (co-starring Boris Karloff) and the 1990 feature starring Warren Beatty. So it was fun reading some of the old strips.

I have a hunch that volume 2 ends with Dick Tracy and friends arresting Boris Arson. (I've only read volumes 3 and 4 at this point, and don't expect to read most of them). This collection starts off with Boris escaping with the help of his sister Zora, followed by three other stories (I was surprised that the stories lasted 5 months; I'm more used to 3 month stories in comic serials). 

I only recognized one of the villains: Lips Manlis, who was in the 1990 movie, played by the late Paul Sorvino. Besides large lips, the only thing in common between the movie version and the original comic character was they started out as a gangster. In the film version, he was bumped off early. In the comics, Dick Tracy offered him a chance to go straight with a new name ("Bob Honor"). I loved seeing the development of the character. He rescued some of his former gang members to keep them from dying in a fire. This volume ends with Bob recovering and one member at large. How long to get that lone wolf into custody? You'll have to read volume 4 for that answer.

P.S. You'll find it amusing that when I was writing in "former gang members" in the above paragraph, I almost typed "former band members." Yep, you'd expect that from a music lover!

 

PRE-OSCAR LOOK AT MOVIES THAT HAD AN IMPACT ON ME, PART 9 OF 12: DUNE (1984)

 

 Earlier in this series, I mentioned a picture that blew me away with its visuals and special effects (referring to "Fantastic Voyage"). It may be a sci fi film or a great fantasy or one that is more of a cartoonish version of our world like " Dick Tracy" (which claim close to making this list, but fell short). But there is none that compare with Dune, which mixes its technical skills with a Ghandi-like epic feel. All I can say about this picture is "Wow!"