Journal Analysis

Assignment 1-3-2: Journal Article Analysis

Alexander Raoul LeVasseur

HUMN240

Jenifer Garey

March 24, 2013

Arthur T. Broe’s Dick Tracy: The Early Years is a recount of creator Chester Gould’s early years with his creation and the changes the character went through. Broe points out that many of Dick Tracy’s cases and villains closely resemble current events seen at the time or in film. Many of the crimes shown in the comics of Dick Tracy also resembled real life crimes being committed during the times, such as white slavery and murder. Broe’s main points are that what made Dick Tracy popular was its on-going supporting characters, its villains, and its borrowed events from the lives of gangsters and gangster films (p.1, para 1).

Crime during the late 1920s and early 1930s was out of control. Gangsters ran the cities. Gould saw this and created a detective to deal with this crime. Gould established early that his strips were going to be more than a Sunday funny. Since the times were riddled with crime, much of the crime was put into Gould’s strips. A murder was shown in Dick Tracy’s very first strip. Gould’s strip featured many recurring characters. Dick Tracy’s love interest Tess Trueheart, his foster child Dick Tracy Jr, partner Pat Patton were all strong characters that evolved and stayed in the strip. Pat Patton would eventually become chief of police.  While Broe makes the claim that the supporting characters were one of the reasons for Dick Tracy’s popularity, little is established for the claim. Broe makes more of a point highlighting the way that Gould utilizes newspaper headlines, and gangster films, to showcase what made Dick Tracy as popular as it was.

Broe established that many of Dick Tracy’s villains and characters resembled real life celebrities or criminals. The character Big Boy, is based on Al Capone (p. 6, para. 3), while one time love interest for Tess Trueheart, Stooge Viller, resembles Hollywood actor Edward G. Robinson (p.4, para. 2). Many set pieces and plots that Gould used mirrored real world cases such as the Lindbergh baby case. Gould creates the story of the abduction of Buddy Waldorf; little over a month after the Lindbergh case went public (p. 6, para. 3). Broe points out that while the world was dealing with the realities of this horrible crime, in the comic Dick Tracy beats Big Boy brutally for the kidnapping of Buddy Waldorf. This beating brings a satisfaction to the comic reader, allowing them to live a better outcome through the comic, than the reality of the Lindbergh case (p. 21, para. 2). I believe that this is one of the stronger points that Broe makes for the popularity of Dick Tracy. The comic not only transports the reader into the life of Dick Tracy, but by utilizing events or movie references such as Gould does, this makes it easier for the reader to relate and become invested.          

While many of the villains resemble real world criminals or celebrities, the uniqueness of the villains is what makes Gould’s Dick Tracy most memorable and popular. Villains such as the Brow, Pruneface, Little Face and Blankface have traits making them all hard to forget. Gould exaggerated these villains in extreme ways, taking the concept of a gangster to new levels. The Brow has numerous folds in his forehead, while Blankface has no face at all. These exaggerated features create strong visuals, easily separating the hero from the villain. Broe points out the more grotesque the villain; the more the readers became interested. One such villain highlighted was Flattop. Flattop was a villain with a comically flat head. After his death, many readers “sent flowers to the Chicago Tribune-New York Daily New Syndicate, while a wake was held for him at a bar in Connecticut” (p. 18, par.1). Like in most comics, the rogue gallery of a hero is what made and still make the readers come back, again and again. Alfred Hitchcock once said, “The more successful the villain, the more successful the picture.” I believe this to be the same with Gould’s strip.

Arthur Broe’s article has importance for fans of Chester Gould’s life work on Dick Tracy. Broe breaks down the individual story lines, while highlighting where Gould would have received the inspiration for the characters or plot. Broe is clearly a fan and has created a detailed Dick Tracy comic. While I feel much of Broe’s main points take a backseat to his very descriptive explanation of plot lines, it is great snapshot of early Chicago crime, and a thorough breakdown of the early years of Dick Tracy.   

Reference

Alfred Hitchcock (n.d). BrainyQuote.com. Retrieved March 24, 2013 from http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/a/alfredhitc391985.html

Broes, A. (1992). Dick Tracy: The Early Years. The Journal of Popular Culture, 25(4), 97-122. Retrieved February 2013.