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.
