The Celebrated Cases of Dick Tracy, 1931-1951 [B1631]

1990 HCDJ Wellfleet Press, 11x8.5-inches large format, 291-pages, all in black & white - in nice clean condition. A collection of celebrated cases from Dick Tracy comic strips from its premiere in 1931 to 1951. The strip continued to be published until 1977. In addition to the strips, the book also includes an interview with Chester Gould, an introduction by Ellery Queen, a timeline of supporting characters (up to 1950), a Rogues Gallery feature, and an overview of Dick Tracy's scientific arsenal. The strips present Tracy's battles with scores of underworld characters, including the Mole, the Blank, B.B. Eyes, 88 Keyes, and Breathless Mahoney. The book is divided into sections, each focusing on each of the villains.

From recent-ish Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "Bizarre story lines, hideous villains, some rather violent action, and one of the best serialized comic strips ever created. Crime doesn't pay for square-jawed yellow trench coated detective Tracy's foes, but it sure entertains."; "Almost perfect. A fine collection of Dick Tracy stories from his golden period (1930s and 1940s). The only drawback is that the stories have been heavily edited (presumably to present the 'highlights'). This leaves glaring gaps, which I found frustrating. Fewer stories but complete ones would been the ideal thing."; "Great comics from yesteryear, not even a little bit politically correct. It's a breath of fresh air."; "I can appreciate it for what it was at the time, but reading 80 year old newspaper strips sometimes feels like decoding hieroglyphics."; "My grandparents subscribed to the Sunday Chicago Tribune, so as a child I would read Dick Tracy. I found this book in a library sale and was pleased to discover Mr. Tracy was even more fun than I'd remembered."