Dick Tracy 5-26-44

Chester Gould is the creator of 'Dick Tracy' (1931), the world's most famous detective since 'Sherlock Holmes'. For 46 years, Gould captivated newspaper readers with his clever mix of suspense, grotesque villains, explicit violence, melodrama and well-documented use of scientific research methods. 'Dick Tracy' was the first newspaper comic strip with a more realistic approach. Its hard-boiled portrayal of violence and well-documented depiction of actual crime-investigating methods made it one of the most popular and influential comics of all time. Gould managed to capture the zeitgeist of the 1930s and 1940s and inspired many film noir stories set in the same time period. He was also a memorable caricaturist, particularly when creating his unforgettable ugly gangsters. Gould proved that comics could tell more mature stories with cliffhangers that kept readers looking out for the next episode. Countless daily, weekly and monthly serialized comics series have followed his path since. Text (c) Lambiek