As reported in a prior blog post, the Whitman Publishing Company published two hardcover novels based on the comic strip, Dick Tracy. Chester Gould, who was responsible for the newspaper comic strip, was credited as the author for both hardcovers. These are not to be confused with the Big Little Books and Better Little Books, also published by Whitman. These two hardcovers include dust jackets (in most cases worth more than the books themselves) and original art by Chester Gould himself.
Historically, Gould wrote a treatment for the two novels, along with providing interior illustrations, which someone at Whitman fleshed out into full-length novels. The second novel, Dick Tracy Meets the Night Crawler (1945), is a great read and comes highly recommended. I wrote about this novel, along with reprinting some of the illustrations, in a prior blog post. The first novel, Dick Tracy, Ace Detective, was published in 1943. While the novel contains an element of the detective facing off against Nazi agents, this was the weaker of the two. Still, both novels are original stories which is all the reason why fans of the newspaper strip should seek them out.
In Dick Tracy, Ace Detective, the title character and Pat Patton fly out to Vulture Mountain in Arizona to meet with Professor Heywood, who discovered a revolutionary -- and efficient -- method for producing gasoline that could give us an advantage over the enemy overseas. But the Lippelli mob, Nazi agents, and an evil scientist brother are all after the secret formula. This means multiple acts of sabotage, kidnapping of government scientists, and the extraction of the formula from Professor Heywood. Along the way, Junior is kidnapped, a U.S. Senator is shot and killed, there was an attempted escape by submarine and a brief visit from a Japanese agent.
Unlike most Dick Tracy adventures which flow in one direction, feature a daring escape from a villain, a hold-off and a gruesome death, this one varies considerably. I somewhat suspect Chester Gould handed the folks at Whitman two separate stories and the editorial staff at the publishing house edited them together. Much of the trademarks that made Dick Tracy was not there. Sure, there was a mobster who worked towards his own agenda, but Tracy would later be told how Lippelli was killed. No action scene or gruesome death during a battle face-off. Reported deaths told from another police officer is not just a cheat -- it robs us of the violence that is part and parcel of Dick Tracy. Usually when our hero is captured and facing imminent death, some like Junior races to the rescue. In this case, the police arrive like the cavalry of old without any suspense build up. The latter third of the novel played like a quick summary of a detective at work and very little action. All of which is a long-winded way of saying I was a tad disappointed.
Still, Dick Tracy Meets the Nightcrawler is a fun novel and recommended above this one. But for you completists, this is worth grabbing to read. The purchase price varies from $7 to $45, depending on condition and where you buy your copy.
