DICK TRACY MEETS HIS MATCH (Book Review)

Dick Tracy Meets His Match is a 1992 novel based on Chester Gould's comic strip, which Max Allan Collins had the pleasure of writing since Gould's retirement in 1977. It was the first of three paperback novels, the first was Dick Tracy (1990), a novelization of the Warren Beatty movie. Collins attempted to bring the screenplay's story more in line with that of the continuity of the comic strip; but at the same time, he understood he was telling a tale based respectfully if loosely on Gould.

In writing the second novel, Dick Tracy Goes to War (1991), Collins chose to continue on that course, and the same is true of this book, Meets His Match. Both novels were not a "novelization" of Dick Tracy newspaper strip stories; those stories already exist in Gould's own work, in their proper medium. It was Collins' intention here to write novels that gathers many of Gould's great characters into  new story was is faithful to the spirit of the source material. 

Dick Tracy Meets His Match (1992) was the third of the novels. The first, the novelization of the 1990 movie, covered the 1930s; the second took place during World War II. This third novel took place in 1949. It was Collins' intent to write a fourth novel that would take place in the mid fifties. But, sadly, that fourth novel never met fruition because Collins ceased work on the Dick Tracy comic strip -- and Dick Tracy altogether. 

That fourth novel was to have been titled Dick Tracy on the Beat and would have dealt with criminal infiltration of the music industry, such as the control of the jukebox business by Organized Crime, and the payola scandals. It would reportedly have featured Spinner ReCord and other music-themed characters. 

In Dick Tracy Meets His Match, Dick Tracy and Tess Trueheart agreed to be married as part of a new television series that Tess was producing for Diet Smith’s SBN (Smith Broadcasting Network) television network. The wedding was disrupted, however, by a sniper hired by T.V. Wiggles, a disgruntled former employee of the network. 

 

Over the decades, Dick Tracy delivered many lawbreakers to justice -- sometimes Judgment Day meant a courtroom, other times it meant the city morgue. The latter was, for example, the destination of the notorious Public Enemy Number One Flattop Jones, the "Robin Hood of the Cookson Hills" of Oklahoma, typical of the breed of outlaw who specialized in bank robbery and kidnapping. But such transplanted rural terrorists were not the detective's usual meat. More typical Tracy adversaries were gangsters like B-BEyes, conmen like Shaky, or contract killers like "Trigger" Doom. Trigger is hired by T.V. Wiggles in this novel, attempting to exact revenge against the detective, only to meet a grim fate.  

Wiggles manages to insinuate himself into the lives of many of the fledgling network’s popular celebrities, including Ted Tellum, Dot View, Tonsils, Spike Dyke, and Sparkle Plenty. But when Ted Tellum is murdered, Tracy must solve the crime while still finding time to marry Tess. The wedding is foiled more than once, as a result of this caper. But, in the end, as in the strip, Tracy and Tess were wed on December 24th, 1949.

I have always said that while the comic strip was primarily a cops-and-robbers formula, there was always an ongoing soap opera underneath. Tess and Dick were engaged, the engagement was called off, they were engaged again, married, had a daughter, and later got divorced. Junior, their adopted son, grew up, got married, lost his wife due to a bomb, got remarried, and so on. Characters such as Vitamin Flintheart, Gravel Gertie, B.O. Plenty and others were featured in this novel. This book captures that ongoing soap opera perfectly, while functioning as a detective caper.

Dick Tracy Meets His Match had a relatively low production run, and as a result it has become highly sought-after by collectors and Dick Tracy fans. The usual price is about $50 so if you find it for much less at a yard sale, book sale or flea market, grab it.

 

I would like to add that the book cover art depicts a red-haired woman shielding herself behind Dick Tracy. This is presumably meant to be Tess, as Tess had red hair in the 1990 feature film. However, in the book Tess is described as being blonde. Unlike the title of the first two novels, the title of this one ("Meet His Match") does not adequately fit the subject matter. Regardless of the cover art and cover title, this novel is an enjoyable read just like the other two.