Collins Casefiles

Acclaimed mystery author and comics writer Max Allan Collins took over scripting Chester Gould's iconic detective strip in 1978, and Dick Tracy would never be the same again. First of several volumes collecting Collins' masteful yet controversial 15-year run.

When "Dick Tracy" creator Chester Gould retired in 1978 after drawing the comic strip for 46 years, Collins was the logical choice to replace him. The successful crime-fiction writer was also an experienced comics scripter and a Tracy fan. Upon assuming command, Collins immediately jettisoned the science-fiction trappings that had infected the strip in Gould's last years and revived classic characters from its heyday as well as introducing new ones, such as Angeltop, daughter of vintage villain Flattop, who fit with Gould's most famous creations. Modern sensibilities precluded reviving the violence and grotesquerie that were Gould hallmarks, so Collins instead injected fast-paced plotting and a new topicality. In another change for the better, longtime Gould assistant Rick Fletcher took over the artwork, bringing a contemporary look while remaining faithful to Gould's classic designs and compositions. Fletcher died in 1983, and Collins left the strip a decade later, after which "Tracy" reverted to mediocrity. Its temporary revivification can be savored again in this volume and the future collections Checker promises. Gordon Flagg
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