On this day, Oct. 4, 1931, sharp-shooting detective Dick Tracy makes his comic strip debut.
The cartoon in the Detroit Mirror, created by artist Chester Gould, was a new comic concept. Tracy was a hard-hitting police detective who fought colorful villains, thugs like B.B. Eyes, Flattop Jones and Pruneface.
For 45 years “Dick Tracy” appeared on the front page of the New York Daily News. The strip reflected the real life violence of Al Capone’s 1930s Chicago, while staying current with crime fighting techniques, forensic science and advanced gadgetry.
In the early 1950s, the strip introduced Crime Stoppers, a handy feature that offered hints for amateur crime fighters. The idea later became the inspiration for the private-citizen, law enforcement organization Crime Stoppers used by hundreds of police agencies around the globe today.
Gould drew the strip until 1977. In 1980, he was honored with a a Special Edgar Award by the Mystery Writers of America. He died in 1986 at age 85.
Tracy’s battle against the bad guys continues.
— Scott McCabe
