Dick Tracy Forever #2
Dick Tracy Forever #2 is a two-fisted detective story that can be hard-hitting while still having a thread of humor. It has the classic feel of old-school tales, and the look is distinctive and striking.
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Writing
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Art
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Coloring
It’s another couple tales from the files of everyone’s favorite detective in a yellow trench coat! Check out Dick Tracy Forever #2!
DICK TRACY FOREVER #2
Writer: Michael Avon Oeming
Artist: Michael Avon Oeming
Colorist: Taki Soma
Letterer: Shawn Lee
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: May 29, 2019
Previously in Dick Tracy Forever: We go back to the 1930s where a date night with Tess Truehart ends up with the kidnapping of the wealthy Mr. Rackman. It’s a snappy adventure with a twist – Mr. Rackman is a bit of a villain himself, taking advantage of injured veterans from the Great War by gouging them for rent. But in the end, corruption doesn’t pay.
DISTINCTIVE VILLAINS AND A NEW ALLY
Dick Tracy Forever #2 includes two stories. Although to get really meta, the first one takes place in prison where English Bob and Pirate Billy share their own two stories about Dick Tracy, or more specifically, his radio watch. They couldn’t be more different crooks. English Bob was involved in the high stakes of the narcotics trade, but Tracy infiltrated his organization and relayed the goods with his trusty watch. Pirate Billy was in the business of robbing an orphanage which is not only ridiculous on its own, but it makes for some great dialogue about why it was plainly the only sensible career move. Tracy got him, but never found out where he hid the loot.
Well, at least not until now, thanks to planting a listening device in their cell. Oh, that clever Dick Tracy!
The next story is a bit more serious. A man in a purple trench coat photographs Dick Tracy meeting, and shaking hands with, Broccoli Rabe, a retired mobster. It’s a detective who’s been hired to dig up some dirt on Tracy. But then there are some attacks on science labs around the city, and Rabe has some dirt on that. An ex-German scientist went missing in the attack, and there are Nazi subs in the lake. Could there be a connection?
It turns out the plotters are trying to lead Tracy astray so they can get on with their work of getting nerve gas to Pruneface’s connections in South America. Rabe led Tracy here, and he has some information for him…or he would have, had he not gotten dropped into the chopper. The bad guys beat it and leave Tracy headed for the chopper, when the detective in purple, name of Bricks, shows up. He’s been tailing Tracy for a congressman (who wanted the dirt), but has found he’s a good detective. They join forces to catch up with the nerve gas before it leaves town, and do end up saving the day. In a nice touch, Bricks has a camera watch. Hey, maybe they could compare notes…
GREAT USE OF COLOR
You know the characters will be stylized, sometimes in some kind of kooky ways, in a title like Dick Tracy Forever #2, and they are. But we’re used to that kind of exaggeration with Dick Tracy. I like the heavy, bold line work and the use of deep shadows. It makes this feel like a noir tale, and like much of it happens at night.
What really stands out for me is the use of color. The iconic yellow trench coat and hat are the only things in that color, and they pop so much against dark blue and gray. And the use of the complementary bold purple for Bricks is absolutely perfect. It’s equally vivid and striking and really focuses the eye. I also like the use of Zip-A-Tone in the shading – judiciously, but just so classic for a title like this.
BOTTOM LINE: ANOTHER NIGHT IN THE BELLY OF THE CITY
Dick Tracy Forever #2 is a two-fisted detective story that can be hard-hitting while still having a thread of humor. It has the classic feel of old-school tales, and the look is distinctive and striking.
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By day, she’s a mild-mannered bureaucrat and Ms. Know-It-All. By night, she’s a dance teacher and RPG player (although admittedly not on the same nights). On the weekends, she may be found judging Magic, playing Guild Wars 2 (badly), or following other creative pursuits. Holy Lack of Copious Free Time, Batman! While she’s always wished she had teleportation as her superpower, she suspects that super-speed would be much more practical because then she’d have time to finish up those steampunk costumes she’s also working on.