Product Description

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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #827821 in Books
• Published on: 2003-10-29
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 160 pages

From Booklist
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
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
...intricate, innovative, and entertaining plots, characterization and dialog. Dick Tracy: The Collins Casefiles is highly recommended. -- Michael Vance, Suspended Animation, May 28, 2004

...intricate, innovative, and entertaining plots, characterization and dialog. Dick Tracy: The Collins Casefiles is highly recommended. Michael Vance --Suspended Animation

Dick Tracy really is the man. I don't mean was the man, I mean he is the man. Mark Rollins --Associated Content

Ultimately, it's just great to have these serials collected in a convenient bookshelf format, and they make a fine accompaniment to IDW's reprint collections of the original Chester Gould strips. Christopher Mills --Gun in the Gutters

Customer Reviews

Holy cow, this is good stuff!
I was never much of a Dick Tracy fan, but this collection has made me take notice of the classic comic strip detective. Collecting January through December of 1978, this is the first full year written by Max Alan Collins (Road to Perdition) and drawn by creator Chester Gould's assistant Rick Fletcher. It brings Dick Tracy into the "modern era", but it doesn't give him or his cast a makeover. Tracy is up against multiple antagonists: an old foe who is losing his influence, the vengeful descendants of other old foes, and the nosy reporter who portrays him as a relic of a more violent time. Collins' plotting and storytelling will keep you on your toes, and Fletcher's artwork, while extremely faithful to Gould's quirky renderings, is very stylized and clean. The best part is how Collins and Fletcher work together to present a masterful example of pacing. This collection is an excellent example of the narrative style of the serialized comic strip.

not a collins fan, but I totally recommend this book
I am not a fan of much of Max Allan Collins' work, but this book is a great exception. The reprints of the first three storylines that Collins wrote are very entertaining and make for an enjoyable read.

The first storyline features Angeltop, the popular Flattop's daughter, and the son of the Brow. The next storyline revolves around the Two-Face type villain Haf-and-Haf. Both of these stories were already reprinted in other Dick Tracy books. The final storyline (and most interesting) has to do with an aged and dying Big Boy offering an open contract to kill Dick Tracy. Collins tips his hat to favorite Chester Gould villains and other characters and cleans up a few of Gould's (I hate to say it) mistakes like Moon Maid. Good story, well-paced, great artwork.

I look forward to the future volumes of this series. I am disappointed by the Dick Locher cover--a Fletcher cover would have seemed more appropriate.

Graphic SF Reader
This book is reprinting the stories from when Max Allan Collins took over the strip in 1978, and this collection contains some strips from 1978-1979 and three stories.

Angeltop's Last Stand, where the children of a couple of Tracy's enemies come back.

The Return of Haf-and-Haf, where the two faced guy gets some plastic surgery.

The longest story is Big Boy's revenge, which is about half the book. Tracy's old enemy gets out of jail, and puts a million dollar open contract on the detective.