Comic Review: Dick Tracey: Dead or Alive #2

Dick Tracey Dead or Alive #2

IDW Comics

Writers: Lee & Michael Allred

Artist: Rich Tommaso

I’m not the most familiar with Dick Tracy. This comic is pretty much my first time consuming any kind of Dick Tracy media, in any form. I’ve obviously heard the name before, it’d be a little hard not to. The character’s been around since the early 1930s and has been in many forms of media since then.

Now in his latest appearance, Dick Tracy is in the city by the lake. He’s cleaning up the streets of criminal organizations and is setting his sights on corruption in the police force. Things are going well, until a new crime boss, Yesterday Knewes, enters the scene. Taking control of the cities crime, Knewes sets out to take down Dick Tracy, Dead or Alive.

I’ll be honest, I really had no interest in Dick Tracy before this. Again, I’ve heard the name, but the character never caught my attention. But so far I’m enjoying this series. Dick Tracy is a classic cop, all about law and order, but now in a modern setting. The story is fun, but it isn’t really doing anything new or groundbreaking. The characters are great though. They’re all the kind of 30s or 40s cops and robber, big personality, types, but in a “modern” setting. I put modern in quotes because the only real indication that this is modern times is that Dick Tracy has a smartphone. It’s not any kind of deal breaker for me, but I completely forgot the modern setting until he pulls out his smartphone.

Rich Tommaso is the main artist behind this series. His style lends to the classic, 1940s police story feeling the book has. On top of that Laura Allred provides the colors, which are very vibrant and pop a lot. Michael Allred does the inks and you can see his darker prominent lining throughout.  The story’s got a classic detective tale vibe, and the art matches it perfectly. As far as the art goes, there’s not anything I’d really consider a real negative. Some faces look goofy, Dick Tracy’s hands look a little too big sometimes. But none of it is enough to detract from my enjoyment of the issue.

I’m not the world’s biggest Dick Tracey fan, but there’s a lot to like about this series. The story isn’t the most complex story ever told, but it’s a fun cops and robbers type story. The characters are great, and the art alone makes the comic worth checking out. If you’re a fan of Dick Tracey, you’ll like this issue. Even if you aren’t familiar with Dick Tracey, there’s a good chance you’ll like this series.