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Dick Tracy: The Secret Files
A collection of tales involving the comic strip detective encompasses stories by such renowned writers as Isaac Asimov, Stuart Kaminsky, Ed Gorman, F. Paul Wilson, Wayne Dundee, and Richard Myers
310 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
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89 people want to read
About the author
Martin H. Greenberg
910 books163 followersMartin Harry Greenberg was an American academic and speculative fiction anthologist. In all, he compiled 1,298 anthologies and commissioned over 8,200 original short stories. He founded Tekno Books, a packager of more than 2000 published books. In addition, he was a co-founder of the Sci-Fi Channel.
For the 1950s anthologist and publisher of Gnome Press, see Martin Greenberg.
For the 1950s anthologist and publisher of Gnome Press, see Martin Greenberg.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 13, 2022
In 1990, the film “Dick Tracy” was released. It starred Warren Beatty, Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman, Madonna, and a bunch of other big-name stars. I have no evidence to support this, but it seems likely that this anthology, also published in 1990, was commissioned as a way to help market the film. Regardless, the choice of Max Allan Collins to edit the collection, along with prolific anthologist Martin H. Greenberg, could not have been a better one. Collins had taken over the writing of the Dick Tracy comic strip in 1977 when Chester Gould retired and had been at it for the 13 years prior to this book’s appearance. As a life-long fan of Dick Tracy, there can’t be many humans out there with a better understanding of what makes the world of Dick Tracy what it is.
Rarely have I read an anthology that I have enjoyed more than this one. Usually, they include some fine stories, some mediocre, and some best left on the cutting room floor. Not so with this one. I can honestly say I thoroughly enjoyed all but one of the stories included here and that one is by an author that is often troublesome to me. But even then, it wasn’t “bad”. Hats off to Max Allan Collins and Martin Greenberg for their selections. The order in which the stories are presented is also well thought out. The very first story is entitled, “Origins” and written by Mike Resnick. It’s actually told from the point of view of a young, struggling writer named Chester Gould who meets a real-life detective who ultimately becomes a model for his new idea for a comic strip.
From there we have stories from the early Dick Tracy years in the 30s and 40s but also more contemporary versions in a more modern age. We get to revisit villains from the strips such as Mumbles, Blowtop, B.O. Plenty, Gravel Gerty, Vitamin Flintheart, and Putty Puss but also read about brand new villains created just for this anthology. Some are written from some POV character other than Tracy himself. In addition to the aforementioned opening story featuring Chester Gould there is also one from the viewpoint of his wife, Tess Trueheart Tracy, and one from son "Junior".
The authors here are a real who’s who of speculative fiction and include Ed Gorman, F. Paul Wilson, Wayne D. Dundee, Barry N. Malzberg, Ric Myers, Stephen Mertz, Edward D. Hoch, Rex Miller, Mike Resnick, Ron Goulart, Barbara Collins, Henry Slesar, John Lutz, Terry Beatty, Wendi Lee, Francis M. Nevins Jr., Josh Pachter, and Max Allan Collins himself.
For fans of the original Dick Tracy comic strips or for those new to the character and just want a flavor for what it was all about, this collection is an ideal read. Highly recommended.
Rarely have I read an anthology that I have enjoyed more than this one. Usually, they include some fine stories, some mediocre, and some best left on the cutting room floor. Not so with this one. I can honestly say I thoroughly enjoyed all but one of the stories included here and that one is by an author that is often troublesome to me. But even then, it wasn’t “bad”. Hats off to Max Allan Collins and Martin Greenberg for their selections. The order in which the stories are presented is also well thought out. The very first story is entitled, “Origins” and written by Mike Resnick. It’s actually told from the point of view of a young, struggling writer named Chester Gould who meets a real-life detective who ultimately becomes a model for his new idea for a comic strip.
From there we have stories from the early Dick Tracy years in the 30s and 40s but also more contemporary versions in a more modern age. We get to revisit villains from the strips such as Mumbles, Blowtop, B.O. Plenty, Gravel Gerty, Vitamin Flintheart, and Putty Puss but also read about brand new villains created just for this anthology. Some are written from some POV character other than Tracy himself. In addition to the aforementioned opening story featuring Chester Gould there is also one from the viewpoint of his wife, Tess Trueheart Tracy, and one from son "Junior".
The authors here are a real who’s who of speculative fiction and include Ed Gorman, F. Paul Wilson, Wayne D. Dundee, Barry N. Malzberg, Ric Myers, Stephen Mertz, Edward D. Hoch, Rex Miller, Mike Resnick, Ron Goulart, Barbara Collins, Henry Slesar, John Lutz, Terry Beatty, Wendi Lee, Francis M. Nevins Jr., Josh Pachter, and Max Allan Collins himself.
For fans of the original Dick Tracy comic strips or for those new to the character and just want a flavor for what it was all about, this collection is an ideal read. Highly recommended.
February 16, 2025
Released right at the time of the Warren Beatty movie in 1990 I'd had this in my to read pile ever since I picked it up at a thrift store. I grew up watching the film so a big Dick Tracy fan. Most of the stories are decent but a lot of them are boring and filled with tropes. Can't see ever wanting to reread this in the future but it was worth one read.
November 18, 2022
In 1990, the venerable Dick Tracy comic strip got a movie adaptation, Dick Tracy, starring Warren Beatty and Madonna. To cash in on the publicity, the then-writer of the strip, Max Allan Collins, was asked to do both a novelization of the film, and work with veteran anthologist Martin H. Greenberg to create this collection of short stories featuring the sharp-jawed police detective.
The 16 stories are arranged by time period they’re set in. “Origins” by Mike Resnick is set before the Dick Tracy comic strip even began, as starving cartoonist Chester Gould tries to come up with an idea for a comic strip that newspapers will buy. HIs obnoxious neighbor is the only fan he’s currently got, and that’s not helping. But that neighbor’s nefarious activities do lead Gould to a certain police officer that serves as inspiration.
“Not a Creature Was Stirring” by Max Allan Collins closes out the volume with a story set in December 1989, as Tracy and the Major Crimes Squad investigate a series of killings of little boys. It, like some of the other stories in this volume, goes more hard-edged than was allowed in the newspaper comics at the time. Add this to the pile of “bad Santa” stories.
Also of particular interest:
“Dick Tracy Goes Hollywood” by Ron Goulart in which Detective Tracy serves as a consultant on a movie about himself, and solves an actress’ apparent suicide on the side. Dick isn’t the protagonist in this one, hack writer Mr. Hix is. He’s an okay investigator in his own right, but strictly amateurville, which very nearly gets Hix in a fatal amount of hot water.
“The Cereal Killer” by Rex Miller uses product tampering as its crime, which had been a headline topic a year or two before this book came out. Someone is putting poison in breakfast foods. Do they just enjoy killing people, or is there a larger scheme at work? This one focuses on Junior, Tracy’s adopted son and Crimestopper in his own right.
“The Curse” by Ed Gorman is the most distinctive story in the volume. Dick Tracy is pursued by someone seeking revenge. Unusually, they get exactly what they wanted. It’s a stripped down story devoid of nicknamed criminals or bizarre crimes.
“Whirlpool, Sizzle and The Juice” by Ric Meyers, conversely, leans heavily into the deformed criminals with catchy nicknames of the title. It’s also heavy on the gruesome death of crooks motif. Three young men kidnap an actress, but can’t quite agree on what to do with her.
Most of the continuing supporting cast gets a look in–two stories where wife Tess Trueheart Tracy is attacked in their home! The one I noticed missing was Bonnie Braids Tracy, his oldest daughter, who somehow didn’t make it onscreen in any story.
Very much missing is the entire Moon Maid era, a time towards the end of Gould’s career when the strip took a more sfnal turn, including the afore-mentioned alien. Many of the readers at the time strongly disliked this direction, including Mr. Collins, who summarily killed Moon Maid off and scuttled the more science fiction elements when he took over the strip.
The Dick Tracy comic strip had and has a strong “law and order” political bent, so rights for suspects and criminals tend to be seen as an obstacle to justice, not part of how justice works. There’s a reason why many of the cases end with the crooks dead one way or another.
Content note: gruesome, often lethal violence, including the death of children. Suicide. Illegal drug use. Child abuse. A bit of racism, including by cops, though Dick Tracy himself disapproves.
Overall: An average anthology, no real clunkers. Mostly of interest to die-hard Dick Tracy fans like myself.
The 16 stories are arranged by time period they’re set in. “Origins” by Mike Resnick is set before the Dick Tracy comic strip even began, as starving cartoonist Chester Gould tries to come up with an idea for a comic strip that newspapers will buy. HIs obnoxious neighbor is the only fan he’s currently got, and that’s not helping. But that neighbor’s nefarious activities do lead Gould to a certain police officer that serves as inspiration.
“Not a Creature Was Stirring” by Max Allan Collins closes out the volume with a story set in December 1989, as Tracy and the Major Crimes Squad investigate a series of killings of little boys. It, like some of the other stories in this volume, goes more hard-edged than was allowed in the newspaper comics at the time. Add this to the pile of “bad Santa” stories.
Also of particular interest:
“Dick Tracy Goes Hollywood” by Ron Goulart in which Detective Tracy serves as a consultant on a movie about himself, and solves an actress’ apparent suicide on the side. Dick isn’t the protagonist in this one, hack writer Mr. Hix is. He’s an okay investigator in his own right, but strictly amateurville, which very nearly gets Hix in a fatal amount of hot water.
“The Cereal Killer” by Rex Miller uses product tampering as its crime, which had been a headline topic a year or two before this book came out. Someone is putting poison in breakfast foods. Do they just enjoy killing people, or is there a larger scheme at work? This one focuses on Junior, Tracy’s adopted son and Crimestopper in his own right.
“The Curse” by Ed Gorman is the most distinctive story in the volume. Dick Tracy is pursued by someone seeking revenge. Unusually, they get exactly what they wanted. It’s a stripped down story devoid of nicknamed criminals or bizarre crimes.
“Whirlpool, Sizzle and The Juice” by Ric Meyers, conversely, leans heavily into the deformed criminals with catchy nicknames of the title. It’s also heavy on the gruesome death of crooks motif. Three young men kidnap an actress, but can’t quite agree on what to do with her.
Most of the continuing supporting cast gets a look in–two stories where wife Tess Trueheart Tracy is attacked in their home! The one I noticed missing was Bonnie Braids Tracy, his oldest daughter, who somehow didn’t make it onscreen in any story.
Very much missing is the entire Moon Maid era, a time towards the end of Gould’s career when the strip took a more sfnal turn, including the afore-mentioned alien. Many of the readers at the time strongly disliked this direction, including Mr. Collins, who summarily killed Moon Maid off and scuttled the more science fiction elements when he took over the strip.
The Dick Tracy comic strip had and has a strong “law and order” political bent, so rights for suspects and criminals tend to be seen as an obstacle to justice, not part of how justice works. There’s a reason why many of the cases end with the crooks dead one way or another.
Content note: gruesome, often lethal violence, including the death of children. Suicide. Illegal drug use. Child abuse. A bit of racism, including by cops, though Dick Tracy himself disapproves.
Overall: An average anthology, no real clunkers. Mostly of interest to die-hard Dick Tracy fans like myself.
January 9, 2019
I realize that the source material for this collection of stories is inherently dumb, but this was a great opportunity for some campy Fun with Pulp that was totally wasted. Not one of these was worth reading in the end, except maybe the second to last one. I forget what it's about.
September 28, 2009
This book is a collection of stories featuring Dick Tracy, throughout the century. There are many different villains throughout it.
I read this book quite some time ago, but I've re-read it a couple times since then. All of the stories were good, rating 3 stars or over in my opinion.
I read this book quite some time ago, but I've re-read it a couple times since then. All of the stories were good, rating 3 stars or over in my opinion.
January 1, 2012
This was a fun collection of Dick Tracy stories ranging from his early years on the force in the 40's to the 90's. I've always been a fan of the comic strip so when I saw this book at a book sale, I had to give this book a try.
October 31, 2014
I'm not a fan of the Dick Tracy comic strip, and I didn't watch the movie that came out years ago. That said, I did enjoy this collection of short stories. I've always liked short stories and mysteries, so this is a nice combination of the two.
June 27, 2009
This is a fun anthology.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews