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When Chins Collide!

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ChinsCollide

Teaser poster by Shane Fisher, courtesy of Mike Curtis. (Facebook)

He’s been copied honored by Vera Alldid as Dick Tracy parody J Straightedge Trustworthy.  He’s been mentioned in passing once twice probably at least three times by struggling comic strip writer Vera Alldid.  To many, or Mr. Alldid at least, he’s great in ways that Dick Tracy could only wish.  Now, straight from the crossover loving mind of the man himself (Mr. Curtis), the one and only Fearless Fosdick is on his way this summer!

Alldid better have his autograph book.  We can’t wait to see how this plays out.

Wait, what’s a Fosdick?  Time to drop a little Fearless knowledge.

Al Capp, well-known creator of Li’L Abner and all around hilarious satirist created the famous Dick Tracy parody, Fearless Fosdick roughly 74 years ago as Li’l Abner’s favorite comic crime fighter and “ideel” role model.  Fosdick first appeared in 1942 and was promptly shot. Fosdick could not be bothered by “mere scratches” however, and reported back to his corrupt Chief and over the next decade went on to battle an absurd succession of Dick Tracy-esque enemies like Rattop, Bombface, the Chippendale Chair and Sidney the Crooked Parrot.

FearlessFosdickIn addition to battling villains, Fosdick maintained a rich love life with a perpetual 17 year engagement to his very own Tess Trueheart, here named Prudence Pimpleton.  Unlike Tracy, Fosdick would never marry. Fosdick’s crime-fighting style was incredibly violent, excessive and dedicated to the extreme. Drawn wearing suit and cap with a razor-sharp jawbone, Fosdick was according to his creator, “pure, underpaid, purposeful” and of notorious bad aim.  “When Fosdick is after a law-breaker, there is no escape for the miscreant,” Capp wrote in 1956.  “There is, however, a fighting chance to escape for hundreds of innocent bystanders who happen to be in the neighborhood – but only a fighting chance.  Fosdick’s duty, as he sees it, is not so much to maintain safety as to destroy crime.”  A prime example of this is “The Case of the Poisoned Beans”, wherein Fearless Fosdick proceeds to slaughter dozens of citizens to protect them from consuming tainted beans.  You can read 20 full pages of the Poisoned Bean case here.

FosdickChippendale Continue reading →

Congratulations Team Tracy on 2015 Harvey Award!

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DickTracyHarvey2015The Depot is extremely excited and congratulates Joe Staton, Mike Curtis and their fantastic team for winning a third straight “Best Syndicated Strip or Panel” Harvey Award!  The win was announced at the Baltimore Comic-Con‘s award ceremony where Mike and Joe were on hand to receive the award.  Taking home the comic strip honors over the likes of Dilbert, Foxtrot, Get Fuzzy and Mutts is an amazing achievement.

Here’s a full list of the 2015 Harvey Winners:

  • Best Letterer: Jack Morelli for Afterlife with Archie, Archie Comic Publications
  • Best Colorist: Dave Steward, HELLBOY IN HELL, Dark Horse Comics
  • Best Syndicated Strip: Joe Staton and Mike Curtis for Dick Tracy, Tribune Media Services
  • Best Online Comics Work: The Private Eye by Brian K Vaughan, Marcos Martin and Muntsa Vicente
  • Best American Edition of Foreign Material: Blacksad: Amarillo, Dark Horse
  • Best Inker: Danny Miki, Batman, DC Comics
  • Best New Series: Southern Bastards, Jason Aaron and Jason Latour, Image Comics
  • Best New Talent: Chad Lambert for “Kill Me” from Dark Horse Presents, Dark Horse Comics
  • Special Award for Humor in Comics: Chip Zdarksy for Sex Criminals, Image Comics
  • Best Original Graphic Publication for Younger Readers: Lumberjanes, BOOM! Box
  • Best Graphic Album Previously Published: Mouse Guard: Baldwin the Brave and Other Tales, Boom! Studios/Archaia
  • Special Award for Excellence in Presentation: Little Nemo: Dream Another Dream, Andrew Carl, Josh O’Neill, Chris Stevens, Locus Moon Press
  • Dick Giordano Humanitarian Award: Prsented by Nelli Kurtzman, this award presented to Denis Kitchen.
  • Best Anthology: Dark Horse Presents, Dark Horse Comics
  • Best Domestic Reprint Project: Steranko Nick Fury Agent of SHIELD Artist’s Edition, IDW
  • Best Cover Artist: Fiona Staples, SAGA, Image Comics
  • Best Biographical, Historical, or Journalistic  Presentation: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Ultimate Visual History, Andrew Farago, Insight Editions
  • Best Graphic Album, Original: Jim Henson’s The Musical Monsters of Turkey Hollow, Archaia/Boom! Studios
  • Best Continuing or Limited Series: SAGA, Brian K Vaughan, Fiona Staples, Image Comics
  • Lifetime Achievement Award from the Hero Initiative: This award was given Russ Heath who is most well known for his DC Comics War Stories and Playboy’s Little Annie Fanny.
  • Best Writer: Mark Waid, Daredevil, Marvel Comics
  • Best Artist: Fiona Staples, SAGA, Image Comics
  • Best Cartoonist: Terry Moore, Rachel Rising, Abstract Studios
  • Best Single Issue or Story: “Breaking Out”, DARK HORSE PRESENTS #35, Dark Horse Comics

In addition to the above award winners, the second and third Harvey Kurtzman Hall of Fame Awards were presented to Jules Feiffer and Will Eisner, early American cartoonists.  Will and Jules created The Spirit (1940-1952) which was noted for its experiments with content and form that proved to be a springboard for later comics.

 

Annie Roll Call

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Tracy-AnnieWith the Dick Tracy/Annie crossover kicking into high gear we thought it might be nice to do a quick Annie Roll Call to familiarize Dick Tracy readers with the Annie characters. The Depot admits most of our familiarity with Annie comes from the movies so we’ll be learning here as well. Feel free to chime in with any information you care to add!

Annie

We all should know this one, the curly red-haired Annie was an 11-year-old orphan known for wearing a red dress and having vacant circles for eyes. Her February 29th birthday is attributed to her perpetual youthfulness. A plucky and compassionate girl, Annie has a strong sense of right and wrong and had no fear of larger bullies. When the Annie comic strip was cancelled in June of 2010 Annie had been kidnapped from her hotel by a wanted European war criminal known as the “Butcher of the Balkans”. When the strip ended the two had gone to Guatemala and the Butcher told the heroine she had a new life with him now.  GoComics (see previous link) has the end of Annie’s run on their website so if you have time you could reade about it there.  Annie’s most famous catchphrases, “Gee Whiskers” and “Leapin’ Lizards!” will hopefully be uttered sometime this summer!

AnnieCrossoverOliver “Daddy” Warbucks

Oliver Warbucks started as a small machine shop owner who acquired enormous wealth producing munitions during World War I. A well-built bald man, Warbucks is typically depicted wearing a tuxedo and diamond stick pin in his shirt as he has grown very rich over the years. He is somewhat similar to Diet Smith in this regard. Oliver liked Annie from the first time they met, asking her to call him “Daddy” and taking the girl under his wing despite the protests of his wife. Warbucks has been searching for Annie since she was taken by the Butcher and has begun to worry he may never find her.

The Asp and Punjab

These two are Warbuck’s right-hand men. They have been referred to as bodyguards, but they have many more skills than simple bodyguards. Punjab is an eight-foot native of India, depicted with the classic Indian headpiece while the Asp is a suit-wearing man, possibly of East Asian heritage. We admit we know very little about these two but both were introduced in the mid-1930’s and remained part of the strip ever since.

MrAmMr. Am

Mister Am is a very mysterious character in the Annie comic strip, drawn with a long beard and written with a jovial personality. He seems to have lived for thousands of years (since before cities) and has shown strange supernatural powers. Still, he is not all-powerful or knowledgable but is far more capable than any other living being. Am’s motives and who he chooses to help and how have been subject to much speculation, as has his true identity, which some have suggested may in fact be God, Santa Claus or Methuselah.  Read more about Mr. Am here.

Sandy

Sandy was a puppy Annie rescued from a gang of abusive boys and has grown and remained with Annie ever since 1925. Like Annie herself, we’ve not seen Sandy in the Dick Tracy strip and it’s unclear if Sandy is currently with Annie or in fact safe and sound with Oliver Warbucks.  AnnieSandy

Dick Tracy Joins the Search for Annie

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tracy-AnnieCHICAGO (March 28, 2014) — Faithful readers who’ve wondered what happened to Annie Warbucks will learn all the hair-raising details when two of the greatest adventure comic strips of all time collide starting June 1 in the daily and Sunday adventures of “Dick Tracy.”

When last seen on Sunday, June 13, 2010, in the “Annie” strip’s finale, Annie Warbucks was in the clutches of the war criminal known as “The Butcher of the Balkans” somewhere in Guatemala. Although this notorious assassin assured Annie she wouldn’t meet the same gruesome end as his countless other victims, he warned her she’d never see Oliver “Daddy” Warbucks again and that for the rest of her life she’d accompany him on his deadly travels.

That cliffhanger left unanswered the fate of the courageous young woman whose globe-spanning adventures have thrilled millions since her Aug. 5, 1924, debut and inspired a Broadway musical and two motion pictures based on the show — the most recent set to hit the big screen Christmas 2014. Now, thanks to “Dick Tracy” artist Joe Staton and writer Mike Curtis, fans won’t need to wonder much longer about Annie’s fate.

According to Curtis, it turns out that after some time spent fruitlessly searching the world for his beloved adopted daughter, Warbucks has decided to enlist the help of the only man who can rescue Annie: Dick Tracy.

“As a lifelong admirer of Annie, I felt the need to unravel her disappearance,” says Curtis, who’s helmed “Dick Tracy” with Staton since March 2011. Curtis’ previous writing credits include “Richie Rich” and “Casper the Friendly Ghost” for Harvey Comics.

“Joe and I have planned Annie’s rescue for some time, and we’ll deliver action-packed, over-the-top thrills and chills as the two features combine their casts for what we hope will be the most historic tale in comic strip history,” Curtis says.

Staton says this story arc is a dream come true for him. “Whether I’m working in the DC, Marvel or any other universe, it’s always a privilege to be standing on the shoulders of so many giants,” he says. The artist, who’s been drawing comics for many years and has more than 1,000 credits under his belt, is perhaps best known for his work with the Green Lantern series, for which he created several alien Green Lanterns, including Kilowog, Salakk and Arisia.

“Dick Tracy” was created by Chester Gould, and “Little Orphan Annie” created by his friend Harold Gray. Both are owned and trademarked properties of Tribune Content Agency. Fans across the country, as well as the industry, have given the creative team of Staton and Curtis high marks for having breathed new life into the iconic adventure strip. “Dick Tracy” won the comics world’s signature Harvey Award in 2013 for Best Syndicated Strip. The strip is produced by artist Staton and writer Curtis, along with inker Shelley Pleger, colorist Shane Fisher and technical consultant Sgt. Jim Doherty.

For more details, use our Response Form and we’ll provide you with contact information for Mike Curtis “Dick Tracy” writer and Leigh Hanlon, Associate Editor.  (I don’t want to post their email’s here for a spam bot to pick up)