Drinking Water from a Fork

 

My Dad used to tell me about a particular Dick Tracy story arc he remembered reading in the newspaper (probably the New York Daily News) when he was a kid. It involved Tracy being captured by villains who tried to starve him to death, feeding him only water served on a fork.

Well, I was delighted a few years ago with the publication of The Complete Dick Tracy, volume 10, which reprinted this story. Sharing this with Dad was nice.

Anyway, the starvation sequence began in late November 1945. Tracy was pursuing a bad guy named Itchy, who had (among other crimes) kidnapped Tess Trueheart. This by itself is not unusual. Prisons in those days were stuffed to the gills with criminals who had kidnapped Tess Trueheart.

Tess is rescued when Itchy's car gets stuck in a tunnel. But in the ensuing confusion, Itchy steals a patrol car. Tracy manages to dive into the trunk of the car as Itchy flees the scene. 

Unfortunately for Tracy, Itchy spots his reflection in a plate glass window. He manages to get the drop on the detective and, along with Kitty--the widow of a crook killed by Tracy--decides to do away with him in a particularly insidious way.

They keep him tied up, feeding him one turnip per day and all the water that will cling to a fork. The idea is to slowly starve him to death, as they often eat full meals right in front of them. Their meals and snacks are all chosen because they smell so good, such as popcorn or hamburgers with onions. 

Chester Gould's villains were meant to represent the depths of evil that human beings can sink to. With Itchy and Kitty, this symbolism might have been the most explicit he ever achieved. They are driven entirely by the need for vengence and this in turn amps up their capacity for cruelity.

Tracy gradually weakens, but the patrol car (which Itchy dumped) has been found. The cops search it and fail to find a clue. Fortunately, Tracy's adopted son Junior is better at being a detective than the actual detectives. He gives the car one more going over and finds a note Tracy had left in the trunk, revealing the address at which he's being held.

Junior sneaks in, cuts Tracy loose and gives him a gun. Then, while Junior goes for reinforcements, the weak but still game Tracy gets the drop on his captors. 

Kitty faints, but Itchy makes the mistake of trying to pull a gun. He's dead before he hits the floor.

I can see why Dad remembered this story arc so vividly. The cruel plan of the villains combines with Gould's disturbing portrayal of a gaunt and starving hero makes the tale very, very memorable. 

Next week, we look at another example of just how much fun it is when Jack Kirby draws a story about a rampaging monster.