Chester Gould : a daughter's biography of the creator of Dick Tracy /

Adult/High School-Based on interviews conducted just prior to Gould's death, and lovingly written by his daughter and creator of the Dick Tracy Museum, this biography presents the highlights of the artist's personal and professional life. The author describes her father's humble beginnings in Pawnee, OK, his early cartoons for college bulletin boards, and his most prestigious successes and awards. Gould worked in contract positions for a number of papers, but his dream was to write and draw his own strip for the Chicago Tribune. Its editors paid him little attention until he suggested the idea of a comic strip illustrating the increasing battles between police and organized crime. Through serious research, colorful characters, and a keen sense of drama, the fledgling strip grew into a mainstay of comics that once was carried by hundreds of newspapers around the world. The volume includes dozens of photographs of Gould throughout his life, but the real gems are the black-and-white reproductions of his work. From his childhood drawings to drafts of Dick Tracy strips, readers see the evolution of Gould's work as he continually improved his craft. Serious readers will be disappointed that the author misses several opportunities for critical analysis, but fans and budding comics creators will find her unique insider view provides a delightful, albeit somewhat light, portrait of a man who succeeded through that combination of talent, innovation, and hard work.-Matthew L. Moffett, Pohick Regional Library, Burke, VA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.