Dick Tracy Forever #3 (IDW Publishing) Comic Review
Released by: IDW Publishing
Released on: June 26th, 2019.
Written & Illustrated by: Michael Avon Oeming
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This third issue of Dick Tracy Forever opens with a Crime Stoppers APB wherein we meet a quartet of rogues - Manscape, Derpy Dan, Knob Nose and Syrsly Sam. Cut to the hospital where Dick Tracy and Tess talks about Junior, their adopted son, and his situation. They can't afford the super expensive experimental treatment that would take care of the issue (and possibly create others) so they're hoping things will go well. The change the conversation to Tess' upcoming undercover gig, posing as Glitch The Driver to infiltrate Auntie Vaxx's gang.
The next day, there's a briefing at the station where we learn the details - gene alteration kits have been banned but there are still a few GEK kits around, not yet confiscated. Criminals are using them to literally 'alter the face of crime' - that's why Tess is undercover with the gang, posing as a hacker. Vaxx wants to steal the kit from Flattop's crew and Tracy's team has a man inside there, Bricks Walker, whose job it is to make sure Vaxx's crew gets the drop on them. Tracy's team will then show up at the hideout and make their arrests.
That is, assuming it all goes to plan. Of course, it doesn't… and Tracy winds up with his work cut out for him. And before it's all over we get a second APB that gives us details on Tom Thumb, Foto Bomb and Hangry Hank and a one-page Cops & Robbers Detective Game!
Writer/illustrator Michael Avon Oeming's attempt to bring Dick Tracy into the future works and works well. There's action and comedy, the type of stuff that you'd expect in a quality Tracy story, but so too is there some interesting moralizing going on here. Not the sappy, overdone type of moralizing but the thought provoking type. The kind where a character has to figure out what matters to him the most, and is forced to make some tough decisions with real impacts on other people. Not to oversell it, but the story here is clever and interesting. It brings technology into play in ways that it wouldn't be possible to do with a Tracy story set in the older days or even the current day and while 'bringing Dick Tracy into the future' definitely sounds like a goofy gimmick on paper, Oeming pulls it off.
The artwork, colored by Taki Soma and lettered by Shawn Lee, is also solid. He draws the square-jawed super cop well, he always looks appropriately stoic and ready to fight crime at the drop of a hat. Layouts are nice - we get some simple mutli-panel pages, traditional stuff, and some more unique pages - a good example being one where Tracy talks to his crew about the plan, his face in silhouette in the top corner which contrasts with the yellow border to create a really striking image. The car chase scene is also nicely illustrated with a good flow to the action and the last few pages, without going into the spoiler zone, are super dramatic.
The story wraps up next issue. This has been a really fun, quirky and creative run so far and there's no reason to expect anything less from the final. All in all, top notch entertainment in funny book form!