St. Patrick’s Day is often overlooked when it comes to holiday specials, but not this year, thanks to Mad Cave Studios and Dick Tracy. The extra-sized Dick Tracy St. Patrick’s Day Special contains two tales connected to the holiday, both of which require Dick Tracy to suss out if the criminals really deserve it. The morality of crime comes into play in a thoughtful look at who the real villains are.
Kicking things off is “Irish Goodbye” by Alex Segura and Michael Moreci with art by Craig Cermak. The story opens in a mansion where a sex party is taking place, with one of the servers detailing his disgust with the super-rich via captions. It’s a masked party, giving his server mask a superhero vigilante look. Soon, he’s killing one of the patrons, a target who has committed plenty of crimes of their own, but they’re too rich to see any justice.
After the opening, we see Dick Tracy and his partner Sam looking for clues. The writing team does a good job crafting clues for Dick Tracy to pick up, including a four-leaf clover calling card. The gumshoe detective element is alive and well in this tale, making the detective work one of the more compelling aspects.
The predator is after his prey.
Credit: Mad Cave Studio
The story plays out with another murder, gruesomely killed and drawn by Cermak, with the case culminating in a final kill at a rich guy’s estate. While Dick Tracy is a by-the-books cop, there’s some hope he sees the bigger picture by the end. The story clings to the notion that the small guy usually gets stomped by the rich, and sometimes you have to take matters into your own hands.
“The Short of It” wraps things up by Tim Seeley and Rebekah Isaacs in a tale featuring a leprechaun. Or is he? The story focuses on a taxi driver named Acres O’Riley. She’s nine feet tall and always falls for the short guys. Sadly, her height means she’s usually quite lonely and itching for a lover of her own, which leads to her falling head over heels for a new red-headed shorty who’s come to town. It’s a short but sweet sort of tale with a fantastical twist to end things, with Dick Tracy mostly being a bystander.
The art in this story is quite good, with sharp detail and a good sense of storytelling across the page. When Acres punches some goons grabbing her new love, you feel the punch to the throat and kick to the chest.
Surprisingly, Dick Tracy isn’t really the lead in both tales, with the killer in the first and Acres in the second taking the lead with monologuing. Both tales work, but if you’re looking for a Dick Tracy-focused one-shot, this only dabbles in the character.
The Dick Tracy St. Patrick’s Day Special offers two very different stories that explore crime, justice, and the people caught in between. The opening tale leans into noir territory with a morally complicated killer targeting wealthy criminals who have escaped punishment. The mystery unfolds through solid detective work and sharp visuals that capture the darker tone of the story. The second story shifts gears toward something more whimsical with a lonely taxi driver and a possible leprechaun encounter, delivering charm and humor through expressive artwork and playful storytelling. While Dick Tracy himself stays somewhat on the sidelines, both stories provide an entertaining mix of crime drama and oddball holiday flavor that makes the special feel unique.
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