The first super detective to be in a comic strip was none other than Dick Tracy. The famous Dick Tracy debuted in 1931 as a comedic mystery strip. Dick Tracy has no secret identity; he does not really need one. He deals with the real life problems of being a comic strip detective. In fact he even becomes a detective because while he was proposing to his girlfriend, her father is killed and, of course, he vows to avenge her father?s death. In 1935 the Dick Tracy radio show debuts and its popularity skyrockets. It continues to run, with occasional breaks, until 1948. In 1945 the first Dick Tracy feature film comes out, its success is huge, three others follow through 1947. In 1950 the debut of the Dick Tracy television show marks the first detective fiction show on the air.
?Batman, the Caped Crusader, the Dark Knight, Bruce Wayne’s shadowy alter ego is universally recognized as the most complex, enigmatic, and tragically appealing crime fighter in the super hero pantheon.? (Daniels 45)
Batman was introduced to the world in May 1939. He is unique from most other super heroes of the time in that he has no super powers but instead relies upon superior training, intellect, and the super detective trademark of gadgets. He is often thought to be the world’s greatest detective, even above Sherlock Holmes (if Holmes had worn a mask he would have gotten the title). His alter ego is millionaire playboy Bruce Wayne. Wayne took up the mantle of the Batman after devoting his life to fighting crime upon witnessing the murder of his parents. Realizing that criminals are cowardly and superstitious, he decided to fashion his crime-fighting costume after a dark creature of the night, a bat, in order to instill fear into all criminals that he encountered. The first told origin of the Batman was in ?Detective Comics 33?, November 1939. The origin mentioned was very sketchy at best. The first truly detailed origin of the Batman was told in ?Batman 47? in June 1948. The origin has been modified slightly over the years the basic facts, however, have remained the same.
Batman had his own live-action television series in the sixties starring Adam West. Since then Batman has evolved into the hardened crime fighter we know today. Batman cartoons premiered first in 1979. Since then the Batman cartoon has been twisted and rearranged to fit the demands and imagination of today?s viewers.
As times changed so did the ideals of society. The clean-cut hero was no longer loved as he had once been. The sixties completely changed the mentality of the American people. The spy aspect of Detective fiction came into light. The debonair, suave, and deadly James Bond came into the public eye along with such other super spy shows as The Avengers, Mission Impossible, and Get Smart. The hard-boiled *censored* of the 40?s and 50?s quickly lost favor to these spies. One has to wonder where all of the super detectives ended up. They were so popular and then they seemed to simply disappear. They did not disappear; they just changed from, into cartoons.
The first truly successful detective cartoon was the ever popular ?Scooby Doo, Where are you??. The Scooby Doo mystery series is known for its flat plot that tends to repeat in every episode. The Scooby Doo formula goes as follows: First, the whole gang (Scooby, Freddy, Shaggy, Velma, and Daphne) is cruising in the Mystery Machine when something happens, they either arrive somewhere or have car trouble. Next they find out that there is a spooky ghost scaring everyone away from some place near-by. There is a long chase scene, they catch the ghost, and it turns out not to be a ghost but actually someone that nobody suspected.
That formula is constant throughout all that is Scooby. The first episode was actually shot down because it was ?too scary? for kids. Barbera (of Hanna-Barbera Studios) decided to add a comic relief, namely Scooby himself. This action created the very first detective comedy on television and led the way for all kinds of detective cartoons. ?Scooby Doo, Where are you?? broke into several other cartoon series; “A Pup Named Scooby Doo,? ?The Thirteen Ghosts of Scooby Doo,? ?The Scooby and Friends Detective Hour,? and an excessive amount of Scooby movies. Scooby Doo continues to be the most popular cartoon detective series in history, with marathons and new movies almost every week.
When it comes to the gadget aspect of super detectives, no one can out gadget Inspector Gadget, not even Batman. Inspector Gadget is a gadget, plain and simple. He has gadgets pouring out of every part of him, from telephones, to the gadget-copter, to an inflatable jacket. Inspector Gadget debuted in 1983 and won the hearts of many children. He battles the evil Dr. Claw and his organization (M.A.D.) in every episode. The plot of Inspector Gadget?s show is even more shallow than the Scooby Doo Formula. In every episode Gadget gets a call from ?the Chief? who tells him to meet him somewhere. When Gadget gets there ?the Chief? hands him a message that will self-destruct in 5 seconds, ?the Chief? always ends up being blown up by the exploding message. Gadget bumbles around the site where the crime took place until his niece, Penny, and her dog, Brain, solve the mystery and call the police at which point Gadget is rewarded for his efforts in solving the crime, which he never does.
Super detectives have been the idols of children since the 1930s and continue to influence television and the comics page everyday. Some super detectives have been brought back via the silver screen. The legacy of these heroes will never die. Their memory will live forever in the hearts and minds of ours and past generations. One quote from Batman will ring in our minds for years to come: ?See you next week. Same Bat-time, Same Bat-Channel.?
History of the Mystery at MysteryNet.com: The Online Mystery Network, http://www.mysterynet.com/history/
The Shadow, at MysteryNet.com, http://www.mysterynet.com/history/shadow/
McFarlane, Paul; ?Transformations of Holmes: Transmissions of ?The Musgrave Ritual? in Text, TV, and film,? University of Nevada, Reno, 1994
Dunning, John; Tune in Yesterday: The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio 1925-1976; Portland House; New York, 1984
?The Green Hornet;? ABC; 1966-1967
The Green Hornet Guide, http://moose.uvm.edu/~glambert/green.html
Daniels, Les; Batman: The Complete History: The Life and Times of the Dark Knight; Chronicle Books, New York, 1999
The Shadow’s Realm, http://leader.linkexchange.com/4/X1155277/showiframe?
The Comic Page – your guide to the history of comics – comic book history, http://www.dereksantos.com/comicpage/
ComicsPage, http://dicktracy.comicspage.com/