“Red Barry is the one successful detective comic strip and the only one worthy of consideration, from my scholarly viewpoint.” — ANTHONY BOUCHER “I will not tolerate such disgusting violence on my comics pages!” — WILLIAM RANDOLPH HEARST “Why don’t you leave him alone? He knows what he’s doing. And it’s goddammed good stuff!” — DASHIELL HAMMETT
FROM THE INTRODUCTION BY
BRUCE CANWELL—
It took a talented artist and writer who was also a fast-talking, hard-living newspaperman— someone who could have stepped right out of The Front Page—to create a comic strip like Red Barry that could compete with not only Dick Tracy, but Warner Bros. crime movies, and real-life headlines of murder and mayhem. That is why Will Gould was perfect for the job.
VOL. 1 $49.99 • LIBRARYOFAMERICANCOMICS.COM
STORY AND ART ART ASSISTANT
ISBN: 978-1-63140-722-2
WILL GOULD
WALTER FREHM
EDITOR AND DESIGNER
First Printing, August 2016 Distributed by Diamond Book Distributors 1-410-560-7100
DEAN MULLANEY
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
BRUCE CANWELL
STRIP RESTORATION
JOSEPH KETELS, LORRAINE TURNER, DEAN MULLANEY
SCANNING
JACKSON GLASSEY
ART DIRECTOR
PUBLISHED BY
LORRAINE TURNER
TED ADAMS
Assembling a complete set of Red Barry strips has eluded researchers and scholars for decades. Although no single source holds the entire run, we have been able to compile this complete collection thanks to the generosity and help of the following: Tony Raiola, Jeffrey Lindenblatt, David Armstrong, James D. Flanagan, George Hagenauer, and the San Francisco Academy of Comics Art Collection at the Ohio State University’s Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum.
Published by: IDW Publishing a Division of Idea and Design Works, LLC 2765 Truxtun Road, San Diego, CA 92106 www.idwpublishing.com Ted Adams, Chief Executive Officer/Publisher Greg Goldstein, Chief Operating Officer/President Robbie Robbins, EVP/Sr. Graphic Artist Chris Ryall, Chief Creative Officer/Editor-in-Chief Matthew Ruzicka, CPA, Chief Financial Officer Dirk Wood, VP of Marketing Lorelei Bunjes, VP of Digital Services Jeff Webber, VP of Licensing, Digital and Subsidiary Rights Jerry Bennington, VP of New Product Development
Additional thanks to Bill Spicer, whose 1970 feature-length interview with Will Gould has enriched our knowledge of Gould and the times in which he lived.
Copyright © 2016 King Features Syndicate. ™ Hearst Holdings, Inc.
Publisher’s note: These comic strips were created in an earlier time and include racial stereotypes; we reproduce them with the understanding that they reflect a bygone era.
The Library of American Comics is a trademark of The Library of American Comics LLC. All rights reserved. Introduction © 2016 Bruce Canwell. With the exception of artwork used for review purposes, none of the contents of this publication may be reprinted without the permission of the publisher. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Printed in Korea.
16 • March 19-21, 1934
March 22-24, 1934 • 17
18 • March 26-28, 1934
March 29-31, 1934 • 19
20 • April 2-4, 1934