Sketch Paree

Appeared from Thursday, August 4, 1949 to Monday, September 19, 1949

Sketch Paree was a crazed fashion designer and a killer. He had slick dark hair, a small mustache and spoke with a French accent. One of “Sketch’s” inventions was a huge face mask that held a large supply of water. He used the water mask to drown his victims by pressing their faces into it.

“Sketch” had also designed a self-fastening baby diaper and wanted to sell it to Talcum Freely, a manufacturer of baby clothes. When “Sketch” Paree thought that Talcum Freely had stolen his diaper idea, “Sketch” shot and killed him.

With the help of Eddie, the Manager of a night club where “Sketch” Paree had designed the chorus girls’ outfits, Tracy and Sam located “Sketch’s” hideout in a floating room near the river. Alerted that he had intruders, “Sketch” tried to drown Sam using his water mask. Sam managed to break away from “Sketch”. When Tracy entered the room, “Sketch” escaped and locked them both inside and let the air out of the pontoons holding up the room. By the time Tracy and Sam escaped from the flooding room, “Sketch” Paree had already drowned Eddie the Manager with his water mask.

“Sketch” was next planning to get even with Spike Dyke, the band leader, who had fired “Sketch” as his band’s costume designer. “Sketch” Paree sneaked into Spike’s theater and hid in Spike’s dressing room. Mistaking the Professor, one of Spike’s band members, for Spike, “Sketch” almost drowned him before he realized his mistake. Leaving the Professor coughing up water, “Sketch” walked out onto the stage during Spike’s performance, wearing his water mask.

He grabbed Spike and pressed Spike’s face into the mask. The audience thought it was another one of Spike’s crazy stunts and went wild. However, Tracy was disguised as the bass horn player in Spike’s band. He stepped forward with his gun drawn. When “Sketch” saw Tracy, he dropped Spike and drew his own gun and fired. Tracy returned fire and his two shots hit “Sketch”. “Sketch” Paree fell dead to the stage floor. Both Spike Dyke and the Professor recovered fully.

Reprinted with permission from the author Victor E. Wichert “The Dick Tracy Encyclopedia Oct. 4, 1931 – Dec. 25 1977″

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