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Barry, Red. Red Barry was created by Will Gould and appeared in the comic strip “Red Barry” (1934-1938) as well as two Big Little Books and a 1938 movie serial.

Red Barry is a policeman modeled on Dick Tracy, although Barry is visually modeled on Jimmy Cagney. Police Detective Red Barry works a rough beat in an unnamed big city which is implicitly New York. Barry is not a brilliant investigator and relies more on his fists than his wits to help solve crimes. (Barry is not unintelligent, but his fists are usually all he needs to solve crimes). Barry is often called upon to use violence in the course of crime-solving, since the city in which he lives and works is a harsh one, full of violent and even vicious criminals. Barry’s preferred tactic is to infiltrate a gang by posing as a criminal; this tactic is usually successful. Barry’s opponents are an interesting lot, inspired by Dick Tracy’s Rogues Gallery but not imitating them. Among the criminals Barry takes on are "Count" Rinaldi, a brutal, hopped-up gangster with delusions of royalty; Sarno, a sociopathic ventriloquist accompanied by a murderous dummy; the Flame, a Yellow Peril Femme Fatale Chinese-American gang leader who uses her gang and her beauty to rule Chinatown; and, most memorably, the Monk, a Gothic-inspired master criminal who wears a black hood and holds the city in thrall from her headquarters. (The Monk is the sister of Barry's long-time pursuer, the female reporter Mississippi).

Barry’s boss Inspector Scott is a fan of Barry and ignores his often illegal tactics, preferring to think about the results Barry gets. Although Barry is often pursued by women, especially the lovely and desirable Mississippi, he has no time for them. He does play big brother to the Terrific Three, a trio of street kids (led by Ouchy Mugouchy) who are Barry’s Baker Street Irregulars.

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