Officer Lizz Worthington-Grove first appeared as a photographer working in "Nothing" Yonson's Club. She was an attractive woman with light eyes and thick eyelashes.
Lizz and her sister Julie were orphans, their parents having died when they were very young. The girls were separated, and Lizz later claimed to have been raised on a farm. It was later revealed that Lizz's adoption had not been handled by an official adoption agency, but that she and Julie had been sold to their adoptive parents by a baby broker named Clair Howell.
Lizz and her new husband Jimmy were instrumental in the capture of Oodles. Lizz's boss "Nothing" Yonson disapproved of her cooperating with the police and she was subsequently fired, then assaulted by Nothing's employee Joe Period.
After Lizz first met Dick Tracy during the Oodles case, she decided she wanted to become a police officer. After extensive training, she joined the force and ran afoul of Joe Period again. Discovering that he had murdered her sister, Lizz dedicated herself to hunting down Period.
After Period was arrested, Lizz became involved in the pursuit of Ivy. Tracking him to South Dakota, Lizz was ambushed by a crazed fugitive who turned out to be Flattop Jones Jr. Lizz ultimately fired the shot that killed the young man. Following the death of the mute girl Spec'smother, Lizz and Jimmy agreed to take custody of the girl.
Later, Lizz served as a decoy for the young witness Fatty McDonald, taking her place at the McDonald family farm in an attempt to draw out Rhodent. When Rhodent sent the killer-for-hire Halffa Millyon to murder Fatty, Lizz struggled with Millyon and threw him out a window to his death. This earned her the ire of Millyon's brother William, also known as "The Fifth". Fifth kidnapped Lizz and left her in a deadly trap, but she was rescued by Tracy.
It was around this time (1959) that Jimmy was killed in a car accident, leaving Lizz a widow.
During the Moon Period, Lizz was the first friend of newcomer to Earth Moon Maid.
Lizz, after hours
Lizz eventually fell in love with fellow police officer Groovy Grove. They dated for a long time and both Lizz and Groovy each came close to death on several occasions. Lizz wanted to marry Groovy, but she insisted that he must quit the police force, fearing for his safety. He refused, and the matter was a serious issue in their relationship for some time.
Close calls
In 1973, Lizz was knocked unconscious and nearly killed by the eccentric Miss Rinkles.
In 1974, Lizz shot and killed the egocentric killer Keeno the Great after he twice tried to stab her as she was attempting to arrest him.
In 1975, Lizz shot Earl Welz in the shoulder as he was attempting to murder the wife of his son Z.Z. Welz. Earl was released on bail and kidnapped Lizz with the aid of an accomplice Chilly Hill. They tried to kill Lizz by placing her in the trunk of Vera Alldid's stolen car and setting it on fire. Lizz escaped and was later able to identify the kidnappers.
In 1976, Lizz was kidnapped and nearly killed by the contract killer Pucker Puss.
Lizz Gains Experience
When Angeltop Jones came to the city, Lizz went to ask her some questions pertaining to the shooting of Vitamin Flintheart, only to be attacked by both Angeltop and Alfred Brau Jr. (The Brow's Son). Angeltop had strong animosity toward Lizz, due to Lizz having shot and killed Angeltop's brother. Lizz and Sam Catchem rescued Tracy from Alfred and Angeltop, the latter being presumed dead in a fire on the Santa Maria replica.
Lizz would later be held captive by the returned villain Haf-and-Haf, who nearly scarred her face with lye.
It was through Lizz's street sources that Tracy and the Major Crimes Squad would find out about Big Boy's $1,000,000 Open Contract on Tracy. After Tracy commandeered the Organized Crime Unit after declaring open War on The Apparatus (suspecting that they were the ones responsible for issuing the Open Contract) Tracy had Chief Patton reassign Lizz and Sam back under Tracy's authority in the OCU. They were re-assigned back to the MCU after the case of the Open Contract was resolved.
Shortly after Tracy's fiftieth birthday (1981), a bandaged assailant knocked on Lizz's door and kidnapped her, making it look as though she had been killed. There were no leads to Lizz's whereabouts and she was presumed dead. It was later revealed that she had been abducted by a bandaged Angeltop who had survived the fire three years earlier.
Lizz was shown to be Angeltop's prisoner after the Brow's Son failed to kill Diet Smith in Washington DC. When Alfred Jr. returned from Washington, Angeltop announced her plans to blow up the church where Junior Tracy's wedding to Sparkle Plenty was being held. The Brow's Son had a pang of conscience and secretly freed Lizz so that she could warn the wedding attendees. Tracy managed to disarm the bomb in time and Angeltop and the Brow's Son were arrested. Lizz volunteered to testify for leniency on Alfred's behalf, out of gratitude for him rescuing her.
Loss, and Promotion
Lizz as Chief of Police
In 1984, Groovy was fatally injured while pursuing gunman Normal Jones, aka The Cipher. Groovy and Lizz agreed to marry on his deathbed, in an attempt to raise Groovy's spirits and provide Lizz with his death benefits. Lizz was present when Jones was apprehended and was able to resist the urge to shoot the fleeing young man. Lizz has not since remarried.
In 2005, Lizz was injured and briefly hospitalized during the case of Moonrock the Magician. Two members of Cy Chotic's gang drove a large truck though a roadblock that Lizz was manning, and she was hurt jumping out of the way.
In 2007, Lizz was promoted to Chief due to Chief Pat Patton's health issues and was replaced by Lt. Teevo as Tracy's new squad member.
In 2008, Lizz was one of several notable people from the city who was kidnapped by Cole Lector. She was held hostage in Lector's home until she was freed by Dick Tracy.
In 2011, Chief Patton returned to duty and Lizz happily went back to her position as a senior detective in the Major Crimes Unit.
During the investigation of retired Chief Brandon's shooting by the criminal Big Frost, Lizz and Sam were put in charge of the investigation. Sam recounted to Lizz the story of how Tracy first joined the plainclothes division (even though Sam himself was not present for those events, which may explain the discrepancies between his version and how they were originally depicted).
In 2012, Lizz was injured during the police raid on the Panda Agency. She was saved from further harm by the reformed criminal Little Face. Upon recovering, Lizz decided to start wearing her hair longer. She kept this longer style for some time before cutting her hair short again.
In 2019, Detective Frisk provided Lizz with information about her biological parents.
Appearances in Other Media
1960s Live Action TV Pilot
Lizz appeared in the pilot presentation for the un-produced 1967 live-action Dick Tracy TV series. She was played by actress Jan Shutan. This has been the only time that Lizz has appeared in any live-action or animated incarnation of Dick Tracy.
IDW Comics
Dick Tracy: Dead or Alive
Lizz appeared in the comic book miniseries Dick Tracy: Dead or Alive published by IDW. She first appeared in issue #3 as part of Brilliant Smith's team of operatives that were aiding Dick Tracy in his effort to dismantle organized crime in the city.
Notes
Lizz in 2018
Lizz was originally depicted as blonde, but this was revealed to be not her natural color. She changed it back to brown in the summer of 1964. She is most easily identified by her distinctive eye shape & makeup.
Lizz was shown smoking cigarettes in the Pouch storyline. She eventually gave up the habit.
Lizz's name has sometimes been spelt as "Liz". In the strip, she has complained about when that happens in newspaper or other print media.
Lizz's maiden name has not been confirmed. Lizz is typically addressed/referred to by the last name "Worthington" or "Worthington-Grove".
Because of her exceptional aptitude for police work and early acts of distinction, Lizz rose quickly through the police department and was assigned to the plainclothes squad (later the MCU) almost immediately. She was not shown to have spent very much time (if any) as a uniform officer.
In a storyline in which Lizz went missing, her colleagues speculated that she may have gone to visit her mother. Since it had been established that Lizz was an orphan, readers must assume that this referred to an adoptive (or possibly foster) mother. In a later storyline, Lizz was shown to have a niece as well, though the exact lineage of their relationship was not specified.
Lizz's badge number was 122.
Lizz's blood type was AB.
Lizz was described as "The Most Dangerous Policewoman in America" by Mr. Bribery. She was skilled in several martial arts (including judo) and in the use of a manrikigusari, a Japanese chain-weapon.
In the early 1970s, Lizz claimed to have a certain amount of Extra-Sensory Perception (ESP) that allowed her to intuit that Dick Tracy was in danger. This ability (real or imagined) has not been referenced often in subsequent years.
Lizz kisses Dick (who had been missing and feared dead). December 21st, 1968
In 2006, during the case of Dr. Figment Froid's mind-reading device, it was revealed that Lizz had been attracted to Dick Tracy when they first met. This had been implied by some of her earlier actions, but had not been explicitly stated. The pair agreed to set this revelation aside out of mutual respect.
Lizz attended the Hannukah celebration at the Catchem family home in 2011. While the other members of the MCU brought their families to the event, Lizz seems to have come alone. It is unclear what the status of her relationship is with Spec (her ward) and Tinky (her step-daughter).
Lizz (with Lee Ebony) in 2019
In the Midnite Mirror series, Lizz was the personal assistant of the criminal "Boss" Tracy. She had blonde hair, and her eyes were drawn more consistent with her original character model, with the iris and pupils being so light as not be distinguishable from the whites of her eyes. He hair was short in her initial Sunday Midnite Mirror appearance, but was longer in a later daily strip.
