Tarter Soss

Tarter Soss
First Appearance:	February 15th, 1961
Known Associates:	Soso
Appearance of Death:	March 16th, 1961
Created By:	Chester Gould
Can Be Found:	The Complete Dick Tracy Vol. 19 The Complete Dick Tracy Vol. 20

Tarter Soss was a servant in the employ of Soso. He was a large, imposing man with thick dark hair and a heavy beard. He often wore a hat and had a heavy-lidded expression on his face.

Tarter Soss was a skilled at driving an automobile and piloting small aircraft, even on poor weather conditions.

The Plot Against Fresh

Soss served as Soso's "chauffeur" when Soso convinced her niece Fresh Upp Plenty to come stay at her mansion. Soss drove Soso's car onto a frozen lake during a heavy snowstorm, then stopped the car claiming that one of the tires had gone flat. Soss and Soso exited the vehicle, then broke the ice under it, sending the car floating out on to the lake on an ice cake. They expected that Fresh and her infant son would either freeze or drown.

Soss then flew a small airplane that he had hidden nearby to Soso's clifftop mansion. Unbeknownst to Soso and Soss, Dick Tracy and the city police force had gathered evidence that indicated Soso in the abduction of Fresh (and other crimes). Soso f

ound Tracy waiting in her front room, while Soss encountered Sam Catchem in the garage.

Soss and Catchem fought, and Soss threw an axe at Catchem. Catchem avoided the weapon, and the two men grappled. Catchem (using judo) threw Soss over the cliff, where he crashed through the ice. Soss's body was later recovered, though it was unclear if he was killed by fall, the cold, or drowning.

Notes

• The name "Tarter Soss" is apparently a play on "tartar sauce", which is condiment made from mayonnaise and relish that is usually served with fish. The connection between the character and the sauce is unclear.
• Soss was depicted as speaking an accent, most likely European (since Soso had recently returned from Europe), though his country of origin was not established.