Jimmy “Trigger” Doom was an underworld figure and the boyfriend of Constable Ferret’s sixteen year-old daughter Ginger. Ginger kept Trigger informed of her father’s plans and activities, enabling Trigger to avoid arrest.
Trigger was depicted as handsome, slightly resembling Clark Gable. He often wore a flat-brimmed boater hat.
The Constable's Daughter[]
Trigger was first seen dropping Ginger off at the hospital where she visited her father, mother, and newborn triplet brothers. Ginger was also introduced to her father’s new friend Dick Tracy. She dropped a compact that Trigger had given her in Tracy’s room, which was later discovered.
Trigger then picked up Ginger and she warned him about a raid on his slot machine operation that her father was planning. He took her his place in the city and “branded” his name on her back with a sun lamp, tying her fate to his. The two then robbed a drive-in restaurant. As they were making their getaway, Trigger lost control of his car on a curving country road. He crashed into a billboard and the car caught on fire. Trigger escaped, but Ginger was burned to death.
"Trigger's" Bull[]
Trigger made his way to his farmland hideout. He sent two of his men to the Ferret house to recover Ginger’s diary, believing that it was the primary evidence that would tie her to his death. He did not realize that the police were already seeking him, both because the burnt-out car was registered to him and the compact Ginger had dropped was inscribed “To Ginger from Trigger”.
One of his men was caught during the break-in attempt, and the other fled. When he returned to Trigger’s hideout, Trigger pushed the man into a bull pen, where he was mauled (but not killed) by the bull. Trigger had done this as a lesson to his other underlings.
Using the methods of scientific detection, Tracy tracked Trigger’s man to the dairy hideout. Trigger hid while another one of his men pushed Tracy (who was walking with the aid of a crutch) into the bull pen. Tracy would likely have been trampled if Constable Ferret had not shot the bull in the head. Trigger fled into the city and met with his boss, Czar Rennis.
Crossing Czar Rennis[]
Czar was unhappy with Trigger’s performance in his operation, and Trigger suspected that Czar intended to have him killed. The two men lived in adjoining buildings and Trigger decided to kill Czar before Czar could arrange to kill Trigger. Using a photo of the other building to determine which room was Czar’s, Trigger shot Czar and then threw the gun off a bridge. Trigger did not realize that the police were closing in on him and carelessly left the photo in his room.
Searching Trigger’s room, Tracy found the photograph and the camera that was used to take it, which led to the discovery of Czar’s body. After a brief escape attempt, Trigger was apprehended and was interrogated under a hot light. When presented with the evidence against him, he admitted to the murder of Czar (July 12th, 1941).
It is unclear if Trigger ever admitted to or was held to account for his role in the death of Ginger Ferret.
Appearances in Other Media[]
Movie Continuity[]
Trigger did not appear in the 1990 "Dick Tracy" feature film. He was a character in the second original follow-up novel written by Max Allan Collins Dick Tracy Meets His Match.
In the novel, Trigger Doom's back-story is nearly identical to that of the comic strip. He served a prison term and was recruited by T.V. Wiggles to act as a sniper to disrupt Dick Tracy's wedding to Tess. Trigger missed Tracy, who pursued the gunman. The two men grappled and Trigger fell to his death from a high rooftop.