| Matty Square | |
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First Appearance: |
February 6th, 1965 |
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Known Associates: |
Burley |
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Appearance of Death: |
October 22nd, 1965 |
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Created By: |
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Matty Square was a stolen automobile parts seller who operated in Dick Tracy's city. He had light hair that he wore parted in the center, an up-turned nose, and square-shaped eyes.
Matty had a pet cat named Kitty which was addicted to cigar smoke and often rested on Matty's shoulder.
Matty also trafficked in other stolen goods, in which capacity he employed several members of the Li'l Dropouts Club.
Grudge Against Moon Maid
When Matty Square's operation was being disrupted by Moon Maid's vigilante actions, he plotted to kill her. Matty rented a vacant bank building with a large vault, and lured Moon Maid there. Square and his men sealed Moon Maid inside the vault, believing that cutting her off from sunlight would weaken and eventually kill her. Moon Maid used her telepathic abilities to summon her father, who attacked Square's men and freed Moon Maid. Square escaped.
Alliance With Mr. Bribery
Square was then forced to work for Mr. Bribery and was branded on the forehead with a letter "B" by Ugly Christine. Bribery demanded that Square kill Dick Tracy and they set a trap for the detective at an abandoned warehouse.
The plan was to lure Tracy to the warehouse using the atomic-powered portable camera that the police had planted in Square's car. Upon entering the warehouse, Tracy would fall through a trap door into a vat of boiling water and be scalded to death. Square would be lying in wait with a machine gun, hiding in a barrel ready to shoot Tracy in case anything went wrong.
As Bribery, Nah Tay and Ugly Christine were leaving, Christine accidentally (supposedly) kicked away the stopper that was holding Square's barrel in place. The barrel rolled through the trap door, and Square was killed when he fell into the boiling trap set for Dick Tracy (October 22nd, 1965). Bribery and his associates then fled. Square's body was later discovered by Tracy and the police.
Legacy
Many years later, Mr. Bribery commissioned the computer scientist Prof. Ygor Glitch to create an artificial intelligence program that mimicked Matty Square's consciousness. The program - named "Matty Squared" - was sentient and demonstrated many of Square's traits, including a concern for his cat.