Cyrus Topper threatening Lonnie Jarman
Cyrus Topper who appears during the Green Hornet crossover arc in the Dick Tracy comic strip. He appeared in 25 of the arc's 49 daily installments.
Role in the comic strip[]
Cyrus Topper grew up in Dick Tracy's city, where he was friends with Clyde Beatty and used to get in trouble outside of Frady's Books. At some point, Topper moved to Central City.
In the present day, Topper is a notorious gangster Central City who returns to his hometown in order to propose a joint venture to the mysterious criminal organization known as the Apparatus. Topper describes his scheme as a new variation on the protection racket: having recently learned that some banks are renting additional computer space from private individuals, he proposes extorting both the banks and the private individuals for protection money. The Apparatus approves of his plan and agrees to front him money in exchange for a cut of the eventual profits.
Unbeknownst to Topper, his new servant Skiyaki is secretly the Green Hornet's crime-fighting partner, Kato, in disguise. While the Hornet and Kato are in reality masked vigilantes, the criminal underworld and law-enforcement agencies collectively believe them to be criminal masterminds. Kato uses his position to tip off the Hornet about Topper's activities. When Topper attempts to extort Lonnie Jarman, one of the individuals who was renting computer space to the banks, he is confronted by the Green Hornet. However, detectives Dick Tracy and Sam Catchem of the city's Major Crimes Unit soon arrive as well, causing the Hornet to flee.
Topper then visits Mazuma National Bank, where Beatty is now president. As he begins to coerce Beatty, he is again interrupted by Dick Tracy, Sam Catchem and the Green Hornet, the latter of whom is now joined by Kato. A brief brawl erupts among the various parties, but is concluded when the Green Hornet uses the sleeping gas from his Hornet Gun to render both the criminals and detectives unconscious. The incapacitated Topper and his gang are then taken into criminal custody and the Green Hornet and Kato return to Central City, both to continue their usual crime-fighting endeavors and to avoid pursuit from Dick Tracy.
Appearance and personality[]
Topper is a tall, broad-shouldered individual with gray hair and mustache. He dresses formally and is always depicted as wearing a suit and tie, derby hat, and monocle. He wears a large fur-lined jacket over his suit, even when indoors. Topper is also fond of smoking cigars. He demonstrates a callous attitude toward others, such as forgetting his servant's name—whom he initially correctly refers to as Skiyaki, but later calls Shiyaki—berating his chauffer, Wally, for not being able to catching the Green Hornet's car, or threatening his childhood friend once it becomes convenient to his present purposes.`