Calling All Cars: Dick Tracy Is On The Case With Mad Cave Studios

Welcome to the table,

I’m not saying I’m a Dick Tracy “Super Fan.” What I will tell you is that the only reason I own an Apple Watch is because they marketed it with a nod to Dick Tracy’s Two-Way Wrist Radio.

Mad Cave Studios has partnered with Dick Tracy comics rights-holders Alex Segura, Michael Moreci, and Chantelle Aimée Osman, with oversight from Dick Tracy owners, Tribune Content Agency, to bring the iconic lawman back to comics and I could not be more happy!

For over 90 years, the evolution of the legendary Chester Gould’s detective Dick Tracy has gone from a comic strip to a radio show and merchandise, all the way to hitting the big screen in 1990 with one of the most impactful movies of my childhood. Now the hard-jawed crime-stopper is making his way to Mad Cave for all new adventures. Again… did I mention how excited I am about this?

Did you know: Chester Gould studied police procedure? Allegedly even though a lot of Dick Tracy was wild and kind of unhinged, Gould still wanted to portray police work as accurately as he could. The artist took courses in ballistics, fingerprinting, forensics, and other procedural techniques to remain current on the latest investigative tools.

At the helm of Mad Cave’s Dick Tracy series debut is bestselling author Alex Segura, acclaimed author Michael Moreci, and renowned artist Geraldo Borges, with creative consultation from Chantelle Aimée Osman.

“Alex, Chantelle, and I have been pursuing Dick Tracy for many years, so to say this is a passion project, even that’s an understatement,” said Moreci. “We love this character, we love this world. And we’re approaching it with great care—we don’t want to make a new Dick Tracy; we just want to make a Dick Tracy that feels rich and layered, that feels suited to our times. We can’t wait to share, with our great partners at Mad Cave, what we have in store.”

Did you know: In the 1990 film the entire color palette of the film is limited to seven colors. Every instance of any color is the exact same shade. This was done to evoke the feel of the comic strip.

“This has been a long time coming, and we are all so excited to bring our grounded, noir take on the Dick Tracy mythos to life at Mad Cave,” said Segura. “Michael and I have loved Dick Tracy, his stellar rogues gallery, and unforgettable supporting cast since we first became aware of the character as kids. It’s been a winding road to not only get the rights to publish new stories starring the iconic detective, and I’m so thankful that my journey with Chantelle and Michael brought us to Mad Cave. The stuff Geraldo is cooking up perfectly evokes the grounded, cinematic vibe we’re bringing to this origin story.”

“Mad Cave Studios is pleased to partner with Alex, Michael, Chantelle, and Tribune as part of our continued growth in the licensing arena,” said Mark Irwin, Mad Cave Senior Vice President. “Dick Tracy brings a wealth of colorful characters and stories that greatly enhance Mad Cave’s already strong licensing output.”

Did you know: Dick Tracy was originally called Plainclothes Tracy? Allegedly drawing on his distaste for mob figure Al Capone, Chester Gould created Plainclothes Tracy, about a detective disrupting the criminal underworld. Joe Patterson, who co-edited the Chicago Tribune, liked the idea but thought “Dick Tracy” would be a better name because “Dick” was what people called detectives.

“We’re proud to see Dick Tracy, an all-time classic of truth and justice, return to comic books through our partners at Mad Cave Studios,” said Wayne Lown, Vice President & General Manager at Tribune Content Agency. “We look forward to daring new detective cases for this cultural icon, guided by their exceptional team of top-notch creators.”

“Calling all Dick Tracy fans – with over 90 years of storytelling across various mediums, everyone has ‘their’ version of Chester Gould’s yellow-jacketed detective,” said Mad Cave Studios Senior Editor, Chas! Pangburn. “Mad Cave Studios is beyond honored to continue this legacy through a neo-noir reinvention of the character. We’ve partnered with all-star creators to deliver new tales of corruption, thievery, and murder.”

Did you know: Anton would put a cut toilet paper tube on his wrist with a drawn-on screen and speaker and “talk to” other detectives when he was a little kid?

Until next time, I am so excited about this series. The one preview image I have seen is enough for me to think it’s going to be great!

Did you know: Dick Tracy was often the hero in comics that were given away as promotional items. In 1947, for example, Sig Feuchtwanger produced a comic book that was a giveaway prize in boxes of Quaker Puffed Wheat cereal, sponsor of the popular Dick Tracy radio series.