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April 24, 2024
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- comics
Inside the Cave: Dick Tracy Q&A
The square-jawed crimestopper is back for all new adventures and a super sly takeover of nostalgia!
The iconic Dick Tracy returns in this series debut from bestselling and award-winning author Alex Segura (Secret Identity), acclaimed author Michael Moreci (Barbaric), and renowned artist Geraldo Borges (Nightwing), with creative consultation from Chantelle Aimée Osman (The Rejects), colors by Mark Englert, and letters by Jim Campbell.
Mad Cave Studios’ marketing manager, Maya Lopez, sat down with Dick Tracy authors Alex Segura and Michael Moreci to chat about their inspirations, their creative process, the making of Dick Tracy, and more! Read on for the full interview!
Q: Thank you so much for taking the time to answer our questions today! Can you please tell us a bit about yourselves?
ALEX: Thanks for having us! My name is Alex Segura and I’m a writer of novels and comics, including the LA Times Book Prize-winning Secret Identity, work for Marvel, DC, Image, Mad Cave, and more. I’m co-writing Dick Tracy with my good friend Michael Moreci and an amazing creative team.
In Dick Tracy, we follow the detective in yellow in an all-new, hardboiled take on the character! What was your biggest inspiration in writing this take on the iconic gumshoe?
AS: The source material – by Chester Gould – was essential, as was the 1990 Warren Beatty movie, which was my first exposure to DT. I also really love the mini-series the legendary Kyle Baker did around the time of the movie. But most importantly, I think Michael and I are just inspired by classic film noirs in general. Our first priority is to make DICK TRACY feel like a great crime comic that happens to feature these iconic characters.
Q: Can you please tell us a bit about your personal connection to Dick Tracy?
AS: I have vivid memories of watching the movie as a kid in theaters and being completely hooked – and that was my entryway into the toys, the cartoons, the newspaper strip and everything else. I felt like DT was my little secret, because no one else seemed to talk about the character after the film went away. But I loved his Rogues Gallery, the colorful characters, and Tracy’s unending resolve to do what’s right.
MM: I remember reading the comics in the Tribune (I live in Chicago) as a kid and loving them. It’s such a fun and weird world that Tracy inhabits, but it also connects to Chicago, which was big for me. Then, of course, the movie came out, and I was hooked–it felt like such a landmark thing, and it left a lasting impact on me–an impact that’s still with me to this day.
Q: What initially got you into comics?
AS: My first comic was an Archie Double Digest my mom got me at a grocery store.
MM: My first was a Web of Spider-Man I got from a 7-11 spinner rack.
Q: Which Dick Tracy character do you personally connect with most?
AS: Probably DT, or Tess Truehart – both are very driven and unable to take a break, which sounds all too familiar.
MM: Secretly, it’s probably Flattop. I should say Tracy, but…
Q: For this updated take on the iconic gumshoe, the two of you are listed as co-writers in the series credits! Can you tell us a bit about what your creative processes look like?
AS: It’s very democratic, honestly. Best idea always wins, so we have no major ego when we give each other notes. We plot the arc together, then split the scripts in half – each of us taking the front or back of the story. Once we’re done, we trade, and by the end of it, I can’t tell who wrote what, I just know it came out better than if only one of us had.
Q: What do you hope for readers to take away from Dick Tracy?
AS: I hope readers who are familiar with Dick Tracy and his world get a fun, fresh take on the characters they love that still respects everything that comes before. I hope new readers get the perfect introduction – and a rollicking crime comic to boot.
MM: I want them to know, above all, how much we love this world and these characters, and how it’s our priority, always, to honor this amazing legacy. We may shake things up here and there, but we’re not doing it for the sake of shaking it up and that alone. We want to move Tracy forward and give him the progressive momentum that’s long overdue.
Q: Okay, we have to ask! Do you have a favorite member of the classic Rogues Gallery?
AS: Totally! Pruneface creeps me the hell out. And the Blank.
MM: Flattop, of course!
Q: Are there any classic noir stories (in any medium) that have an influence on the series?
AS: Classic film noirs like Out of the Past, The Killers, Night of the Hunter, and more modern ones like Dressed to Kill or The Untouchables.
MM: All of those! I’d add L.A. Confidential, too.
Q: What are your favorite stories/artists/genres?
AS: I love the novels of Walter Mosley, Laura Lippman, and George Pelecanos, Jaime’s Love and Rockets stories, classic Lee/Kirby Marvel stuff and Grant Morrison’s early DC work. I like to read widely.
Q: Are there any upcoming projects you’d like to share with readers?
AS: This is the big one for now!
MM: Barbaric is starting a new arc, BORN IN BLOOD, next month! Also, I’ve started a podcast with my friend, bestselling author Keir Graff. It’s called THE FILMOGRAPHERS PODCAST, and in it, we study an entire director’s career, one movie at a time. In season one, we’re focusing on Steven Soderbergh. We put a ton of research and love into every episode, so we’d love people to check it out!
Q: Where can we find you next?
AS: Right here! Writing Dick Tracy with Mike and watching Geraldo Borges, Mark Englert, Jim Campbell, Chantelle Aimée Osman, and the entire team at Mad Cave bring it to life!
MM: Same!
MEET THE CREATORS!
“The world of Dick Tracy is rife with complex characters, twisted motives, and dangerous corners – and we really want to lean into the essence of what Chester Gould created without trying to imitate Dick Tracy’s creator. What Michael, Geraldo, Chantelle, and I are cooking up is a very noir and hardboiled take using all the ingredients fans are familiar with – hopefully creating something that feels fresh and vibrant while honoring what’s come before. We don’t just want to tell a fun Dick Tracy story – we want to craft a great crime saga, too. Thanks for joining us on this ride.”
– Writer, Alex Segura
“Our goal in making a new Dick Tracy comic isn’t to be kitsch or try to recapture what Chester Gould did so masterfully–I can’t even presume to have that gift. Instead, we want to take the essence of what makes Tracy work and recalibrate it for both new and audiences alike. Dick Tracy is a crime comic–that’s its roots. It’s populated with colorful and dangerous villains, takes place in a seedy city–we cherish that feel and tone, much like we cherish the works that Dick Tracy itself inspired (Criminal, LA Confidential, things like that), and it’s due time that this terrific story gets the treatment it deserves.”
– Writer, Michael Moreci
TRAILER
The iconic gumshoe returns for a new era! We’ve got a peek inside the pages of our highly-anticipated new noir, Dick Tracy! Check out the official trailer below.
For over 90 years, the evolution of Chester Gould’s detective DICK TRACY has gone from comic strip to a radio show and merchandise, all the way to hitting the big screen in 1990—so mark your calendars, the coveted crime icon returns with DICK TRACY #1 on April 24th!
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