A Special Thanks to Madcave and NetGalley for the ARC.
It’s time to jump back in time with Mad Cave Studios’ newest approach to an iconic comic series that got its start in American Comic Strips in the 1930s by the American Cartoonist, Chester Gould about a hardboiled and intelligent detective named Dick Tracy.
The creative team for this series consists of Writers Alex Segura (Archie Meets Kiss, The Black Ghost, The Question: All Along the Watchtower), Michael Moreci (Black Star Renegades, Roche Limit, Hoax Hunters), and artists Geraldo Borges (NO ONE, Titans Hunt, Nightwing), and Mark Englert (Revival, Savage Dragon: God War, Savage Dragon). Also, a friendly reminder that Dick Tracy Volume One Collects Issues One through Five, and be sure to check out my past reviews!
It’s a new day, a time of uncertainty as World War II comes to a close, but crime never stops as tragedy strikes in The City! A brutal murder catches the attention of a rising star in the police force, Detective Dick Tracy, who soon discovers the bloodshed is just the beginning of a complicated web that threatens to ensnare everything he cares about.
It’s another take on an iconic Comic Hero, bringing him into the modern age that has been done in the past but hasn’t seen much success according to fans of this legendary series, however, this current run feels different. With it being brought into a new age, it was a question of how the characters would be portrayed and written. Alex Segura and Michael Moreci put a unique spin on Dick Tracy’s World, giving it a proper Noiresque approach which works well in the period it’s set in. Tracy’s Rogue Gallery is even more ruthless than they have ever been, preparing for an all-out Gang War, and leaving Dick Tracy caught in a web of mystery, suspense, and memories of his time on the battlefield while trying to stop endless bloodshed brought on from the likes of Flat Top, Prune Face, and Big Boy Caprice.
As a fan who discovered Dick Tracy through the 90s film with Warren Beatty, this new take on an iconic hero was amazing. The story was well-written, an excellent blend of pulp and noir, reminiscent of the hardboiled detective stories from pulp magazines such as Black Mask. This wasn’t the detective fans were used to reading about, this had the yellow coat-wearing detective in his first run-in with his future enemies, meeting the love of his life, Tess Trueheart. One of the things that stood out the most about this approach was that it had the charm that Tracy was known for, but he also was experiencing flashbacks from the war, suffering from PTSD from his time in World War II.
As for the artwork, you have the artistic team of Geraldo Borges and Colorist Mark Englert knocked it out of the park on the artwork in this collected volume. The Character designs stayed true to Chester Gould’s original work, Borges’s line work, and eye for detail between emotional expressions and action sequences accompanied by Englert’s impressive color palette to give the book that special, gritty noir feel to go with Segura and Moreci’s script/story. This book is certainly one that is accessible to new readers of Dick Tracy, fans of hardboiled detective stories, and Dick Tracy fans.
I would like to point out that as we close out this review, it was the first time I had read something by this publisher, but thanks to this new Dick Tracy story, I’m looking forward to what’s next for our favorite hardboiled detective. Dick Tracy Volume One is Available Now in Book Stores and e-retailers.
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Final Grade:
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