Publisher: Mad Cave Studios
Writer: Alex Segura, Michael Moreci
Artist: Geraldo Borges
Creative Consultant: Chantelle Aimée Osman
Colours: Mark Englert
Letterer: Jim Campbell
Release Date: 24th April 2024

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Chester Gould’s legendary detective makes his return to the world of comic books this week courtesy of Mad Cave Studios with a brand new, noir-infused chapter of the Dick Tracy legacy. Co-written by Alex Segura and Michael Moreci, this new series ticks a lot of the classic Tracy boxes that long-time fans will certainly appreciate, but also manages to add a darker, more modern feel to a property that has frequently felt more than a little cartoony at times.

The story is fairly straightforward for the most part, with a guilt-ridden city councilman preparing to blow the whistle about the corruption at city hall to an ambitious reporter, only for both men to be brutally gunned down by a mysterious gangster. Enter up-and-coming detective Dick Tracy to try and put the pieces together – all while dealing with the deceased reporter’s feisty, furious daughter.

I’ll be honest, I’m not really a massive Dick Tracy fan, so a lot of the subtler references and Easter Eggs will likely have sailed right over my head, but there’s no denying that the entire creative team have put together an engaging pulp detective story that crackles and sizzles throughout the twenty-two pages of this first issue. Tracy comes off as formidable and no-nonsense, the action set-pieces are brilliantly executed, and the whole thing has a really dark energy to it that

Geraldo Borges does a fantastic job with the visual side of the book, beautifully illustrating the gritty streets of The City, and showing a real cinematic flair during the aforementioned action flourishes – one of which you can feast your eyes on below.  His characters are detailed and expressive, Mark Englert’s colours keep things vibrant without ever becoming too garish, and I’m more than happy to see Mad Cave dialing up the crimson here, once again leaning into the more ‘adult’ feel.

Okay, so your individual mileage on this one will most certainly vary depending on your prior affection for Chester Gould’s iconic creation, but if you’re looking for a dark, hardboiled detective comic from a creative team that is clearly having an absolute blast, you could certainly do a lot worse than picking this new series up.

Rating: 4/5.

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[PREVIEW ARTWORK – CLICK TO ENLARGE]

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The writer of this piece was: Craig Neilson-Adams (aka Ceej)
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