Exclusive! Dick Tracy 1961-1964
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Clover Press made its name in comic strip circles by publishing “The Master Collection” of Milton Caniff‘s Terry and the Pirates. Then there is The Complete Tom the Dancing Bug series. The publisher has recently switched their comic strip endeavors to affordable softcover editions of previously published hardcover collections. There was Dick Tracy Collection 1941-1944 followed up by The Amazing Spider-Man Classic Newspaper Comics 1977-1980.
Now they are returning to Dick Tracy with another four years in four volumes: Dick Tracy 1961-1964.
From the Clover Press press release:
Dick Tracy debuted in newspapers on Sunday, October 4, 1931 and was written and drawn solely by creator Chester Gould until 1977. Through Gould’s nearly five decades of dedication on the strip, he created a pantheon of eclectic supporting characters like Pruneface, The Mole, Flattop, and Tess Trueheart that make Tracy the beloved character he is today. The Library of American Comics remastered and collected the strip in a series of hardcover collections, many of which are out of print and highly sought after. Now Clover Press and the Library of American Comics are bringing the collections back to print in an affordable softcover format with Dick Tracy: 1961-1964, featuring Gould’s iconic early 60s strips. Backers will receive all four volumes at once, as well as commemorative prints of each of the covers by Cat Staggs, Brent Schoonover, Howie Noel, and Daniel Hillyard. Fans can sign up to be notified when the Kickstarter officially launches [on May 7, 2026].
The new softcover will collect the strip strictly by year, reprinting each installment from January 1 to December 31. Each volume will measure 11″ x 8.5″ in a horizontal format and will slide into a vertical slipcase, designed for protection and easy shelving. Each year’s collection will also feature a new cover by a diverse selection of contemporary artists.
The famed Dick Tracy Rogues Gallery of the years 1960 to 1963 featured in the new softcovers:
And then in 1964 Chester Gould begins…
The Year of the Moon Maid!
The above comic strip is not from the Dick Tracy 1964 edition.
But Clover Press has supplied us with a few pages from Dick Tracy 1962 to display the clean finished product and showcase Chester Gould’s mastery of black and white comic art:
Backers will receive all four volumes at once and can choose from different tiers and add-ons with a multitude of incredible extra rewards, including a sticker pack, trading cards, and a lithograph including art by Chester Gould featured in the New York Sunday News. Backers who pledge within the first 48 hours to “The Early Bird Edition” tier will receive a discount and an exclusive bookmark featuring art by Brent Schoonover.
Fans can support Dick Tracy: 1961-1964 on Kickstarter. For more updates, follow Clover Press on Blue Sky, Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube.
I do feel it incumbent upon myself to make one correction to the Clover Press release.
Dick Tracy debuted in newspapers on Sunday, October 4, 1931 and was written and drawn solely [emphasis added] by creator Chester Gould until 1977.
No, Gould employed assistants. According to Bas Schuddeboom at the Lambiek Comiclopedia:
During his tenure, Chester Gould had worked with several assistants, including Dick Moores (1932-1937), Russell Stamm (1935-1940), Jack Ryan (1944), Coleman Anderson (1950s), Al Valanis [police technical advisor], Dick Locher (late 1950s, early 1960s) and Rick Fletcher (from 1963 onwards), while from the late 1940s through the 1970s Gould’s brother Ray and daughter Jean helped with the lettering.
As a matter of fact in the Dick Tracy 1964 volume there will be a sequence with Chester Gould acknowledging his assistants in a story featuring Chet Jade and his Sawdust comic strip as credited to “Chet, Al, Ray, Jack and Rick.”
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