Comic Strips

Creative Shuffle for Dick Tracy

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D. D. Degg Published: September 27, 2026 Updated: September 27, 2026 1 minute 0 comments

After two and a half years Dick Tracy artist Charles Ettinger said goodbye to the Dick Tracy syndicated comic strip with a small insert in the Sept. 26, 2026 issue. Regular “guest writer” Eric Costello confirmed it in a GoComic comment:

“I want to take this opportunity to thank Charles Ettinger for the work he did on my stories over the last few years. I found him a very easy and pleasant person to work with, and I admire the skill he brought in translating the scripts to final artwork. I wish him all the best in his future endeavors.”

For now the new regular artist for the strip is unknown. Shelley Pleger, who has been with the strip longer than anyone except Mike Curtis, will illustrate a weeklong “intermezzo” episode from Sept. 27 to October 4, 2026 again according to Costello in a letter to Joseph Nebus. Since Apr. 19, 2026 Pleger has been credited as “showrunner” on the Sunday pages that credit could mean she is editor (or not) and I have to wonder if she came back as inker for the strip.

October 4, by the way will be the 95th anniversary of Dick Tracy’s debut as a comic strip in 1931.

As is the practice with the current Dick Tracy there are plenty of interruptions in the regular continuity with guest artists and writers spelling the acknowledge creative team. Ettinger’s time on the strip began as one of those guests. His terms of service credits:

This modern version of Dick Tracy began when Mike Curtis and Joe Staton took over the comic on March 14, 2011. Staton left the strip 5 years ago on October 24, 2021 (he returned briefly as one of those guest artists) but Curtis’ name has been on the strip for all of the 15 years, even during the guest writer stints. That is now changing. Beginning Monday, Sept. 28, 2026 the Curtis credit will no longer appear. Mike has been dealing with health problems for years and the health problems and eventual death of his wife last year. The Dick Tracy scripting credits for Curtis:

Everyone is being tightlipped about the next regular creative team for the Major Crimes Unit. When the word comes down the pike we will update this item.