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matthewkmanning Free

Longtime comics writer and book author. Past projects include: Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures, Marvel Action Avengers, Batman: The Ultimate Guide, Spider-Man: A History and Celebration of the Web-Slinger, DC vs. Vampires: World War V, and a Dick Tracy Minit Mystery.

Recent Comments

  1. 2 months ago on Dick Tracy

    Thanks, everybody. Fingers crossed for more Tracy opportunities down the road…

  2. 2 months ago on Dick Tracy

    Just wanted to stop by and thank everyone for giving our guest spot a read. Howie and I are lifelong fans, and we wanted to deliver a slice of classic Tracy in the Gould tradition with a bit of the 1990 movie sprinkled in for good measure. I’m really happy with the result, and Howie’s art was a perfect fit. (Howie created an illustration to celebrate our story over on his various social media pages (search H.C. Noel), so be sure to check it out. It’s incredible.) As the longtime Tracy fans among you know, Dick Tracy is rarely just a mystery strip, so that limitation proved an interesting challenge. Rather than rush the story of our villain in a two-week stint, I decided to make this mystery about who hired Mr. Mirror, while giving readers a glimpse of the character in action. We have hopeful plans for a return of our villain (if Team Tracy was happy with this outing), and we’ve already included a few clues as to Mr. Mirror’s true identity. In the meantime, you can find more of my work at matthewkmanning (dot com), where you can sign up for my newsletter for more inside info on our Tracy run as well as news on some future projects. Thanks!

  3. 2 months ago on Dick Tracy

    Howie and I are big fans of flowing coats/scarves/capes for dramatic effect. Quick note: The script called for a yellow scarf, yellow gloves, and yellow accents on Mr. Mirror’s shoes, so the Shadow homage wasn’t intentional. (Kinda worked as misdirection for a day, though!)

  4. 2 months ago on Dick Tracy

    Thanks, that’s definitely high praise. Kadaver is one of my favorite Curtis/Staton villains, right up there with Mrs. Flattop and Silver Nitrate.

  5. 2 months ago on Dick Tracy

    Haven’t seen it, but Tracy is America’s answer to Sherlock, so I guess it’s fitting…

  6. 2 months ago on Dick Tracy

    The click is indeed the cocking of the gun. Mr. Mirror seems to enjoy the spotlight, savoring his “victory” for whatever reason…

  7. 3 months ago on Dick Tracy

    I haven’t been up to see it, but it’s probably doing really well. It has a concrete roof and walls made of local boulders, so it probably weathered the storm better than most areas. I love that building, too, and spend time writing there. I’m actually writing a history of Asheville graphic novel that will be coming out from the History Press in 2026 or so. The book looks to have a drastically different ending now, though…

  8. 3 months ago on Dick Tracy

    Howie and I are both fans of anachronistic elements in Tracy’s world. So you’ll see a bit of retro mixed with the modern.

  9. 3 months ago on Dick Tracy

    We’re trying to lean into that style as much as we can. Expect lots of moody shadows, nods to Gould, and even a stylized approach to the dialogue from time to time.

  10. 3 months ago on Dick Tracy

    This is my first chance at a Tracy story, although I’ve written plenty of comics and books over the last twenty years. I’ve had the opportunity to write Spider-Man, Batman, the Ninja Turtles, and others, but Tracy has always been a bucket list character for me. Really happy to get to take a quick spin in Tracy Town, especially alongside Howie.