'Dick Tracy' Comic Book Series From Archie Comics Cancelled Due to Licensing Issues

Archie Comics's planned reboot of Dick Tracy will not go forward, according to series writer Alex Segura.

The series, which would have been written by Segura and Michael Moreci with artist Thomas Pitilli and colorist Dee Cunniffe, was set to bring the long-running comic strip character back to comics in early 2018, launching a new series which will explore the hard-boiled detective's humble beginnings.

"So, this is not-great news," Segura tweeted after the Tribune Agency issued a statement, now deleted, via Twitter. "Michael Moreci, Thomas Pitilli, and I were very much looking forward to creating this comic for you guys. But due to a mistake on the licensor's part, we won't be able to make that happen. To say we're bummed is a huge, huge understatement."

"Due to an unfortunate error on our part, Tribune is sad to announce that there will not be a Dick Tracy comic book series from Archie Comics," Tribune said in the original statement. "While we had high hopes for the book and Archie Comics negotiated the deal in good faith and is not at fault, we discovered a preexisting licensing deal that precludes us from continuing with this project. We apologize to Archie Comics, the very talented creators and their many fans."

He answered a number of inquiries from fans, but there are no further details as to the nature of the licensing error, or whether it might be repaired.

The "Year One" type of story would have centered on one of pop culture's most iconic detectives in a series that blended the classic Dick Tracy style that readers know and love with a modern and dark noir feel.

The title was said to take place in an era appropriate to early Dick Tracy as well, with the publisher revealing that the stories will be set just after World War II, when Tracy first came to The City.

"While everyone is familiar with the established, confident and heroic Tracy, we wanted to give readers a chance to see how all that came to be, and how his Rogues first reared their ugly mugs," Segura explained.

In the first story, which had been scheduled for release in April, Tracy investigates a deadly shooting that bears the fingerprints of a menacing killer known only as Flattop. The issue will include variant covers by Francesco Francavilla, Kyle Baker, Cat Staggs, and Michael Walsh.

Moreci is known for comics like Hoax Hunters and Suicide Squad: Secret Files. Segura, for his part, is an executive with Archie and has worked on numerous project for the publisher over the last decade or so, including the recently-launched The Archies. Pitilli recently drew a comic based on The CW's hit Archie adaptation Riverdale.