With the Bakerkit campaign live for the Dick Tracy, Deluxe Editions from Clover Press, we are delighted to be joined by Hank Kanalz, publisher at Clover Press.
Hi Hank, it’s so lovely to have you here with us.
Could you please introduce yourself to our readers?
Hank Kanalz, Publisher at Clover Press. I’ve been with Clover for about 4 years now (wow, that went quickly!). Prior to that, I spent 25 years at DC and Warner Bros, most recently as their SVP of Publishing Strategy and Support Services.
How would you describe Dick Tracy?
It’s a fun, iconic, long-running detective series with the most unique set of supporting characters out there.
Could you tell us your history with Dick Tracy?
Dean Mullaney and the Library of American Comics had pulled together an incredible set of hardcover collections of the Dick Tracy newspaper strip, and published them via IDW starting in 2006. At the pace they went, they completed the Chester Gould run in 2020. Over those 14 years, folks collected each of the volumes, and they’ve all gone out of print. I had collected a few of those, and one of the things that bothered me was their change in format after volume 6. It drove me nuts, and I know it drove other folks crazy, too. So, we decided at Clover Press to reprint those hardcover editions in the same format as volumes 7-29, and folks responded very positively to that.
What made the 1940s Dick Tracy comic strips so special?
These volumes are probably the years most requested for us to collect and reprint. They are some of the hardest volumes to find in hardcover. But aside from the rarity, the content captures such a different era, and it’s amazing to read the reflection of the culture at the time, today.
Could you tell us about the origins of the Clover Press’ Dick Tracy editions?
Sorry, I got off track earlier. Once we reprinted those six volumes, we found that there was a demand for this material, but one of the limiting factors was price point. While we offered a terrific package at $50, it’s asking a lot for people to commit to that with every release. So we decided that softcovers were the way to go.
The problem with softcover editions in horizontal format is that they can be a little flimsy, and are harder to shelve. So Robbie (Robbins) set out to design a vertical slipcase in which the horizontal books slip into them vertically, providing a rigid protective case that will look great on every shelf.
What can you tell us about Clover Press’ Dick Tracy editions?
Each volume collects a full year of newspaper strips from January 1 through to December 31 for each year. We wanted to offer something different with these editions, so each volume will also feature a new cover by a contemporary artist. This is often their first chance to ever draw Dick Tracy! Our first round features cover artists Jerry Ordway, Stewart Kenneth Moore, John K. Snyder III, and Juan José Ryp.
Any message for the ComicBuzz readers?
If a project like this is of interest to you, keep an eye out for another set of collected strips from us, The Amazing Spider-Man Newspaper Strips launching soon on Kickstarter! And don’t forget to check out our series of Marvel and DC Art books; they are all beautiful.
We would like to say a big thank you to Hank for chatting with us and wish him and the Clover Press team the best of luck with Dick Tracy, Deluxe Editions.
Feel free to check out Dick Tracy, Deluxe Editions on Backerkit.
