Dick Tracy and the Inside Joke

Mike Curtis and Joe Staton seem to be having a lot of fun revitalizing Dick Tracy. Not only are they bringing back some old characters and doing new things with them, but they frequently work in subtle references for the alert reader (as I've noted before).

This sequence, for example, features a character from the 1950's, Themesong. She's had a varied career in music, and is now a pop sensation with her hit "Do the Tracy." (click to enlarge)

So where does Themesong get all those distinctive yellow hats for her dancers? "Someplace in Naperville" she says. Naperville, Illinois is the location of  a bronze statue of Dick Tracy, and the home of artist Dick Locher. Locher started work on Dick Tracy in the 1950's as Chester Gould's assistant, and eventually took over the drawing of the strip after Gould's retirement. Staton and Curtis came on board when Locher retired in 2011.

Themesong's aside causes knowing grins among Dick Tracy's fans. And definitely adds to this reader's enjoyment of the strip.

(Not sure about Moon Maid coming back, though. That's a pretty gutsy move.)