Howie Noel is an author and artist known for creating the Tara Normal novel series about a teenager girl who can see and speak to ghosts, and crime comic strips like Clew and The Salesman. The influence of classic pulp style comic strips is evident in his work, including the iconic detective, Dick Tracy.

Noel recently achieved a lifelong dream of drawing the official Dick Tracy comic strip. He spoke to the Williamsport Sun-Gazette about the accomplishment, recalling how he would redraw the Dick Tracy strip and other characters when he was a child. He also shared how his father was a salesman who wore a suit, fedora, and trench coat in the style of Dick Tracy. Both his parents encouraged his interest in art and the heroic detective.

Noel’s first published Dick Tracy illustrations appeared in The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide #51 in an article celebrating the character’s 90th anniversary.

“Both Howie Noel and I were guests on a YouTube show on the PopXP channel. When I heard his passion about Dick Tracy, a character whose history I’ve loved for ages, his enthusiasm was so compelling I offered him the chance to illustrate Ed Catto’s ‘Dick Tracy at 90’ feature article in the Guide during the show,” said J.C. Vaughn, President of Gemstone Publishing. “We’re so glad to see more Dick Tracy fans getting to experience his talent, and we’re also very happy that we published him doing Tracy first.”

Howie Noel's run on Dick Tracy starts with the October 6, 2023 Sunday strip and continues in the dailies.