Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for February 16, 2013

Mornin’ all!This is an unexpected turn!

The only way George can make a plausible confession is if he already knows the details of the murder and the confession. And there’s going to be a huge problem with his confession: that bloody hand print on the paper. If George grew up in the barracks, it implies he didn’t have an adult-sized hand. He’ll either need some fancy footwork to take the blame, or arrange something with Tracy.

You have never met a kid that did not like pap, because I have always looked out for the youngens !!!

George, don’t play into this old jerk’s plan!

Apparently, the Police know where he is, what are they waiting for, to close in?

I wonder what he used to knock her out, she looks otherwise unharmed

Sure didn’t take long for Sweatbox to find that cell phone number. I think HIS number will be up, soon! Hang in there, Toad!

So full of unlikely scenarios, so let’s not forget it’s a comic…….

Good morning all…

Can’t wait until tomorrow! Will Mole meet up with Sweaty?

Mr. Russco, you need to return to your balloon avatar. Nothing suits you better than a bunch of hot air.

What a creep! Toad is going to beat him to a pulp.

So, I guess Creepy Sweaty Dude is responsible for all the dead bodies in the crypt, too? Still not sure what that’s all about.

BIG CLUE in the second panel, Sweatbox knows exactly where the confession was found and that George lived in that barracks. If so, then I believe that Sweatbox was one of the guards at Camp Freedom! Also, I think that this means that George may very well remember Sweatbox.

I expect no one will be defending Sweaty after today’s revelations. I have already expressed my hope that Mole may inflict some rough justice on this conniving craven creep, but it is also possible that today is a set-up for George, with Tracy’s backing, to take him down.

My money is on Mole!

But it won’t match my handwriting or blood and I won’t be able to give corroborating evidence so they won’t believe me especially when they identify you as a kidnapper.

You have indicated that you are a child advocate. As such I would suggest that you use some good judgement and watch your use of the English language. Respect the rights of children not to have to read or listen to your rude comments and use of vulgar language. (Yes I consider some of what you said here as vulgar.)As an educator I know that careful use of our language is necessary. There are times I want to call a student’s statement dumb or stupid but I can not bring myself to do this because I try to set a good example of how I treat others so that they may learn from it. So many students I teach think behavior should be like what they see in movies, tv, or hear about in music. It is our job to show them a different way to treat people. Even the most vile of people deserve some respect even if it is only in the way you describe what you would like to see done to them.

Not all the training in the world will save Sweatbox now! Grrrr! Get’im, Mole!

Dude, it’s a comic strip. calm down.

Sweatbox will soon sweat in a cell..if he survives long enough. What a dirtbag!

Well, looks like I was misdirected about the misdirection-could have sworn Sweatbox was just a red herring.

First time Sweatbox not looking like a wringing mop of yuck!

Sweatbox’s assistant was at the restaurant the night Tracy told George and Brad about the confession. He must have eavesdropped and told his boss about Tracy’s cold case.

I called this one wrong. I thought Sweats would turn out to be a good guy.

Yeah, Jonah overheard everything and Sweatbox did not call George’s phone directly, according to the first panel. Sweat box called the theater (where everyone knows that George is rehearsing) and the first guy transferred the call to George’s phone.

Sweatbox is certainly not thinking clearly. BillThompson is right about the hand size.

You know, since Toad has seen him. Swearbox will have no other option than to kill her if he expects to get away with the crime.

Yes I know Mole will not allow this to happen. Neither will DT.

I think Sweatbox is just panicing now – after all, the the skeletons in the vault and the one under Camp Freedom have been found, and the police are at his door – and that’s why he’s threatening George.After getting away with things for all those years, he’s grasping at any idea that can possibly save him.But as I’ve said several times (and will again) George knows something, as he was shaking when he first got the call about Camp Freedom. Whether he was a witness or escaped from the clutches of the serial killer-in-the-making Sweatbox has to be seen.Either way, no one was going to listen to him – he wasn’t just a kid, he was “one of them.”Meanwhile, Mole is driving around, searching…

Bad spelling…. I meant “intellectual”, as applied to SDM & MPH

Add extortion and blackmail to Sweatbox’s list of offenses (& it’s long and distinguished)

Of the millions of storylines that Mike, and whoever at TMS was that approved it, decided that a story of a violent crime against a child was a good idea should be ashamed. Having been in Law Enforcement for many years, I have seen this and worse involving a child. There is nothing of entertainment value in this type of story. The victim, no matter what they say, has to live with the memory of what happened to them for the rest of their life. I realize that this is just a comic strip and nobody is forcing me to read it, but no one was forced to write it either.

Let’s see, Tawara would have been about 4 years old when he was sent to the camp. Oooh, the police are really going to believe that one.

Interestingly, the Chicago Tribune mungs the final panel so that they don’t show Toad at all, just an empty front seat. You’d only know she’d been kidnapped if you inferred it from earlier strips. It would be interesting if this was some sort of policy against showing violence against women or minors.

You can compare the two versions here: http://mikekr.blogspot.com/2013/02/two-versions-of-dick-tracy-show-odd.html

“Toad may turn out to be one tough little cookie.”**********************In situations like this I always think of Abby on NCIS. Whenever she’s in danger and the others come to her rescue they find her with the bad guy under her control wondering what the heck happened :-)

I personally hope, that the people who manage this strip has something truly evil planned for SweatBaux, and I do not mean jail time.

I remember Tracy beating Bigboy senseless when he kidnapped that littlle boy, and I rejoyced at that. At times that is what should happened to worthless pieces of meat like this portly pile of waste.

- Kan

You said: “WWII was some 70 years ago, Was George even born then? If so he was an infint.”-———————————————AS has been established in the story, George was a child, and still remembers life there.The character is based on actor George Takei (best know as Lt./Capt. Sulu on Star Trek), who was a child interred during World War II.

For the 2nd time the Chicago Tribune has altered the 3rd panel in their print version..Credit —@ZBicyclist

sweatbox’s demise is closing in quickly! maybe george tawara will put him out with a karate chop a’la captain kirk… or better yeet, just hand him a red shirt and walk away LOL. i only hope TRACY beats mole to the scene tho.. .wouldnt wanna see mole go back to prison even if it IS justified homicide (is there scuch a thing? JIM DOHERTY?!?! can you clarify what it is i am thinking of here!)

I’ll bite !The mocking posts during the Locher years followed the predominant use of a cellphone by Tracy at a ratio of about ten to one over the Wrist Geenee in a 2 year period.

Believe this followed the December when you gave DL a cellphone for Chrismas.That must have been a quiet thrill for you ?

Send one to Staton an let’s see what happens ?

I think it’s a shame that the Tribune isn’t running this strip with the kidnapping, so far at least, there’s nothing here that they wouldn’t have run back in Gould’s day; if the Tribune can’t back it’s own “Showcase” strip, who will?

George had just turned 5 when his family was sent to the holding camp at Santa Anita, then on to Tule Lake.

Not only did the Tribune version rework the art to eliminate the picture of Toad, they rewrote the dialogue, too. Sweatbox’s threat went from “that little girl. . .will pay” to “YOU will pay”. So it seems the Tribune is willing to change the whole story. I’m not sure I understand why. Programs on tv like CSI have shown kidnappings frequently. The whole point of Dick Tracy is that crime is BAD. Chester Gould had several kidnappings in his day. We readers are surely hoping for Toad’s rescue.

I’m glad GCs is running the strip as written, I think it works better this way