Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for January 03, 2014

Saved by a dedicated fan! This should cement the friendshim between Tracy and Blackjak, now that Dick has concrete proof of his affecrion!

The Blackjack character is starting to grow on me, I like him.

So it WAS Blackjack who freed Bonnie and Uncle Ray.

Folks (myself included) expected Rikki to perhaps have a change of heart, but I can accept Blackjack.

I still don’t understand the whole recording the TV special and airing over the wrist-wizard’s frequency. I really don’t see the point in that other than just jamming DT’s signal which could have been done without the recording. A few days were spent focusing on Abner and Rikki setting up the recording so I’m a little disappointed it kind of turned into a dead end part of the storyline.

Speaking of Rikki….did Blackjack take care of her too or is she loose and looking to avenge Kadaver? (Or escaping with him after yet another faked death….that’s where my money is)

I like Blackjack. He plays fair and square.

Good morning all…

Will we see Meilies anytime soon?

I guess Abner ran out of concrete ideas!

I was hoping THIS would be the story that Tracy handled everything himself. But alas! Rescued again! (keeping in mind too that Junior was the savior in the 1st Kadavar adventure) I also keep hoping that there will be a current spat of Dr. Who episodes that WON’T involve a child in the cast. Silly dilly me!

Blackjack must want to cut a deal with Tracy to erase his criminal record so he can get a clean slate and fresh start. But isn’t he part of the apparatus?

Hooray for Blackjack! I was so hoping this would happen. What happens next though is anybody’s guess. It will be good.

Tracy better start cleaning up, or he’s going to need a jackhammer.

BJ is filling the role that The Black Piranha and Cinnamon Knight live for! I wonder what BJ would have done a few years ago when Tracy spent his time hiding from the baddies? He probably would have pointed him out to the bad guys.

I’d like to see Blackjack converted to the side of Good. Maybe there’s a job for a sharp shooter on the SWAT team?

Comments on the current Dick Tracy:

I was going to “call out” tsull2121 for his invoking that dreaded phrase, sweatbox ending. But now, it looks like he’s the one who got it right!.Now, can anybody tell me just how (a) Blackjack got involved with this mess – and (b) more importantly, just how did Richard immediately know it was Blackjack who just saved his life?.A tad too convenient, in my opinion..Blackjack a good guy? I don’t know about that. Clearly, he loves to “play” with Richard. Just as clearly, he doesn’t want to kill him. But does he want to go “straight”? Kind of hard to tell, don’t you think?.Is it just me or is this starting to look a lot like a throwback to the fabulous sixties? Tracy’s costume may be the yellow trench coat and fedora, but it seems as if everyone in Gotham – er – Tracyville – is now a costumed crime fighter or criminal..Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t that one of the complaints by Moon Maid foes this last year, that they didn’t want to return to what they considered the “silliness” of sixties DT?.Yet, somehow, we seem to be going there, any who. We’re just doing it without the real Mysta!./ / /.Thanks for the comments yesterday on Chickweed. I think it was Neil Wick who mentioned that the current arc actually began in Nov 2009 – which episodes help flesh out what is going on in the Dec 2013 arc. I guess, in oh-nine and ten, the woman was talking with her grandmother and, today, grandmother is dead, but her tombstone still speaks…

Now I know what this reminds me of – Disney/Pixar’s the Incredibles!.The premise of that movie was, the bad guy originally wanted to be Mr. Incredible’s “sidekick.” But MI didn’t want a sidekick – which is when the wannabee became a super criminal!.Okay, so it isn’t all that parallel; ultimately, the sidekick did want to kill MI. But clearly, there was a relationship between the superhero and the super villain..Kind of like what is going on between DT and BJ.

“I got back just in time to even the odds for the last one”—might this mean that BJ’s planning to put Tracy through a “trial” of his own?

I think this is a great twist and surprise. Totally did not see this coming. It makes sense, though, since Blackjack knew that Stiletta was gunning for Tracy, that he would be looking out for his favorite cop.

I wasn’t expecting that, good show!

A surprise ending. Tomorrow’s strip should be enteresting.

a story that started with such promise and high hopes… destined yet again to be cut short. if tracy had any sense, eh would arrest blackjack right on the spot.

regardless of his “assistance” blackjack is STILL a wanted fugitive from the FBI for his bank robberies and his prison escape. despite being grateful for his rescuing bonnie and ray, tracy SHOULD be a “good enough cop” to apprehend him while he’s got the chance.

perhaps the judge could go a little lighter on his sentencing for the prison break for his aid in this instance.. and heck, if he turns states’ evidence against stiletta and her crew maybe theyd go a little lighter as well.

if ANYONE could talk blackjack into turning over on his cohorts, it would be tracy… and to have tracy “stand up for him” in court… well golly gee i bet blackjack would be so happy he’d wet his pants!

Blackjack is a Tracy fan. Who can blame him? Team Tracy has restored the strip to its former glory. Did Tracy need his help? Obviously not. He beat the three death traps on his own. Kadaver pulled a sword from his cane, which Blackjack shot out of his hand. Kadaver then pulled a knife on Tracy, for close fighting. To the surprise of no one, Kadaver didn’t want a fair fight. Tracy flipped him into his own death trap with no help from Blackjack. I liked this Kadaver tale much more than the previous pendulum encounter. It meshed well with other characters, again bringing a complexity to Tracy’s world. Mrs. Flattop, Venus, Méliès, BB Eyes and Blackjack all made appearances. These characters brought added depth and richness to Tracy’s death trap challenge. Bonnie is back. Rikki is another great addition to the cast. There remains the promise of continued conflict between the Blackhearts and the Apparatus. Will BB remain in the Blackheart camp, or are all bets off with Kadaver’s failure to kill Tracy? What’s next for Venus and Méliès? I’m impressed and looking forward to more award-winning caliber work from Team Tracy.

Good arc and good come-uppance for Abner. I like that character, but please guys, leave him deceased, no recycling again and again.

So, I hope there will be some explanation of how Blackjack managed to penetrate into the inner sanctum of Kadaver’s Murder Mansion. (In my conception, the death traps are in the basement of the mansion, though some here have suggested otherwise.) It’s interesting that Tracy is asking for Blackjack’s help in the middle panel. That is something I wouldn’t have expected in any scenario.

All Blackjack did was to “even the odds” but we know very well that Tracy is quite capable of beating the odds himself if he has to. After all, he did just that in those three death traps.

Meanwhile, I’m not so sure exactly where Kadaver disappeared to in that vat of concrete. The more I think about it, my rationization yesterday that it was probably watery cement is not a total explanation because I would think that Kadaver would float in a watery vet. Anyway, we are thoroughly distracted now by Blackjack, so it’s hard to say if we’ll be seeing any attempt at a Kadaver autopsy, not that his previous autopsy proved anything! Still, we shouldn’t be at all happy with a Tracyverse where criminals become infallible.

I know that some here detest the interwoven story threads, but the longer arcs for new characters allows us to get to know them better before they ultimately meet their demise. They can’t (or shouldn’t) be able to go on forever. I really disliked the previous methodology of the strip, from about 10 years ago, for example, where potentially great new characters were introduced, only to disappear after very few appearances over a few weeks. Their appearances amounted to cameos quite often.

I guess that character design is forefronted in my mind. The thing I disliked most about the Disney Dick Tracy movie was that there were so many criminals with interesting makeup designs and most of them were killed off very early in the movie. It seemed like such a waste of creativity. Yet, creativity is important. I do love Kadaver as a character, but there are many other recently-introduced characters that we also need to know more about (Venus and company, for example).

Better check that cement trap to see if Kadaver’s body is there. Because if it isn’t…

I’m not keen on Melies. His 50-pound head kind of kills the degree of reality that I’ve come to accept in Joe & Mike’s run on the strip.

I wonder if Stanton and Curtis watched season 2 of “Justified.”

Blackjack did make an appearance at the villain meeting, but at no time has he ever claimed to be part of the Apparatus. He showed up because these villains had dealt with Tracy before so he wanted to see how he fit into this ‘club’.Stiletta also appeared at the same meeting, but stated that she did not intend to be a career villain as B-BEyes, Double Up and Mumbles are and therefore would have no ties to the Apparatus. Her objective in the meeting was to meet her husband’s ‘friends’ and then put forth an open contract on Tracy once she knew they were all on the same page (except Blackjack).

Either that, or it was “The Trench Connection”! ;-)Well done, sir. That made me chuckle!

for existing perhaps stilldamatt? i know i sometimes flag you just because i get bored :) lol

Something bad is about to happen to Blackjack. He should keep a (pop) eye out for vengeful goth sidekicks, I think.

Here’s a very brief summary of the last 14 months;Measles kicks his smoking habit, permanently. Tracy stops Penguin Bates with help from Cinnamon Twist and Black Fish head.Stinkybox runs out of deodorant and road.Fake MM sage – She turns herself in, various villains kill one another, and 3 rocket scientists fly off into the great beyond.AK – Super Groupie BJ saves Tracy.When was the last time Tracy started and finished a case all by his wee little self????••••You didn’t mention that mean and ruthless Jumbler, Tracy didn’t have any help when his risked his life valiantly on that bus ride. After all that little scotty dog could have mauled Tracy.

“That’d be interesting to see how the current Team Tracy would handle the likes of Hemlock Holmes, Heap O’Calorie, Go-Go Gomez, and Joe Jitsu!”••And don’t forget “The Retouchables”, lol.

Rick Smith: Continuing Chickweed conversation..I presume the grandma is dead because the flashbacks are all coming from the tombstone..But I don’t really know that..I haven’t been a regular follower of Chickweed – though the current arc, which began 7 Dec 13, has sure captured my attention..Night-Gaunt49: “Don’t you (I) like it?”.Good question..I was asking, just how did Blackjack become involved and just how Tracy knew it was Blackjack who had come to his rescue..Others have provided decent answers. Blackjack is following Tracy all the time – perhaps the best answer to how Blackjack just saved Tracy’s life..But I still question, just why would a criminal want to come to the rescue of not just any cop, but his own personal nemesis?.A curious criminal, indeed – one who wants to live a life of crime – but wouldn’t want to harm a hair on Dick Tracy’s head!.Again, the answer may be, Blackjack is not in his right mind. He really is crazy.

Wait, wasn’t Blackjack in the bar the same time Mrs. Flattop offered up a reward for whoever killed Dick Tracy? Is he playing both sides?

Stilldamatt, I see you went the whole day without being flagged! Maybe you are finally learning the ways of the Jedi Magpies and leaving the ways of Mattie! By the way, I dropped off some firewood for you tonight. No global warming under your bridge!

I have been looking over past strips, and I have noticed that DT and his team have fans that are both willing to and not willing to hurt them as the need arises. Blackjack is part of this. Professional Adoration is common among the good and bad guys alike. You do not always have to be on the same side to admire someone. Even Kadaver admitted to Mrs. Flattop that he thought Tracy was a great man, by way of calling Flattop great.

As to how Tracy knew it was Blackjack, he knows the people in his “Villains File” Tracy would know who is a good shot and who is not. Only a few of Tracy’s villains can shoot like that from what I have seen.

The people that cry for DT to solve cases by his lonesome, forget that DT has a team behind him. No one can do everything by themselves. Tracy would know this and would always welcome help. He might not like where that help will come from at times, but he will not turn away someone from helping if it means that loss of life can be achieved.

My take on Kadaver and Rikki is this, we have not seen the last of either of them yet.

Also, GREAT WORK Mike and Joe. I really want to see where you go with DT this year.

What fun! Blackjack, the looney sure-shot and all-round Tracy fan is a hoot-and-a-half!