Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for February 05, 2010

This is directly ripped off from the 2008 Shia Labouf film, “Eagle Eye.”

Isn’t high C a vitamin?

I thought I saw Chris Shendo removing the screws from the back of the violin. Why did Virgil Ohso wait until now to start asking questions? And… wouldn’t it have been easier to use one of the guitars for this? A lot less expensive and more space inside.

I am amused, though, that Virgil’s just now inquiring about the details of the very plan that he masterminded.

Also amusing is the notion that the musicians won’t hit a high C while warming up or doing a sound-check prior to the concert.

Some of you might be inclined to make sport of the roll of duct tape in Panel Two, but as somebody who’s disassembled, modified, repaired, and reassembled countless Stradivariuses, I can confirm that duct tape is an essential tool of the trade, though in a pinch, you can substitute chewing gum.

I knew it! Ka-blooie!

What a waste of a priceless violin.

Spit works, too, Flight Suit.

Flight Suit said, “Some of you might be inclined to make sport of the roll of duct tape in Panel Two, but as somebody who’s disassembled, modified, repaired, and reassembled countless Stradivariuses, I can confirm that duct tape is an essential tool of the trade, though in a pinch, you can substitute chewing gum.”

I always use masking tape whenever I work on a Stradivarius. Thanks for the tip, Flight Suit. I’ll try duct tape on my next modification.

R_Noonan63 said, ” It has been said many times the Comments are better then the strip. Thanks Vista and Flight Suit. Good info you passed on.”

I learn a lot from the comments here.

“I was wondering; How will the Strad know when someone walks in the room with a Glass of High C? Will it make a difference if its Orange or Grape or Punch?That could be dangerous if they walk in to a Day Care or School.”

Scary, isn’t it?

I’m only here for the comments..Keep them coming, Flight Suit you should take over this strip,,you’re more believable..

Fer Lefer said, “Next time I want to spend some dollars, I’ll buy a Strad in the street to make it explode…”

You’re fortunate, Fer Lefer. Most of the Strads I see on the street have tamperproof screws.

Well hey diddle diddle That’s one dandy fiddle And it’s been rigged to go kaboom It’s certainly a laugh to see such craft Hope something happens real soon And though I am no musician I have a sneaking suspicion That the face doesn’t match the bod Just what were they thinking Because the plot, she be stinking I think it was written by a loon I find it hard to follow Shouldn’t the body be hollow To produce a Strads fine sound What’s soon to come Is sure to be dumb Though you know I could be wrong.

Did they think, maybe, such a trained musician would notice if, say, someone put 10 pounds of explosive and some electronics in there?

The shape and size of a violin is very important to the sound it makes - if you put all that junk in there it’ll sound like a strangled cat.

Also, has anyone noticed - Virgil Ohso could have sold the Stradivarius and put his explosives in something less valuable?

BTW, VistaBill - look on eBay - there are plenty of tamper-proof screw drivers just designed for opening Stradivarius’s - you’ve never seen them? (or looked :D)

As drwatson said, they would notice something immediately. That exploding note had better be one of the first ones he plays! Somehow I think a villain could find a better way to smuggle a bomb in than something that can be worth $2-3 million. If you have to use an instrument, something like the neck of a cello would work. Ah, but then I’m thinking logically…

drwatson said, “BTW, VistaBill - look on eBay - there are plenty of tamper-proof screw drivers just designed for opening Stradivarius’s - you’ve never seen them? (or looked :D)”

Thanks, drwatson. I must admit that I never looked on eBay. I buy such as that from Amazon and they don’t have the model for Stradivarius violins.

See… I learned something new today!

Doty, good prediction! I hadn’t thought of that, but it makes perfect sense that something unexpected would occur as a result of the rock band being booked for the same venue on the same evening.

In Locher’s defense, I think the reason for the Strad is that it is the only instrument that would have been allowed to bypass the security inspection (although they certainly could have sniffed it for explosives anyway). If not for Tracy having noticed this, the plot would have worked. Though it might work anyway. I suspect there will be a “Kabloom,” just not at the right time. As Sydney has been saying, it depends too much on a coincidence: the ambassador has to be at the right place at the right time. Aside…at the beginning of the concert, the first violin picks up a note from the piano, then carries it over to the string section so that they can tune up. Is that true? Also, I have it in my mind that it is an A, not “high C.” But gosh, all that junk inside the violin. It’s much worse than I even thought. What did the maestro say? Something like “It seems heavier than I remember.” Wow.

Speaking of Brozman’s careless art in drawing 5 strings to the violin yesterday, we find another art blooper today. The removed top of the violin (panel 2) is in the “fore-ground”. If anything it should appear “larger,” … NOT smaller

Think wndrwrthg hinted at it in his verse.

doty makes a good point the Guitars hitting the trigger note may set off the explosives in the violin prematurely..

Should have used the cello.

This is stupid. With all that carp inside the strad, it would sound like it had a sock in it.

Stop ripping off movies Locher.

I’m sure the ambassador is going to follow the violinist around to make sure he’s there when it goes off. Perhaps this is a way to put Tracy out of our misery, have him stand next to the violinist. This story line has so many holes it’s absurd. In reality, old Virg would have been better to spend the million on lottery tickets the way everything lined up.

And Virgil wants to blow up the ambassador because…???

So the entire plot hinged on the ambassador deciding to order a string quartet immediately after the violin is rigged? What are the odds? What if liked banjos?

drwatson, I guess good observation is why Sherlock Holmes liked you company. But Locher repeatedly paints himself into corners … and this is one of them. No one better than the owner - to “feel” if something is amiss in his instrument. He has made a minor observation, but then, it would seem UNLIKELY that anyone else could easily “discern” a difference in weight. More so, if they had never been known to hold a violin. Let’s see if “hard to believe” sequences like that lay ahead (?)

But this is Locher’s Dick Tracy (written - I’m told for “little kids”, not for you and me) who won’t notice the short cuts and slight-of-hand. After all, Dick Locher tells his Deciples in Woodstock … “it’s just a comic strip” … really a convenient euphemism for shoddy sequences from poorly thought out work, lacking the polish of the “BELIEVABLE” Police badge. Work that TMS should really throw back at him as unacceptable, the way Capt. J.M. Patterson used to insist on in the old days.

But No! I get the sense that Editors at TMS aren’t “editing” for quality work anymore, they see their function as censors, to keep the strip “clean” of violence heading off the odd hyper-sensative Mom’s complaint of inappropriatness for a “FAMILY” newspaper ;)

That’s all, together with Sunday repetition and their responsibilty is discharged.

I think the following bombing scheme would have made for a much livelier story arc:

http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=123758

Even Gould’s art was a little, say, skewed, but this is ridiculous. “Little kids”? A kid young enough to think this is good is too young to be reading about murder plots. Why not just come out and say, “I write it for me, and I think it’s great.” Somebody should go see where Chester’s buried and see if the grass is all plowed under from all that spinning.

I’d call the plan a ONE in a million chance of success.

If Virgil was really serious, he could have “invested” HALF that amount in the project and attracted hundreds of modern day Flattops within a 500 mile radious. Most professionals and eager to do the job. He’d save a mil to buy a Harem for fatso himself and the boys.

No need for a hair brained roundabout, lack-of-certainty plan to smuggle a bomb in. One totally dependent on the wisper thin chance of Harmonic being there to bully it past Security.

This story is completly implausible, more representative of the “thinking” a 5 year old Dicky Locher, off Daddy’s knee after reading the comics, playing “Dick Tracy” and putting his marbles in his Uncles violin, “shaking” it up to make as if they were bombs to blow up something.

At the risk of irritating someone reading, I’d think the “Genius” fraternity will disagree and laud it as a fabulously SUPERB plot and not the far-fetched, miserable junk it really is.

Sydney, it sounds like you are as tired as I am at the “only a comic strip” excuse for bad art and storytelling. There are so many other strips that are very well drawn and written that it makes this sorry excuse a joke. Even if DT is meant to be caricature, this isn’t an excuse for just plain sloppiness.

On another note, we have a $10 Million violin, for which the SELLER demanded a reduced price of only $2 Million. The buyer then has someone open up this expensive piece of history and turn it into a bomb? And the original owner, while expressing surprise that his priceless violin has magically reappeared, doesn’t notice (except for a slight increase in weight)? What’s next? I’m not really sure I want to know.

margueritem said, 3 days ago:

A Strad would not “sound all right” if it had been loaded down with bomb innerds…

——————————————————————

You were right! Now that’s good detective work. And to think “others” doubted you.

I’d love to see the older stories, Scurvy. When I was a kid, we got the Detroit News, which didn’t carry DT. My aunt and uncle took the Free Press, which did. So when we visited, I’d grab their paper and read DT, The Phantom, and Prince Valiant. The last two are still pretty good with good art (especially PV). But I must admit to taking guilty pleasure in reading this strip. I always enjoy it; silly, inconsistent, and poorly drawn though it may be. I’m anxious to read it every day, and am wondering how it will all be resolved. I know I’ll be disappointed, but still…the comments are fun. Usually. ;-)

Names like Chris Shendo and Phillip Harmonic could be considered humorous – but what about Low Note? What’s so funny about Low Note?

-Cougar :{)

Strike up the band! I’m still waiting to see how Macy got in with that artillery piece. Aunt Marg……… how’d he pull it off? When you come up with an answer, see if you can come up with that gin-flavored popcorn.

margueritem, If you read this and want to see some of the pencil work of that NEW effort. (It’s simply great !) Send me an E-MAIL address and I’ll forward them on to you. I’ve managed to get some of them in a form to do so.

I’m not impressed easily. But this art almost blows one away.

Send to: sydney@tstt.net.tt

Overall, this story has been less painful than the strips published in 2009. Do what I am doing. I am collecting the books - The Complete Dick Tracy I just received the latest book which has all the daily strips plus Sunday for the years 1944 - 1945

Someone, who has complained sarcastically about another’s misuse of an apostrophe in the past, has used “it’s” where “its” is correct in today’s DT comments. I’m sure he knows better, and it was simply a typo and not ignorance on his part. Just in case, “it’s” is a contraction of “it is,” and “its” is the possessive of “it.” It’s not hard to learn its spelling. Tempted as I am to make a sarcastic comment, I’ll hold off out of politeness. Maybe that will set an example.

morrow Chief Liz informed them that Tracy was attending, and that he would be armed.

The gin flavored popcorn is much more difficult….