Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for July 14, 2014

I won’t say it….first comment is too obvious, lol

They gotta rescue Annie and Tracy now.

Sam wants to call the FBI?Has he forgotten about Fritz-Ann?

GREAT! The MCU is calling out all the dogs!

So, the captain didn’t die, after all ,and he’s escaped! (Not that he was under arrest, as far as I know.) Okay, maybe he didn’t exactly “escape,” but he fled.

Tess apparently still hasn’t read her email and needs the help of both Lee and the FBI to find it. Meanwhile, they’re using GPS data (for some reason) to track down where Tracy’s car is. I’m sure it’s sitting in plain sight down by the marina. Once they find it. I’m sure that night watchman can tell them that Tracy went somewhere by boat in the middle of the night.

Roughly 88 words in today’s strip. That’s a pretty impressive amount of text for a modern comic strip.

Even if Sam would rather avoid Fritz Ann, he knows that the FBI has to get involved. Maybe if he’s the one to call them, they won’t just suddenly appear unannounced and catch him off-guard.

I wonder where the captain intends to go. If they can find and then follow him, he might lead them to Axel

Perhaps Dick sent his email to an account Tess hardly ever checks?

Dizzy Lizzy has got to have green contacts on!

That should be " … Tracy’s car has a GPS …" Not “had” … unless, of course, they know the car has been destroyed. -Could that be?

If only Tracy had showed some sense and let his team know what he was doing and where he was going, they wouldn’t have to be messing around waiting for a warrant now, trying to find his car. Of course, he did send an e-mail to Tess, but for some reason she hasn’t thought to check her e-mail.This is a great story so far, but the “Tracy is missing” aspect of the story seems a little weak to me.

This may be a dumb question, but do they need a warrant for one of their own ? If a criminal kidnapped Tracy and drove with his car and Dick in the trunk, would they need a warrant ? Seems like a waste of Liz’s time. Get to it girl !!!

Good morning fans. The warrant is a red herring. Maybe Annie will call Sam or Liz.

I had to double check my calendar and make sure that it WASN’T April 1st (of any year! lol) because I dont believe my eyes… the mcu is actually DOING DETECTIVE WORK?!?!?!?! YE GODS!!!

Must be desperate times if Sam is actually thinking of calling in Fritz Ann…

Good morning guys!

Maybe FBI Agent Ennen will be back! She assisted with the circus murder several years ago.

Tracy going to the island alone at night to scout it out was a gutsy move and an essential part of the set-up. He had no evidence of any crime, simply a letter from Annie to Sparkle, which he deduced might contain the coordinates of the island. There wouldn’t be much of a story if Tracy had—without a warrant (a warrant to search what, exactly?)—taken the MCU (and Warbucks, Punjab and Asp?) to Thunder Island in the light of day. Would they all have been injured? All have been somehow deluded into believing it to be 1944? All now dedicated fans of Belinda? No. Tracy’s bold action came at a cost, yet he and Annie are united. There are complications, of course, this being a ripping good yarn. We have Tracy and Annie on the island. Axel obsessing over the mysterious work of Professor Kenyon. The MCU on the case, searching for both Tracy and Annie. Punjab and Asp walking the streets of Tracyville: free agents, as it were. I like the story and its many colorful threads.

Another great summation, PQ! You rock!

Have I missed something? Has anyone mentioned that on June 20 Tracy was exposed to Diet Smith’s experimental time machine?

Thanks PQ77 for taking the time to rehash the previous week’s action (inaction). You roll!

I wonder if Punjab or the Asp may be trailing that ship’s captain.They aren’t part of the MCU, so the chief wouldn’t know, and I’d be surprised if they let that guy – their best lead so far – out of their sight.

Will we ever find out what happened to Captain Ahab that made him so sick or will it just be added onto the long list of the mysterious and unexplained the seem to permeate Tracyville?

To Be Continued…..

Nun’Ya Bidness I appreciate you defending me but can’t approve of your choice of words. It’s also not necessary because Morrow and I are actually friends and quite fond of each other! I have a great deal of respect for him. We always try to rattle each other and are the inspiration for the Grumpy Old Men flicks! However I must say that I’m the smarter, better looking one! LOL!!!!!

It takes Chief Patton to get the MCU motors running, but at least they’re doing some gritty detective work. If only Tracy hadn’t made that dumb solo move in the first place….

I am a relative newcomer to the world of on-line comments, and sometimes all these letter abbreviations look like alphabet soup to me. But one of the most common is LOL, and I have figured out that it stands for “laugh out loud”. Now, to me, that would mean that, by definition, it should only be used when there is actually something at least moderately funny being posted. But there are a couple of posters here who use it all the time, and, I’ve got to tell you guys, you’re just not all that funny. And, anyway, the overuse of any catch phrase or word significantly diminishes its’ effectiveness in communication.

I have a GPS tracker on my lovely wife’s ride, as well as mine. I also have the software to track ‘em on my computer. It seems odd that the Popo has to call a server….. especially with Diet Smith’s connection.

Oh, for crying out loud, you mean you actually counted?

.LOL!!!

I like the mystery.

Oh, for crying out loud, you mean you actually counted?

I kind of approximately counted, because I was curious. A few months ago I counted a couple of classic strips vs. current ones to see if there really was less room for words nowadays.

I have a Masters degree and also several years word towards a PhD in quantitative sociolinguistics, so counting 88 words is nothing to me. You can prove anything without some numbers. Aside from that, it’s mere speculation.

SDM, I beg to pose a question: does a Phd in Quantitative Sociolinguistics translate to asking if the consumer wants to Supersize it? (Just kidding, Neil!)

As the size of comic strips became smaller and smaller over the years, the lettering took up more and more of the panel space because letterers had to increase the size of their balloons in order to be read. Just one more “nail” in the coffin of the printed newspaper comic strip.