Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for September 01, 2014

Something new! (Or at least different!)

Good morning everyone!

Blue? Tracy’s uniform?

Kenyon doesn’t answer the question — he just changes the subject. Apparently he’s had a breakthrough and need to get word to Axel right away. I guess he doesn’t have a phone? Or maybe this is too top-secret to say over the phone.

I notice that according to Kenyon’s calendar, it’s now September 1944, so I guess almost four months have passed since Tracy arrived in Simmons Corners?

That is true.Could it therefore have something to do with Diet Smith’s Project Blue Image?

The good thing is that Annie can relay the message to Tracy first. The way he was writing, I though Kenyon might give her a written message, sealed in an envelope.I know this story has had it’s slow points, when exposition was necessary (like any story), but I’m really enjoying it.

I hope “Blue” doesn’t mean snag Annie and lock her up !!!

I was afraid that she might get locked up, but I think it would have happened on the Kenyon farm it it were going to happen.

Professor Kenyon is having a heck of a bad hair day.

A quick review of the 1944 timeline shows that the first week of September saw Annie Frank and her family shipped off to Auschwitz and the liberation of Brussels and Antwerp, Belgium. The Soviet Union also declared war on Bulgaria.

I hope “Blue” doesn’t mean snag Annie and lock her up !!!-Heck no, Annie’s just a harmless kid. She can’t cause any trouble.

I’m a little surprised that Prof. Kenyon doesn’t have the pharmacist – who is trained in chemistry – helping him.

Rather than there being no time travel story here (and taking into account that Diet Smith’s “Project Blue Image” has been mentioned in connection to time travel…AND, knowing how our Team Tracy like to leave us occasionally dangling…), isn’t it possible that once Thunder Island is stormed & Tracy and Annie are rescued, Axel may just disappear into a (for lack of a better term) “Time Vortex” as his escape plan, only to return sometime later to once again cause trouble for our heroes?

I don’t think the Prof even hears her question in the first frame. His reaction in the second frame seems like he only just registered her arrival, and is still in his own train of thought. So I don’t think he dodged the question, he just didn’t process it.

I’m pretty sure Prof. Kenyon is blissfully unaware that Annie and Tracy are not entirely on board with Axel. So, his urgent message probably has to do with a perceived break-through in his research, whatever that is….

The “blue” reference could be another red herring thrown at us by Team Tracy to make us think that it has something to do with Diet Smith’s project. And the fact that Prof Kenyon ignored Annie’s question seems to indicate that he is under the hypnotic spell.

It makes sense that Kenyon is reporting on a breakthrough in his “war work” research. His work is explosive in nature and he believes the end result will be used to fight Nazis. We have seen no chamber reminiscent of Smith’s “mystery ship.” It seems unlikely that the work involves time travel, but anything is possible. Axel may escape to fight another day…in another era.

Artwork has a different style today, like a different penciller. Darker pencils.

Sydney,.Re your comment from yesterday:.“But Chief Brandon was never – ever, at the scene of the murder of Emil Trueheart. Sounds like a contradiction of Canon ?”.I stand corrected, The 22 Oct 1931 strip took place in Brandon’s office. .But I DID get the dialog right. And the point was that Brandon invited Tracy to join, not the police force, but the plainclothes squad, from which one COULD draw the inference that he was offering Tracy a promotion within the department, rather than entry-level employment.

Happy Labor Day Dick Tracy Fans!

I agree with Sisyphos. I think “blue” refers to results of the chemical experiment going on.

I hope we get an explanation as to why Annie is here to begin with. Just to gather eggs for Prof. Kenyon and take messages back and forth to Axel? She seems content living with the Silos and can go anywhere in Simmons Corners as she chooses. In fact I won’t mind living in that time period rather than what we have today … except to have a Nazi around. Surely Axel knows of Warbuck’s wealth and power in getting anything he wants and would stop at nothing to get Annie back. And Tracy doesn’t seem to be limited either. More like a vacation from reality for him. Great story but too many things don’t make any sense.

Tracy’s been on the island for 4 months? I wonder if Tess applied for the life insurance proceeds, as suggested by Johnny.

Can anyone help me remember what the story is regarding Prof. Kenyon? I know we covered this before, but I can’t remember – he looks just like Eli Eon from the ’30s, but he was killed by an angry mob. Is Prof Kenyon supposed to be a descendant of old Eli?

War Work?…Blue?…TBC..

Ken, can anyone help us remember the beginning of this story, now reaching War and Peace levels?

I’m wondering if Annie’s outburst yesterday may have snapped Mason and Jaeger out of their trances. Also, I’m sure Annie will tell Tracy what she has observed yesterday and today.

Tomorrow’s word… borrowed? ;-)

Well from today’s color presentation one might quickly think that Prof. Kenyon - has a well organized work process - one with the visual comforts of color co-ordination ? Shirt on his back, to his note pad, everything’s shaded in BLUE ?No need to have recalled Vitamin’s confusing on stage - ballyhoo, to guess that BLUE here, IS the Prof’s code name for " breakthrough " ! (?)

But to WHAT? A new perfume for Tess like with Locher’s explosive one eye Dr. Noll ?

Given his graying hair, age; combine with Joe Staton’s many Clock displays, then add on the strip’s repeated references to Time Travel *- - Yes ! Think, we got the message - simply not a creation of new ‘moves’ for Kungfu or Jujitsu; SO - let’s label it, Gateway ‘peekaboo’ (to the Future or the Past) - prepared for Alex and his Crew !

No wish to get ahead of the game, but the Big Question (on many minds) IS - will Mike and Joe allow the (mind numbing) BREAKOUT - be one that actually shows characters engaging in - “Time Travel” ?

Although you know Mike’s scripts are written some 6 months in advance, and so realize the final decision is likely already put to bed . . .You MAY still visualize Mike ’ weighing ’ it all, the Pros the Con’s, those afternoons on the Farm as he puts Chicken feed on the scale ?? And ponders on occasional, conflicting opinions from his varied constituencies ?Worries about Going Too Far, or of missed opportunities ?

Ii might cross his mind too, that in the “nourishing” of a Champion, that B.O. Plenty style, ‘chicken feed’ – won’t readily make the cut - particularly for a Prized Game Cock he’s named - Tracy !

Stagger Lee, it appears the the file you linked to is not public, so we can’t see it.