Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for September 22, 2014

Good morning guys!

A peaceful beginning (and explanation) for an exciting week ahead!

“The Butcher”?

I have no complaints! Looking forward to this week, too!

I’m thinking that the noise Annie heard was a device detonating that released a sleeping gas. Annie was taken to the island and the Butcher and his cohorts were free to go when they woke up.

The “Butcher of the Balkans” was bringing Annie to the island when something very strange happened that the boat captain was not able to explain afterwards. In fact, the very mention of it seemed to give the boat captain some kind of heart attack or stroke (maybe he was traumatized). Annie says she heard a loud noise that shook the boat, and the next thing she knew she woke up at the Silos’.

Axel said there was a time bubble around the island. Even though most of you have totally given up on the “time travel” thing, I’m still not 100% convinced that there isn’t some weird time thing going on somewhere. Things are not quite right.

One more thing: Is that like Sparkle Plenty cereal that Annie is eating?

To those who don’t know about the Butcher – head to Little Orphan Annie and GoComics and read the last storyline. The strip was cancelled before the final storyline could be finished – the current Dick Tracy storyline is Little Orphan Annie’s gloriously crazy finale.

We’re finally getting some answers! Can’t wait to see what else happens this week! And, notice that Mrs. Silo was on the island before Annie was.

Inside Axel’s head: “Great cover story, eh? Got it from watching ‘LOST’…”

Happily, it’s sequences like these that somehow FLASH exciting words, and concepts like ‘Foresight’ and ‘Competence’ - onto my screen ! Foresight in the sense that Axel had the prescience, the forward Vision, to know Annie would ultimately be brought to him, and so, preparing well in advance (Competence), he had the Silo couple abducted(?) – brought to him, suitably hypnotized, and then installed in a Home to await – the triumphant Annie arrival day !

Nearly a Copy Book resemblance to the Tracy capture, all on water, and useful too in that it eliminated the Butcher,the need for any ‘promised’ payments, and then sank the boat. Only difference – Tracy’s boat was returned.

Yet ‘up front’ now and visible, he seems to dither, suspicious yes, but like he’s lost his Leap Ahead - “telling” instincts ?

Odd thing too, HOW would Axel know, of the Tracy LIKELYHOOD of telling others, where he (Tracy) was going by boat. And that soon others (police) would follow on to Thunder Island looking for him ? You’d have to think, that if Axel - had an ‘inside man’ working for him he’s not functioning on this one. A new Teevo ? (Yes*!* I know dead ! But not only Hot Rize might have had a Twin ! ? We’ve really seen little thought, action, expressions of concern for this possibility ! (?)Seems now the ‘rubbers hitting the road’, a time when it really COUNTS, Axel hasn’t got a Clue on the looming dangers ? How disappointing !

And further, (as I write), it occurs to me, we have another, perhaps more puzzling – “inconsistency” here . . . How could Axel “lease” an Island and (Law enforcement) I.e. The FBI (up to - one year or so, later?) - STILL have it on their Books as a ‘no entry’ - Classified Area ?

Fritz Ann ? Good thing, Sam’s started his preparation for Heaven. W Annie would ultimately be brought to him, and so, well in advance (Competence), he had the Silo couple abducted(?) – brought to him, suitably hypnotized, and then installed in a House to await – the triumphant Annie arrival day !

Nearly a Copy Book resemblance to the Tracy capture, all on water, and useful too in that it eliminated the Butcher,the need for any ‘promised’ payments, and then sank the boat. Only difference – Tracy’s boat was returned.

Yet ‘up front’ now and visible, he seems to dither, suspicious yes, but like he’s lost his Leap Ahead - “telling” instincts ?

Odd thing too, HOW would Axel know, if Tracy LIKELY told others, where he (Tracy) was going. And that soon others (police) would follow on to Thunder Island looking for him ? You’d have to think, that if Axel - had an ‘inside man’ working for him he’s not functioning on this one. A new Teevo ? (Yes*!* I know ! But not only Hot Rize might have had a Twin ! ? We’ve really seen no action, no concern for this possibility ! (?)Seems now the rubbers hitting the road, when it really COUNTS, Axel hasn’t got a Clue. How disappointing !

And further, (as I write), it occurs to me, we have another, perhaps more puzzling – “inconsistency” here . . . How could Axel “lease” an Island and (Law enforcement) I.e. The FBI (up to - one year or so, later?) - STILL have it on their Books as a ‘no entry’ - Classified Area ?

Fritz Ann ? Good thing, Sam’s started his preparation for Heaven.

Can’t understand why my post above appears doubled? Two copies, and I just can’t ‘shake one’ ???Sorry !

“A time travel experiment gone wrong.” – Axel“Blue.” – Professor Kenyon’s code word given to Axel.“Project Blue Image.” – Diet Smith’s experiment gone wrong.I still think these three things are connected somehow, even though it has been shown that no time travel has occurred (at least not yet).

Good morning DT and Annie fans. This week should advance and possible end this storyline.@Neil Wick: good nostalgia cereal box.

Axel is going to get his and soon!

Time Bubble? Sounds rather Wibbly-Wobbly to me

A Time Bubble? Okay, so entering it would send you back to 1944. Then what’s on the island today? The wreckage of the experiment? A blue police box? Schrodinger’s cat?

I keep wondering if there really IS a “time bubble” of some type surrounding the island?

Its All Good….

Axel’s whole line to Annie smells phony to me. I am more concerned by the presence of Ma (and Pa) Silo at his side. Have they gone over to, or been turned by mind control to, Axel’s Dark Side? Does his “time bubble” story cover up a relatively simple, conventional boat hijacking with some kind of explosive involved? What does Annie really think (which we may find out in future panels)?

Here’s a point that some of you seem to have overlooked. I’ve been thinking all along that the people in Simmons Corners have been hypnotized to think that they were actual citizens of 1944 Simmons Corners. But, today’s strip indicates that, Unless Axel told Annie a different story than he told everybody else, they believe that they have been been victimized by an accidental “time bubble.” This means that they all think they are from 2014, and not indigenous to 1944.

RWM, is your copy editor and chief critic on vacation?

Sapphire and Steel?I’ve read of the series, but never seen it. Has it been broadcast in the U.S.?

Hey, October’s around the corner….(hopefully) time for Abner to grace us with another appearance!

Earlier today I used the Copy and Paste function to reply to a comment by Neil Wick. Now, when I tried to do the same thing in a reply to davidf42, the earlier comment keeps coming up – it’s like it is still on the “clipboard”, and I can’t get new material to copy and paste. Anyone else experience this or know how to fix it?

I’ve never liked crossovers, but, as far as that goes, this one is not TOO bad, but, I really prefer DT fighting all-new “grotesques”

Can’t sleep. Hey I’ve got an idea; Let’s reread today’s Dick Tracy str,,,, ZZZZzzzzz..