Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for March 27, 2015

Blaze came into the roomOut of breathNone to soonDoubleup peeked over the topTired of readingHow the Dallas Cowboys floppedHearing the news that an inspection was dueScared him so silly His stripes upped and flewBlaze knew the deal she was nobody’s foolTime to keep lowTime to stay coolDoubleup returned to reading the scoopOn the comic he lovedThe fabulous Alley Oop!

Funny to see Doubleup’s “antlers! But seriously nice to see him getting along with Blaze (all things considered!)

They’re in trouble now: a dress inspection! Actually, Blaze and Doubleup weren’t even part of the Blackhearts when the worst failures happened, but Méliès and the Munro Brothers were right there when they lost the Sapce Coupe. Venus, meanwhile, was sitting all posh at HQ, so she didn’t do a lot to save that particular mission.

Looks like the Munro Brothers are not going to be present for this inspection, but maybe it’s just as well. It also looks like this dress inspection might involve a “dressing down.” Here’s a little of Rudyard Kipling’s poem on the subject, Danny Deever:

They’ve taken of his buttons off an’ cut his stripes away,An’ they’re hangin’ Danny Deever in the mornin’.

The Munro brothers are still round?

Back to the botched Space Coupe Snatch.

Ye Gods, I think Ray Toler (… and any others who’d suspected as such) was right about the Blackhearts being the 21st Century equivalent of “The 52 Gang.”

Will Mr. Little – uh – I mean “Bigg” – appear on Saturday?

On Sunday?

Or at least his hand?

Even The Dick Tracy Wiki has very little information on The 52 Gang.We do know that they had a large enough discretionary budget to pay for custom T-Shirts …

I used to put a target=“_blank” in my links so it would automatically open in a new tab, but that doesn’t work anymore either.

I usually right-click but sometimes I forget, so I liked to have it in my links to others who didn’t think to right-click or didn’t know how, because on a page like Dick Tracy with a lot of comments, it’s a multi-step process to get back to where you were.

If they get big enough they could become a type of “Intergang” as in the DC universe.____________________

Ohhh, Intergang!

With Morgan Edge – Backed by DARKSEID!

… or the Marvel Comics’ equivalent, The Maggia!

Sunday’s strip will be a PIP!!!

Doubleup channeling his inner Marvin Gaye?

Good morning Tracy fans. Bad time coming up for the bad guys and gals._______@avenger09 and NG49: good poems._______@AnyFace: the Intergang is a possibility._______Thanks to all who commented today. Y’all have an adventurous day my friends.

Good theorizing, yesterday, Willy007! Cobblepot is certainly a possibility, especially with the Bates story in mind. The absence of gloves could be a head-fake to keep fans guessing. I do feel that Venus’ remarks could be construed as an indication that Mr. Bigg is her father. Méliès is told to remember himself. He knows why Apollo and Venus are different. They would, of course, be in a very different position than Méliès if Mr. Bigg was their father. Still, I don’t except this to be the case. Assuming that Venus and Painted Lady were sisters, Intro may not be interesting enough to warrant the fuss that could be made at his having escaped the laser gun. I think Bribery is one of Gould’s best villains, worthy of a second act, but that’s for another thread..The drawback of a Cobblepot/Bigg reveal, for me, is that the Blackhearts have been so successfully developed over time. They have supplanted the Apparatus as the criminal organization in Tracyville. I very much like the way the organization has grown in power, even as they receive interesting callers such as Angus and Kadaver. Méliès and Venus are such fabulous additions to the strip, I’d like to see another Team Tracy original be their boss. Were a crossover character to be revealed as the boss of the Blackhearts, it could intrude on the dramatic heft of the organization. That said, I’m looking forward to the reveal no matter what the outcome.

Wow! It’s barely 8:30, and we’ve already had a poem by Avenger09; references to the Dallas Cowboys, Alley Oop and Darksied; a quote from Rudyard Kipling; and art by Jack Kirby! Plus more on Dick Tracy’s past foes.And, oh yeah – the comic strip, too! The comments here are more interesting and educational than a week of “Jeopardy!” —Thanks, Avenger 09, Neil Wick, and AnyFace! My day is off to a flying start!

Good morning guys!

Exciting times ahead!

I guess we’re going to round up all the remaining villains for a “Hi there! Remember us?” session…

Can anyone help me with this question? – What is the proper pronunciation for “Melies” Even though I read the strip and the comments silently, i stumble every time I come to that name, because my mental inner ear doesn’t know how it’s supposed to sound.I tried Wikipedia, but I confess, I don’t understand their pronunciation symbols.

@

AnyFace

The 52 Gang was a 1962 story focused around the first Space Coupe - which was quickly stolen by them, to further their role - as the World Crime Syndicate . . .

The members of the 52 Gang all wore black hoods covering their faces and upper bodies with an insignia on the right shoulder denoting rank . . .The ranks by values in a Deck of CardsThe Ace of Spades was the head followed by the King, the Queen, Jack and Ten of Spades. A Royal flush or Executive Group of the 52 Gang movement

The Gang established their HQ atop a high, remote Mesa with all living facilities.

Their first use of the Coupe (with captured Pilot/Inventor Dyne O’Matik) was to capture and give “one-way” rides to senior world figures who they considered threats,(among them a body on a Church steeple. another in the streets of Bolivia and the first human ejected into outer space)

Tracy infiltrated the gang and then disguised as the Ten of Spades would on a Coupe flight take control and capturing the Ace of S (aka ‘Little’ Nothing) a prison escapee and murderer, who was returned to prison.Most of the remaining Gang on the Mesa perished in an explosion following a “no surrender” (to Police) stand promoted by the Queen of Spades

The most recent reprint of the story strips appeared in the early ’90’s Blackthorne Dick Tracy Weekly comics. Issues # 89 and # 90. For those interested’ *- copies might be available on the “used book” markets . . .The above issues may not be there, but currently Amazon lists several Blackthorne DT comic back issues as available.

The first murder in space was committed by the 52 Gang.

And, since we have only seen the hands of Mr. Bigg, it should be noted that Purdy Fallar was known for his beautifully manicured hands.

Note the two razor sharp nails on Purdy’s middle fingers. These were used as weapons to slash and kill.

This shows Purdy’s right hand. The left hand we have seen of Mr. Bigg showed no razor nails but Purdy’s left hand was not known to have the razor nails even though the nails on his right hand became a major point in the plot.

Is Purdy Fallar really a vegetable?

Blackhearts losing some of their luster here, as they seem to be a bunch of goof-offs nowadays, lol

Thanks to everyone for your kind words regarding today’s poem. They are very encouraging indeed!

Nice poem NG49. Welcome to the club! LOL!

Sounds like May-le-ess.That’s the impression I get too, Gweedo.

Interesting that Blaze Rize is pretty much the “gopher” of the Blackhearts headquarters. I think she is being underestimated because of he smallish stature. She will have her day eventually, I suspect. DoubleUp and the other hand seems far too relaxed and full of unjustified self-confidence. He may be primed for a fall from Mr. Bigg’s grace,,,,

Although I get the meaning of why Mike named him Melies (after the famous director of the film about the moon which showed a moon face that looks just like him), I think a more Gouldian name for him would have been something like “Moon Face”.

It’s a great theory you have there about Rastapopoulos, but I’m sure you’re right that Moulinsart would never, ever go for him appearing in Dick Tracy.

If Mr. Bigg does turn out to be Purdy Fallar, he could be the first person in Dick Tracy History to officially be declared dead three times. I think that would be a distinction that Gould would have appreciated since during the Moon Era he highlighted the first cornflakes commercial from the Moon, the first murder in space, the first cigar smoking cat, the first wrist radio, the first (you name it…if it is something weird, outrageous, or grisly)…

What if there was hatch in the bottom of the yacht by which some sort of mini-sub could escape?

It seems, with the strip that was just presented, that Mr. Intro would have had to escape through that hatch in a split second. Meanwhile, he was standing on deck, not going below to escape, so I don’t really see that as a possible scenario.

What if there was hatch in the bottom of the yacht by which some sort of mini-sub could escape?___________________He was standing in a pretty precarious position. What if he was simply thrown free when the blast capsized the yacht?

Submitted for your approval …

“Dead Fish Dead.”

“Cold Fish.”

“Dead Fish”

Frozen Fallar?

… probably a stretch.

Thanks to everyone who commented on that random “Forever People” page by the late, great Jack “King” Kirby which I’d posted in response to Night-Gaunt49’s reference to Inter-Gang – That particular page can be broken down into two three-panel daily strips quite easily. Try it. :)

I think the 1960’s-era anime “8th Man” featured a similar organization called INTERCRIME as well.

It’s probably been linked before but in rolling through old Gasoline Alley’s I ran into this li’l ol’ crossover.____________________

Ohhh, great find, Gweedo!

Definitely worthy of embedment …

and Melba is T-Bolt

- Reads ahead -

Ohhh, that was part of the Dick Tracy 70th Anniversary Celebration!

Think Tracy was referenced in other strips as well.

Jim Scancarelli draws a pretty good Tracy. :)

Just for perspective, here’s the Dick Tracy strip from that same day …

why are they going to court.