Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for April 23, 2015

It’s coming …

One year ago today, we were in the midst of the Tabby Angus story and Daddy Warbucks, Punjab, and the Asp were on their way to see Dick Tracy…How time flies!

Good morning all!

Good morning Tracy fans. Have a beautiful,day.

Thanks to the late post by JoviusGM on yesterday’s strip that the four specialists were all real Chicago criminals in the ‘20s. I’m surprised it took that long before someone thought to find them. Here are a few references:Obituary for Dennis Cooney “The Duke”Wikipedia entry for James Cosmano “Sunny Jim”Wikipedia article for Tommy O’Connor “Terrible Tommy” (he escaped from the courthouse in Chicago in 1923 and was never seen again)Famous picture of James Franche “Duffy the Goat” from 1914 (you’ll notice that the bowler hat the day before yesterday did indeed belong to Duffy the Goat)

It looks like all four are seen again today.

So, getting back to today’s strip, Jimmy followed the “greasing palms” part to get information, so “Check” on that. I suppose he probably did the quick drying cement trick, too, but this is the first we are hearing about that.

Duffy the Goat was eventually found not guilty of murder in 1915 and was let go: http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1915/09/06/page/17/article/duffy-the-goat-freed-by-jury

much like that quick drying cement, this story is lowing down at a rapid pace.. couldn’t this all have been handled in, say two or three panels with Owen giving Tracy and Sam the “Readers Digest Version” of it?

Ironic how the story involves trainwrecks

There’s more excitement in seeing the original crime unfold than just having Tracy on the present crime scene, explaining to Sam (and us) how Jimmy Choo Shooz did it.-When the Blackhearts find out he pulled the robbery, will Jimmy Choo Shooz become Jimmy Cement Shooz?

MIke’s pacing is perfect as is Joe’s drawing and Shelley’s inks!!!

Yesterday someone commented that Sunny Jim Cosmano looked like Neil Young, and for the rest of the day, I found myself thinking of Young’s song, “Heart of Gold.”

John, you took the words right out of my mouth! Bagged concrete won’t derail anything but maybe a Lionel Philadelphia Flyer. Why would some Dufus go to the trouble of that, when a partially-set switch that Tracy was eyeballing a few days back was there? And WHY would the rail company have an operable switch inline that led to abandoned trackage? In other words, WHY was that switch still there in the first place? Like Swiss cheese, lotsa holes! Bolting on a derailer might be cheaper and faster than the other.

Good Morning VB and All Tracy fans….I like the slow pace of Tracyville…I mean, what’s the hurry???

… a train car would bust right through it and not derail …

I think the idea is to create an obvious visual barrier. The train will likely be going slowly through here anyway and when they see a track obstruction, they are likely to slow down even more and stop, not try to blast through it. You’ll recall that Owen said (4/17) that the train had to be stopped.

Nevertheless, I have a feeling that a derailment did take place, with all the talk of “debris” but I could be wrong.

Sorry !Seems I inadvertently prolonged what “U” read, in my earlier post . . .With “spelling correctors” here - that ‘abound’, let me get my ‘apology’ in early !

Loads of good info today._____@Neil Wick: thanks for info on the bad guys._____@John Russell and Gweedo: thank you both for you kind words._____Be well my friends.

There are many ways to derail or stop a train car-———————Given that Sgt. Joe is with the railroad police, I’m sure Mike knows what won’t work.I think most writers are careful not to show readers too many accurate details of crimes, to prevent people from getting ideas.Long ago Rod Serling wrote a TV movie about an airliner with a bomb on board. I’ll skip the “how-to” details, but a real crook used it as a plan of his own. (He didn’t have a bomb, just a threat.)Likewise, the producers of “MacGyver” always were careful to make his home-made explosives and devices sound plausible, but not work in real life.“Remember kids – don’t try this at home!”

Yup.

Gone but not forgotten! LOL!

what is coming.