Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for September 11, 2016

Some came runningInto dangerRisk their livesHelping strangers.Mighty towersTumbled downMany helpersNever found.Save us from the true believersHateful violence, vile deceivers.Today ‘tis fitting to recallSome came running, sacrificing all.

Snails could pass for a Flattop cousin.

That’s a way back…..wonder how Snails is doing in THE BIG HOUSE?

A quick check of wikipedia shows that Tracy was indeed dealing with the Mike Killan-created Snails in 2001.

Sliding timescales tend to complicate fixed dates.

Speaking of snails …

… here’s more than a few.

A good solemn tribute to the victims and heroes of 9/11, with a good tribute at the top to one of those who died years later from the effects of 9/11. I like the fact that this strip feels like it could fit in within the current story.I also like the mention of Snails, which is the first reference Curtis has done to the Tracy stories of the late Mike Kilian, who wrote the strip from 1993 till his death in 2005 (his last strips were published in early January 2006). On that fateful Tuesday, the 9/11/01 strip (which had been written and drawn weeks earlier, making a 9/11 tribute at the time impossible) was actually wrapping up the case of the Mistress of Death. The Snails case began that same week on Friday, September 14, and concluded on December 5. The entire story can be found in GoComics archives.It starts here……and ends here.This is Snails’ only story, but he was captured alive, so he could return if Curtis or any successor should decide to bring him back. Snails was a particularly nasty, homicidal crook, so the idea that even he could be shocked and horrified by 9/11 is a great and believable reminder of the enormity of that tragedy.

A very solemn Tracy gives inquisitive Honeymoon a double history lesson, the one for what has come to be called simply “9/11,” the other for the police work he was doing and the ironic Snails anecdote. Somber is the mood of day.And a fitting Roll of Honor tribute to one of the First Responders who later succumbed, NYPD Detective Zadroga. RIP.Also, Pequod’s poem of the week is likewise fitting, quick, pointed….

State of the World of DT

September 11, 2016

Where are we now? Well, Tracy survived the “final faceoff.” As far as Kadaver goes, we’re not sure. Now we have to do something about Rikki and her wave of crime. At the same time, Mr. Bribery is also out to get her. We only have this week and next week for the exciting conclusion because Mike has told us that a new story will start on Septemnber 25.

Character round-up

Since we are winding up to the climax on this tale, I thought it might be a good time to summarize the characters and personalities that were seen or referenced. By my count, there are 67 so far and probably won’t be too many more as the story concludes. We are on Day 78, by the way, according to my count, which started the day Tracy announced his vacation to the Chief and promptly went into a dream crossover.

As I’ve done before, the numbers are the number of days the character had a speaking part, followed by the number of days the character appeared without speaking, was mentioned, or was pictures somewhere in the scene.

Not surprisingly, Dick Tracy and Abner Kadaver were the main characters, Tracy appearing on the majoritiy of days. This was followed by Sam, Lizz, and Rikki. I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of Rikki before we’re all done. Here is the list so far:

39/60 Dick Tracy15/36 Abner Kadaver11/12 Sam Catchem10/20 Rikki Mortis9/11 Lizz8/9 Dr. Bulwer Lytton7/19 Tess Tracy7/8 Honeymoon Tracy6/8 Fearless Fosdick (FF)4/6 Junior Tracy4/4 Mr. Bribery3/7 Pat Patton3/3 [The Phantom]3/3 Unnamed casino worker3/3 Dethany Denbrobia3/3 Helen G. Wells2/6 Evil-Eye Fleegle (FF)2/6 Cheater Gunsmoke2/2 Tom Wood2/2 Unnamed Swiss police officer1/2 Philip J. Riley1/1 Unnamed airport official1/1 Gravel Gertie1/1 Mayor Armstrong1/1 Unnamed hiker1/1 Unnamed train conductor1/1 Unnamed Swiss customer1/1 Unnamed Swiss waiter1/1 Unnamed Swiss kidnapper 11/1 Unnamed Swiss kidnapper 21/1 Unnamed male tourist 11/1 Louise1/1 Unnamed male tourist 21/1 Unnamed female tourist0/11 Sherlock Holmes (SH)0/9 Vampire mechanique0/5 Professor Moriarty (SH)0/4 [Devil]0/2 J. Straightedge Trustworthy (JST)0/2 Oliver Warbucks0/2 Pruneface0/1 Flattop0/1 Blackjack0/1 The Atom Bomb (FF)0/1 Anyface (FF)0/1 Chippendale Chair (FF)0/1 88 Keyes0/1 Angeltop0/1 Kitchen (FF)0/1 Senseless Mahoney (JST)0/1 Fuddonna (FF)0/1 Willis O’Brien0/1 Frankenstein’s Monster (F)0/1 Dracula (F)0/1 Annie0/1 Mysta Chimera0/1 Arne Saknussemm0/1 Professor Lidenbrock0/1 Leonard Smart0/1 Sweeney Todd0/1 Hercule Poirot0/1 Poe0/1 C. Auguste Dupin0/1 Erik (PotO)0/1 Bonnie Tracy0/1 Uncle Ray Tracy0/1 Snails

Good morning guys!.9/11: a tragic day. I still think about the innocent victims and the brave responders.

.Very fitting Pequod!

.Outstanding Neil!

Never Forget!

I remember coming home from work. Mom was doing the same thing. And for weeks she couldn’t stop. Reminded her of the day of the Pearl Harbor attack.

Just before I left for work on that fateful morning, a ballad by Blue Oyster Cult, “In Thee,” began playing in my head. The song contains the line “Airports make strangers of us all until we fall.” Several hours later, the office nurse yelled, “A plane just flew into the World Trade Center!” After the second plane destroyed the other tower, my coworkers and I were immediately sent home out of fear for safety.

Never forget the pain and sorrowVow to protect our children’s tomorrowRemember the sacrifices so greatRemember that love always overcomes hateAlways appreciate each and every dayAnd know we are blessed in so many waysBe thankful for friends and the loved ones we embraceAnd pray for the day love motivates every race.

Honeymoon has modified her hairstyle from 2 days ago, with ringlets on the sides of her face. I like it.

It’s hard to believe it’s been fifteen years! A painful day to remember, but it’s good that we do.

How does “exposure to the rubble” KILL someone?

“Snails said he couldn’t believe anyone would do that to us.”People were probably saying, or, at least thinking, the same thing 60 years before that.

Honeymoon listens closely and gets some history from Pop-Pop. We’re reminded why a panel of Tracy and Kadaver falling at the Falls was not drawn. Snails returns by photo. Credit where it is due, here are some some good panels from the Snails story. Leaving a slimy trail revealed Snails to be a crumb.

Thanks to Willy007, Gweedo, Neil Wick (nicely done), Sisyphos, Vista Bill, Chris Sherlock, Ray Toler (Oct. 9 for Red Velvet! Looking forward to it and the entire season.), and JPuzzleWhiz for the kind words. Very much appreciated.

I used to know the chaplain for the fire department in Warwick, RI. He once described his ministry thusly:

“These are guys who are paid nowhere near enough money to run into a building that everything, including the cockroaches, is running out of. Because that’s the job.”

Amen..

Pequod, wonderful little poem.

I could swear you have written this before, perhaps last year? It was one of the reasons I got hooked to the Tracyville forum—still lovin’ it!

So, Tracy’s at home and Honeymoon asks him about something that happened 15 years ago. He turns to his little home roll-top desk and just happens to have a photograph of the particular villain he was chasing on that particular day.Even with the fluid time of comic strips, so maybe it wasn’t 15 years in Tracy time, that’s a bit of a stretch. I certainly understand what Team Tracy is trying to do here, but this feels a bit forced.And Snail’s comment – he “couldn’t believe anyone would do that to us” – this from a man guilty of multiple murders. His victims probably couldn’t believe he would do that to them!

To all DT fans, NEVER FORGET!

Obviously, time moves at a different pace in Tracy. Otherwise Tracy, Tess and Pat would be over 100 and Honeymoon would be 51. For the purpose of keeping the strip going and using characters who would be long gone I can accept the compressed time idea. Now that we have so many crossovers with other strips this time frame doesn’t appear to be very important. After all, Annie has been a kid since the 1920s.

Joe’s Tracy in the next to last panel is pitch perfect.

Hey DT fans, I thought you might all enjoy a look at this:http://readcomiconline.to/Comic/E-Man-Recharged/Full?id=87362

Mike has announced that, for the story after the Spirit story next winter, Joe Staton is taking a break from Dick Tracy for one story. We can look forward to Shelley Pleger’s great work for that story. The person who was complaining that he preferred Shelley’s style to Joe’s will be happy to see that, I’m sure. I’m confident that she will do a magnificent job, as she always does with the inking and lettering.

AnyFace, The “Snails” storyline didnt’ actually start until after September 11, 2001. The 09/11/01 strip featured the Mistress of Death being struck by lightning in the revival tent. It was the beginning of the end of the “Mistress of Death” story. The “Snails” story didn’t start until 09/14/01.