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

Was old. Now is new. Was new. Now is old

Diet’s replacement is retro and bold.

Tracy will use all the tools at hand

Criminal schemes never go just as planned.

Sometimes the old comes around once again

Sometimes a new gizmo is needed to win.

Strap it on, Tracy: Smith’s shiny new prize

Use it for justice. Cut crooks down to size.

2-Way Wrist Radio, like an olde friend

Helping Dick Tracy bring crime to an end.

I waited so long for a Sunday strip to be

My heart did soar and I was filled with excitement and glee

Alas the joy I longed for was unfortunately not meant to be

The boring strip today forced me to type a bunch of ZZZZZZ’s

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Good morning lads!

Oh My Gosh they also do a Sunday strip ?

At least we have a Sunday strip today. Last week’s still not there even if they have it online on their beta site. For those who haven’t seen it yet, here’s the Dec 4th strip that GoComics has been hiding from us http://bit.ly/2hpSP5l

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I wonder why they are not making it available here

“Dick Tracy calling Go-Go GoComics Commentators …”

An old friend and in a classic pose !!! (Big Smiley)

Well, I guess the whole story with Selfy is done. (I’ll never know if he took a picture with Bellowthon the same way he did with Tracy. Sigh. Would’ve been the icing on the cake, I guess.)

Looks like this version of the old 2-Way doesn’t have an antenna that goes up under his sleeve, and is taped to his arm.

Just in time to restore the “Classic” look for The Spirit Crossover Event.

calling Go Go Gomez…

Classic Tracy Profile….Like Old Times

For anyone who is interested

http://www.dicktracy.watch/

Nice poem, Pequod, but avenger09 wins the prize for comedy today!

Cheers!

Today’s strip is clearly a pitch for the new Dick Tracy watch that is now available. This week I saw Joe Stanton or Mike Curtis in an ad promoting the watch.

Off-Topic, involving a different Dick …

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CBS is airing two colorized episodes of THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW tonight.

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And yes, the couch really is/was that color, according to one who would know …

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http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2016/12/dick-van-dyke-coast-to-coast-big-mouth-carl-reiner

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwB2qx5qACo

Also, here’s a Vanity Fair article on the 1990 Dick Tracy movie …

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http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/06/dick-tracy-25th-anniversary

A few months ago, the promotional poster for the upcoming Spirit story showed an old fashioned 2-way wrist radio, instead of the modern wrist wizard. Here is a link to the poster: http://www.willeisner.com/the_eisnershpritz/assets_c/2016/10/WESI_Spirit_Dick_Tracey-thumb-400×618-291.jpg

At the time the poster came out, there was speculation among us the old 2-way wrist radio was a clue, that the Spirit story would be done as a flashback. Today’s strip shows the Spirit story will most likely be set in the present, not the past.

This is the long URL to the Dec 4 strip: http://beta.gocomics.com/dicktracy/2016/12/04 or directly to the image of the strip http://assets.amuniversal.com/13c1bb109e4901340839005056a9545d

It does draw attention to the fact that he hasn’t aged a day since the 1940s, doesn’t it?

Ooh, the Spirit is coming? Will Dick arrest him for pretending to be legally dead?

Curiously, there’s a Bluetooth device you can buy for your smartphone built to resemble – and function like – the communicators from the original Star Trek series. (Only $150… get yours before they show up on The Big Bang Theory. )

Great poem, PQ and Av! And an extra loud shout-out for Av’s catch in PQ’s poem! Made my day!!!

“Oh, and don’t forget you have to wind it every day.”

I have a device that will replace your wrist wizard. It’s called a “smart phone!”

This does appear to be the conclusion of the Selfy story.

We have two full weeks until Christmas and the first full day of Hanukkah (which falls on December 25 this year). I predict we should be hearing about Sam’s family and Marge’s battle with cancer. Hopefully there will be a positive ending to the story in time for the holidays.

Does the Spirit arc begin in January?

What is needed in the last panel is the old arrow reminding us that this is without a doubt a “Two Way Wrist Radio!”

That was indeed visiting an old friend! Bravo!

In keeping with the spirit of the big crossover comes the return of the retro 2-Way Wrist Radio. Nicely played. Keen observation by Sisyphos yesterday regarding the exceptional second panel. The visual foreshadowing being simply the latest reminder of Team Tracy’s very fine work. Smith is in close, the wafting smoke from his stogie dividing the panel, his “Bullwinkle” eyebrow rising as he informs Tracy of Posie’s parolee status. Tracy is in full shadow, his hat a reminder of what’s in store. Elsewhere, I see Gouldian snowflakes out my window.

Thanks to Gweedo, Night-Gaunt49, Vista Bill, blunebottle, morrow, Chris Sherlock, JPuzzleWhiz (nice!) and Jonathan K. for the kind words. Very much appreciated!

Love the classic Tracy/2-way radio pose!

They’re going to do the Spirit?

Few comic strip artists could do justice to Eisner’s art, but I think these guys can.

Nice to see Diet’s nimble quick-and-ready substitute for the exploding battery Wrist Wizards. The retro-look, high profile wrist radio mark 2 should serve well enough through the upcoming Spirit crossover arc.

And that last panel is absolutely iconic!

(And thanks, Pequod, for the shout-out about my remark of yesterday about Tracy’s “look” in panel 2.)

And just where IS Hemlock Holmes in all this?

What if Samsung gave its customers flip-phones in exchange for their exploding ones?

Maybe Diet Smith had Dilbert design the exploding Wrist Wizard?