Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for July 04, 2017

Oh, come now!

Didn’t see that coming.

Good morning all!

Happy Independence Day!

Blackjack is very much the “Bizarro” version of a typical Tracy Villain.

So take me home already!

Good morning, Peace Keeper Boom Boom  Bill, and all you Cherry Bomb poppin’ daddies & mamas !

Ever since Mike and Joe took over Tracy six glorious years ago, they’ve always set aside their stories for the Fourth of July strip. This is the first time they’ve both celebrated the Fourth and continued the story.

This worked out swimmingly. Keep the spirit of the day and keep it in story. I’m sure Tracy and the MCU will be seeing these photos soon.

Great one panel spread !

This is so bizarre that it’s actually quite funny- and believable that Sparkle would play into Blackjack’s fixation to keep things from getting nasty.

Okay. So, deep down, Blackjack is really a nice guy. But he still robs banks. And what gives him the right to decide which banks “deserve” it? Even if the Plenty’s story was in the newspaper, I still don’t think that justifies his actions. As for Sparkle: Blackjack is so unpredictable, how do we know he means no harm? How do we know he’s going to return her? How does she know he’s going to return her?

Have Sparkle and Blackjack crossed paths before? Correct me if I’m wrong, but their introduction at the bank last week suggested that this was their first meeting.

Much of this story thus far makes less sense than the comics costume convention story.

I can’t help thinking that this is going to come back on Sparkle. Perhaps the Mayor might want her arrested for conspiring with Blackjack?

All I know is Junior is going to be upset when he sees THESE fan pics either on line or in a scandal rag!

Happy 4th of July Bill, Comet, and others!

Happy 4th of Jill my friends. God Bless You All

Blackjack has collected and kept everything about Sparkle. How do we know he won’t keep Sparkle herself. She would be the pinnacle of his collection.

“Wierd” doesn’t do it justice; but it still hasn’t reached the depths of the convention story. I think today’s events makes her an accomplice (?). I think there are laws about robbing banks and I doubt if BJ & Friends have Class 3 licenses to own machine guns. All that stuff is Fritz Ann’s territory.

Will Sparkle become the next Patty Hearst?

According to yesterday’s strip, Sparkle insisted that she be allowed to “call home” before any pictures were taken, and Blackjack willingly handed her a phone. So, if we assume that these photos are from that photo shoot, and not just an out-of-story 4th of July intermission, we know that Junior (and Tracy) have been alerted to her situation. (We haven’t seen Tracy’s side of things since Sam first told him that Sparkle had intervened in the latest bank robbery.) So, we should be seeing some police action quite soon.

Sparkle almost looks like Carmen Sandiego in that third photo.

Several other possibilities here: A. Sparkle is so caught up with having this level of a fan after all these years that she forgets that he’s a bank robber, B. Blackjack and Sparkle run off together (leaving Junior to possibly connect with Moon Maid’s doppelganger, Mysta), C. Sparkle doesn’t run off, but Junior gets so jealous of the entire episode that the marriage is in dire straits (leading to the same result), D. Team Tracy’s got something else up their collective sleeves that is completely “out of the panel” (as it were).

Blackjack’s collection of Sparkle memorabilia does not compare with Bribery’s collection of shrunken heads.

Going up to Ft. Collins to visit an old old friend !

Back in a few hours.

In the center photo, either Sparkle is a heck of a contortionist or it’s someone else’s hand.

Holy moly, Tracy Fans!

Happy Independence Day (although, since I’ve been hearing fireworks pretty continuously since Saturday and until at least as late as 3:00 AM, maybe Independence Week[end] would be more accurate)!

What a nice addition to the recent spate of Wonderful One-Panel episodes in this arc! Sparkle looks so happy in these photos, and looney Blackjack is surely so bubbling with fan-boy delight, that there seems to be fair ground for some of the speculation of previous commenters that Sparkle’s head might be at least momentarily turned by Robin Hood-Would Be’s charm offensive. Perhaps there are a few confusing and confused days ahead before things come round right again.

Will Tracy and the MCU be able to track down Blackjack’s secret hideout? Will Junior have a jealous fit when he sees what has been happening here?

I think it’s a truly delightful tale of our favorite wacky but lovable villain and his interaction with the normal world. So far, it’s a Four-Star (out of four) Hit in my book!

BTW, be careful in your celebrations of the 4th! I read that a man blew off most of one of his hands in a fireworks accident shortly before I:00 AM along Belmont Avenue, which is near my locale, though at about 4600 west, while I am around 8000 west….