In Cthulhu’s name, let the arrest signal the changing of the arc! Usually Locher follows an arrest with a mixture of annoying scenes from the next arc and self-congratulatory jokes to wind up the old.
On 25 November 2009 Flight Suit said this about the placement of Locher’s signature on a character:
“I’m guessing a Dick Locher/Jim Brozman leather jacket would fetch a pretty penny!
“Or a very weirdly drawn penny.”
“A very weirdly-drawn Penny” is a remarkably prophetic statement.
Hey I just got it! Thick ain’t addressing the D’umbasses in panel #3! He’s speaking to the evil cabalistic sign of Locher and Brozman! See how they shrink even as Thick’s mighty wrath causes his head to swell like a Macy’s parade balloon!
Meanwhile, how is Thick’s health? If this is the end, it means he’s missed his seasonal chance to flee in terror. Without that exercise how will he manage to open the newspapers that give him the next arc’s clues?
Betcha didn’t know that Locher used to ghostwrite dialogue for Noel Coward. Not many people do, but it’s evident from expert analysis of the dialogue in this continuity.
It’s rumored that he also used to rule panel borders for Milton Caniff, but that is as yet unconfirmed.
This arc has been like a sitcom episode where Ozzie schemes to get away from Harriet for the weekend, or Lucy befuddles Ricky with her latest get-rich-quick gimmick, or Joe Friday lusts after Frank Gannon. Of course it all collapses in utter inanity–but at long last a cop shows up and busts the Battling Bickersons for public stupidity. There hasn’t been a moment so welcome since the cast of Seinfeld ended up behind bars.
Pity it won’t last. I don’t think “big scheme” is recognized as a crime anywhere in the US. Thick could get them on a grab-bag of charges–the recent gunplay, the Butterfly McCorpse business, making false statements–but with the sloppy investigation he ran, a good defense lawyer should get the D’weebs out of jail at once. That’s cool, though. Someone can introduce them to the ME. That could be a fun social event.
Given Locher’s rabid anti-liberal bias, the only “scheme” that he could consider ‘criminal” in this case is that of a rich person giving away money to the poor.
He was at once the judge and jury
And he screamed in his fury
“J’accuse, you evil scum
Just where do you think your coming from
You two think that your so great
You’ll soon be wards of state
And your grand nefarious scheme
Is now small potatoes, so it seems”
The feds had long since faded away
Their jurisdiction did not come into play
All their hours spent on the case
Were in the end a colossal waste
Little Dicky thought he was a hero
But everyone viewed him as a zero
But he can be forgiven for his confusion
Reality to him is just an illusion.
In Cthulhu’s name, let the arrest signal the changing of the arc! Usually Locher follows an arrest with a mixture of annoying scenes from the next arc and self-congratulatory jokes to wind up the old.
On 25 November 2009 Flight Suit said this about the placement of Locher’s signature on a character:
“I’m guessing a Dick Locher/Jim Brozman leather jacket would fetch a pretty penny!
“Or a very weirdly drawn penny.”
“A very weirdly-drawn Penny” is a remarkably prophetic statement.
—————————————–
Should I be thrilled that you’re remembering and quoting my comments, or should I worry that, not unlike a member of the 9/11 truth movement talking about the Bush regime, you are accusing me of having prior knowledge of Locher and Brozman’s impending attack upon our sanity?
Regarding today’s installment, Dick says, “…You were in on your husband’s scheme!”
Well, yeah, Dick, Penny specifically said as much while she was waving her gun around. So don’t go acting like you figured something out, ‘cause you didn’t!
Corpse on the stage at the Science Museum, Butterfly McCorpse in the morgue - - - how many unexplained stiffs is Locher-mess monster gonna pile up ? ? ?
I think Locher has found the nadir in his portfolio. Here, he started off like a house afire with what could have been a stellar (that’s not saying much) story and he messed it up to the point it was worse than his worst one. That’s a hard act to follow. If he has the nerve to do another, I promise you it’ll be worse, yet.
He was even given a second chance with the intro of “Thick, The Wolfman”. And he blew that! The new character could have howled at the moon and all that neat stuff. But no, Locher stayed true to form and blew it.
He missed another opportunity to change the direction of his opus. He had the opportunity to start a steamy relation with Penny and he blew that, too. Already equipped with handcuffs, he could have pulled out his rubber Batman suit and gotten kinky.
Alas, he knows not what he missed. (borrowing a ‘sigh’ from Mattie.)
and don’t you DARE call Matthew mattie.
that is not his name and he did NOT authorize it in any way shape or form! you have been warned, at the risk of being flagged!
On October 18, some guy with cool shades told a harness bull something along the lines of ‘Get over there; there’s trouble brewing”. Maybe that’s the officer Big Dick is telling to make the arrest. Three weeks for a Chicago-area cop to finish with his detour at the donut shop sounds about right.
Again, goes to show that people just like to complain. I really don’t understand why most of the readers here even bother reading the strip when all they do is gripe about it…
wwcameralab Why don’t you just tell us - what’s so pleasing and entertaining, rather than complaining at what are honest reactions to patently poor (and illogical) QUALITY.
Most readers here rememberDick Tracy when it was one of the most admired strips in America.
Did you read it then ?
The strip needs Writers and Arists who can bring QUALITY and INTEREST back to the presentation :
(e.g. http://plainclothescomics.com/ then, click on “Major Crime Squad”)
The best strips in the world (Annie, Cathy, and Cleats) are gone while this dreck along with Daddy’s Home and Frog Applause are still around, constipating the internet!
Maybe the officer is one of the special forces that was working on the case. Either that or there is a revolving door for people to come and go. Or another matrix.
The new word of the day is “Oh Dear” I was getting tired of “Homeless” Such Dynamic words this strip has. Maybe Locher will use the word “Pokey” Penny is going to the pokey. For you younger readers, you may not have heard this term before. Here is the meaning:
The name Pokey can mean the word “jail,” from the altered word “pogie” or “poorhouse” from 1891. The name can also mean confined, shabby, slow or dull, from the word “poke” dating from 1856.
Maybe we can say this strip is Pokey - slow, dull and shabby????
@prrdh, The person saying “There’s trouble brewing over there” was D’Buckworth running away. But for some unexplained reason, he returned to the scene where Tracy and federal officials were discussing his case. Not that they presented any problems for him. They were all waiting for someone else to arrest him.
Flight Suit, I found your comment by accident, while looking at the ways Locher ended other arcs. I think the evidence is entirely against you having any knowledge of Locher’s dire plans. My guess du jour is that he reads these comments. He stockpiles some for future reference, while he uses others to guide his arcs–guide them away from any form of logic. “Wouldn’t want to make sense! Wouldn’t want anyone to solve the mystery! But a weirdly-drawn penny … . could make a villain out of that!”
Unless his editor has ordered Locher to drop this bizarre arc at once, as evidently happened with the Mistress of Death story, we’re in for several weeks of incoherent explanations and inept wordplay. We won’t be out of this thicket until Locher starts to insert a new character into the strip. And, jeeze, what if Thick announces that this arrest is only the start of the “real” investigation?
Anthony 2816, as a liberal myself, I don’t think Locher is showing a special anti-liberal bias. I think he hates everyone equally. He comes across as a cranky old man who hates a world that refuses to take his advice. (I was going to point you to his 31 October editorial cartoon, but it’s been replaced with an anti-Carter slam. Even Locher must have realized that showing Uncle Sam as a criminal facing execution was unAmerican.)
Sydney Phillips, the one pleasing element in today’s strip is the wrathful way in which Thick looks down at the names of Locher and Brozman, and denounces them as criminals.
wwcameralab - we meet and critique the strip daily. Now if you have a different place to meet, we’ll take you up on it! Especially if you have hot coffee and warm donuts! Wherever we meet, we are pretty sure to critique the work. Sometimes we give Locher a standing ovation. He gets those several times a year on the days that he announces the current storyline ends. And sometimes we boo and hiss if his work is sloppy and he shows laziness in his artwork. I’ve heard that has happened, too. But we like each other and get along - unless someone calls another a Magpie. We are ALL important here!
morrow, if Locher actually remembers to put Pistol Packin’ Penny in the slammer, her cellmate just has to be Barb Els from the circus arc.
I’d suggest the tiger from the same arc, but that would be cruel to the cat. And the hairball it would throw up after eating Penny does not bear contemplation.
I’ve been following this since its inception, and while I always thought this strip was very bad, it has now become worse than the worst possible. I only read it now to get the pithy remarks of fellow masochists.
Well….I hope during the “explanation period” or whatever you want to call it…someone tells us what 3D is guilty of, instead of a few vague references to things, and tells us why he was faking his death to begin with (C’mon, giving away $1,000 bills would tip people off.) I’m still confused…
g6793, Locher has a bad habit of skipping rational explanations. I think the real explanation for this garbage lies in Locher’s bile and arrogance. He doesn’t believe he can do anything wrong.
I can imagine explanations that might make a kind of sense. Perhaps D’oggydoo wanted to be declared dead because, uh, he’s a great humanitarian and if he died, his wealth would go to a foundation that would sponsor charities … a foundation Sue Doko would run … with the wealth out of his wife’s reach … while he secretly encourages people to do good deeds.
Of course Locher just shot holes in that explanation, while violating Chekov’s dictum about what to do with a gun (I have my own dictum about what Locher can do with that gun.)
OldTracy almost 14 years ago
Officer? Is there some law enforcement person there who carries a gun?
Bill Thompson almost 14 years ago
“Okay, detective … uh … what’s the charge?”
Never mind the charge! Just Mirandize both of them, with special emphasis on their right to remain silent!
And who is Thick speaking to? Did the Lost Patrol finally reach Alley Zinderneuf?
Bill Thompson almost 14 years ago
Maybe Thick is hallucinating. Werewolves get like that around the time of the new moon.
At least now Thick can go home and clean up, just in time for Tess to take him to a showing of Les Miserables.
margueritem almost 14 years ago
“You are both criminals…” Such profound dialog…
Vista Bill Raley and Comet™ almost 14 years ago
Is there a police officer or does Tracy think he sees one? Is Tracy turning into the Wolfman? Are we near the end of this tale?
Bill Thompson almost 14 years ago
In Cthulhu’s name, let the arrest signal the changing of the arc! Usually Locher follows an arrest with a mixture of annoying scenes from the next arc and self-congratulatory jokes to wind up the old.
On 25 November 2009 Flight Suit said this about the placement of Locher’s signature on a character:
“I’m guessing a Dick Locher/Jim Brozman leather jacket would fetch a pretty penny!
“Or a very weirdly drawn penny.”
“A very weirdly-drawn Penny” is a remarkably prophetic statement.
Bill Thompson almost 14 years ago
Hey I just got it! Thick ain’t addressing the D’umbasses in panel #3! He’s speaking to the evil cabalistic sign of Locher and Brozman! See how they shrink even as Thick’s mighty wrath causes his head to swell like a Macy’s parade balloon!
Meanwhile, how is Thick’s health? If this is the end, it means he’s missed his seasonal chance to flee in terror. Without that exercise how will he manage to open the newspapers that give him the next arc’s clues?
LudwigVonDrake almost 14 years ago
What Officer? I thought there were a rotating number of homeless people, Penny, 3D and Dickie standing around chatting?
JCFremont almost 14 years ago
In the second panel, why are both Penny and Greg Allman tilting to the right?
The shining, disembodied face of Tracy in that last panel is freaking me out.
btmosley almost 14 years ago
Betcha didn’t know that Locher used to ghostwrite dialogue for Noel Coward. Not many people do, but it’s evident from expert analysis of the dialogue in this continuity.
It’s rumored that he also used to rule panel borders for Milton Caniff, but that is as yet unconfirmed.
veldy almost 14 years ago
They’ll both be out before stick gets home
Bill Thompson almost 14 years ago
This arc has been like a sitcom episode where Ozzie schemes to get away from Harriet for the weekend, or Lucy befuddles Ricky with her latest get-rich-quick gimmick, or Joe Friday lusts after Frank Gannon. Of course it all collapses in utter inanity–but at long last a cop shows up and busts the Battling Bickersons for public stupidity. There hasn’t been a moment so welcome since the cast of Seinfeld ended up behind bars.
Pity it won’t last. I don’t think “big scheme” is recognized as a crime anywhere in the US. Thick could get them on a grab-bag of charges–the recent gunplay, the Butterfly McCorpse business, making false statements–but with the sloppy investigation he ran, a good defense lawyer should get the D’weebs out of jail at once. That’s cool, though. Someone can introduce them to the ME. That could be a fun social event.
riley05 almost 14 years ago
Given Locher’s rabid anti-liberal bias, the only “scheme” that he could consider ‘criminal” in this case is that of a rich person giving away money to the poor.
Filthy liberals! Book ‘em, Dano!
wndrwrthg almost 14 years ago
He was at once the judge and jury And he screamed in his fury “J’accuse, you evil scum Just where do you think your coming from You two think that your so great You’ll soon be wards of state And your grand nefarious scheme Is now small potatoes, so it seems” The feds had long since faded away Their jurisdiction did not come into play All their hours spent on the case Were in the end a colossal waste Little Dicky thought he was a hero But everyone viewed him as a zero But he can be forgiven for his confusion Reality to him is just an illusion.
Thanks all, for your comments.
FLIGHT SUIT almost 14 years ago
BillThompson said, about 6 hours ago
In Cthulhu’s name, let the arrest signal the changing of the arc! Usually Locher follows an arrest with a mixture of annoying scenes from the next arc and self-congratulatory jokes to wind up the old.
On 25 November 2009 Flight Suit said this about the placement of Locher’s signature on a character:
“I’m guessing a Dick Locher/Jim Brozman leather jacket would fetch a pretty penny!
“Or a very weirdly drawn penny.”
“A very weirdly-drawn Penny” is a remarkably prophetic statement. —————————————–
Should I be thrilled that you’re remembering and quoting my comments, or should I worry that, not unlike a member of the 9/11 truth movement talking about the Bush regime, you are accusing me of having prior knowledge of Locher and Brozman’s impending attack upon our sanity?
Regarding today’s installment, Dick says, “…You were in on your husband’s scheme!”
Well, yeah, Dick, Penny specifically said as much while she was waving her gun around. So don’t go acting like you figured something out, ‘cause you didn’t!
Clevite Kid Premium Member almost 14 years ago
Corpse on the stage at the Science Museum, Butterfly McCorpse in the morgue - - - how many unexplained stiffs is Locher-mess monster gonna pile up ? ? ?
Morrow Cummings almost 14 years ago
I think Locher has found the nadir in his portfolio. Here, he started off like a house afire with what could have been a stellar (that’s not saying much) story and he messed it up to the point it was worse than his worst one. That’s a hard act to follow. If he has the nerve to do another, I promise you it’ll be worse, yet.
He was even given a second chance with the intro of “Thick, The Wolfman”. And he blew that! The new character could have howled at the moon and all that neat stuff. But no, Locher stayed true to form and blew it.
He missed another opportunity to change the direction of his opus. He had the opportunity to start a steamy relation with Penny and he blew that, too. Already equipped with handcuffs, he could have pulled out his rubber Batman suit and gotten kinky.
Alas, he knows not what he missed. (borrowing a ‘sigh’ from Mattie.)
Nighthawks Premium Member almost 14 years ago
and officer, take Dick Locher away while your at it
Nighthawks Premium Member almost 14 years ago
and don’t you DARE call Matthew mattie. that is not his name and he did NOT authorize it in any way shape or form! you have been warned, at the risk of being flagged!
(mattie doesn’t like being called mattie)
prrdh almost 14 years ago
On October 18, some guy with cool shades told a harness bull something along the lines of ‘Get over there; there’s trouble brewing”. Maybe that’s the officer Big Dick is telling to make the arrest. Three weeks for a Chicago-area cop to finish with his detour at the donut shop sounds about right.
steveyorkdesigns almost 14 years ago
“Quick, somebody pin her down and handcuff her for me!”
sydney almost 14 years ago
Where is the long arm of the Law (?) — “Officer” ?? When, did they arrive ?
As wndrwrthg asks, where are the Feds ? After that impressive ‘flashing’ of the badges - they’ve simply faded away
And BillT queries again “what’s the_ charge”? and _when and how was the crime committed ?
“The Big Scheme ??”
It all seems so vague.
wwcameralab almost 14 years ago
Again, goes to show that people just like to complain. I really don’t understand why most of the readers here even bother reading the strip when all they do is gripe about it…
sydney almost 14 years ago
wwcameralab Why don’t you just tell us - what’s so pleasing and entertaining, rather than complaining at what are honest reactions to patently poor (and illogical) QUALITY.
Most readers here remember Dick Tracy when it was one of the most admired strips in America.
Did you read it then ?
The strip needs Writers and Arists who can bring QUALITY and INTEREST back to the presentation : (e.g. http://plainclothescomics.com/ then, click on “Major Crime Squad”)
billdi Premium Member almost 14 years ago
oh dear, and after all we’ve meant to each other and all i’ve done for you!
Lyons Group, Inc. almost 14 years ago
The best strips in the world (Annie, Cathy, and Cleats) are gone while this dreck along with Daddy’s Home and Frog Applause are still around, constipating the internet!
sydney almost 14 years ago
We are now on the cusp of 2 weeks of the USUAL over-expanation, some in “cloudy”, memory panel boxes !
WW - nailed it brilliantly 2 days ago when he wrote :
”And now weeks of ‘explanation’ are soon to follow … All of which will be extremely shallow”
jumbobrain almost 14 years ago
I wish I could be as lousy at my job as these guys are, and still get paid for doing it.
woodworker318 almost 14 years ago
Maybe the officer is one of the special forces that was working on the case. Either that or there is a revolving door for people to come and go. Or another matrix.
thejensens almost 14 years ago
The new word of the day is “Oh Dear” I was getting tired of “Homeless” Such Dynamic words this strip has. Maybe Locher will use the word “Pokey” Penny is going to the pokey. For you younger readers, you may not have heard this term before. Here is the meaning:
The name Pokey can mean the word “jail,” from the altered word “pogie” or “poorhouse” from 1891. The name can also mean confined, shabby, slow or dull, from the word “poke” dating from 1856.
Maybe we can say this strip is Pokey - slow, dull and shabby????
marvee almost 14 years ago
@prrdh, The person saying “There’s trouble brewing over there” was D’Buckworth running away. But for some unexplained reason, he returned to the scene where Tracy and federal officials were discussing his case. Not that they presented any problems for him. They were all waiting for someone else to arrest him.
Bill Thompson almost 14 years ago
Flight Suit, I found your comment by accident, while looking at the ways Locher ended other arcs. I think the evidence is entirely against you having any knowledge of Locher’s dire plans. My guess du jour is that he reads these comments. He stockpiles some for future reference, while he uses others to guide his arcs–guide them away from any form of logic. “Wouldn’t want to make sense! Wouldn’t want anyone to solve the mystery! But a weirdly-drawn penny … . could make a villain out of that!”
Unless his editor has ordered Locher to drop this bizarre arc at once, as evidently happened with the Mistress of Death story, we’re in for several weeks of incoherent explanations and inept wordplay. We won’t be out of this thicket until Locher starts to insert a new character into the strip. And, jeeze, what if Thick announces that this arrest is only the start of the “real” investigation?
Anthony 2816, as a liberal myself, I don’t think Locher is showing a special anti-liberal bias. I think he hates everyone equally. He comes across as a cranky old man who hates a world that refuses to take his advice. (I was going to point you to his 31 October editorial cartoon, but it’s been replaced with an anti-Carter slam. Even Locher must have realized that showing Uncle Sam as a criminal facing execution was unAmerican.)
Bill Thompson almost 14 years ago
Sydney Phillips, the one pleasing element in today’s strip is the wrathful way in which Thick looks down at the names of Locher and Brozman, and denounces them as criminals.
Morrow Cummings almost 14 years ago
wwcameralab - we meet and critique the strip daily. Now if you have a different place to meet, we’ll take you up on it! Especially if you have hot coffee and warm donuts! Wherever we meet, we are pretty sure to critique the work. Sometimes we give Locher a standing ovation. He gets those several times a year on the days that he announces the current storyline ends. And sometimes we boo and hiss if his work is sloppy and he shows laziness in his artwork. I’ve heard that has happened, too. But we like each other and get along - unless someone calls another a Magpie. We are ALL important here!
Whacha think Penny’s new cellmate looks like?
Bill Thompson almost 14 years ago
morrow, if Locher actually remembers to put Pistol Packin’ Penny in the slammer, her cellmate just has to be Barb Els from the circus arc.
I’d suggest the tiger from the same arc, but that would be cruel to the cat. And the hairball it would throw up after eating Penny does not bear contemplation.
goodyart almost 14 years ago
I’ve been following this since its inception, and while I always thought this strip was very bad, it has now become worse than the worst possible. I only read it now to get the pithy remarks of fellow masochists.
g6793 almost 14 years ago
Well….I hope during the “explanation period” or whatever you want to call it…someone tells us what 3D is guilty of, instead of a few vague references to things, and tells us why he was faking his death to begin with (C’mon, giving away $1,000 bills would tip people off.) I’m still confused…
Bill Thompson almost 14 years ago
g6793, Locher has a bad habit of skipping rational explanations. I think the real explanation for this garbage lies in Locher’s bile and arrogance. He doesn’t believe he can do anything wrong.
I can imagine explanations that might make a kind of sense. Perhaps D’oggydoo wanted to be declared dead because, uh, he’s a great humanitarian and if he died, his wealth would go to a foundation that would sponsor charities … a foundation Sue Doko would run … with the wealth out of his wife’s reach … while he secretly encourages people to do good deeds.
Of course Locher just shot holes in that explanation, while violating Chekov’s dictum about what to do with a gun (I have my own dictum about what Locher can do with that gun.)