Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for November 30, 2010

So…

The Naperville PD are admitting they’re not competent enough to keep these legions of vigilantes away from their prisoner.

But Tracy will create a diversion by disguising himself as said prisoner.

The family members can shoot at Tracy, and he can have a good ole time running away and wetting his pants like he always does.

I won’t even comment on the appearance of Liz’s hands. That would be too easy.

Was it Sydney that said Locher is retiring at the end of this year??

He (Locher) could still be beating this same drum till then.

Panel #1: “Because press coverage would offend Mordred’s dignity, and politicians love to have their pictures taken with convicted felons, and curious onlookers are just so darned curious!”

Panel #2: “And we of the Nappingville PD don’t know how to warn them against committing a felony, or keep an eye on them, or otherwise protect a prisoner from violence.”

Panel #3: “In other words, Thick, you’re taking a job that’s one pay-grade lower than traffic control. Does that offend you? No? Good, because afterward you’re being assigned as towel boy at the local penitentiary.”

“Diversion operation”? Isn’t that the whole point of doing this silly story?

Appears that Tracy will have his hands full.

Just curious - I was wondering what age group everyone is that makes comments on Dick Tracy everyday.

I am 58 and as soon as I could read the comics, I was hooked on Dick Tracy.

I was just wondering if the rest of you started to read Dick Tracy when Chester Gould was drawing and writing the strip.

safeway674 63 here, and yes, that’s when I started reading ‘Dick Tracy’, too.

Oh, just let the family members kill him, and save us all a lot of misery.

While Thick is doing his job with his usual skill, “The FBI” will bumble and let Mordred escape, requiring Thick to show them up. That’s the whole point of not having Thick involved in the transfer, while having him know about it.

When does he get to meet the “FBI” agents in this bogus arc? Will any of them recognize Thick? How long will it take them to offend Thick with their big-city, “we’re the government” ways?

Radfish, so youre saying that Locher was always horrible? Thats good to know. Now I have a good idea of when to stop purchasing those Dick Tracy Archive books.

Another day, another horrible strip. Would I be remiss to ask why in the World shes even bringing his family into this? We get it, hes bad, no one likes him. Move it along already Locher.

NVash, Horn Hair said “Family members of his victims.” Locher must have meant “Relatives of the victims.” This is the third day in a row that he’s done some linguistic weirdness. (“Diversion operation”? Why not just say “This will be a diversion”?)

Will the Riot Squad and Special Forces be called in for this operation or will Tracy go it alone trying to outrun Dr. Mordred?

I’m 55, been reading Dick Tracy off and on through the years.

About the diversion; what’s Dick supposed to do? I imagine the 400 yard run-and-cower would work, and enraged family members of victims might offer some encouragement in that endeavor.

I wonder what Locher has been smoking? Seriously, think about this. You have the most dangerous serial killer in the States, already convicted and awaiting sentencing. An angry mob has sworn vengeance. Where do you put him to keep him safe until sentence is passed? Ordinarily, a supermax prison comes to mind. Certainly not a local police station’s drunk tank. This is going to be a scene out of the old West, with the mob (equipped with pitchforks and torches, no doubt) storming the police station and dragging their victim out into the street for some “Frontier Justice”.

Third panel: I’ve been to Naperville recently. The town sure growed up some in just a couple of days. It was a suburb of Chicago, now in panel three it’s a city to rival Chicago’s downtown. Note to Simon Penn and friends; I know this is just a bit of artistic nit-picking and doesn’t matter a whit either way. I’m just sayin’. Secondary note; I live near Wheaton, home of the local County Jail which would serve Naperville. Just guessing that they wouldn’t want this job either. Having to defend a prisoner against an angry mob isn’t something the sheriff’s police are all that eager to do.

60 here. What’s up with those hands in panel #2? I liked Gould’s work even the poor moon art & jr’s wife’s knock-out body. Can a person even say that here?

Michael McMillan, I thought that the DT Naperville was a stand-in for Chicago. Locher has transformed it into an alternate-reality, apparently located in Kook County.

If the last arc is any guide then there’s no telling what will happen. It’s like watching a Frankenstein movie: you never know exactly what the doctor will cobble together, or what it will do, but you know things will go wrong.

I think Locher is setting up this arc so Thick will know about Mordred but not be responsible for events when something goes wrong. One possibility is that someone will kill Mordred during the transfer, and Thick will have to track down the killer. But with Locher it’s just as likely that Mordred will actually be on his way into a witness-protection program because he ratted out a fiend who gave away genuine thousand dollar bills.

It just hit me . What if Simon Penn was ( or is ) Locher ? I’m 67

I doubt SimonPenn is Locher… His (SimonPenn’s) thoughts may be “out there,” but they’re at least consistent from day to day. If Locher was writing those comments, he would talk about how wonderful the strip is one day, then the next day would discuss the weather or the latest Moon Lotto numbers.

By the way, I’m 51, been reading DT since the latter years of the Gould era (started early 70s), stopped reading when our local newspaper dropped it, and started back up again online a few years ago. Like most everybody else, I find it sad to see what a once great strip has become. And I keep hoping for a miracle to allow it to continue in dignity - if this drivel continues to bring Dick down until they eventually pull the plug, it would be a great disservice to Gould’s classic work.

I’m enjoying seeing everybody’s ages and am also wondering how we’re dispersed geographically. Not that anybody asked, but I’m a proud resident of the American South.

Poor Liz … suffering from rheumatoid arthritis and horn hair

67 here. Why would Liz(z) have to call Tess about Thick’s new assignment? We know Thick will bungle it. And why would the FBI want that bumbling idiot anywhere near anything serious or important? Maybe they can kill 2 birds with one stone if they diisguised Macy as Dr. Mordred and let him hold targets at the local rifle range. I’m sure agent Karen Ennen from the Circus arc has a score to settle with the buffoon. He left more scat in the tiger cage than the tiger did.

Why not leave Tracy out of it and let a huge mob of *in*curious onlookers provide the diversion?

I’m 59 and spent the 60’s and 70’s growing up with Dick Tracy when Gould, Fletcher and Collins were doing the strip. It really saddens me to see how terrible the art and how confusing and absurd the story lines are now. I recently purchased “Dick Tracy, The Collins Case Files” by Max Allan Collins, volumes 1, 2 & 3. Great artwork, unique evil villains, as well as great stories. One of my favorites is the Return of Haf-And-Haf. Check them out! Brings back many fond memories!

I’ll be 41 next month. And only just started reading Dick Tracy in 2009, when my dad clued me in to the fact that it was an ongoing train wreck of monumental proportions.

I live in Pacifica, a small town just ten minutes South of San Francisco, right on the ocean.

neonleon59 said : … and am also wondering how we’re dispersed geographically. Not that anybody asked, but I’m a proud resident of the American South.

OK , As I said , I’m 67 and live in Québec Citée ( I put the accent to be more exotic ) . I’m french canadian . I used to read Dick Tracy in french in our local newspaper . I would not miss a day without reading you guys ! =^.^=

60-Seattle i’ve been reading DT off and on for as long as i can remember – what locher has done to the legacy of tracy is utterly shameful.

today – if there’s no onlookers, press or anyone else allowed on the scene, why the need for a “diversion operation?” relatives bent on revenge? that’s ok to let them know? also locher’s minimalist (read lazy) approach to the strip is again on display: two panels of talking heads and one generic scene of the city or the police station. this has been going on for days now.

I’m 57, and have ben reading Tracy since I was 4-5. Used to love the full page Sunday Daily News comics with DT on the front cover! We’d get the paper late Saturday night when they first delivered the Sunday edition(I grew up in Newark,NJ). Sad today the state of this comic…

I’m 56 and remember reading Tracy when he was the flagship strip in the Sunday comic section, a full half-page above the fold. Ah, for the days of Moon Maid… a bit silly, but at least interesting, competently drawn and consistently plotted.

As for Nurpleburg… yeah, it has big buildings (like downtown), but they sit well-separated from each other by big parking lots. Ain’t nothing in the town that looks like panel 3 unless you’re shooting from the Sears Tower observatory with a really really long lens…

Macy’s assignment won’t just be a “diversion,” it’ll be a diverse operation… as in “de longer you read dis strip, de verse it gets…”

I’m 65 and I’ve been reading Dick Tracy since the 50’s when it was fast-paced and exciting.

Hmm, looks like Tracy will be riding a horse! You can tell by the big steel horse combs Liz is holding. That could be a good partnership, a horse and Tracy, brains and brawn….

-Cougar :{)

P.S. I’m 54. I remember when the Moon Maid era started.

:{)

I think you can be about 9 years old and still remember when this strip was a lot better…Locher took over the writing in 2005.

I neglected to mention that I am from Woodstock IL - Home of Dick Tracy…Chester Gould and his wife Edna, were very prominent residents as was Rick Fletcher and his family……those were the days………

I’m 64 and rarely comment. The rest of you beat me to the punch when I have something snarky to add.

I started reading this about age 5-6 and stopped when the local paper dropped it, maybe a wise move, anticipating the mess that it is now.

June of this year started me back up for two reasons: it’s like a car wreck, you don’t want to see the carnage but you’ve gotta sneak a peek, and then the comments - not a club as others have said but a group of concerned people (some funny, some nitpicking - I like ‘em all) who remember the days when DT was actually gripping and not snoring.

Surprised to see some of the ages here, too - I’m 57 and live in Iowa, where it’s snowing right now.

I’m 51, and have been reading Tracy since about 1967. I don’t know why I keep coming back for this daily torture. It’s just an old habit, I guess.

I’m 76, have lived in Kansas all my life. I started reading the “funny papers” when I was around 10 and always read them first. Now I try to make myself read some “serious” news first, at least the headlines. I havent’ studied the history of DT but I remember Diet Smith and his inventions, Flattop and other villains with weird names, and Tess Truhart before she and Dick were married. I didn’t see DT for many years but started reading it here because of comments made on other strips.

I thought I may be the oldest until marvee posted. I’ll be 72 in another month and live in NE Louisiana. I started reading Dick Tracy, Orphan Annie, Prince Valiant, Steve Canyon, etc. when I was old enough to read most of the words. The art work and action captured my attention. I eventually became an architect, always loving artistic endeavors. When Dick Tracy collections started appearing, I purchased them all: Celebrated Cases, Fiendish Foes, Casebook, America’s Most Famous Detective, Wartime Memories. I lost the continuity when our local paper dropped Tracy as well as all of the adventure strips. I discovered Gocomics a year ago and was excited to find Tracy again. I read all of the archive strips and saw how DT had suffered during the last decade. I cannot believe that TMS is allowing this to continue in its present form. Doesn’t anyone care? Why do I keep reading it? I hope that one day I will see something similar to Plainsclothes Tracy appear instead of this insanity that leaves dead bodies on a stage and corrupt funeral directors go unpunished while a man that gives out fake $1000 bills is called a good man in one panel and the worst kind of criminal in another. I’m holding out for another month, hoping that Locher will retire and someone takes the strip. After that, I’m afraid I will no longer take the time to look in on this silly excuse for a once great art form.

Dang, I’m a little surprised at the ages. We Boomers RULE!

51 & feeling like 90, fighting a losing battle with the flu. Starting reading Tracy in the NY Daily News during the 60’s as soon as I was able to read. He was always one of my favorites.

Peace. BB

What’s up Morrow?

Good to hear from you, BB! We ALL miss your Planet of the Magpies installments. Moonmaid is from Woodstock. Reckon she knows………….? Can’t be that big of a town! Everyone there HAS to know the Praetarian Guard! Happy Christmas BB!

I’m 52 and can remember my Dad reading Dick Tracy to me before I was old enough to read. Read him myself until it was dropped from the local paper, picked up when I discovered online comics. I keep reading in hopes things will improve. Until then, there’s always the comments.

Wow, Im really young. Dick Tracy was around when my grandfather was a child. Sadly I didnt get into it until he passed which annoys me to this day. Im sure if I had picked it up earlier wed have had many good conversations about it. I cant remember how I got into it, I think I picked up a paperback from the library one day then read that, loved it and went to get the rest of the books that I could find. Each one Id enjoy and then I got the Archive books. I keep meaning to read them but keep losing my page. I think Ive only read what Gould wrote, Im not entirely sure. I got into the Daily comic strip and my gosh but its horrible. I lurked here for awhile but eventually I just decided to start talking.

Something similar to this happened to me with Popeye. Looks like all the classic strips are either ending or just going down the drain.

I’m 55. Our paper didn’t carry Dick Tracy when I was a kid, so I rarely saw the strip back then. I started reading it earlier this year, after a friend mentioned how well-regarded DT had been in the Thirties and Forties. Henry remembered that he would hear a lot of people discuss the strip. And favorable discussion at that!

(The first time I posted this, I put my age as just “55.” Somehow that got changed to “1.” Reading Locher’s travesty will take years off your life.)

Lochers travesty is the fountain of youth? This man can make millions off of this! Someone tell him so hell stop this abomination at once!

I’m 53, been a fan for years EXTREMELY disappointed in the sad level this great comic strip has sunk to.

I’m wondering why they don’t save the taxpayers a bunch of money and let the family members of his victims take him out? But that would end this story huh?

Then again………….