Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for December 02, 2010

Locher needs a thesaurectomy.

Something tells me he is going to escape.

Why is she calling Chewbacca despicable, and why does she want to put him away?

They just keep insulting the man and passing time. Hey, are his chains on differently? And why cant we see his face? Ah well, at least the lady finally admitted its dangerous.

So why are they sending Dick again?

Today’s installment marks a true milestone for the strip. We all know the shields on the Naperville PD’s hats morph and change from one day to the next, but this is the first time we’ve seen two Napeville cops in the same panel with completely different shield designs on their headgear.

For some reason panel #2 makes me imagine what the old “Combat” TV show would have been like if two high-ranking American officers had tried out some captured German pep pills. “Checkmate Charlie to Queen’s bishop, advance three squares and hold for the day!”

It’s a totally ridiculous plan…

Is the badge on the left someone mooning us? Is Dick Locher getting revenge on smart alecs here?

Flight Suit, Locher has missed the true drama inherent in panel #2. What enmity forces these men to communicate by telephone when they’re within five feet of one another? Why has one turned his back on the other? Are they, as the grafitti suggests, Locher and Brozman? Is this a sign of how they work? Does the sour look on the one man’s face mean that the other man has broken wind in his general direction?

Who holds a phone like the man in the back anyway? He is holding a phone right? Matter of fact, doesnt the one in the front have a phone too? Why do they have phones? What was the purpose in showing them?

And if they deliver him for sentencing in the normal manner, with a reasonable level of security, he won’t be sentenced to life in prison?

Note the inept grammar in panel three: despicable comma non-human. That comma turns “non-human” into an adjective. Dr. Mordred is a despicable, non-human what? A despicable, non-human donor of legitimate thousand dollar bills?

I knew he was 3-Cubed! Were onto you Locher!

Yeah I wonder about that too…

It was that hood and the texture of the material on his shoulders that made me think of chain mail earlier. Why dress the guy in medieval armor? Or if that’s his armor to begin with, why is he still wearing it instead of standard-issue DOC clothing?

About the plan: Even the Three Stooges wouldn’t come up with a plan like this one. Dr. Mordred might, though, since it would be hard to come up with a better plan to engineer an escape. Frighten Dick (don’t ask which one) into wetting himself, then in the confusion run for it. If all the look-alike actors bolt at the same time it would be near impossible to corner the right guy.

I’m telling you, that’s Chewbacca in panel three.

Mordred’s outline looks familiar. He could be one of the red-robed flunkies who stood around the emperor in the Star Wars flicks. Or one of the robots from “The Black Hole” or “Starcrash.” Or Brute Force from the rock-‘em-sock-‘em robot arc. Or my third grade teacher, Sister Mary Dementia. In other words, a generic villain with no personality.

BillThompson - Great. Two Rick Jasons and no Vic Morrow. Worst episode ever.

I think the two cops are talking to each other on their cell phones.

That’s Moltar, I tells ya! Moltar!!

Speaking of wetting himself, this guy is already safely restrainesd behind bars, yet handcuffed, covered with a metalic looking jump suit, why the need for chains ?

Nature calls ! Is it a standing or a sitting imbroglio ? Do the Guards have to come with keys to unshackle him each time he wants to use the toilet ?

Horn Hair has done something right! She said there is a plan and she has stressed the importance of adhering to it. It’s about time the Nappingville PD tried that 21st century innovation known as planning.

Now she should tell those two cops not to discuss this secret operation over the phone.

If you can’t draw someone holding a phone, don’t try

NVash, what you’re seeing is another example of the velcro fingertips mutation. Instead of the usual slightly ridged fingerprints, unnatural selection has altered the fingertip skin into tiny hooks which allow the fingers to stick to a phone without the need for a thumb. Also notice the insignia on the cop’s hat. It looks like a plucked turkey.

Panel 3 is definitely copy-and-paste from a few days ago. I’m pretty sure panel 1 is recycled too… Just blown up and cropped a little differently. That only leaves panel 2 as possibly new artwork, and I’m getting a real sense of Deja vu from the discussion of the shields, so I’m wondering if this isn’t from several months ago. That would make zero original panels of artwork: anybody else remember this panel from before?

please put the locherland version of DT away forever! out of the depths i cry to thee o comic gods – end this travesty! rerun classic gould! rerun classic gould! i’m begging you!

Sydney Phillips found how Mordred is going to escape. He’ll ask Dick to go for number 1 or/and 2 and just run away. Simple with Tracy’s brain.

This is so absurd. I’m with you billdi…bring back the classic Tracy strips….PLEASE!

The two policemen standing closly together and talking to each other on the phone, has served to distracted us from trhe central theme of the operation, articulated by Chief Lizz …

” It’s a dangerous plan … but with all units working together … “

Which units ? Who’s units ? Is Nappingville responsible for staffing the team for the transfer arrangement ?

http://www.gocomics.com/dicktracy/2010/11/28/ Chief Lizz talking: 1) ” the FBI asked specifically for you Dick, they want you to transfer a serial killer … (panel 1) 2) ” The FBI wants US to create a diversionary tactic as he is transferred to our City ” (panel 6) 3) ” This will be a diversionary operation ” - (2010/11/30) 4) ” There will be 3 look alike actors in different cars ” - (2010/12/01)

Wow ! - Sure sounds like Lizz has everthing well planned. But will we ever SEE any element of the diversion … or is that just “ol’ talk” (?) Will Sam and Teevo be involved (the way it used to be) or are they out of sight on a ‘back seat’ ?

Knowing Locher, I don’t think so, I suspect that’s the last we’ll ever hear of them !

BillT - You have the phone contact all wrong! The cop on the left has the local Krispy Kreme on the phone and they are telling him “the hot light is on”. That’s the only copspeak message that has priority over Code 3.

Meanwhile, I can’t wait to see the costume that Locher has Dr. Mordred dressed in. Halloween was in October - unless this is a hint about next October! He looks like he got into the prop room of a Star Wars set. Is that a helmet of some sort? And whatever he is wearing looks like he got it from the Gladiator set.

But you all can bet your boots Thick will enable his escape!

Nice to see that the twin brothers in panel two both decided to go into law enforcement!

Sydney Phillips, it wouldn’t surprise me if Mordred himself vanishes, or becomes Morph-dred the Pussycat. Remember that Locher started the last arc by describing D-cubed as an irascible fighter, who complained about the softness and corruption of modern society. He changed fast.

I’m guessing that the “plan” is to have Mordred become an assassin after an arranged escape, but with Locher, who knows? That could be Agent Norton under that hood.

I don’t get it with the costume. Is it some special confinement gear, as in “Silence of the Lambs”? Serial killers don’t wear attention-grabbing costumes. Even if Mordred wore a costume on the job, he’d have it taken away after his arrest. He’d get an orange jumper, which makes an escape harder.

What sort of idiot would volunteer to be Mordred’s stand-in? This isn’t “I Was Monty’s Double,” this is “You’re a target and there’s a good chance you’ll get shot.”

The whole plan is loony. No matter how many decoys are involved, Mordred has to end up at the courthouse. Any would-be assassin will know that. Creating diversions just spreads resources thin. The obvious things to do are crowd control and traffic control; keep anyone with a pistol away from him, and make sure there are no snipers on any rooftops. Better yet, keep Mordred in an armored car. If the courthouse doesn’t have an underground parking facility, then have the vehicle back up to a door and hustle him inside.

The cops in panel 2 are positively 2 dimensional. Are they cardboard cutouts?

The two officers in panel 2 represent the different law enforcement groups involved in this - FBI (who don’t wear uniforms, but oh, well) and Napervillee PD. The artist could have done a better job of indicating they were in different places communicating by phone (hopefully secure). Where’s wonderwarthog? Has he given up on this strip?

Night-Gaunt, they’re same dept-due to budget cuts NPD is purchasing uniforms at Goodwill

non-human? really? making up words now? or is it a speciest rant against wookies?