Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for May 31, 2011

Uh, Lizz . . . you know that button she pushed the other day? The one that dumped a bazillion tons of powder on Hot Rize? Shouldn’t you be arresting her for murder? Sam, at least, doesn’t look like he believes her.

G’morning all…

Good morning, VB!

Do you think you’ll get an avatar when the changeover comes tomorrow, margueritem?

We saw a finger press a button.

.OK, now I’m convinced she’s in on it….. boy is my face red..Thank you, Ken in Ohio and Tarry!

Based on her pushing the button and her comment to Hot Rize about getting this settled before her afternoon taping she is clearly the boss. I’ll bet Tracy sees through her deception.

Shouldn’t Sam take that cigarette outside?

As there was no success with the pulmotorHot Rize has now become a bloaterShe has shuffled off that mortal coilBiscuits proved to be her foilBut Biscuits now wants to escape her fateSo she turns evidence for the stateIf she is nothing but a propHow can she have evidence for the cop From her those records should have been keptBut then again, Hot Rize proved ineptThe answers are few, the questions manyWill we ever get the real skinny?Perhaps there needs to be a slowing of the paceTelling the story should not be a raceA few extra days to examine points in the plotTying up the loose ends would certainly help a lotBut this is far better than those old tedious daysWhen the stories seemed to meander in a belladonic hazeThe thought of a “Columbian necktie” may get Biscuits goatI mean, who wants their tongue pulled out through their cut throatBut let us leave the gruesome bits for another dayBecause immunity will have to be up to the D.A.I think Tracy will see through her ruseAnd at the end of the day, Biscuits will lose.Thank you, Ray C, margueritem and you are more than welcome Det.DD.We do need the edit function back (my poems scream for the edit function).

For me, Sam suspected something…

Good explanation, Tarry. That all makes sense. I figured she was in on it from the minute she told HR to take care of things. Now, she sings like a canary. If I were the DA, I don’t think I’d indict for her dispatching HR. No proof; no interest, as well.

Thumbs Up and Thumbs Down buttons would be cool, too!

@Struwwelpeter2Sam has always been one of my favorite characters in the DT strip, but his smoking has always bugged me. A smart cop wouldn’t dribble ashes all over a crime scene. There was a story in the mid-50’s that showed Sam using a vacuum to take evidence from a crime scene, and he had that cigarette hanging from his lip even while he was working with the vacuum filter in the lab. I remember that, even though we were just in our early teens, my friend and I noticed that and thought it was kind of dumb.Perhaps, in the interests of health and safety, Sam could try quitting? I’m sure his co-workers would appreciate it.

This is more like real life! Flakey is launching a preemptive campaign to get a pass on the murder charge by offering to “rat out” the drug cartel! No doubt Tracy fans will not like this, but Tracy is smart enough to realize what Flakey is offering, and may go along with it in return for her full cooperation.That is how it works in reality. Cops and attorneys overlook “collateral damage” (in this case, Hot Rise’s murder) to go after “bigger fish”. They will just chalk up Hot’s death as an unfortunate accident.

Tarry does tie up the bit about the missing safeties though. It wouldn’t be the first time a plant was seriously out-of-date and trying to skate by because of shaky finances. True, a safety would only cost about a buck-fifty per unit and maybe another ten to have it installed, but multiply that by the number of hoppers, possibly more than one plant, and other violations that have to be addressed too—- it can run into some bucks pretty quickly.

Is this strip set in present day or is it retro? It seems to go back and forth. I’ d like it to be more modern with new inventions from Diet Smith and Sam recognizing today’s tobacco rules.

I believe the idea of the new team is to mimic the retro/modern look of the 90’s Batman The Animated Series, a cartoon which is not rooted in any ‘one’ time period. This way, IMO, the strip and stories never grow old. It’s a world where computers waltz side-by-side with old style checkered cabs, and retro slang like ‘copper’ and ‘flatfoot’!I’m loving it!!!

Dick Tracy exists in a world of retro 40’s fasions co existing with ipods. Here monstrously ugly criminals walk the streets with incredible names. Men wear hats everywhere, and Tracy wears his yellow trenchcoat year round. And even though I am personally allergic to cigarettes smoke, after several months of working with Sam Catchem I have no problem with his smoking.And unfortunately sometimes Tracy may make a collar, only to have a district attorney negate it. Gould deatl with it, Collins, Kilian, Locher and now me.

Hey, why is Tracy’s trenchcoat brown in panel one?

I say let Sam smoke…not everything in this world needs to be PC.

Keep up the good work guys !

Smoking has always been a part of Sam’s character. He could try to change it, and lead a healthier life if the Witer thinks it will put some interest in the story.

But don’t make the CHANGE just because some readers don’t like the habit. Tracy is the clean living role model here.

As Mike observed, he’s personally Alergic, but it hasn’t affected him. And Sam came on board, personality highlighted, as a quirky, heavy smoker. And as Mike on an earlier occasion noted, Popeye came with unusual Fat ‘fore-arms’.

They don’t draw people that way anymore. Should they change that too?

New article on this storyline in ATLANTA magazine.http://www.atlantamagazine.com/atlintel/culture/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10242676

Great one wndrwrthg!Ive been reading this from the beginning, I just dont comment much anymore. Now while I remember that scene where Flakey hit the button Im pretty sure Tracy doesnt. However, despite even seeing that scene with her yelling at Hot Rize to clean this mess up and her hitting the button, this still makes no sense. Shes up there claiming she wants immunity and will hand over the records when shes the boss of the corporation? Im glad Sam isnt believing it because I dont know, forgetting the evidence weve seen, something about her doesnt smell right. How would Hot Rize have made her go along with it from the beginning? How would Flakey have the records if Hot Rize is the boss of it all? What other accomplices? I can only recall Hot Rize and Earl. Am I misunderstanding this?I have to admit, its leagues better than before though. Never thought Dick Tracy would get this deep, someone begging for immunity on this strip is new to me. I like where this is going and anxiously await more.

Night-Gaunt49: just the sort of thing your typical flour factory owner would know and use in everyday conversation.

.I’m sticking with Hot Rize snorting lines off the window sill while waiting for her ride.