Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for April 18, 2009

Someone has already twisted Gertie’s arm in panel 3.

The artwork of this strip it’s terrible. I have no words for this.

The pain in Tracy’s head and the pain that Gertie is surely feeling from that twisted arm can only be matched by the pain being felt by all of us who have loved this strip for so long and now have to watch this happen to it. And, since we haven’t heard it in a while, I’ll say it….Sigh…

Tracy needs to understand the concept of “loll”.

When someone is unconscious, but propped up, their head is supposed to loll.

His isn’t lolling.

Loll, Tracy, loll.

Gertie is double jointed.

Now let’s remember that B.O. on 4/18 is the car with one person- the driver. Soon there will 2, 3, maybe 4 people in the car with him.

What’s this (?) a MINI “SYNOPSIS”? Today, is Saturday. I thought they already reserved the “whole” Sunday page just for that regular “repetative” function.

It begs for a ZANY LIMERICK …

B.O. Plenty trussed up properly in the back, Tracy, foot up spider like, a snoozing Sad Sack “Hunch man” detective … NO back up, perfume dreams of Jackpot bleeep, Trumped by a villain, ‘as a matter a fact’, a One-Eyed Smilin’ Jack! While Gertie, “Boobs” massaged, has Bear Traps cracked, for a coming ‘Snot’ attack.

In your mind, untwist Getrie’s strangely twisted left arm. It’s got a right hand on it. GERTIE HAS TWO RIGHT HANDS.

Ludwig noted that on 4-18 there was only one person in the car with B.O. - the driver and soon there will likely be more. 2, 3, maybe four.

That’s a “convenient” art technique invented by Dick Locher. I call it the PHOSGENE CONUNDRUM after a “Docter Phosgene” who dissapeared (impossibly) in “mid-flight” on a Diet Smith Executive Jet, which was Hi-jacked by a Miss Spray (Apr.- July 2000)…. He was never seen again.

Locher can be forgiven for making a “mistake” but when characters in this sort of thing “appear” and disappear on a freqent basis, it moves beyond “Ooops! I slipped!” Into the realms of being a well used (lack of ‘focus’?) device.

It was most apparent in the 2001 Mr. Oily story. Where a character mamed “Mr. Wheels” was arrested, hand-cuffed along with an accomplice and placed (3-16-01) on the back seat. On 3-17, B.O flags down the car and moves to the rear seat alongside Mr. Wheels. On 3-18 its noted that the Accomplice has somehow vanished. He is NEVER seen again.

A “Phosgene” Conundrum was at hand. But that’s not all, by 3-21 both Wheels and B.O. had gone, the back seat was “empty”. Then on March 26th, Wheels is back there on his seat. The emblem on B.O’s SUV also changed in mid-story.

Hope Jim Brozman is not being led astray with this insidious practise (?) Already he’s into the “Yellow Rubber Duckie” thing and “copy pasting” (?) John L’s “art” of Sunny Dell Acres.

The earlier “Phosgene” attacks can be observed on the “Houston Chronicle” Archives Board on the dates provided, (Daily strips ONLY) at… http://www.comicstriparchive.com/Dick_Tracy/

Aside from the slight disadvantage of “daily strips” (only), its a Board easy to “navigate” and can take you back to, I believe, Sept-28-1998 (The first Sal Monella story).

Sydney Phillips Pro says: The earlier “Phosgene” attacks can be observed on the “Houston Chronicle” Archives Board on the dates provided, (Daily strips ONLY) at… http://www.comicstriparchive.com/Dick_Tracy/

Thanks for the link. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. The art in the strips of 7 or 8 years ago is pristine compared to what we see today. It’s much more solid and consistent. These are the templates Jim B should be referring to for models.