Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for April 09, 2023

Park Place and Boardwalk. Living large.

And yet a scam I smell

Monopoly a crooked game

Thus all roads lead to hell.

Snake Eyes a moniker so jinxed

The game ends with this roll

It is a fool who goes all in

And cannot be made whole.

Good morning™, everybody!

Of course, these are street names from Atlantic City, to most of us as the streets that appear in the classic Monopoly game. The classic Monopoly board is mostly green with black lettering on the properties and other squares, hence the green and black street signs. In case, some of you can’t picture it immediately:

https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/monopoly/images/0/09/1980%27sEditionbox.png

And of course, the mask also has a green background for the same reason. The dice in Monopoly are usually white with black pips, but here are a few other variations from the ’40s and ’50s (from https://monopoly.fandom.com/wiki/Dice):

https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/monopoly/images/c/c0/Monopoly_dice_-_1940s_through_1950s.jpg

The leader is apparently into Monopoly, or games in general.

red die and not white?…

The daily colorist got the mask and dot color correct. I don’t know if there was a memo or what.

Nice Sunday page,

Happy Easter.

Happy Easter!

If he gets caught, does he use a “Get Out Of Jail Free” card?

Good morning™, agitated robbery victims !

Poor Brad. He can hardly contain himself as he relives the horror while providing vital information.

Nice clean, crisp images too. :-)

I seem to recall there was a villain a few years ago who was into games & puzzles ….I think he was called The Jumbler or something like that, I also recall that he turned out to be a second or third-tier villain, as Tracy villains go. Of course, every story is a fresh Risk or roll of the dice. Happy Easter, to everyone who celebrates the holiday.

Ok, so now it’s “game on”!

Detective Catch-em eh. Well the name sure sound promising.

Does Sam always get to work Easter Sunday?

Is she saying that she saw them do it and did nothing about it?

Well, I’m patting myself on the back for suggesting Snake-eyes on the first strip where he appeared.

But the street signs? I (and probably everyone else) feel pretty sure it’s a Monopoly reference. But the meaning? He’s going to build a hotel there? His next target is the B & O Railroad? He wants to get out of jail free? He’ll wear a top hat in the next robbery?

Just a word on the Crimestoppers today. The evidence is that teaching your kids about the possible threats and how the bad guys operate is far more effective than “monitoring” kids who don’t know the dangers they could come across. Frank and open conversations also make it more likely that they will ask questions that alert you much sooner. Also, don’t give smart phones to young kids, and don’t let them have a computer in their own room until they are old enough. Parents who try to keep their kids ignorant and innocent are doing them no favours.

It’ll soon be Go To Jail.

Wow, great imagery today!

So, heres a full update right up until this morning (its 5:56am, I’ve been awake for about 30 minutes)….I had the procedure on February 18th and 2 weeks after on the follow up dr visit he was surprised that, at that time, I hadn’t passed any “gravel” as he called it, nor was there any bleeding or pain….March 15th I ended up passing a couple of stones but no bleeding and only minor discomfort as they passed (actually I kinda felt them “poking” me, so I pulled them out myself since they were “right there”) then after that..nothing. no pain, no stones, no blood. Monday April 3rd I got sick as hell at work, excruciating pain to the point I could barely stand and I felt extremely weak, warm and shaky…left work about 15 minutes early then felt fine once I got home, Tuesday April 4th at exactly the same time from the day before, the pain started up again with the same results..except this time I couldn’t even stand up…I ended up sitting down in the photo department at work for 45 minutes, was shaky, weak and pale as hell…my manager sent me home 30 minutes early, then Wednesday the 5th I started feeling a little pain in my lower abdomen all day but not nearly as bad as the 2 previous days…later that afternoon was the first time that I had blood, and then again yesterday the 8th of April I had blood…so the remainder of the stone is moving it’s way down and out…as for the percocets yesterday, the first only made me dizzy but I think it put the pain off for a while..the 2nd I think worked a little better…not as dizzy and didn’t really feel any pain…I went to sleep around 11pm which was almost an hour after the pill was to wear off (took it around 4:30 and it’s a 6 hour dosage) and as of right now I feel fine…cross fingers!

The Villain is formerly Rich Uncle Pennybags? Oliver Warbucks? Diet Smith?

Happy Easter everyone !

He should be careful. If he rolls doubles twice more, he’ll land in jail.

It takes a lot of time and effort to paint a street sign that well. Good to see some bad guys take pride in their work.

OK, why did Snake Eyes have the signs changed to Monopoly places?

Oh, no! The Monopoly Bandits! These guys sound like they’re refugees from Gotham!

Is there a Monopoly Game tie in that I’m missing/not getting here?

It would serve them right if their haul consisted of Monopoly money.

So far so good.

now what would be a ‘lil scarey, is if this was like that Twilight Zone episode where the couple (drunk as skunks the night before, and don’t remember too much about said night) wake up in a strange “town” to slowly and ruefully discover that they’re now part of a little girl’s “playset”……..on some far-flung planet in the cosmos where everybody’s a giant, and daddy’s brought the earth couple home as a gift to his daughter. So: IF we’re playing a life-size game ‘o MONOPOLY…….I want the snazzy race car game piece!! WHEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! Railroads, look out! I’m comin’ t’gitcha!!

Yes Virginia, this story line definitely has potential…one of the bank robbers has a thing for “Monopoly” the board game. I wonder if he is going to buy some houses with the money.

No dye pack…yet the other guy dropped a couple of bills. Can they be put under ultrra violent light for fingerprints?

I like the little smile showing on the police officer talking to Sam in the next-to-last panel :)

Robbers, possibly railing against the MONOPOLY practices of some banks? Sounds like something Blackjack would do!!

Let me guess… the new villain’s name is Monty Oppolly. His friends call him “Mon” for short.

This is becoming a nice setup to build anticipation for the next story. It is always better in Dick Tracy for the story to be about a crime and the cops are seen investigating. This is more of what this strip should be about than constant crossovers and memorabilia collecting themes.

1-BRAD: So the Asian guy had the cutest little dimples – here and here. I can’t tell you much about the black guy.

2-SAM: That doesn’t give us much to go on. What else? THINK BRAD THINK!

3-BRAD: Well… SAM: That’s a deep subject. Oh. Sorry. Continue. BRAD: The cute one dropped his gun. And he wasn’t wearing gloves. Would that be helpful?

4-GOLDIE SLUMBERS: Any leads, Detective. SAM: Nothing useful.

5-GOLDIE: OK. I’ll go fix that traffic mess then. Somebody moved the ‘One Way’ sign from Boardwalk to Park Place. Say… Might the confusion that has caused help the bank robbers escape?!? MAYBE THEY DID IT!

SAM: Nah. Probably the wind blew it. GOLDIE: OF COURSE! That’s why I’m a flatfoot and you’re a Detective! Oops. I think I just heard another crash…

Did this just arrive from Gotham? Of course, Dick Tracy villains have a lot in common with Batman villains, including easily recognizable costumes and distinctive quirks

Hey, I just noticed that Sam has given up the toothpick habit! When did THAT happen? I thought it was a great idea to take the cigarettes away and replace them with toothpicks since we are now in an age when only the bad guys smoke. Personally, I’ve been chewing the gum for about 40 years, ever since it came out as a prescription drug. Yeah, I know it’s supposed to be something like a six week program, but I really like the stuff!

I LOVE THIS!!!

Monopoly streets!

Uh-ho. He’s got a double-one on his mask. If his gang gets two more doubles, they will go to jail. Go directly to Jail. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200.

Of course, the villain’s schtick could be games in general, and not just Monopoly. (By the way, it was tough finding a spelling of “schtick” the dictionary recognized LOL.)

BOSS (upset): Hey! This money you stole is all green – and it doesn’t pass for money in Monopoly!

Let’s see where this is going to go – are we looking at just a Monopoly based crime, or a series of crimes based on board games…

So far, we have a two-person bank-robbing “gang,” with the leader or “Boss” appearing to be rather young, casually dressed except for his “Snake Eyes” mask, but very assertive and sure of himself. The black ninja-clad person, while likely male, could on appearances so far possibly be female (with a mannish figure). The Big Bossman [wrestling allusion] seems to have a thing for games, with the dice on his mask and the Monopoly street signs replacing the real street names for some so far unknown reason. Sam and the alert female cop, who spotted the street signs and reports them to the wonderment of the detective, seem to be leading the investigation, with Tracy not present. Brad the Teller gets featured as he recounts what he remembers of the heist, though I think that hereafter he will fade from prominence….

Go directly to jail. Do not pass go.

The Monopoly Gang.

Go directly to jail.Do not pass Go.Do not collect your ill gotten gains

Everytime I see one of those checkered caps I want to yell"TAXI!!"

Ahh, Monopoly!