Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for March 22, 2023

Getting the whole family together!

Good morning™, bickering brothers !

Blowtop should be more careful. Flattop’s a killer, ya know.

Flattop has a delightful playful monkey look about him. Will Shell start giving all the bad guys monkey-ish features ?  LOL !

Looks like Ed can’t get out of the line of fire fast enough.

For those who don’t know, Blowtop is Flattop’s brother, and took on Tracy in 1950, 6 years after his brother’s demise. You can read about him here:

https://dicktracy.fandom.com/wiki/Blowtop_Jones

When Collins brought him back, he depicted Blowtop as still bearing a grudge against Tracy, but not as violent as he’d been, or as violent as his niece (and Flattop’s daughter) Angeltop. Angeltop speculated that prison had turned Blowtop soft. Curtis kept up this “soft” characterization in the tale involving Mrs. Flattop and the Nitrate siblings. The last we’ve seen of him in the present, he was attending his sister-in-law’s funeral, suggesting that the police weren’t going after him, even though he’d been harboring a fugitive.

This story won’t really hit it’s stride until Porky and Daffy show up!

However, Shelly’s artwork is brilliant as usual!!!!! A beacon in the darkness, it shines from sea to shining sea!!!!! (gotta play it safe and avoid getting my comment ’removed!")

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbT_ask1Cco

Hopefully Flattop will close out Blowtop with a bullet and move this story along !!!

Good morning™, all!

Well, it seems that big brother Blowtop is “the boss” on this bank job. Just when you thought Mike Curtis couldn’t add any more characters to the story, he does. I believe that Blowtop and Flattop were shown doing a bank job together before.

The Top Gang seams a little spinny.

It looks like Flat Top has heard it all before and is not impressed by Blow Top’s bluster!

“Hey here’s a groovy idea….why not write a story that features **every….freakin’….former….tracy….villain….all….at….once!?!? The readers will love love love it!!!!”**

“woo gosh”? he must have been a sailor

‘Woo Gosh’? Wasn’t he Fu Manchu’s valet?

You can relax, folks. Flatty got a job as a teller. It’s not THAT kind of ‘bank job’.

Blowtop. What ? Does he play a particular naughty wind instrument ?

Someone has anger issues.

“Woo gosh!?” Can the sailor talk, there, buddy!

I’m just glad that whole Nero Wolfe thing has been cleared up and we’ve moved on. What’s that? It hasn’t?

Never mind.

Woo Gosh! Such language!

I just like the “close your head” comment.

Since all of the bad folks, and only the bad folks, seem to smoke in DT world, it seems like it would be easy for DT to sweep up crime just by arresting everyone he sees with a “lighted tobacco product.” as they say in elevators.

1-BLOWSMOKE UPYERAZZ: YOU THERE! ED: Me…? BLOWSMOKE: What? No. Who are you anyway? Beat it, bub!

2-FLATTIRE JONES: I know, I know. You’re mad because I didn’t invite you to the game. It’s your own fault. You always get mad and tip the table over – EVEN WHEN YOU WIN!

BLOWSMOKE UPYERAZZ: ARE YOU SAYIN’ I GOT A BAD TEMPER, YOU LOUSY SON OF A SAILOR???

FLATTIRE: No. I’m saying you get too emotionally involved with literally everything that happens. I recently started seeing a young guy fresh out of psychology school – a Dr. Phil – who I believe can help you. He told me and I quote: “You don’t need a rope to pinch a stranger’s butt”

BLOWSMOKE: WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT MEAN?? FLATTIRE: You tell me after you’ve been to see him a few times. Also, find out what “THAT DOG WON’T HUNT” means. Regardless – I’m much happier now that I’ve been to see him.

Note to DIMTRIO on Tracy Wiki/fandom

NOTHING YONSON entry—-the h eadwaiter in the photo with Yonson was named “Jerry”,and he was aware of his boss ‘criminal activities and was in and out of the action until Yonson’s death.

MOVIE QUOTE—

“My brain is frying and I’m losing contact with reality!”

“You don’t understand this because this is how you normally function”.

KANGAROO JACK—2003

The bigger the panel t he bigger you can make Flattop’s headand Blowtop’s mouth.

So let Shelley have her fun.

The bank job will go great until Blowtop sticks his head out the window to yell at the car who cut him off(he th inks).

And, delivered to trial. Fatty will be prosecuted by vegetarian DA Vincent ‘Veggie’ Burger. Famed for the whole celery stalk he keeps in his pocket and occasionally used to better recalcitrant witnesses.

I wonder who would win a shouting match between Blowtop and Captain Haddock?

Something’s not right here. My understanding is that Flattop Jones died years ago, but here he is, business as usual.

Heh! I love that sassy smirk that Flattop has – he really knows how to push Blowtops’ buttons!

Blowtop had to leave the Cookson Hills early.

Every time he opened his mouth the hogs would stampede.

In a few days, I expect Blowtop to say, " mom always liked you best". These two will never be mistaken for the Smothers Brothers. Yet Blowtop has survived while his brother, his sister-in-law, his nephew, and his niece had untimely demises courtesy of Dick Tracy.

What I miss about this strip is the panel which said “Meanwhile”. Where are Tracy and Goodwin at? It would be appropriate to insert them into a third panel. Heaven help me if they took a coffee break.

Thank goodness for Shelley’s fine art work in today’s Brotherly Love special guest star installment!

For this is the last thing the alleged story, whatever it may actually be about, needs; viz. a comic relief Jones Boys dispute over Flattop’s (in)attention to the bank job and his “side contracts”! WOO GOSH!

Can somebody please get this trainwreck back on track?