Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for November 13, 2009

Sorry, Pops, we’re helpless.

If Pops survived the 80’ fall, it shouldn’t be a problem for him to crawl out of the cage! Or, would it be asking too much to have someone assist him? How’s Fee Fi doing? He’s atop the cage with a gunshot wound!

What?!? No Pig On Wheels yet?!? Curse you, Locher!!!

He’ll have to crawl out. His legs are broken.

Miaoooo!

Where’s Walt ?

Absolutely ridiculous.

Cyber’s going to nurse now. (That’s where the ’ huevos’ comes in. Fortunately, Barb’s got ‘em)

Mr. Pops ! First man to fall 80’ on his bottom and break his legs - what’s that called (?) “kick lash”?

Shamed by his inappropriate statement of “helplessnes” before police colleagues yesterday, will Tracy show a pinch of his one time bravado and assist Mr.Pops out the cage ?

Just think he’s not even in Holland .

Stupid , dumb, inane,…..anybody got a Thesarus?

Isn’t Barb Ells a murderess?

Sorry, the art is more terrible than usual today.

ZZZZZzzzzzzzzzz……………

cvuco: how long should a fast-paced story take? In Law&Order you get lots of dialog and some action in an hour, but if it were restricted to three or four balloons a day each episode would take a very long time. I understand that Tracy is slow, but I really don’t think it’s much slower than Spiderman, Rex Morgan, Brenda Starr, or others. Annie is much worse. Daddy Warbucks has been trying to open a secret hideout for weeks now, for example. Useless digressions need to be eliminated, but as long as the plot is advancing I think an author can stretch things out to build tension (not that it’s what’s happening here). From my rank amateur viewpoint, pace is the least of DT’s problems.

Yeah….didn’t Barb Els shoot Trapeze Louise? That was admitted a while back…..

Maybe she’s carrying a King of Clubs “Invisible to Arrest” card….

Okay I sort of get that there’s an attempt at drama and humor going on here. But for that sort of thing to work, you have to be telling a story that makes sense on some level. If Pops ran out of the cage and hit Dick with a pie then they all yelled “SURPRISE” and brought out a birthday cake, that would make as much sense as, well, as whatever happens next in this story. Mark my words.

It continues to amaze me, how no one at TMS seems to be doing anything to stop this train wreck of a comic strip. It generates more comments than almost all the others, almost all of those comments are negative. Why does any company continue to push a such a product?

I do not want TMS to cancel the strip and say “fans demanded it”. No, we demand the classic Tracy. Great, often surreal art, weird villains, complicated plots with strange twists, and foreshadowing of villains and plots to come. Mr. Gould’s Moon People years look like the crown jewels of comicsdom compared to this mess.

Hey kitty - is that a tongue, or are you just happy to see me?

HEROS : Sgt. Kimberly Munley and Police Officer Todd !

When Major Hasan was shooting unarrmed American soldiers like “Fish in a Barrell”, at Fort Hood, the above officers came to the rescue. Female Sgt. MUNLEY took a bullet in each leg before she and Todd dropped Hasan

At about the same Tracy and Agent Ennen were facing up to a caged Tiger.

Visualize with me Sgt. Munley acting and speaking like Dick Tracy AT Fort Hood, (and remember that Tracy was armed with a powerful Taser Gun on his Wrist Geenee)

10-06 Officer Todd (both facing Hasan) “Munley you’ve got to do something!” Sgt.Munley :”GULP”

10.08 Sgt.Munley : “I’m helpless!” … “Nice Terrorist”

10.10 Sgt,Munley : “We’re doomed Officer Todd!”

10.11 Sgt.Munley : “We’re ‘Al Queda’ food, Officer Todd”

10.16 Sgt,Munley : “WE’RE DOOMED”!

11.16 Sgt.Munley : “We’re HELPLESS”!

(ALL Tracy’s “WORDS” - transfered to a not too dissimilar situation)

If female Sgt.MUMLEY had acted like the NEUTERED, “helpless” and ARMED detective Tracy, how many MORE beyond the 13 would have DIED at Fort Hood on that day ?? 200 perhaps?

Sgt.Kimberly Munley bravely took TWO bullets, Tracy emerged without a “scratch” (no pun intended)

Is THIS the QUALITY Dick Tracy that Dick Locher plans to go into retirement and leave us ???

Just recall, it’s this mans WORK that spurs Mattie to call it “SUPERB”, another dreamer finds “no fault” and someone else actually proclaims him a GENIUS”! (?)

Where are they NOW, and what do they have to SAY ????

Sydney, I’m in awe…..

VistaBill and Sydney, thank you.

There’s not too much more that can be said. Tracy would have been drummed out of ANY police department for rank cowardice. He’s displayed this “endearing” trait at least twice that I know of (the robots and now this story) and the first instance would have been enough to get him fired.

Get us a detective that doesn’t cry out in terror at the first thought of a criminal in the neighborhood. This gets tiring fast.

I really have no problem with this strip besides the pace…I really think this continuity could have been tied up in a month or less…I think a lot of the stories being told are sorta lackluster for the time spent on them…the gambling one before this one (oh so long ago it feels) was sorta lame too…they don’t feel as worthy of Tracy’s time…

However…I’d be quite distraught if the strip was cancelled…I more just hope for better next time around…