Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for December 16, 2008

Ray C: Tess is still looking like the girl of your dreams in panel 2. Dick’s head is very strange in panel 3.

Rather a nonchalant greeting to Dicks statement.

It looks like she’s trying to crush a bug with it, that can get expensive!

I’m surprised that in the third panel Tess doesn’t say, “Do I know you?”

margueritemPro says: “Ray C: Tess is still looking like the girl of your dreams in panel 2.” Not bad, but I wonder how much hair spray it takes to hold her hair swept up like that. It makes her look like she was rode easy and put away dry.

Tess wonders if Diet can’t help her, who will? I think anyone could do a better job at anything Tess needs help with, provided she does not need someone to sit on his bleeep and drink milk all day.

“Hi Dick”? Thats all he gets? He just said he had a close call. Doesnt she want to hear about it? We could have another week or two of recap! She should say, “I’m glad you’re alright sweetie, now listen to my problems.” I have a feeling that she is going to dump some problem on Dick that’s going to be his next ‘adventure’. Just like that haunted house thing. What a great idea that was, thanks Tess. :(

Dick’s been having close calls since the ‘30’s - Tess is used to it by now (they used to be a lot closer anyway)…

So now that Dickworld has mail-order giant robots for the crooks & the police had a winner trial run with one I guess we’ll never see them again …

Wow, you can make phone calls from those things?

Jeff, Read your post on Locher/TMS last night. As one who contacted TMS and who has often criticized DL let me say he was treated in a callous manner and I commiserate with him. But there are a few puzzeling items you may wish to comment on: 1)We know Locher holds a 5 year contract (2 years+ to run). Then, was “retire”, an arm twisting affair? 2)On the Yahoo board we were often told Locher’s work had to be 17 weeks ahead of publication date. Had he been “advised by TMS even in late September his work on the Braces story was already complete, in fact through to December 20th!? You pleaded that ‘consideration’ be given (not his fault)to what may be a ‘faulty’ story about to emerge. BUT, I find it difficult to accept that any craftsman worth his salt at that stage wouldn’t already have had his next story prepared for approval and a new Rogue design ready to go, unless he thought, I’ll do the ‘easy’ just give them J.Hennessy Tucker the 3rd? 3)Two mysteries remain: A)What’s meant by “somehow”, TMS pesuaded and reinstated DL to return. B)Puzzeling, is the TMS rationale for all their actions (?) Noted is your comment on the 2nd panel (Tess, 12-15-08). I’d say the closest you or Matt have come to admitting that any of Lochers work is flawed.But the Author kindly left us a reminder in that 3rd panel yesterday. He still had a ‘GRIP’ (albiet small) on things!

(Tracy’s Home)

Tess was troubled and fighting the urge to get desperate. “I knew that fat pig Diet wouldn’t help me”. She angrily snarled to herself. “I bet if I offered to wear that stupid milk maid outfit he’s always trying to put me in he’d be more agreeable”. Tess was so worried that she resorted to her old habit of picking her nose and eating her boogies as she said out loud; “Well, if Diet can’t help me – who can?” Tess knew she wasn’t herself lately. Whenever she looked in the mirror she almost didn’t recognize the reflection staring back at her. She suddenly became aware of someone at the front door, fumbling with a set of keys. “Must be Dick having a hard time remembering which key opens the door”. She sadly sighed. She knew he wouldn’t even be able to find his home if someone from HQ didn’t drive him home each day. “Time to act cheerful”, she muttered.

Tracy finally found the correct key and opened the door. “I’m glad Tess doesn’t realize I have a problem with the door each day or else she’d really rip into me about retiring”. Tracy stepped into his house eager to tell Tess all about his heroics. “Tess, I’m home – just had a close call”. Tracy blurted out. “Hi Dick”, Tess called out while finishing the last of her boogers.

To be Continued… When I feel the urge.

BB

Good ol’ BB! I used to read the strip for the content. Then, I read it for the commentary. Now, I look forward to BB’s explanation what it really means. God bless you, BB! You help me keep my sanity. BTW, are Tracy and Tess AARP members yet?

Dick’s birthday is coming and she wants to get ideas for presents. Said Diet, “We made him a robot, but alas, the ‘Bot will be in the shop for the next 16 weeks undergoing repairs”.

“Where’s his favorite donut shop,” she muses…. Diet would know!!

Grok sez: Okay, ‘fess up: who did a double-take at Tess’ phone in panel one?

Now, that you’ve pointed it out…

Since no one answered my post yesterday I need to ask again, who is this Jeff Kersten guy and why does he feel qualified to forgive me? I pay attention, I read most of everyone’s posts. Is he the Dick Tracy savior? Or merely the one who comes before?

Dypak, Jeff is Dorothy singing “Over the Rainbow” with faithful Toto by her(his)side.

Jeff is actually a nice person who’s very passionate about the 2 Dicks(OF COURSE I mean Locher & Tracy).

Jeff has a following among those of us who know and love him from the old days.

I’ll let Jeffrey go into any other details if he so wishes.

Peace.

BB

Who can help Tess now? The little dude, of course.

Dypak says:

Since no one answered my post yesterday I need to ask again, who is this Jeff Kersten guy and why does he feel qualified to forgive me? I pay attention, I read most of everyone’s posts. Is he the Dick Tracy savior? Or merely the one who comes before?

I thought that Jeff, his very own self, would answer. The museum that Gweedo mentioned was in Woodstock, IL. The majority of the posters here look at the current cartoons, and remember when Dick Tracy was a good comic. It has fallen on hard times, and the only reason I still read it is for the witty bon mots that appear in the comments section every day. Jeff’s heart holds much hero worship for Dick Locher, who befriended him as a youngster. He truly cannot see why we complain about, and make fun of, the strip as it appears currently.

Margueritem, I DO understand, at times, why folks here express their opinions (the good, the bad and the ugly) and criticisms of the story and the art. I DO. I have simply made a choice not to share my opinions and criticisms of the current strip publicly.

There is enough reported information at www.rcharvey.com, www.thedailycartoonist.com and in Editor & Publisher about this matter for each of you to draw your own conclusions. Given my position with the Chester Gould - Dick Tracy Museum and the Museum’s very positive working relationship with Tribune Media Services, I feel it would be inappropriate at this time to make any further comments beyond what has already been stated and reported.

As has been stated here above (thanks for compliments - you’re making me blush), my loyalty is to the Dick Tracy property, the Chester Gould family, those individuals associated with the property in the past and their families, and, naturally, the Chester Gould - Dick Tracy Museum. This has been the case since I was 15 years old and the Gould family invited me to assist in the creation and opening of the Museum in Woodstock. I guess the rest is history.

Sometimes things get complicated, given my personal loyalties and relationships, and it requires that I exercise a measure of balance and discretion in my public comments.

I would appreciate your understanding that this is frustrating for me, as well. I recently left the Yahoo! Dick Tracy Group under circumstances where I felt a member seriously invaded the privacy of a close friend and mentor who is in seriously declining health. I didn’t want to leave the Group, but I felt I couldn’t condone this invasion. So I permanently left. this has become a daily struggle for me as I read everybody’s comments here. However, I don’t ever want to leave the false impression that I don’t have my own very strong opinions and criticisms of the current strip. Again, I just choose not to share them in a public forum.

Jeff Kersten says: However, I don’t ever want to leave the false impression that I don’t have my own very strong opinions and criticisms of the current strip. Again, I just choose not to share them in a public forum.

Thank you for making your reasons much clearer to me, and to the others who may not have known what they were. I’ve gone to the websites that you’ve posted, but I’m never sure what to look under for news about Dick Tracy.

What Jeff is trying to say is before he came on board, Matthew P Hansel was making the usual a** out of himself and I decided to put his name in Google to see if this guy (MPH) was for real. The guy went ballistic, probably not knowing that Google existed, and threatened to sue me for that. Since then, MPH opened a website that I stumbled upon that pretty much made him transparent. I found both his picture and extensive writings in Facebook, close to Jeff’s. If looking someone’s name up in Google is an invasion of privacy, then the offended needs to take it up with Google. Not me.

Morrow, I don’t know exactly what you are talking about, but I can assure you that the episode I referred to did not involve you or anyone else on this board. This recent episode also had nothing at all to do with my colleague, MPH, either, just to be clear.

I’m not familiar with the details of the situation you are describing exactly, so you’ll forgive me if I don’t respond.

I remember that MPH wanted to sue Morrow for doing an internet search for him. Silliness abounded until MPH went his merry way and left us alone. Or has he???

Gweedo & Margueritem! Thanks for the update on yesterdays post. It really helps me understand some of what is going on around here. I love the comics and it’s always nice to have someone to enjoy and share them with. Thanks again!