Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for February 03, 2009

Today we learn the profs. name: Ethynol.

Is it me, or for someone who is unhurt, the doc looks like he is missing two fingers on each hand and has suffered trauma to the left side of his face? Also,that’s a mighty fine looking lab we have been seeing. Almost as if there had been no explosion.

Going by panel 2, Dr. Noll is apparently what Peter Parker will look like in 20 years.

But look at panel 1. He’s holding an entirely different container there. The formula must cause the glass to expand and contract in a wild and unstable manner.

It’s clear from the closeup in panel 3 that someone squeezed the Doc’s cheeks too much when he was a child, and now they’re stuck like that.

But at least Dick’s able to try out the Doc’s new glowing mascara for him. With matching luminescent toothpaste.

eatdicktracysandwiches, JonD17: I’m glad you enjoyed my idea for a Dick Tracy villain. I came up with him at work a couple months ago. Everything he’d steal he’d think was spectacular, but it’d just be “a car”, “money”, “jewels”… “Nothing we haven’t seen before”… And in the end, Dick would say that Jean Erique was “Ultimately just another crook.”

I’m glad you liked the idea. I had fun playing with it in my head.

Nubby looks different again in both the first and third panel. Consistency is not Locher’s forte.

Thank God for the wonders of velcro in the second panel. How is he holding onto those test tubes??

JEFF said: “…Don’t kid yourself though - every detail down to the pacing is strictly controlled by the syndicate. DL once told me he can only show gun-play, by editorial edict, no more than twice per year, and in some years he wasn’t even allowed to do it twice. These Editorial “hand-cuffs” limit creativity and always leave us wanting more of the past. …” The information is appreciated Jeff, particularly as we have an Author who (amazingly) prefers NOT to communicate with his readers. Yet, the “WEIGHT” of control in practise on Gun=play and on Pacing on the Author needs to be “defined” and established with specific accuracy. For example which are ‘controlled’ in the twice per year edict ?:

“GUN-PLAY” - Police: A) Drawn and waving Guns but no shots (?) B) Drawn guns ‘fired’ but no one is hit (?) C) Discharging fire arms and someone IS hit but does not die!(?) D) Shooting against criminals in a gun battle and the bad guy dies (?) GUN-PLAY from BAD GUYS: A) If the police do not return fire and an innocent dies does this constitute ONE of the TWO times per year ? COLLINS : Were ‘identical’ control on Gunplay applied to Collins’ work ?

“PACING” :”Every detail down to pacing is strictly controlled-” What I ask here does not question “AUTHORITY” but is pacing micro-managed beyond that on the Sunday ‘recap’ requirement ? eg Do they tell him WHEN the crime is to be committed ? Eight weeks after the start of the story or 3 months (Al Kinda style) after. Is he allowed this simple flexibility? Or for example is he told, “In this story Dick, we expect the crime to occur in week six” or NO, let’s have it at week ten instead (?) I hardly think so, but if so, the “indignity” for a Senior Craftsman & Pulitzer holder isn’t worth it! He should send in his “resignation” immediately! Not that he want’s it, but oherwise, no one will shed a tear for Dicky “Argentina”. I’ll give you my pesonal belief on those Sunday recaps. What is being said on his behalf is an “exageration” on reality. He has far MORE flexibility than his friends care to admit. We saw some of what could be done, if he cared to stretch himself, this last Sunday. Why should he be the ONLY senior artist in the USA with this punative restriction? Everyone else “adjusts” their output to fit (it’s called pride) not unlike that need to use less text per panel in today’s strips as you correctly pointed out. What happens now seems like the easy way out, But I believe there is ANOTHER reason and Editorial control has nothing to do with it ! Would like others, appreciate “clarification” on the above points on ‘gun-play’ and ‘pacing’ if you have the details. Otherwise Jeff, it’s just a broad “Wall of China” statement void of meaningful “specifics”, which could throw the light of reason and unambigiously clarify the problems facing our Author and the DT strip. the BROAD statetement ‘helpful’ as it is, fails the “explicit” test.

It’s a weird bunch of parents in Dick Tracy’s world, who end up selecting names for their kids that just happen to match their future professions.

Tracy had had enough and decided it was time to take charge of the story. “Time for things to be done MY way, not Lochers”. It’s MY name on the top and HIS on the bottom so I”LL give the orders”. Facing Noll, Tracy spoke directly to him in a firm, no nonsense voice. “You’re unhurt, and Tess will get her perfume”. Noll, not quite sure if Tracy was putting on an act or was really ticked off played it safe with a meek; “Yes” before adding, “if I can remember which is HER perfume”. Tracy figured this was as good a time as any to get some answers. “Do you have a first name, Doctor”? Tracy dryly asked. Noll cautiously answered, “Yes, Ethan,,,Ethan Noll”. Tracy knew Ethan was the name Tess kept saying in her sleep. Dick cried silent tears for love lost.

BB

Sydney- DL offered the information I shared freely and I didn’t ask for more information as it really wasn’t any of my business. What I can clarify, however, is that, unlike Chet, DL submits his plots many months ahead of actual production for TMS rubber-stamping. That is where the nit-picking and scrutiny begins. I’m certain that this requirement began after MAC moved on in 1993. As you might imagine, just this one pre-requisite takes just about all control out of the hands of the writer/artist/creator who works on the strip. More later…

Jeff, I’m sure you are right, I recall reading that Kilian had to submit his story outlines for approval in advance and the practise has simply continued with DL now doing the writing.

It would be useful to determine the specifics on the “pacing” as outlined in my post the next time you see DL otherwise as a “practitioner he has been completly “neutered”. Not to have that minor story telling process under his personl control would be nigh “unbelievable”! It’s a “timing” that does affect reader interest and lift the story up from dullness and boring repetition. Why stick around? But then as the Trinidad saying goes, “Ah like it so”!(?)

I’ll mention some more when I have a little bit more time available later in the day, Sydney. Remember, though, DL already tried to retire once recently.

Hey Jeff, my home computer crashed! Did you send a Tracy virus over Facebook? :-) I don’t have access to the site at work(blocked). Evenings don’t work for me. Do you get a break for lunch?

Let me know.

BB

JEFF said: “DL already tried to retire once recently” In the kindest language possible, wasn’t it the OTHER way around? Didn’t TMS call him up in October 2008 and tell him HE would be “retired” at the end of December that year? And on the strength of an R.C,Harvey article and hundreds of fans writing in to reverse the decision, that TMS changed their minds?

“Ethan” Noll?? Best name since Kriss Kronwen circa 1939. Back to the future. Since we may be on a fuel surge, can we expect driller to have a henchmen named Cleene Cole?? Oily’s dead right??

Fair question, Sydney. Without going into any more specifics – DL was preparing to retire from the strip. He’s nearly 80 and has been working non-stop since the early 1950s. From my sources, there appears to have been two differing factions at TMS related to this matter. Do you really believe that if they had FORCED him out, as you suggest, he would have so willingly come back? If I were you, I’d be skeptical of the source you’re receiving your info from on this. Your suggestion, beyond anything I have to add, just doesn’t seem logical, does it?

Well, I won’t be acknowledging the individual who asked the question (because it is clearly somebody else already registered here – a fictional holdover from the TMS board), but I’ll mention your request to DL the next time I visit with him.

Just to set expectations up-front here – I highly doubt he’ll agree to do it. He’s had troubling experiences doing this in the past, I’m told. I’ll ask, though. There is a higher likelihood that we could learn more details once he’s moved on from the strip, I would suggest, alternatively.

Bob- So sorry to hear about your computer, pal. That really sucks. Lunch might be an option – let me get back to you tomorrow and we can firm up a time and place. Thanks.

The moral of the DL story, folks:

This wasn’t the first attempt to KILL the strip and I dare say it won’t be the last.

I’m sure that history will bear out the details about what exactly went down late last year. We can’t just sit around and expect that TMS will be looking out for our best interests as readers of the strip. It obviously hasn’t been doing anything of the sort for some time now in the current strip. We need to initiate and maintain a dialogue so they know where we stand.

BTW, these are my PERSONAL views and commentary solely, and do not express or reflect the views of any of my affiliations, associations or relationships. I want to be able to participate in the dialogue here without jeopardizing the important work of the various organizations, efforts, relationships and associations that I support, volunteer for, contribute to or defend.

When Locher gives the strip up for good does Dick Tracy go with him?

Really?

No, TMS knows they’ve got an extremely valuable asset in Dick Tracy. There will be other creator’s introduced – some will triumph and others will fail. My hope is that they are carefully considering a revamp, as well as removing some of the editorial hand-cuff’s. I think Annie serves as a good example of how, if carefully crafted, the Tracy strip could reclaim some of the success it once embodied. There has to be a REAL willingness to change, though.

I gotta know how Jeff knows who’s using his/her real name. I have a hunch that LudwigVonDrake wasn’t given that name by his parents. Nor has wndrwrthg. I know a half dozen of the posters here personally and believe me, they aren’t using their birth certificate names. Mattie says that isn’t being honest; I say it is smart. Jeff, go ahead and post your SSN while you are at it.

I’ve never had any trouble using my real name. I suppose it has something to do with sheer numbers though. Try looking me up on Google and you have a bit of a challenge sorting through the teachers, book publishers, aldermen and so on that just happen to have the same name.

Jeff has some advantage in that he has a bit of history with this strip, after a while you begin to learn who is who just by their writing styles.