Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for February 26, 2009

Of course she didn’t see you, she’s blind! Now how is she going to sue tracy?

One Wrongful death lawsuit coming up.

Ye gods. We saw this ending coming at us like a Rose Bowl Parade float. Let’s stand here and discuss the collision. Not try to get Angel out of the wreck. What a boring climax to a mediocre and thoroughly confusing scenario. A bang that is just a whimper, really.

Aren’t they going to try and get her out of the burning wreckage? Let’s see if backup arrives on the scene for this one.

NotNormanChubsyUbsy from yesterday - I guess I’m not the only one getting hit with viruses from this site. I’ve started to report them, but still haven’t heard back. I wish there was another forum on this site that we could use to help figure out what’s causing it and stop it. I love this site, but I get nervous now. Been thinking about supporting it by becoming a pro, but not until this is cleaned up. Sorry for not staying on topic with the comic (not much to say about today’s), but maybe Liam will look into this issue since he seems to keep up with this comment section :-)

I went back and read yesterday’s comments. First, who is Liam? And what are his(her?) powers? Second, I enjoy the comic value of this strip and don’t try to equate it to anything realistic.

Is that Liam who says “thank you for your comment” after you post?

Well, unless there’s another Locher contradiction (there have been so many in this story)Angelorious is dead. But by tomorrow we may find she was thrown clear and is “safely” in a snowbank

Putting on the shoes of a TMS Editor, it is difficult to see how this as a “story packagee” was “approved”, it’s barren not even approaching the threshhold of mediocraty. As an Editor, I would have stamped it “NOT ACCEPTABLE” and sent it back to be done over. I’d also have a word with him about his new “fad” (see CIA man 3rd panel) to draw characters with arms extended like ‘plane wings in “take off” position. Too much of that looks silly. We saw enough depictions of Angelorious like that A warning too, on that “boomarang” writing style where every few days the story goes down a dead end lane only to return like a boomerang for the process to be repeated. Angelorious’ disengenious stance and cahoots like discussion has Driller suggesting finding a “famous name” for the product (readers misled to think “perfume”, no relationship to a gasoline formula) May I suggest, this builds “confusion” NOT suspense!

This presentation seems to be the Author’s shortest story to date… 11 weeks and one day (201 daily panels), with the crime occuring just before week TEN (at panel 168) or two weeks before the story was all over. Shows how far the writing parameters have STRAYED from that of Chester Gould, who often had the crime within a few panels (always within 3 weeks - 72 panels) to “trigger” the ACTION. Readers will have noted that the “ACTION” in THIS story STARTED after the crime! Just TWO weeks of CHASE and then comeuppance! Everything before was just “stage setting” in classic Kilian style!

History and sound, successful example that have gone before haven’t helped this Author. It seems nothing will! He “believes”, HE has a much better writing technique (Borrowed from ex-partner Kilian?). And then, some well wishers wonder why only FIFTY newspapers carry the comic strip today! (?)

The Man Upstairs can only SHOW you the way … YOU have to walk it!

Did all the cars come from Hong Kong Fooey (moron-box toon where he could change his car into another vehicle–never quite the one he had in mind, but it would suit the job at hand–by striking the gong)? They’ve morphed several times during the week.

Is that the CIA guy and did his car hit her or did she hit him??? I can’t see the plates on either car!!!

This is like the back lot at Universal Studios. Cars always go swirling around and airborne after they get hit, all the while exploding in mid air. Then of course when our hero (hopefully DT) runs up to try and save her, she will be mysteriously gone. The story continues!! Where did she go? This could go on for months!!

The other guy can’t be CIA dude. He has no idea what he’s saying. A real CIA man would only state the facts as he knew them.

doctortoon says: I’m not a cop (although Tracy is) or a lawyer (although Tracy may soon need one), but I’m thinking of a term such as ‘Manslaughter by criminal negligence’ right about now…. I’m thinking of a term such as ‘Comicslaughter by criminal negligence’

This reminds me of the Venture Brothers cartoon where Dean Venture explains a firey plane crash by pointing out that blackened skeletons were flying the plane…

And how does CIA guy know that Ang was by herself…or for that matter was a she?

I am lost in panel 2, how in Hell did her car get at that angle by getting hit by another car???

Interesting flight path in panel 2. Shouldn’t the car be a little more bent in order to fly like a boomerang?

Angelorious braced herself as the two cars hit. “Master, how can we cause more anguish for the Tracy readers”, THE NAMELESS ONE asked. “That’s easy”! answered Locher as he began to write one word next to the two cars. “Just have Tracy use a stupid sound effect word when the cars hit”. THE NAMELESS ONE began to droll with wicked glee. “Master, where has “I AM GOLLUM” gone”? Locher stiffened at the mention of that name. “Bah, he’s not who he appears to be, he has betrayed us and will be dealt with later”! Tracy wished it were his car getting hit. Why did he have to continue with these stupid sound effects? “CLONK” Tracy rolled his eyes as he said his next line. “Shouldn’t I say, “Ye Gads”? “Oh well”, he thought, “In this recession who’s complaining”. “Ye Gods! Angelorious got hit”! Angelorious knew her comic strip life was over. As her car began it’s decent towards the ground, she knew Locher would kill her for her mutiny. With her last breath she tried to say the name of her true love and a vow to return to him. “I love you, Underd-” The CIA extra jumped out of his car, ready for his big moment. “She was speeding-she never saw me”. Tracy wondered how he knew the driver of the car that hit him was a female and he also thought something looked oddly familiar with the way his hands were extended and flapping. “Strange things are happening here”, Tracy muttered under his breath. Meanwhile, Locher was startled.

BB

Froxkrybra, Locher is using “Indian-movie-physics” (developped from the American-cartoon physics and then gone off tangentially) where hero can toss his knife in the air, fire his one bullet at it–and bullet splits in two and eliminates two villains.

Aside from this ‘after thought’ of the accident, what useful purpose or relevance has CIA Agent Cosgrove presence in this story been? The answer is an easy NONE! It seems all those serious sounding panels were a waste of time, just unnecessary “padding”!

That’s why I have my doubts about the Author having to submit story details to TMS for approval. Locher is an old hand, he knows the rules and follows them. The submission of the story to be ‘approved’ just looks like camoflage, so everytime Locher goofs (and this story confirms he is a serial offender) supporters can jump up and say, it’s the Editor’s fault! And DL, of the hook, really starts to look like a spited genious!

That’s why fans wonder why he refuses to give comment on any of the two boards. Is he shy, or as has been said elswhere, worried about beieng asked difficult to answer questions? The local question here would be, “Does he have Cocoa in the Sun?” I just don’t know!

I said earlier, and say again, it challenges the imagination to believe that anyone at TMS sat down, read this convoluted story script, and formally “approved” it.

Tigger says:

She has escaped again. We are going to be chasing her down until the end of May

~ Tigger, I fear that you may be right.

Why hasn’t Tracy put his 2-way up to his mouth and shouted “9-1-1, FAST!”?