Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for March 10, 2009

This one is OK.

Tracy knew EXACTLY where to find B.O.! He is the world’s greatest detective.

Seems to be moving along nicely, the art is decent and the strip actually moves forward!!!

Panel 1- That’s why you need disinfectant wipes when you go to the casino.

LudwigVanDrake says: “Tracy knewq EXACTLY where to find B.O.! He’s the world’s best detective”

For a moment there you sounded like you were substituting for the new member of the Praetorian Guard, ;) (?)

Here is an Author that is waxing heavily “moralistic”. Almost like one of Kilian’s early in-strip “Editorials”. One, the latter refered to as an “extremely serious” theme ! Unfortunatly back then it was so SERIOUS that “cute colorful villains” were not appropriate and in Kilian’s words, had to take a “BACK SEAT”.(for those not reading back then (1993), the villains were “bland”, George White (hate sniper) and Molly Drear (child kidnapper with car jackers)) DL must have loved it, no need to pop the brain on those “creative” holidays. No need for a Gouldian type Rogue design.

Today, on the very “positive” side we see B.O. “spitting” tobacco juice in his hands (revolting as it may be, that’s an intrisic part of his well known character). It “MAY” have happened before in the Locher years, but I can’t recall it; since Gould had B.O. spit from a Hotel patio (1977) and it landed on the newspaper a man was reading immediately below. :) It’s these things thay help to distinguish, and bring a character to life, not “appearance” alone. Sam’s smoking and Jewish sandwiches have gone, Lizz’s fashion changes and vamping prior to being Chief disappeared into the sedate, dull “body” of a Juliet Jones, like a piece of furniture. Nothing to make a man look twice!

Note that the Slot Machines still have no handles !

The latest Comics Curmudgeon has a link to a 1959 LA Times comic page. You have to go to the Comics Curmudgeon website to see it:

http://joshreads.com/

This has to be the best installment in many moons. (Although I agree with Grok that the thought balloons coming out of Tracy’s ear are a little odd.) Other than that, a perfectly solid strip for a change.

Locher clearly has a new apprentice or co-author or something - the improvement in the art (and even the story so far) is a welcome change.

We still don’t know if Tracy is wearing a hat. The top of his head is covered by another thought balloon. Emanating from his ear canal, yet.

Yesterday Tracy’s thought balloon covered the crown of his hat, but you could see the brim. Today’s balloon is such that it appears that it’s small enough for Tracy’s brim to peak out on his left, but it’s not there. Today’s slot machines don’t need handles, you can push a button. If B.O. wants to find a hot machine, he should reach around the back and touch it.

Terrible Hat !

always get a machine at the aisle, if there is a chance of them being juiced, that would be one, but more importantly the drink ladies are always right there!

countoflourgrive says “Today’s slot machines don’t need handles, you can push a button.”

Granted! But our Author still draws “yesterdays” slot machines. For example, see strip on 3-07-09 a left hander’s “handle” is right there, at Jack’s Casino and B.O. is pulling it.

Sydney, I was being sarcastic.

Tracy took the hat off when he went into the casino because he’s obviously not wearing a hat in the last panel. It’s not part of his silhouette.

I think we’re in for some deep hurting.

Thanks for the link to the 1959 “funny papers”. Oh for the good old days!

Ludwig, I knew you were being sarcastic. ;)

Some posters get complimentary when Locher does what everyone should consider as “normal” in a comic strip. “Normal” advance in the pace of the strip today looks like the Author has succesfully climbed Mt. Everest. What’s normally considered usual, (by it’s regular absence) becomes the UN-USUAL, and we are so “pleased” that he has finally got a simple thing “right”, that we break into “applause”, like members of the Praetorian Guard.

Everytime I think “YES”, he’s got things on the right track this time, his little “electric train” (it’s now predictable) jumps the track due to LACK of focus. Figuratively, mentally “asleep at the wheel”!

I’m sure he has a FULL day (sculpture, political cartoons, etc), and just bearly ENOUGH is devoted to Tracy to “GET BY”. A few minutes “thought” and some quick art. Absolutly nothing more! That’s my “opinion” (and his results seem to bear it out)! He doesn’t “LIVE” it, “BREATH” it, DREAM it, (24 hours) the way that Gould did.

So the best we can hope for from a “half-time” man, is a HALF result, ie. a lower level of “mediocrity”! The worst is ANOTHER whiff of a perfume burned “Angelorious”!

What am I doing here?