Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for May 11, 2009

Ah, it’s a racoon trap.

No progress today.

This has been dragging on far to long. Let’s wrap it up.

Grok, I might give Gert the benefit of the doubt on this one. Realising she was alone and likely in trouble, she used what she had available— old bear traps. I have to admit that, under similar circumstances and facing possible killers— remember, when they were still outside the leader said to kill everybody in the house— I might have done the same if I had thought of it at the time. In any case, having read the storyline so far I’m not inclined to waste a whole lot of mercy on merciless henchmen. Had the story run the other way, they would have taken the money and shot Gerty into the bargain.

Well, B.O. has arrived with the Cavalry, But Gertie’s got them all rounded up. Play time for the Bikers. LOL

These crooks are pretty stupid if he didn’t realize there was a chain in the bag. Oh well. I wonder what tomorrow will bring.

There’s yet another batch of samples at TMS’ Brozman bio page. Looks like we’ll stil be muddling along for the next three weeks, even seeing a “twist” that will likely take this storyline well into the summer.

http://www.tmsfeatures.com/bio/jim-brozman/

JonD17, this reminds me of an old (1974/1975) Mandrake strip where Mandrake, Lothar and Narda were being taken to Magna on Magnon’s personal flagship; in that strip, Magnon’s top general Rhodon had locked the trio in (“for their protection”) while his soldiers battled a group of Ratmen (Rodentian) raiders in the passageways. One group of five Ratmen drilled into the cabin, but were defeated when Lothar crushed the wrist of the first entrant, and then (with Mandrake’s help) defeated the other four as well. Rhodon’s was greatly surprised when he saw the five unconscious Ratmen (as Mandrake and Lothar had defeated them without weapons).

BO (like Rhodon) is in for great surprise here when Gertie has defeated OEJ’s touts without his help.

However questionable the writing and art is as a whole, I can’t deny that having an old lady cripple three henchmen with hunting traps is pretty awesome (it’s sad that logic had to be deserted to get the henchmen to come to Gertie’s abode at all).

NeonLeon, there was always a hint that this was part of a greater ‘myth arc’ (a shocker for those of you who didn’t think Locher was capable of chaining story arcs together). If you’ll remember, Jack answers to Ace, and judging by the monologue Jack was about to give Tracy, all the playing-card villains are tied together (way to go, Locher, that’s a villain theme that’s been used only three or four times before). So yeah… let’s just kill Jack and move on to Ace.

I can remember Gould’s stories lasting a lot longer. I like today’s strip. I can’t find the lack of progress in the story. Yesterday he stuck his hand in the bag thinking it was money, we didn’t see what was in it…

I’m not going to “knock” Locher on this past weekend’s story presentation or on today’s. I’m pausing to give a little credit where due. Don’t mind “improvement” was a whole “sixteen” years in the coming

Yes! many of the irritating little things remain, but for the FIRST time Locher has reached a new high in his story telling technique. Almost the entire Sunday page carried the story forward. It was not the usual parsimonious pacing with stultifying, stale repetitions of the previous week!

In the past the Praetorian Guard in phobic “defence mode” would say it’s a compulsory TMS requirement to have it exactly that way. Since they personally knew Locher, readers “accepted” that (trivial?) cover as being correct.

What is also a light-year “leap” for Locher is to have THREE different story sequences, ALL going at the same time. A) Tracy fighting Jack B) B.O. being dumped in Iowa and C) Gertie defending their Jackpots.

It’s a sophistication in presentation not seen since Collin’s departure in early 1993 !

Surprisingly, It took him a decade and a half to mature enough to cease “throttling” the “pacing”. And as the SENIOR and more eexperienced partner (who had enjoyed long exposure to a quality writing partner, SHOULD have known better). It’s not Kilian alone, he must take EQUAL blame !

Perhaps the “critiques” are finally getting through ? Although, possibly it’s an enhancing influence coming from Brozman to the fore (?)

Anyway you look at it … it’s welcome progress.

What should be added now, is the long lost, classic CHASE sequence.

The “chase” sequence was a MUST in all Gould’s tales. Kilian and now Locher have both ignored it. If he continues to do so one has to conclude, he is (combined with his previous slow pacing), just a “Dumb-Waiter”

nighthaws

Is that a touch of owlish wisdom, a subtle note that we are slipping into a “syrupy” mode here too ? :-)

On Sunday, reach in bag with left hand —“twang”–or perhaps “Presto”> Monday trap is on right hand. This is what we in the comix bidness called the David Copperfield Effect. Or in the medical bidness, the short term memory effect

Three months was the average length of stories in the old days. The comic strip appears to be a dying art form. Once we had four panel strips now we are down to three or two. Text is limited and size has been reduced dramaticaly. Newspapers feel they are saving on ink and paper by doing this. The continuous adventure strips are fading out for the crudely drawn gag strips.

Three months was the average length of stories in the old days. The comic strip appears to be a dying art form. Once we had four panel strips now we are down to three or two. Text is limited and size has been reduced dramaticaly. Newspapers feel they are saving on ink and paper by doing this. The continuous adventure strips are fading out for the crudely drawn gag strips.

The motorcycle and riders in panel 1 is the same drawing we saw yesterday, just decolorized. Is that the only way Brozman can show the same motorcycle twice – by using the same drawing?