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

Big Ace is eyeless, I wouldn’t worry about him too much, Tracy. With your disguised voice he’ll never know it’s not One-Eye…

Well, One Eye wore the Cloak of Darkness on the left side of his face. Big Ace seems to prefer the top of his head.

His nose seems normal. Keep that in mind, given the peek we got in the Brozman comic previews a while back.

“NO! Let’s meet at Police Headquarters. They’ll never think of looking for us there, and besides nobody’s been there for months.”

He should have said, “I thought I told you never to call me here”. There’s something else going on between Dick and Big Ace.

Mmm, maybe after weeks we have a true plot. Tracy undercover it’s interesting.

Carlo makes a great point. Let’s give them the benefit of the doubt. This could be a good story line.

Yeah, benefit of the doubt doesn’t usually work in our favor.

It was Faceless. It’s gonna be interesting, but Tracy has gotten too used to battling crooks who have an IQ of less than 10. Need some crooks who match his IQ of 40.

The character’s name was “The Blank”.

In yesterday’s comments, someone knew the exact dates of Sam Ketchum’s last appearances. Most impressive!

Big Ace looks like OODLES. (Hope the spellings right)

Newenglandah: Yeah, that was “The Blank”.

No! That Big Ace design Is a lazy bone copy of Cole Lector’s (early 2008). Just as Jack is of a “playing card” and Queen of Diamonds also was in early 2007.

Some will see this “copy book” design work as superb, the glass is half full. I see it for what it really is, an “empty” creative tank… Not even a little Al Gore “electrical” circuitry from G.M. (Government Motors!) to “kick start” the designs.

Looks now, as if TMS has halted their Jim Brozman forwad promotion “samples”. It’s back to the regular publication dates.

No idea when Locher will end the current charade. Truly curious about the new Villain … will it continue the same theme ? Will it be a replication of Batman’s Joker? Will the character have shaded eyes?

bassman, sorry! I usually catch sarcasm , I thought you were being genuinely complementary on the ‘handiwork’.. meanwhile, get a gander on our two hands today…. gag!

Tracy’s hand is ugly, granted (and holding a phone that way is, as usual, impossible). But I can’t give it worse than a C- compared to that monstrosity on Big Ace’s wrist. His tiny-thumbed hand appears to have had the other fingers sawed off and replaced with three robotic ones at a right angle to where fingers are generally attached. Granted, it fits the rest of Big Ace’s generally monstrous appearance, but… just no.

Tracy sounds less like he’s casually disagreeing and more like he’s just been told Darth Vader is his father.

No ! I don’t think so Grok ! Locher finished this design way back in 1994 for a crooked pawnbroker called “I.N. Hock”, it was in the Snatchy the burgular story and HAS over the years become a “stock design” for any BIG character since. No need to shake up the “creative” marbles.

We have had on clear view of Big Aces face, in profile, on Friday June 5th but he has masked the frontal presentation with a Cole Lector (2008) mask. Yet another, unashamed “copy cat” design.

Here is the history of the near identical designs —

I.N. Hock – 1994 – Snatchy story Max Gorge – 2000 – Max Gorge / O.R Ganic Mr. Oily – 2001 – Mr. Oily – 1st story. Gang Member – 2001 – amusingly, in same panel as Oily ** Big Ed / Big Al– 2003/04 – Sal Monela - (his return from the dead) Mr. Oily – 2005/06 – design modified - more hair.

** The name changed mid-story, unexplained, - the design’s the same, take your pick !

This is the sort of thing Mattie would look at and say … “It never happened”

Now in the same vein we now have “Big Ace” –“the name” another (unintended) “mental” connection to Big Ed / Big Al and the original design.

They asked me to give him some “slack” – he’s 80 ! No need to, he’s already taken it.

I like the way Big Ace’s thumb is on the wrong side of his hand. Truly ingenious.

not sightless……notice the long hairy bangs, like a sheep dog.

The Blank– way before Flattop, Brow, Shaky etc. Brush had no face, Spots(See Sydney) had about a half face, Oodles not much, and “Nothing” Yonson’s face was pretty non-existent. All better characters and stories than presently, by the way.

Sydney Phillips said “Looks now, as if TMS has halted their Jim Brozman forwad promotion “samples”. It’s back to the regular production dates.”

Actually, Sydney, they’re still publishing the “samples” about 2-3 weeks ahead of the production date:

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

TCM to feature Dick Tracy films on 7/18.

How about The Mole, Vitamin Flintheart, Chief Pat Patton, Mumbles, PuckerPuss? Any otheres?