Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for July 06, 2009

This makes me think of all sorts of scenarios…

Mmm. Vintage Kathleen Turner. “You’re not very bright, are you? I like that in a man.”

But certainly not the first criminal arrest by the cops using fraud and entrapment.

Wow… between panels 1 and 2, Big Ace somehow managed to (a) change ties from a solid color to a patterned one, (b) remove his vest, and (c) change from a light-colored jacket into a dark one, all while handcuffed!

This is weird:

There’s exactly one reference to digital inaging thermal technology (exact phrase) on the internet.

And it’s an ad for a bodybuilding anabolic steroid. The word “matrix” (in the plural) appears too.

What’s Spacy getting himself into these days? Hmmm?

mrbribery Maybe they’ll connect it to Diet Smith.

This does represent an important threshold.

An end to what feels like two months of card cliches. No more dealing off the bottom of the deck here, no-siree! Ooops.

They seem to be updating http://www.tmsfeatures.com/bio/jim-brozman/ each day. Guess they don’t want to give away such exciting action. Sigh…

Maybe Ace will swap the name of the guy who “did” his nose for where he bought the deck of cards. Tracy needs a new nose, anyway.

Yes, Fearless, the card cliches and puns are over, and it’s time to shuffle off to a new plot. Perhaps someone clubbed to death with a poker, or some rummy thrown off a bridge, or a diamond smuggling operation… Sorry, I can’t stop…

Sunday 6-14-09 TRACY: “Hello Headquarters –Tech Dept. I want you to prepare the Matrix Pack”.

Tracy then goes straight to Monte’s Casino. No one meets him enroute. How does he get the pack (?) does he carry it around in his back pocket everywhere he goes ?

Does the Tech Dept. have to press a button somewhere to “activate” the pack long distance ? These details, or logical connecting links are all left out (and up to the reader’s interpretation or imagination). It’s really a little insulting and sends a “message” (which we get) that not much “thought” is put into all of this, it’s just all hastily cluttered together without bothering to consider connecting links and by ommission leaving Charlie’s “big holes” for his trucks to drive through.

This is not the only “blooper”, they are legion in the course of a month and Locher just swings them out as if he is hitting a home run everytime. Like Deafy Sweetfellow not hearing that he has been “struck out” and leaving an unpleasant smell behind. Even travel by “teleportation” now seems possible without any curtesy of explanation

IF, he could get his ideas on L.I.T.T. properly together, this opens the door to a NEW Character, say a cousin of B.O.’s who we could call THERMAL PLENTY ! This new bad guy armed with the “power” could hit the Kings Casinos out of the ball park and share some of the loot with Cousin B.O. and Gertie.

Then, did’n’t someone note the step beyond was by “use of thumb”, changing $1 bills into $I,000 notes? Way to go ! Just shows how silly and impractical this “one warm stretch for mankind” really is ! Soon Thermal P, might be the new owner of Diet Smith Industries. Even the next President of the United States.

Obviously this new technology hasn’t “oiled” Dick Locher’s reputation well and will join those legless Robots in one of Al Gore’s “locked” boxes, forever. Never to be seen again ! But must we now expect these ZANY creations on an ongoing basis ?

In this crazy “new” world the next villain (rumored to be the Pouch) may easily be “Mr. Mxyztplk” (from Superman). and with just a little “luck”, Locher might sign his own name backways and get zapped into Zrfff … giving us the usual three month “reprieve” from “silliness” !

Meanwhile, I feel that while sitting on his mountain of mistakes, Dick Locher is “thumbing” some Thermal Energy in my direction and that I’ll soon be “changed”. Perhaps, into another “5% club member” (?). a clone of a member (shudder), named Mattie H. ?

Okay, not to split hairs, but cops use thermal imaging all the time to find people in the dark. But big question: What is Big Ace being arrested for? If it was a licensed casino, his wager with Tracy was legal, and Tracy was the one cheating. This comic strip has become a morbid fascination, it is just so very badly written these days.

“Done in by weird cards” is the greatest way to cap off this absurd storyline.

Ray C, My apologies for not acknowledging your post from Saturday. My “third world” Server was over-loaded yesterday.

Yes. I do agree with the point you make about items introduced being so powerful that they could make it difficult to write future stories (if they remaind around). It seems Gould had that problem too when he jumped too “far ahead” with the Space Coupe and other attendant technology. So in the latter years, out of necessity he carefully wrote more Earth bound stories where the Coupe never seemed needed. Collins eventually steped in and addressed it. .I’m not sure Locher has the skill, time or even inclination to avoid these pitfalls.

I’ve always bemoaned the fact that Locher (who had the advantage of ‘working’ beside Gould) seemed to learn so “little” from him. e.g. As a senior partner with Kilian they dropped the “Chase” sequence an integral part of Gould and Collins’ stories (which served as a trigger for “action”, narrow escapes, death traps and changing scenery). As a “solo” Writer he continues without it. It’s a technique that’s not been used for over 16 years ! Alternatively, he and Kilian may have thouht of themselves as “new brooms” and just dumped most things (?). As he subsequently postured as a sort of “Change Agent” on the strip (e.g. “enhancing”(?) appearances, no HAT in rain or snow) and ALL, to NO “positive”, discernable effect. Yet, some still wonder why only 50 newspapers now carry the strip. Some will try to confuse (dust in the eyes) - by saying ALL the readership is now ON the Internet ! Great ! But we note Blondie is also read in that medium but happily, additionally appears in over 2,500 newspapers. And that’s where the rubber REALLY hits the road.

You change something in the strip, you replace it with something BETTER, or at least EQUAL to. Now, it’s more “Vai que Vai” (local Idiom - careless, any easy way, unstructered)

The Robot and Taser situations could easily be handled with a little judicious “thought” and finesse. (which should not be beyond Locher), that’s all that is required to keep the “integrity” of the strip intact and respectable. For example Traze-R at the end of that story could have been “RECALLED” from service by Diet Smith Industries for “modification” rather than carelessly leaving it looking as if he had been fully repaired and ready to go “again” in the next story. Having Tracy for 2 weeks telling Lizz and Diet how important the robot had been, only served to raise reader’s expectation, The Taser, could have been a weapon saved for emergebcies, but be conscious of it when you write.

Don’t do like Kilian and have Tracy outside a home (Beau Tox - 2003) wondering what’s happening inside (on hearing shots and screams) while his Wrist Geenee can see images through walls. It makes the strip look inauthentic. And real life Police use the Taser every day. Adapt ! Just be more deft and realistic with sequences in stories.

I have no answer for the L.I. T.T Thernal power feature. It really wasn’t “necessary” to enhance the story, a big mistake that should NOT have been introduced. It’ll remain there, as an embarrassing memory. Clouding the “reality” only throws the viabilty of future strips into question and makes readers question the Writer’s “comprtence”. He should avoid this and try to keep his readers “on-side” !

It’s said he writes for “children” but that should not be a convenient euphemism to create and leave several questionable situations “unexplained” in each tale. Gould wrote for kids too, making mistakes occasionally but most of what he did was “believable”, both to kids and adults alike.

I’m not a fly on the wall in Naperville, but from published accounts, the man starts the day at 4.00 a.m. - but Dick Tracy gets only a set limit of hours that day. And THAT’S IT ! Nothing more ! He has his Editorial Cartoons his Sculpturing and it’s said other art adventures.

Gould gave 100% of his time to Dick Tracy (plus dreaming time), he didn’t limit his time investment to 30% - 40%. like Locher’s situation does and it’s impact on Quality. It’s a huge difference that “shows” ! Locher has done some fantastic villain design work in the past. but nothing much in the oast three years. I really feel sorry for him, Today’s product is so weak.. It’s a sign he’s on his way out.

Perhaps that’s why his hardcore support is so unhealthy, and called (generously) the 5% Club. Populated by people who personally “know” the man and/or are “Opposites”, those that will automatically “like” what others criticize.

Sorry the post is so long but there was much that needed to be clarified.

IF THEY GIVE THIS FARCE ONE MORE PANEL…I AM SIGNING OFF FOREVER.

^ You just may be signing off forever. Tomorrow we’re probably going to see a closeup of a hand holding the two cards.

Sydney, thanks for the reply. It clarifies your theory of what a good strip should be. BTW, I used your name in vain on Frog Applause today; and that was before the long response! ;-)

The best thing about this strip is us! As Bert Lahr said, “Ain’t it the truth!”

morrow, I think your two liner on the “nose” takes the “Locher I.T.T. Award” today !

So Tracy carries around a device that will alow him to change cards. How did he get it to be the ace of spades, and not the ace of diamonds? Is it measuring his body heat? Tracy was such a hottie, he went right to the “ace of spades” level. Hope he doesn’t burn diet smith’s milk when he gets over there to thank him for the thermo-card changing device. (Geeze, isn’t it easier to just pull a card trick?)

This was entrapment. Spades never would have tried to kill Tracy, if he had not gone to his Casino to CHEAT AT CARDS with him. Geeze.

LAME.