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

How long are they going to allow the corpse to remain? Is someone positioning her arms differently? Why do we even bother?

The threatening party was sick of you saying, “It happened!”.

I believe Spacy has deduced that Ringo is the ringmaster of the circus.

Next up: She’s dead! Murdered! And somebody’s responsible!

(plan 9 from outer space)

‘Plan Nine From Outer Space’ beats this hands down. Even ‘Attack of the Killer Tomatoes’ beats this.

Marg? You’re giving this too much credit. Manos: the Hands of Fate beats this. The NON-MST3K version.

Complete with the creepy and possibly illegal ending.

Let me get this straight. How do you know it was a death threat? Uh, this was on the phone, right? Hmm, how do you know it wasn’t a wrong number?

Ringo keeps taking his hat on and off.

Ringo also looks different today.

Tess, Bonnie and the useless Lt. Teevo are nowhere to be seen.

Grok, do yourself a favor and watch MANOS; it would be a great double feature with MST3K’s version of THE CREEPING TERROR

Louise Trapeze has been laying there so long rigor mortis is setting in and her limbs are contracting.

It would be possible to to copy all the panels of her corpse in its various positions, print them out, staple them in book form and have a flip book.

There is another corpse present. The plot. Which is already dead.

To Sydney: Thanks for your return comment yesterday. You hit the nail on the head. I never met you but I like you. You’re a sincere fellow who takes no bs. Keep up with your excellent and insiteful critique of DT. You have a good sense of DT history too.

Maybe the reason Louises limbs keep moving is because she isn’t dead

Since there has been no movement at all in this story, Ringmaster/Owner/CEO/quick-change-artist/Ringo had plenty of time to go shave and get back without missing a thing.

As our departed friend always said, sigh….

That Bracy is a regular Sherlock Holmes. In another week or two he’ll deduce that Louise Trapeze is dead.

…This strip puts the ‘Dick’ in Tracy…

Louise Trapeze is undead! Shoot her again, with a silver bullet this time!

The plot is still twitching a little too … not much, but probably best to shoot it just to make absolutely sure…..

-Cougar :{)

Ok, I am really glad to have all that information recapped for the fourth time. I was in danger of forgetting where we’ve been for the last month.

cyberV—–I agree, hands down…(chuckle) ” Manos, the hands of fate”—-is THE worst movie ever made——the WORST– bar none—…any movie ever made before it or since can use it as the bottom of the comparison scale– “-Plan 9”? it was an oscar nominee by comparison

CONSISTENCY ?

I’m afraid there’s a derth of any semblance of that in modern day Dick Tracy. Too many things seem carelessly done suggesting there is more “rush” in preparing the strip than focus on moving the story along, And readers have been pointing them out.

Recently, the changing body position of Louise Trapeze and the odd absence of Tess and Bonnie now compounded by Teevo’s arrival (invited by Tracy to hear what “happened”) and his mysterious dissapearance just before Ringo’s explanation came out (?)

I’ve noted that yesterday’s Sunday strip (usually a rigid repetition of the previous weeks dailys), only copied up to Thursday. So Lt. Teevo’s first ever exposure outside of HQ AND “Homicides” arrival, were not recorded for Sunday (only) readers.

With some apprehension I’m anticipating that these two items will never appear in the Sunday Pages, depriving the Sunday (only) readers of of an authentic and necessary police proceedure. This will further boost the hillarious impression (to them) that Tracy has God like “Qualities” and is indeed, a ONE man Police Force. Like a One Star Ranger from the old Wild West.

It’s yet another example of crass CARELESSNESS and the blame and responsibility falls squarely on Senior (highly experienced) partner Dick Locher, who is introducing his son John’s Art School mate (Brozman), into the methods of producing the Dick Tracy strip. And as an aside, to what seems shoddy examples and practices. It’s a Teacher who like a Doctor, is STILL “practising” (in the true sense of the word) after ALL these years.

It’s near inconceivable that Locher, having had the unique advantage of working beside Chester Gould hasn’t been privy to “most” of the creator’s techniques and trade secrets. (?)

What we have seen these past 16 years (when he has had more influence) shows he has abandonded most of Gould’s know-how. Did he find a better way ?? I don’t think so ! - the misery of only 50 newspapers carrying the strip SHOUTS a convincing rebutal. The tone of Ninety-nine % of posters on both boards confirm that everyday ! And secretly, the attendant impact on his “wallet”. As HIS new techniques, just like Mr. Bribery, “pick it” away every day !

Changing “appearances” and more of Gould’s brilliant story telling “techniques” than the Lord allows suggests that he has a grandiose impression of, and “vanity” in, his own ability which frankly, is left DEEPLY WANTING, as no one can prove that they have “enhanced” the strip one tiny iota, Thet have been a waste of time ! And those FIFTY newspapers SHOUT at us saying it’s a LIE.

The only excuse on this “experience” thing is that he never bothered to pay too much attention to what Gould taught him, picking up only scraps here and there (?)

Allowing us to feel sorry for him, pity him, as a “challenged” comic strip Artist who has worked some 16 to 20 years on a great strip, laboring with the severe disadvantage of only ONLY one (1) years aquired experience under his belt.!

I realize now that those that “think” the current strip is great, ie - the MP’s, the JK’s and Genious type “alter egos”, all “grew up” reading Dick Locher’s version of Tracy. THAT’S what THEY are “bonded” to. What unknowingly “binds” them is Gould’s GREAT CONCEPT not the “fiddle-sticks” effort on a partially incompetent Inheritor

My personal view is that although the financial reward may be small in relationship to the effort, he GETS more RECOGNITION and ATTENTION by producing TRACY than he has got all his life doing Ediorial Cartoons (Few remember, and less care that he won a Pulitzer Prize),

One indicator. His Editorial Board had 10 comments Dick Tracy 39. A snap-shot in time of a one to four differential.

In addition, the fact that they met him a few times (one even gives Christmas and Birthday presents) lends itself to a tighter bond, a looking the other way, to efforts to twist flaws into strengths (eg. like this story’s misareble pacing being called, “superb” and “brilliantly building suspense”.

Imagine that ! And after two and a half years of trying frantically (but unsuccesfully), to turn “brass into gold”, against a huge tide they have retired from posting. But I reccomend another course in “Energetics”. When they post, they do help to take the rediculous to a humorous level, and loads of FUN !

Permission given, for a few off camera … “SIGHS”, Matty ! (despite disavowals we KNOW it’s -secretly- your first READ every morning !)

Hi Guys, I’m back for this:

http://usacomicstrips.blogspot.com/

This is my italian blog about the Usa comic strip. I have publish today an article about the Dick Tracy strip, Dick Locher, Brozman and the actual storyline. The article is in italian language but there’s the google translation on the blog.

If someone want leave some comment it’s welcome.

Great questioning! Dick likes to cut right to the chase.

I’m quite excited, because I think that the moment of truth gets closer.

Probably everything is going to happend in this little circus tent.

Quite soon the killer is going to show itself and probably he won’t dwell on the stage too long (compare to Lt. Teevo). So let’s hope that DT is quick enough to spot that guy.

An other scenario: The eskimo wearing a parka (presented a week ago August 3) is still there, so watch out DT! The cheek shadow on panel 1 suggests that somebody is watching our hero!

I like that one “86krucar” !

Dick Tracy getting OUT of the Ring as fast as Teevo did !

The problem isn’t OUR Dick spotting the guy, it’s the OTHER Dick distracted, enjoying a Mattie -SIGH- !

More proof of how absurdly slow this plot moves…the ringmaster took the time to go shave off his moustache before today’s strip. And I bet it grows back by tomorrow…

Seriously, these are alarmingly amateurish mistakes…they might be forgivable if the whole product were of better quality. I’m wondering if this strip is in so few papers now, it just doesn’t generate enough income for anyone to spend more than a half hour a day working on it.

NO MUSTACHE ? Keen eye jumbobrain !

And then there is the inevitable question. Does Senior Partner Locher check the strips before “signing” his name to them and forwarding them on to TMS ?

It’s not to say these embarrassing goofs have not happened before. Problem is we get them at about one or more per week.

And the Editors don’t seem to give one Shattering Snowball

The defenders have “vanished” (like Teevo) of the face of the Board

Maybe that was why his moustache was black yesterday. It’s a symptom of some disease – or poisoning! Some poison that makes your moustache turn black, and then the next day it falls off – and then you die! Have you ever heard of a poison like that?

Then again … maybe it’s a false moustache. That would explain why it wasn’t blue like the rest of his hair (where would you buy a blue moustache to match your natural hair color? The false moustache shops don’t have them in blue for some reason). Then he took it off for a minute while he was talking to Tracy, and in a minute he’ll put it back on, in time for tomorrow’s strip. We’re only going about one minute per day….

-Cougar :{)

Well….It’s moving slowly…but at least it;s moving…

I KNOW! It’s time to haul out the Space Coupe and head back to the moon!