Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for September 15, 2009

The second panel is another copy/paste, but the third is a nice graphic. See what the artists can do if they once put their minds to it. Wonder what the pig on wheels is for??

The pig-on-wheels is just another red herring……

Great song yesterday, WW.

Yea! The pig on wheels is back!

I think the pig on wheels is eves-dropping.

Regarding the lack of Matt:

Is it possible he’s been banned?

I hope not.

He’s going to make up names for all of us today!

POLICE SECURITY - CIRCUS - POLICE PROTECTION

8 -27 TRACY: “I’ve called for Police Security – you’re all safe for the time being” as police are seen bristling with heavy SWAT Tean weaponry

Today, you see the Po;ice and tomorrow again. thereafer not one Uniformed Officer in sighted anywhere in the circus. They’ll vanish just as they did in the Magnum Force- Braces story-line ! And, just when they are needed come Friday !

Off course, another “red herring”, wrong turn, at a logic level it doesn’t fit. And I repeat how stupid could the FBI get as to hide Ringo exactly where all the people looking to kill him now work, in a Circus (?)

The next day or two will test Matthew’s mettle in “CREATIVITY” i.e to come up with names for those he believes have offended – (sorry “defamed” him). it’s not ulike naming your Dick Tracy Villains. Good practise session there MPH !

I’m thinking part of Matthew’s plan was to take our focus off the “recurring decimal” errors Locher is falling all over, in this story !

While you busy with that stats sheet - how are you doing on those ‘Ransom’/’ threat’ ‘notes’/’letter’?

Maybe the pig is a trojan pig? It’s on wheels, so it can be brought into the tent. Once inside, assasins pop out of the thing and try to kill the ringmaster. Whoops, blew the plotline, now they have to think of another one.

Thread drama: MPH, I wish the only thing on my plate was whether somebody called me by my right name or by a nickname (which, of all the names they could call you, getting bent out of shape over being called “Mattie” took some doing don’t ya think). Like most here, I have far more serious things to concern me and worrying overmuch about a nickname rates somewhere below worrying about who my ex might be with tonight (she’s my ex, so who cares). Making threats just made you look petty.

mjmsprt40

Yes Tracy, I have the stats: 36-24-26, she was 130 feet above the ground when she was shot. Her terminal velocity was 94mph when she hit the ground, and currently, she is at room temperature. Any other stats you want to hear about?

Re: Fearless

“Yes. Does she have a sister? I haven’t exactly been seeing much of Tess lately…”

Well I don’t think it’s Louise Trapeze . If she is truly dead .

I truly hope Matthew is done. I am just as sick of him as I am this stupid story line that I’m reading. If not for all the GREAT, FUNNY, and CREATIVE comments, there would be nothing good to read. Keep up the good work.

P.S. My name is Matt too, but my second “T” is silent, so we are not one in the same. Have a great day loyal fans!

The pig on wheels is a cannon.

@Michael McMillan: Post of the day!

Mattaden65: I’ve been trying all morning to pronounce your name with the second “T” silent. My tongue has now become completely spavined. It feels like it’s been rode hard and put away wet.

PS For those of you unfamiliar with the condition, “spavined” means “afflicted with a swelling of the hock joint.” I’d advise you all not to try pronouncing Mattaden65’s name.

Gasoline Alley today has a very well-drawn audience that’s not just a bunch of ovals.

And while I’m not crazy about the storylines over there, at least they don’t stutter, repeat, and self-contradict like Dick Tracy does.

Margueritem and Gweedo, thank you. I think the “Pig on Wheels” is a food vendors wagon. He sells “Chittlins on a Stick”, and other pork related products.

OK… so if it’s not a pig on wheels, then why does the cannon have ears? Also, why is the cop in the 3rd panel wearing a child-sized shirt?

You know, when people take the time to pontificate about children reading a “family oriented” strip and site such as this, and then include a last sentence such as above says it all. That just takes away from the story that is supposedly being told.

I hope tomorrow will reveal more to the story. At least DT keeps going even though a slow pace. Since I am not a professional drawer or sometimes typer the drawings are better then what I could do. With all the sweatting Ringo has been doing I wonder how wet his clothes are?

What’s it been, twelve weeks now? The stats have not exactly been delivered stat.

I still think it’s a giant piggy bank where they save all the money from admission, popcorn, etc. It has to have wheels so they can haul it along when they go to a new town.

-Cougar :{)

I suppose it must be the weight of all of us standing on this GIANT of a COMIC STRIP that has caused the story to get squished so very very thin. Shame on us. Matthew is right, we are sad, pathetic hypocrites. boo hoo hooooooooooooo

So what exactly is a “stat sheet?” Did they go and perform the autopsy while Dick has been standing there talking these past two months?

When will this strip get better? When pigs have WINGS, not WHEELS.

Comic Fandom for pointless zombie strips ended long ago. There are plenty of well-written and well-drawn strips out there. The number is obviously decreasing.

What is holding the potential of this strip back? Tracy in panel 3 looks very good, maybe the best Brozman depiction yet. Then there is a sketched in policeman with varying levels of abstraction in same frame that ruins the clarity.

Matthew Hansel (as he prefers to be addressed) said:

“Liam:

I have flagged MULTIPLE posts over the past several days, all of which were CLEARLY written to incite dramatics on this board, and you and GoComics have FAILED to do anything about the same.

I find this sad and pathetic, especially since one particularly pathetic mouthbreather, who is scraping the absolute bottom of the creative barrel, has taken to PROMOTING A WEBSITE DESIGNED TO MOCK AND HUMILIATE THE DICK TRACY COMIC STRIP…the very GIANT whose shoulders both YOU and GoComics stand on…that is such despicable and reprehensible behavior that I cannot adequately put into words how sick it makes me. And yet, GoComics and YOU, LIAM, stand idly by and do NOTHING.

Sad, sick and pathetic.

Comics fandom is dead, and people and organizations like GoComics and people like Liam and each and every one of you have killed it. I hope you are all happy as you continue to bleeep on the corpse of the industry and this strip.

MPH”

You seem to hold the rest of the board to higher standards than yourself, MPH (I hope you don’t mind me calling you THAT for the sake of shorthand, as you call yourself the same). You declare posts inappropriate and ‘written to incite dramatics’, while you call one of the posters a mouthbreather and call Liam himself ‘sad, sick and pathetic’. Putting aside the question of whether Dick Tracy is a ‘giant that both [Liam] and Gocomics stand(s) on’, parody is an act of art and an expression of free speech. And you’re spitting on it. You also seem to think that every single post that is flagged will be removed, which obviously isn’t true as many of your posts that I have flagged as inappropriate continue to stand. Perhaps the admins disagree with our use of flagging, or wait to hear multiple complaints before a deletion. It’s not really my concern.

The fact is, I’m not sure if I should even post this, because I suspect you may, in fact, be a troll. I’ll monitor the situation closely and see if the evidence continues to mount, in which case I’ll stop feeding you attention and urge others to do the same. If you are not a troll, you suffer from the somewhat more sympathetic ailments of being generally unlikeable and taking things far too seriously. Please stop complaining. If you don’t enjoy the comments, just enjoy the strip. I personally enjoy the comments more than the strip, and you have hampered my enjoyment enough by contributing to the departure of Grok.

avatarjk137, or Justin Kane if you’d prefer real names.

i suppose this a nice , safe arena for folks from different sides to rationally agree to disagree with each other in search for common ground although it is becoming a ‘tea party town hall meeting’ at times. At least, in this venue, the folks who engage with each other cannot be shouted down or intimidated; each will have their censored say. Anyway, I can’t help but think that some folks just like to stir up poopie…..and see what comes to the top

I sense a brilliant twist in the story coming within the next months.

Can’t help but observe…the “poopie” that is always floating atop this page is the Dick Tracy comic strip.

And yeah, Nighthawks, pretty much everybody here (save St. Matthew) rip the strip apart daily, aside from the occasional pat on the head when a panel is well drawn. Or, we all pick on St. Matt just because, well, it’s fun because he gets soooo worked up about everything.

But it’s not that we’re malcontents…many of us comment positively about other comic strips. It’s just that Dick Tracy has become so god-awful. It’s a pale shadow of what it was even a few years ago, and it gets worse and worse.

Matthew Hansel said, “I am NO TROLL…all of you are TROLLING here…” (direct quote, per Matthew’s wishes) ———————– I’ve known people like that.

“I’M not wrong, ALL the REST of you are!!!”

Sigh…

QUESTIONS for MATTHEW ???

1) Dont you realize Liam isn’t taking you on ? And for good reason. To be noticed you need to rise to a higher level of belligerence, and right now you’re pressing the edge of the envelope. Watch it.

2) How do you know the poster is a “mouth breather” ? Do you know him (?) or are you just insulting him because you don’t like what he says ?

3) As you continue to “open up”, it seems clear your objective is to “shut up” any dissent on the board on Locher’s shoddy Dick Tracy work ? Democracy at work ? Not allowed to have a differing (majority) opinion ? Is saving Locher more important than “saving” the strip ?

4) Who is “mocking” and “humilating” Chester Gould’s great strip ? Look inward. Could it be the Author who in this story again proves he is a “serial” manufacturer of laughable story lines. More appropriate words might be “hang-your-head in shame - disgracefull ! Posters are only reporters, “commenting” truthfully. While you Matthew know Locher and DO NOTHING, not man enough (?) to tell HIM (the cradle of the current “rot”) — AS it is. But rather assail him and this board with hyperbole

Comic freedom is dead ? No ! It’s very much alive as is free speech and opinion. In the meantime, do you spend every waking hour thinking how to KILL comment that differs from yours ?

Try to find POSITIVE things to post on the work. Circus named after Jean Gould O’Connell. Small but a useful start. Cant you find anything further ?

Finally, it seems they “bleeped” that inappropriate word and the lesson is, don’t relieve yourself into the board’s wind, Carefull too about “mouth breathing” in those conditions. Some people call it Dick Tracy “yellow” !

What puzzles me is why you don’t take your OWN advice, You call it a MATURE” act, to stop reading the strip. Why not STOP reading the “comments” if you don;t LIKE them as you boasted you had done some months go ? (and Jeff reported here).

I know you are a “mature” young man ! (?)

It’s clear your agenda is to DEFEND Locher above all else ! (?) Most here want to PROTECT the integrity and continuity OF the Dick Tracy comic strip and the freedom to continue expressing their opinions.

Gee, I remember when the Comments section involved COMMENTS ON THE STRIP, not egomaniacal back and forth rants about who’s bigger. Try blogging

To be fair to Jim Brozman, he apparently still has a day job, managing a comics shop in the Chicagoland area: http://www.grahamcrackers.com/dgstore.htm . It seems likely that, with this strip now appearing in so few papers, drawing it just does not pay very well.

According to Wikipedia, Max Collins was sacked as the writer and replaced by Mike Killian at half the salary. When Killian died, TMS presumably opted to further the savings by having Locher write as well as draw. And the result of those cost saving moves is, according to another poster here, that the strip has gone from 350 newspapers to 50.

Which would appear to prove the maxim that you have to spend money to make money. The result of cutting the overhead on producing this strip has been a drastic reduction in the income the strip generates.

Right now, it seems pretty near the end for Dick Tracy…I don’t know what the break-even point is, but they’ve got to be close. Newspapers are loathe to drop even a bad strip, and it’s harder than that for a strip to get picked up. Dick Tracy still has enough name recognition that papers might be willing to risk it IF there were a clear commitment to producing a dynamic, exciting strip.

This is all pretty straightforward logic. I have no idea why TMS is letting this downward spiral continue…I can only assume that someone from there, or Brozman, or Locher is reading these comments (they’re fools if they aren’t, frankly, you can’t produce popular entertainment in a bubble). If so, there are a lot of people here who would love to hear the rationale behind this approach.

Matt, the truth is this strip is lousy. You don’t need FIRST HAND PRIMARY sources to know that, you just have to read it. It’s lousy. When did Gould or Collins ever have a story that let Dick stand in the same place talking for two months, just to cite the most recent example of its lousiness?

It’s losing subscribing newspapers, and there is a point at which it will no longer be profitable to produce, and it will be cancelled.

There’s no cosmic force which says that situation cannot be reversed. Prince Valiant was in similar straits at the end of John Cullen Murphy’s tenure…his work was frankly tired and lacked passion. He needed to retire. When he did, King Features brought in a fresh team of award-winning cartoonists whose passion for the characters and story are clear. It’s a good strip again (and has been collected in book form, whereas the only Dick Tracy strips receiving that attention now are from years and years ago).

Locher’s had a good run. But it’s time to break with the past and put this strip in fresh hands, that can reconnect it with the qualities that made it an icon of American pop culture. Most people don’t even know this strip is still in print.

I know you like Locher and I’m sure he’s a great guy. But it’s a fact that Dick Tracy will not be around for a whole lot longer if the strip is allowed to continue as it has been.

…and, um, Matt, though I know jousting with you is kinda pointless, I couldn’t help but notice that when Sydney asked you what you like about the strip. You said:

Locher’s artwork…except that he doesn’t draw the strip any more and you don’t like Brozman’s work as much. The villains, though you say they aren’t as good as Gould’s villains. Locher’s coloring, except Locher doesn’t color the strip any more and you don’t like the current coloring.

…and, you don’t like the lettering.

You are arguably the biggest/only fan of Dick Tracy as it is currently being done, and that’s the best you can say about it? ‘nuff said.

“…if you are going to quote my postings—DIRECTLY QUOTE MY POSTINGS, do… edit them in any way.”

OK, Mr. MPH, will do!

I have see only now this debate. My opinion about the strip is, and I have repeat that every day: we need a new creative team.

For Matthew: I understand you love the Dick Tracy strip. Me too. But the situation is tragic. No plot, no suspence, no great villains. Dick Tracy is no more a great character, this it’s the truth.

I think Brozman it’s improved, and now it’s a good artist. But Locher it’s every day the same. It’s the most useless writer I have seen in my entire life. It’s sad, but it’s the truth.

Carlo, I totally agree…a few months ago I didn’t even know Dick Tracy was still running, and since rediscovering it on this site I’ve become an evangelist for saying it needs fresh creative hands on it.

Brozman’s work is adequate, though it’s not that distinguishable from Locher’s…whereas both Locher and Rick Fletcher set their own strong visual style for the strip when they inherited it.

But I agree, the core problem here is the writing, or lack thereof. Under Gould or Collins, all the exposition that’s happened in the last two months would have been covered in two weeks. And it would have amounted to something, whereas I’d bet money that this narrative is gong to end with some inexplicable plot device like thermal imaging playing cards or hypersonic dog whistles or little robots coming out of big robots.

What’s so funny about a dead duck anyway?

I’ve given Locher more deserved praise (earned) than Matt an Jeff and his alter ego combined. Contrary to Matt’s assertion Locher’s strength in Tracy has been Villain “design” - when he puts his mind and attention to it. Having a second art job and doing sculpture hasn’t helped his focus, resulting in many designs he should be ashamed of.

But the following can stand alongside Gould’s best –

Dab Stract (original 1975 version) - He’s appeared 6 times Stamp Thief (1996) Smirk (2001) Snails (2001) Beau Tox (2003) Total 5 truly greats.!

Then the following are worthy - No Face (1973) - three appearances. Pig E.Bank (1974) also appeared 6 times. Heartless Mahoney (1995) appeared twice Smokes (1995) Nutsy (1997) appeared twice Slugs Magnum (1999) Red Hawk and Tweety (2000) appeared twice Cyi Scotic and Scratchy (2005) Cellphone and Mr,Pixel (2006)

Then seven to ten others that I’d give a “pass”. mark

Sadly others were so poor it was easy to see no “thought” had been put into it – he just went through the motions.

Two non villains were of “top class” design, Amy Lovelaw (1975) and Lottie Latte/ (2006) The latter probably will be Locher’s last really good “creation”

I see the current tale with no known villain as a “creative holiday” taken by Dick Locher. Just hide it behind a Clown’s mask.

There is more positive acknowledgement articulated there than the “supporters” have ever put up in the two and a half years they have been on both boards,

I’ll adress the point about TMS restrictions by saying the solution is in “know how”. Kilian and Locher NEVER had it. Max Collins, just as much a victim of restrictions did a really good job !

I didn’t read Tracy between 1993 or so and this past year, so I’m unfamiliar with those characters, Syd. Some sound cool.

But great villains were just part of the formula, there were the dastardly schemes and inescapable death traps and clever gadgets and Old Testament justice too!

I’ve read that Franklin Roosevelt would sometimes call Chester Gould to ask how Tracy was going to get out of a predicament. I suppose the modern parallel is that getting progress in this story is proving more intractable than passing health care reform.

Sydney, I think I might have hit on the situation. Whatever place that he occupies, no one talks to him. That is pretty much self-explanatory and understandable. This site is the only place left where he gets interaction - and he thrives on it! Notice the pendulum swing. Hi………, Low………, Hi………. etc. Needs meds, and quick!

You’re quite right Jumbo. Design is only a part of it. but Locher did that well ! His main SKILL in Tracy.. Hope the next man in, will have that flair. It’s important in Dick Tracy.

As a writer he’s very poor as Carlo notes, And he should move on and OUT quickly. His contract runs to end 2010. But better to go now.

morrow, I think we have a young man yearning for a little respect and attention. As I said you don’t get it by abusing people and lapsing into profanity,

If Locher were still in the Air Force he might have recruited Mattie. He would be loyal and if need be make a useful suicide pilot.

BANZAI ! for Dicky and all that !

You have to wonder if he’s aquired an “original art” strip. Hope it’s not flawed with a paste-up panel. (?)

Yes, ignoring Matthew would seem to be the best approach. I took the bait and paid the price.

But I will proudly continue to trash this strip every time it is lousy (in other words, daily). Whatever “politically correct restrictions” TMS is placing on it don’t seem to be impacting their other comic properties, and I don’t think there is some executive there saying “make the strip as boring as possible so we can keep losing papers”…or maybe there is. That would explain a lot.

Matthew I think there were some great characters after 1947 just to name a few : Mrs Volts, Heals Beals , Acres O’Reilly, Big Frost, Sleet , Pearshape, Sketch Paree, Wormy , Blowtop, T.V. Wiggles, Dr. Plain, Empty, (and one of the very best ) Crewy Lou, Joe Period and Flattop Jnr and many more. I couldn’t wait for the paper each day and then to get the full story as well in the monthly comic reprint .

“I have outline, time and time again, most recently for Sydney, the conditions underwhich the strip is being produced, and yet NOBODY seems to want to acknowledge this. I have FIRST HAND information, PRIMARY sources, and yet because it SHATTERS all of your preconceived notions about the strip, you all refuse to hear the truth.”

I don’t think that anybody doubts what you’re saying about the TMS restrictions. But, of the restrictions that you’ve outlined, tell me…

1) Which of these restrictions would either cause or require that Locher come up with totally nonsensical story lines?

2) Which of these restrictions would either cause or require that Locher introduce a story element, as if it really meant something, only to completely forget about it the next day?

3) In the current story, which of these restrictions have either caused or required that Locher bring Teevo in to help with the investigation, only to completely forget about him the next day?

4) Which of these restrictions would either cause or require that Locher to be so inconsistent with story details? (For example, when “Magnum Force” suddenly became “Brute Force”.)

5) Which of these restrictions would either cause or require that Locher make Tracy look like a total fool, instead of having him engage in real police work?

As I said, I don’t doubt your word about the TMS restrictions. But, for the life of me, I just can’t see how these restrictions are the root cause of why the Dick Tracy comic strip has degenerated as it has.

I just read that Warren Beatty and TMS are presently duking it out in court over who has the film rights to Dick Tracy…Beatty wants to make a sequel to his (not bad) 1990 film, and TMS wants to turn it into a tv series. If this case gets resolved it might kick-start interest in the strip…which would be great, assuming there’s a good creative team on the strip by then.

Mattie, Seems you are distorting the facts to suit your points.

1) Collins wasn’t fired for breaking restrictions (the strip had to pass through the Editors first - (as you know) His contract was not “renewed, following a number of hard words with a specific Editor.

2) Another reality “twist”. Collins and Fletcher had assistants too. Locher could have, but frittered away newspaper circulation (including the big NY Daily News) and with it the financial ability to pay them. All because of his and Kilian’s outlandish, amateurish changes, including “new” Junior and dropping the hat. The losses were HIS and Kilian;s. After loseing 86% of their inherited papers (and income) he couldn’t afford to pay squat !

You “reap” what you sow ! It’s true every time !

I’ll give credit where due, he did color the Sunday pages very well

Bassman, thanks for the link. I’ve got to say that Dick Tracy Museum Web site is very well designed.

Matthew, are you talking about me?

Blogspot is not, in fact, “A WEBSITE DESIGNED TO MOCK AND HUMILIATE THE DICK TRACY COMIC STRIP.”

Blogspot is a site designed to host people’s blogs.

Presumably you were referring to my blog, which is one of the many that is hosted on that site:

http://kraptastrophe.blogspot.com/

Have a look, and you will see, at the time of this writing, that fully half of the posts on my blog have absolutely nothing to do with Dick Tracy. Yes, I’ve used the blog to conveniently consolidate all my DT parodies and alterations in one place, but I have much bigger fish to fry.

My blog’s purpose is to excoriate the willfully stupid wherever I find them, and the Internet, and the world in general, are target-rich environments. Keep reading Matthew, and you will see that my capacity for blind rage eclipses yours.

To those who’ve leapt to my defense, I thank you kindly. Mr. Hansel is right about one thing, though:

I have, in times past, been an habitual mouth-breather. I was born with a deviated septum, and suffered from allergies through all of my childhood and early adult years. Hence it was just a lot easier to breathe through my mouth than my nose.

When I was employed as a Chrysler-Plymouth salesman, however, my boss broke me of the habit. He pulled me aside one day and said, “You know what? You’d look like a whole nother person if you didn’t walk around with your mouth hanging open.”

Matthew Hansel, you still haven’t responded to the questions I asked you in the comments here on Sept. 11 (second page).

-Cougar :{)

Why is there so much infighting in what should be a simple fan club for Dick Tracy comics? ” Can’t we all get along?”

Cougar, do check that blog of mine. You are directly quoted in it.

Flight Suit, I posted a comment in your excellent blog yesterday. Bookmarked it too. :>

-Cougar :{)

BTW, what are “thermal imaging cards”?

Please stop feeding the troll.

“Sing a song ‘a vic’try, A pocketful ‘a bullets, Five an’ twenty dead men Baked in a–pie.”