Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for August 05, 2012

Great detail! Still keeping him weak.

Infantile paralysis is pretty much non existent in the US today. That should be Tracy’s first clue, next to the Teddy Bear greeting.

Tracy is good at picking up the clues.

What were the years that Lt. Pape served? I’m not at all familiar with him.

I’ll try this one more time (If you didn’t notice, okay…If you didn’t care, okay, too:

I must confess that, as much as I love this strip (and I’ve been reading it since the early sixties), I kind of lost track of it during the Max Allan Collins era (maybe around the time of the 1st appearance of Putty Puss), which I think is about the same time that it was dropped from the Detroit Free Press comics pages. There was no internet & I didn’t think to get a subscription to the Chicago Tribune, so I was Tracyless. But when I heard that this current team would be taking over the helm, I did indeed make an effort to find this strip on GoComics, and I enjoy it to this day.That being said, I want to say that I have diligently read each readers’ comment over the past year+, and I find myself compelled to say something about Dick Locher.Being curious (brought about by so many comments made about the gentleman’s tenure), I decided to use some of my spare time to read as much of his work as history would allow (10 years –or- more).Now, I will freely admit that some stories did seem to drag on, and while most Sunday strips seemed to be a re-cap of the week, Monday strips seemed sometimes to be a re-cap of Sunday.But, for all those years that this gentleman had control of the Dick Tracy comic strip, he never gave up. He kept it running with his own interpretation. He obviously had a love of the character. As I understand it, the gentleman went through his own real & personal losses. But, he never gave up on Tracy.My point is this: What if he HAD quit, just let this strip go & there was no one waiting in the wings at that time to take over. What are the odds that someone would have RE-STARTED Dick Tracy after an absence of a few years . I don’t think it could have been done. But the fact that this gentleman kept going, kept the concept alive until Mike & Joe were ready to take the reins should be applauded.So I say, Thank You, Mr. Locher, for you dedication, and for all you did that allows us to read this great strip today.

Stlletta seems to have a pretty good handle on how to smirk in a smirkulous manner.

Thank You, Tarry!

Have an happy Sunday you all!Really, that ‘infantile paralysis scare’ is the lamest excuse I’ve heard! Tracy, wise up!

This strip just gets better and better!!!!!!!!!!!

Tracy is beginning to pick up on clues, but in his blood-deprived weakened condition, will he be able to do anything effectively?…………………………………………………………..Capt. Frank Pape, Chicago Tribune obituary.

Never had the Free Press, only the Det. News back in the middle 30’s . Started reading Tracy about 2 or more years ago. Mutt & Jeff was a favorite then & again now.

Cute card!

A card from his wife? Really? Come on now… Well, they are criminals. Glad they made the mistake so Tracy can have a clue.

The card should have referred to Tracy as “my sweet Babboo” to allay suspicion. ;-)

Though the hospital room is convincing, the rest of their setup isn’t. Will Tracy only see one or two orderlies? I think he’d get suspicious of that as well very quickly. The card is an obvious stumble. Why risk using a petname? Also, I doubt that they went to the trouble of researching Tess’ handwriting.

Good morning all…

If Locher was the “keeper” of Tracy, he kept Tracy just about the same as Stiletta is keeping him now! Fortunately, Tracy shed his wussy personae and rejoined the MCU again! I would have rather seen Mattie take over instead of watching Tracy run and hide from his pursuers, do Power Leaps, see the same view of an old house for months on end, and spend as many months with Dr. Mordred.

Glad Tracy’s a detective… I’m surrounded by people in my life — my own parents for one — whom I could jump up and down in front of while screaming “Get the cops! Get the cops!” and they’d just think I was being weird for some reason.

Even weak, tracy can tell theres something wrong. now if only sam is half the detective that tracy is….. and out of curiousity.. exactly WHO is the guy featured in the “tracys hall of fame” today? youd think that to make it into a “hall fo fame” (even if its just one that jim creates on his own) the person would have to be at LEAST well known. to be honest, i have never heard of ANYONE that he has decided deserves a HOF nod.

Morning VB and all. So I know this was probably pointed out long ago, but doesn’t Stiletta’s fashion remind you of a fencing outfit, with the heart emblem?

Agree with Morrow. During the last of the Locher years, when I came aboard, I read every day because it was so bad, I wanted to see how he would have the story not progress today. That and the hilarious, snarky comments kept me tuned in. The new team is terrific and I look forward to reading it everyday. As one not so steeped in the past lore of Tracy, some stories with totally new adversaries, without characters from the past always popping up, might be in order.

In this story, even the dumb crooks can’t think that card could fool Tracy. Tracy might want to make a phone call pretty soon and wonder why he can’t. This has to come to a head pretty soon.

@stevelecher

Since the new team of Joe Staton and Mike Curtis started on Dick Tracy, the crooks are getting more dumber (and dumber) and team Tracy more smarter.

Since the new team took over this strip, it has been unclear what time period it is set in. Some things are updated, like the wrist radio, TV, internet. Others seem stuck in the past, like Sam’s smoking. The reference to infantile paralysis would indicate it is taking place in an earlier time. Not only is the disease, polio, rare in the U.S., the name “infantile paralysis” is even more dated.

I think Stiletta is slowly and intentionally letting him think he’s been kidanpped, keeping him weak so he can’t make a getaway, and lay wondering who has taken him. Much like Mrs. Pruneface did.

To MarveeI’ve ceased to wonder about the timing of the strip.. However, incongruous statements can be a way of hinting to Tracy he is being detained, whilst preventing him to do something about it by weakening hi,.

Frank Pape was Conan O’Brien’s Papa Frank..Here Still-let-ya Vampire Hunter looks an AWFUL lot like Secret Squirrel Mole side kick, Morco Mole..>>>>>>Secret Squirrel is the famous trench coat wearing Detective otherwise known as Agent 000.Secret Squirrel and his companion Morocco Mole. (here seen as Still-let-ya Vampire Hunter), fight crime with GUNS AND GADGETS and a dizzying array of devices concealed under his fedora, (which he almost NEVER removes). Sounds Familiar, huh. <<<<<<<. Or this could be another relative like Scirocco Mole. It’s Great to see her again since her last appearance on a Two Stupid Dogs story. She even has that stupid look on her face..And the weakly drawn Dick Tracy doesn’t recognize that his orderly here today is the ‘real teddy bear.’.This Dis-Orderly Orderly could only be Jaunty Samie Jawles. His plan…to help bring back POPS-FLATTOP and Still-let-ya Vampire Hunter’s dearest Brother back from the grave. In order to achieve her demonic conversions Flattop, Flattop Junior and let’s not forget the now Famous Flattop Grill, (again Today’s lunch special includes a free drink with the purchase of a Stir-Fry Special and a mention of this AD), she’ll have to save every drop of the iconic DT’s Blood to create a Super Jabba the Hut suckling hybrid. See yesterday’s installment of gocomics, LIO. The LIO comic strip shows us that the new creature (very Jabba the Hut-like) will be sporting two small horns——-to match those little SPOOKY grave markers that our Villainous Masters of Ceremony Still-let-ya wears in her thorny crown..But how will she achieve her goals???.What will happen to Dick? He’s so weak..Why does Jabba eat so much?.And has Lieutenant Teevo been fully disgested?.Is that a SHERIFF TEDDY BEAR?!?.Man, Does She Ever Look Like Morocco Mole !!!

Yes.

Ugh-the artwork on the orderly is amateurish.This needs 2b up-graded!!