Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for June 27, 2009

WAKE UP, CHARLIE! Yes Tracy, you are in deep doo-doo.

What, the lucky rabbits foot didn’t work?

Spacy has the advantage- he can just arrest people who prove to be inconvenient. His word against theirs.

And how can he signal the guy who is singlehandedly surrounding the casino?

In a situation like this, wouldn’t a hands free set be ideal?

In a situation like this a suitcase nuke would be even better. (Yea I know it’s “overkill” but it works)

Well, it looks like “margueritem” has AWAKEND this board to the perils that are clearly facing our hero.

But let’s focus on TECHNOLOGY. Today’s strip calls for it !

Years ago Chester Gould introduced what today, might be called THE WRIST “TWITTER”. It was available even to Uniformed Officers.

But how has Dick Locher ENHANCED Gould’s brilliant VISION ? We see it displayed TODAY …

Panel 1 “Yes BIG trouble ! Antiquated communications technology in the hands of Uniformed Officers. Are Naperville’s finest not “important” enough to use the Wrist ‘TWITTER’ ?”

Panel 2 “More, BIG trouble ! Chief Lizz “Adam’s-apple” Grove (aka Buzz) with fading femininity uses “relic” like technology, but it masks that new bulge in her neck. The upgraded Wrist ‘TWITTER’(with Taser power) was launched in 1996, Lizz has never WORN it, far less USED it (neither has Sam).

Panel 3 “The TEXT sends the “message” Now, is that a telephone card in your hand ? Yes ! Tracy has a Wrist “TWITTER”, but uses it as often as he uses his “Appendix” (and, occasionally as a Radio to call in Back Up) !

NOW, thanks to Dick Locher we have a strip awash with “cutting edge” technology. Naperville Police stand alone, The ENVY of the rest of America ! (?)

Examples : A) Robots that can’t negotiate HQ doors or steps B) Cellphones that don’t fall in Pools or in Toilets C) Creation of “winning” regulars like Lt. Teevo (WOW !) D) Writers that KILL more good characters (created by Gould) in 3 years than Dick Tracy managed to kill in bad guys, in all of 20 years !

Readers simply can’t believe they are so fortunate – VIVA LOCHER !

Why is the cop in the first panel speaking into a banana?

Looks like Liz(z) has been demoted to the rank of Captain (note the bars on her collar.) Can’t wait for Bassmanbob’s take on the strip today. I imagine the odor emitting from Tracy’s britches are quite strong by now. Tracy’s keeping one eye on the door, looking for the King of Clubs to come checking on his money!

Leslie Nielsen. Panel one.

The way the money count has been going KOC won’t miss his 5 bucks.

What was Tracy’s plan? Surely just out-drawing Ace, a 50-50 bet, wasn’t critical to the plan?!? What would be different if Tracy had out-drawn Ace?

a. He out-draws Ace. b. Ace can’t stand to lose, so he pulls a gun. c. The backup comes in and arrests Ace for pulling a gun. d. Ace gets a $50 fine. Now that Ace has out-drawn Tracy, the plan is kaput? The backup goes home? King of Clubs loses a bundle?

I wonder if we’ll ever learn what the plan was supposed to have been. I’m really curious.

Suddenly, Penn & Teller, burst in, Teller wielding a dagger given to him by the Sultan of Fury while on a safari in the late 70s….in a quick downstroke, Teller drives the dagger through Tray-C’s hand…

Tray-C raises his hand, screaming in agony, as the dagger also pierces the card….the Ace of Spades….

Then Penn smugly asks, “Is that your card?”

So what the heck happened to ye olde two-way wrist radio, wrist tv, or wrist mobile crime lab? The police are using cell-phones now?

While I’m glad the strip is still going strong, I miss some of the Diet Smith donations to the force that I’d been seeing since the sixties. I wish more papers carried it.

Hey, whatever happened to Pat Patton?

Like the writers, I’ll be taking a nap for the next few weeks, Someone please call me when this is (ever) over.

Dick ‘em Tracy

Who remembers. I believe Lizz was married to a police officer named Groovy Grove. Was he killed off or did they divorce and when? Thanks.

Tracy loses. When it is time to pay up, he says he remembers he left the other $750G in his other pants. Gotta go fellas, be back soon.

Shstrng, good question! Good memory, too! Pat is home showering, having gotten his haircut in preparation for his retirement party. Everyone is eagerly awaiting the announcement from Locher, but somehow, it hasn’t happened. Maybe tomorrow! (Not!)

Ludwig and I bought him a nice 75-year service award, but maybe his replacement had something to do with it not coming off. I think Locher likes Liz(z) better than Pat.

RayC, You will of course see what happens in a few days

If I understand your reasoning, you’re questioning the viability of what Tracy is doing (Obviously the Writer can make anything happen – and does). In simpler words, without knowing the man or anything about him or how he will react. Tracy’s just “arriving”, fingers crossed to see what happens. But he has a “Matrix Pack” of Cards, which plays a part. How on earth he got it we will never know. He ordered it, but no one deliverd it !

Events can often turn on a dime but action taken by characters like Tracy ought to appear considered and responsible. This ranks not far off an Edward Nuremoh jumping off a cliff.

I’m sorry, the whole sequence with Big Ace seems unrealistic and fraught with multiple assumptions. The ongoing contradictions leave a huge credability GAP and raises the question on how seriously we should continue to take the current Author.

In some quarters this is thought of as “excellent” writing.

morrow says : “I think Locher likes Liz(z) better than Pat”

I thought so too for a while, but then why make her look so “butchy” with shades of an adam’sapple ?

436rge,

Lizz was indeed married to the unfortunate (on several levels) Groovy. They married when he was literally on his deathbed, so she’s now a widow.

Hooray for police pensions! I’d wonder if Lizz could support me in the style I’d like to become accustomed to, but she’s a little too butch for my taste.

And, like many others, I truly only read the strip these days for the hilariously snarky reader commentary. The plots are daffy, the dialogue weird at best, and the art is dreadful on the most basic level, including a complete lack of understanding of basic perspective. Has anyone working on this strip ever heard of a vanishing point? Egad!

I used to love Tracy as a kid in the 60’s and early 70’s, but it’s not even coherent these days. Sad.

I loved reading Dick Tracy by Chester Gould when I was a kid. It really moves at a snail’s pace now and the stories are quite boring. What happened to the other character’s like Junior and Sam? Maybe Dick Locher should go back and read the old strips over to get a better feel for what Dick Tracy could be.

Why is it that 99% of the NEW names that I see posting on the board complain about the quality of the stories and the art ? With “DLisdelicious” apparently gone, perhaps the other 1% will show up later this year.

Would Mattie like to come back from his Sabatical for a “one shot”, and answer the above ? He’s well informed ! No opinion, just “fact” ;-) And he brings the board alive.

I think there is a wicked streak in me !

Thank you Radams. I was able to retrieve an old chronology by boboscar the toon tooter from Nov.2007 and he said Groovy died after a bedside wedding back in March 1984.. Our Lizz is indeed a widow and now perhaps lesbian.

mattie, we hardly knew ye!

Liz(z) has a little bit of stubble on her chin as well.

Chin ? Think of the chest !

That the outcome when you crop” hair” and flatten seductive parts of the body.

TMS… Help ! Help !

Judy, It must be an Artist, someone who he can admire. Could it be Dab Stract ?

Grokenstein: You could be right. Dick may start shedding tears, and the salty liquid could set off a reaction with the print ink on the card and make it appear to be an Ace of Spades! Gasp!

Officer Leslie Nielsen in panel one is the same rank as Chief Liz(z). They both have captain bars. …and stop calling me Shirley.

Nighthawks, you’ll get to know him. That, I’ll promise you!

I love Liz’s knife-point nails!!!!