Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for January 23, 2010

Virgil’s got a whole crime organization whose members have names that are music puns, and he masterminds capers involving musical instruments.

And there’s no security so speak of.

Wow.

No security where, exactly?

Has he snuck into Maestro’s home or office, where his violin just happens to be sitting on a chair? And he’s going to switch it for the stolen Strad? Won’t Maestro, or whoever plays it, notice that the garden-variety violin he was expecting to be playing has now been mysteriously replaced with the missing, priceless one?

The maestro’s arms are frozen in that position. He will never play again.

It’s the old arms-out-to-the-side pose again…. Flight Suit, you’re making too much sense. Now just settle down.

“There’s no security”. That’s what the Salahi’s said at the White House also.

We can’t be at the embassy yet, ‘cause Maestro’s only just now agreeing to do the gig. So the violin switcheroo has to be taking place somewhere within Maestro’s domain, yes?

Maestro’s right arm is half as long as his left arm. I doubt that he could hold and play his instrument with this affliction!

Don’t tell me, let me guess. The device is triggered by sound, and scraping the bow across the “E” string—- well, you wouldn’t want to do that.

The switch is obviously taking place at the Concert Hall where the ordinary “back up” violin is kept.

When the totality of Virgil’s plan with the Stradivarious Violin is eventually revealed you’ll be experiencing the biggest “STRETCH” in comic strip history. One to seriously strain the credibility of readers.

We’ll also see that Locher has intentionally misled his readers with talk of a Stradivarious violin, electrified to enhance the sound.

We’ll also see, an OH, SO stupid plan that doesn’t require a $2 million outlay and one WHOLLY dependent on a round-about series of IMPROBABLE (uncertain events) occuring sequentially to make the objective come to fruition.

To start with I wasn’t aware that Ambassadors were now stationed in Naperville, instead of Washington ? And Locher should have learnt from personal experience that there are less convoluted ways to kill little “rubber duckies”

This story at best, is like a racing car moving incrementally forward with “holes” in four flat tires, and a loud Harmonic horn to attract attention. .

which will explode first…. the violin or the guy when he sees/hears his kid doing rock music…..

Sydney, I have to compliment you. You are using your foreknowledge with great skill. You’ve generated far more suspense than ever occurred in the strip itself, but haven’t really revealed much. But stop right there!!

Is Naperville a suburb of Washington DC? That would explain the embassy’s location. There wouldn’t be a symphony orchestra with a violinist who owned a Stradivarius in, say, Naperville, Wyoming, would there?

I can’t figure out why someone would lay out $2 Million to do this. Why switch it out again? And Michael, is the E string kind of like the G string?

What happened to Virgil’s lips? They were so big and obvious and now…they’re GONE!

Yes! People can suddenly change their minds, and the text from the Maestro in panel three will attract attention in this respect.

But I can’t help but notice another “unusual” item there (art), that may attract the attention of certain garrulous readers.

Where? Was it in the Movie - “The Thief of Bagdad”? How did he phrase it holding the bottle on the beach? - “Open Sesame” ? Or was that from another movie?

RayC,

I’m not sure exactly what the question is in your second paragraph. But while I have no way of knowing, I doubt that Washington DC has a suberb by that name.

But, I do know that there is a suberb by that name outside Chicago, in fact, where Locher lives and that Dick Tracy’s house as seen occasionally in the strip is patterened after the Locher home.

I’ve also been told that the 2 Story Police HQ we have been seeing over the last several years is a “replica” of the one in the same Naperville area. Long gone is the multi-story, city hi-rIse HQ of the past.

A sculpture of Dick Tracy designd by Locher was installed alonside a river in Naperville last October. It had originally been intended for Woodstock IL - but the City elders apparently changed their minds.

Of the 500 or so surviving Strads, my “assumption” would be that it’s possible for an owner to live almost anywhere in the world with his treasure

Has anyone noticed that Virgil Ohso and Phil Harmonic seem to wear similar clothing ? Note identical ruffles on sleeves above the hands and around the neck.

Not that it really matters, it just reflects a little carelessness.

This is all too much for my old brain to comprehend. Glad I have you yougsters to explain the strip to me. Can’t wait until Crimestopper’s Notebook tomorrow.

In the second paragraph, I was suggesting that while the embassy wouldn’t be in a small town, if the small town were a suburb of Washington DC, where I think most embassies are located, then this would make some sense. But it’s a tiny discrepancy in the larger scream of things. ;-)

Sydney Phillips said, “Has anyone noticed that Virgil Ohso and Phil Harmonic seem to wear similar clothing ? Note identical ruffles on sleeves above the hands and around the neck.”

Yes. They both shop at the Salvation Army Thrift Store. Of course, the sleeves on Phil Harmonic’s jacket need to be altered after he purchases it.

Yesterday… Flunky: “Maestro, you must attend the embassy reception!” Maestro: “You’ll have to drag me there!”

Today… Maestro: “The embassy party would take my mind off that rotten kid of mine. Count me in.”

Just a bit bipolar, are we?

sydney: Ali Baba and the 40 thieves

How about getting my comics I now have paid for on the screen so I can QUICKLY read them. I have work????

Joe-Allen “Joe” Doty said, “There might be a device in the violin which will send a signal to set off a bomb in an amplifier.”

I wonder why it was necessary to use a Stradivarius for this. Couldn’t Virgil Ohso have purchased a less expensive violin for Chris Chendo to convert? Maybe the cheaper violins don’t have the backs screwed on.

No security at an embassy?