Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for March 08, 2013

I wonder who Pooky is?

Looks like the guy in the second panel is doing a Jumble crossword!

I wonder who all three of them are…

Hrm. I suspect this is the beginning of the new story.

Good morning all…

This’ll keep us guessing!

The dogs name Crypto must be short for cryptoquote, a word game based on the science of “secret writing.” Looks like we’ve got another computer based villain on our hands.

Very cartoony villains here … I don’t know if that’s good or bad :P

A dog named Crypto… Mike’s love for all things Superman is showing. But a puzzle-based criminal? Ver-r-r-ry interesting, Wolfgang…

This villain is downright puzzling. (grin)

Mike gave some hints on this new Rogue on the DT Yahoo board, calling it - - an “unusual crossover”Clues were :JCrypto and13Note the barely discernable number * – 13* on his glasses

Not sure what he’s a crossover from ! ?

crypto is superman related, and if its a “puzzle based villain” dont forget maurice evans’ amazing portrayal as THE PUZZLER in the batman 1968 series. ironically, the puzzler was SUPPOSED to have appeared in mainstream batman comics, but he was pushed aside in favor of the riddler.. so if THATS the crossover/tie-in it would make TWO batman related tie ins so far.. broadway bates/penguin and puzzler and whoever this guy is

by the way, i guess this kinda “puts the kibosh” on people who were saying that the crypto j 13 reference would reveal davey mylar as being alive.. j 13 referring to july 13 which, according to someone.. was when davey died and crypto having to do with encrypted codes etc on computers so that maybe davey backed up his info from teh computer he gave to blaze and he is back in businss as mr crime. a nice idea… IF DAVEY WASNT DEAD! lol

So, is “Mr. 13” (a name of convenience until we learn who he is) a cartoonist? Or is he a ROT-13 cryptographer?I notice he has several umbrellas, too….

Crypto may be related to Sandy!

PATIENCE !

I think that Cock will start ’crowing - by end April

why is the doorknob on the bottom of the door?

After reading this comment list for two years I’ve started looking at every DT panel in a different way. It seems everything has some significance and nothing is drawn by accident. So today I’m wondering what those two bright yellow circular things in the first panel behind the word balloons are. Then there’s what appears to be a very bright ceiling light right inside the door in panel two. Are we to assume that those are bright lights in the first panel too and that “Mr. 13” needs a lot of light for some reason?

Also, the picture on the wall. As large and detailed as it is I’ve got to think it carries some significance too. Does anyone recognize it or at least its style? And what are the items on the chair-side table? A container of pens/pencils, an eraser maybe, but what else? Or am I just obsessing too much?

The painting reminds me of M.C. Escher, whose intricate woodcuts often incorporate optical illusions and “impossible” geometries. The illustration is far less detailed than Escher’s stuff, but the depiction of people walking vertically up the sides of the image and along its “ceiling” are very Escher-like. Also, Escher is popular among many fans of math games, logic puzzles, and other general geekery.

I wonder if “J” stands for Jumble? “13” (or is it “1” and “3”?) has me stumped.

There was a Superman villain known as the Puzzler as well, I think he appeared twice, way back in the late 40s early 50s.

It’s not a Superman thing, though it’s close. The dog’s name is “close” but not quite. Superboy’s dog’s name was Krypto in the old comics, from the planet Krypton.

My first thought was that he was the guy on the Monopoly cards, less a few years.

The doorknob’s in the usual place. I don’t know why there’s a horizontal line on the door below it, but if you look just below Crypto’s sound-effect lines, you can see where the doorpost meets the floor.

That is a lot of umbrellas. I wonder if Broadway Bates and Oswald have another brother.

I see the “13” on the glasses, I see “Crypto” is the name of the dog, I see all the puzzles and the optical illusion art on the wall, I see the odd placement of the door knob – but where are you all getting a “J” from? I don’t see any “J” in this strip.

I love the Superman reference (Crypto/Krypto). The placement of the doorknob has to be for him, right? Gotta think that’s too obvious to be a mistake. And Pooky, is that a Garfield reference?SDM, thanks for sharing about your daughter and her stuffed animal and the other interesting feedback. That’s the kind of post that convinces me you’re an okay dude.

The superdog was Krypto if I remember. For kryptonite. Crypto means “hidden” as in “crypt” (tales from the).

I think the door must be a “dutch-door” with two separate panels that swing.

The framed picture looks to me like something out of Steve Ditko’s Dr. Strange.

I don’t think the doorknob is in the wrong place, it’sjust hard to see the door continues downward after the horizontal line in it. The colorist turned it purple at that point, but you can see from the right door frame does continue downward and its line is interupted by the dog bark. In the outside shot you can also see the horizontal line at about thigh level, perhaps there is a dog door below that….or its just a style.

actually, once again the strip is colored very cleverly today. before i even begin to describe what i mean… take a look back at teh comments so far. everyone is trying to guess what te deal is with this new character… going so far as to try and decode his dogs name, and the minor details as to what is on the table, in his hand, on the wall… even the DOORKNOB etc. but look again VERY closely and you will see exactly what i have been saying about the gocomics colorist the entire two years i have been reading (well, almost two years). its not HOW s/he colors the panels, its WHAT s/he colors that makes the point. first panel… the two men, the door, the two lights overhead and the plant next to them draw the readers’ attention to the fact that these guys are visiting someone who lives in an apartment (the plant in the hallway being decoration of course. to “fill in the dead space” behind the guy on the left). panel two we have a visual of the new character front and center colored rather vividly, accentuating hsi glasses and the game in his hands as well as some minor details scattered around in front of him. we also have the DOG colored, drawing your attention not to just the character, but his dog as well so you get introduced to.. so far… THREE new characters to the strip. then theres the door and the light fixture overhead, tho the door is only HALFWAY colored since it doesnt NEED to be fully colored because your attention is drawn there by the knocking, and the mystery guy’s comment. the frame on the wall paiting brings your eye there to make you look at the abstract picture hanging there… and other clue as to the new guy’s character.. obviously he enjoys THINKING games (the “staircase to nowhere” has been used COUNTLESS times in comics and movies etc). so now you know that pooky and his friend are at an apartment building looking for work because the rumour has it this guy is always looking for help…. then inside we get a small layout of his apartment, with details presented showing that he is a “thinker” and has a pet as well. the umbrellas in the background are curious considering the broadway bates story having ended not that long ago, it may or may not be tied in, we will have to wait and see. but up until RIGHT NOW, nobody has mentioned the SECOND RECLINING CHAIR behind him! there is no visible television, tho he could be facing it and we are looking from a “reverse angle”.. but WHY have two recliners at the same vantage point facing a television if theres ONLY ONE PERSON living in the apartment? methinks that there is another character set to debut quite soon. now, after reading all this “gunk” i just typed.. keep in mind that i got ALL THIS information from simply the way the gocomics colorist did his/her job.. highlighting specific, potentially importnat items inside and outside the apartment. THAT, my friends.. and combatants… is PURE SKILL and should be applauded.

Perhaps like the Monopoly character, the new villain is short and his apartment reflects his size.

There is no proof that Davey Mylar died in that alley.

actually, yeh there is… MIKE CURTIS VERIFIED that davey mylar is dead.. and if the word of the WRITER isnt good enough for you then i dont know what is

@tsull, I don’t think the Puzzler ever appeared in the comics. After the first season of the Batman show, Frank Gorshin said he didn’t want to play the Riddler any more, so they rewrote a Riddler script and created the Puzzler (after that John Astin did an unimpressive turn as the Riddler, and Gorshin returned for a third season appearance).

In the comics, the Riddler only appeared a couple times in the 1940s and not again till after the TV show used the character (by the 1950s, the comics had largely abandoned costumed villains in favor of generic thugs and space aliens).

For whatever reason, I don’t know that any of the villains created just for the show like Puzzler, Egghead, King Tut, Shame, Bookworm, etc., ever made it to the comics…probably because by the late 1960s DC was trying hard to ditch the camp approach that made the show a hit.

Jessica? Did someone mention Jessica?

The gent in panel 2 is definitely has “game” — he vaguely resembles the Monopoly Man — plus, he’s dressed like a dealer who works at the casino gaming tables….

Call in Batman! The riddler is on the loose! (And he stole Superman’s dog!)

For those not in-the-know, the GC Administrator(s), through U-Click, has finally gotten into the problem(s) of late with the forum. That’s all I gotta say.

Oh, about today’s strip: nice opening shot. Lots to chew on here.

wow, some lonnnnnng comments here…….

…….109 total lines from just one person; what’s the record, lol?