Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for August 17, 2014

Good morning Dick Tracy fans!

On Thunder Island, ‘neath crescent moon, Tracy walks his beatMust confer with Annie, their business kept off the street.Missus Silo nods and winks, understands a schoolgirl crushAnnie adept at subterfuge, yet hates this pretend mush.Slipping away to hatch a plan, they ascend to balconyTo once again sneak out a missive may be their destiny.Annie loves her root beer roll, this gamble may get stickyTo fool old evil Axel requires stealth most tricky.Elsewhere in the city, look to see Charlie HotshotCharles C. Charles is in charge, quite rare the moxie he’s got.Pipe smoke wafting overhead, a favor’s been called inNo welsher is Hotshot Charlie, he aids friends with a grin.A frequent flier of daring-do, he’ll soon take to the airWho hath called on Charlie? To fly why, when and where?

GREAT Sunday strip! Very informative! And unexpected last panel!

Terry and the Pirates are entering the fray? Shazam!

Jim’s Crimestoppers Textbook is always a treat, but a special thank you to whoever it was that added the Harold Gray note!

Annie’s white glowing eyes are hilarious.

Keep looking back at the strip. This time, appreciating Annie’s eyes & Tracy’s hat in the dark theater. You gotta love Joe’s style!

Who is that in the last panel?

Yep, Hotshot Charlie is back. He appeared previously in the strip, so this is a return cameo. He is indeed from the comic Terry and the Pirates.

For those who want to catch up on their Terry and the Pirates, you can find some strips here.Oh, they also have a lot of other strips available. They even have some from that Dick Tracy fellow, as well as Superman. :)

Most cars these days don’t even have cigarette lighters or ash trays. The outlets that used to contain a lighter is now called a power port and usually has a small plastic cover. Good idea to keep that cover closed for the same reason given in the CT.

Holy moly, crime-fighting alliance fans! It’s Hotshot Charlie again! Will T. Lee show up this time? Will they join the Warbucks unofficial anti-crime league, alongside Punjab and the Asp and the MCU and who knows who else? It could result in a huge showdown at Thunder Island!

Pequod77, I’m sure Scott Baio will appreciate your line using “Charles in Charge.” Seriously, sign me up for your fan club too. Now for some reason I have an urge for popcorn…

Who could be talking to Hotshot, calling in a favor? I’m guessing it’s Liz, asking Hotshot to do a flyover of Thunder Island and take some aerial photographs.

Hey Dick not only bought Annie popcorn but he got her a soda too! What a great guy! Couldn’t he come up with a better plan then the old 70 year old letter trick? Just asking.

Good morning DT fans. Another twist in the plot.

In the city… Hotshot Airlines O.K., WHICH city?

I think I’d rather read PQ’s analysis before I read the strip! Not having read Terry & The Pirates before, I had no idea who the kid was. I guess kids smoking a pipe of sorts isn’t all that uncommon now.

BTW, thanks, PQ! You saved me a lot of time!

Can’t wait for a Major Hoople crossover! Fap!

Happy Sunday morning from Vista Bill!

The “funny papers” are back and better than ever! Thank you Mike, Joe, Pequod, and the guys for making my day!

So good to see Hotshot Charlie from Terry and the Pirates. Wiki states that, “Charles C. Charles is a comically flippant Boston pilot who becomes Terry’s best friend in the Air Force. After the war ends, he is stifled by civilian life and jumps at the chance to help Terry out in post-war Asia doing government work.” Terry and the Pirates (1934-1973) was my father’s favorite strip when he was a kid. It was created by Milton Caniff and was read by 31 million newspaper subscribers between 1934 and 1946. Seeking creative control of his own work, Caniff left the strip in 1946 to launch Steve Canyon, an action-adventure strip that ran until shortly after his death in 1988. I wonder if the Dragon Lady could also be in Tracyville. Venus could benefit from another skilled beauty in her Consortium.

Wonderful art! The use of both shadow and light reflected from the screen makes for another stellar Sunday strip from Team Tracy. Getting a message out is a good idea. Yet, there is clearly more to be done. As a police officer on the island, Tracy should be able to explore the perimeter a bit without arousing suspicion. Where is the port? Safe to assume his boat is not easily accessible. Annie needs to wake up Professor Kenyon, as any escape plan must include him. Will a glass of water in the face do the trick or is he in a deeper state of mind control? We know that the MCU is on the case, pointed in the right direction thanks to Annie’s letter, Tracy’s e-mail, Influence’s influence, Punjab’s blanket and Sam’s leadership..Thanks to cpalmeresq, Donnie Pitchford, Jonathan K., Gweedo, Night-Gaunt49, coldsooner, Neil Wick, morrow, VistaBill and mzkdad for the kind words. Much appreciated!

You can see Hotshot next to Terry in this full cast rendering at:

http://www.hoodedutilitarian.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Terry-and-Steve-02.jpg

i like filthy lucre

We’ve got an important fact here!If Annie did slip the letter out with the regular mail, the fake town theory (and my VR theory) appear sunk.No Potempkin village would send out regular mail, whatever the year.

Remember root beer Life Savers?

Does anybody actually steal cell phones anymore?

- they are by and large cheap and difficult to re-use (greatly limiting their value at the fence)

- nearly all of them contain GPS locators

- nearly all of them can be remotely turned on by law enforcement as bugging/tracking devices (especially the smart phones that don’t have removable batteries)

Matterofact, I’d say that leaving evidence that there is a phone in the car might actually deter car thieves, as the phone could be used by police to locate the stolen car.

This Textbook seems a bit out of date. But the letter from Harold Gray to Chester Gould makes up for it.

Check out this Canada Dry give away from the early 50’s. Recently one was sold at Hake’s for >$88(USD).See:http://collectorsshangri-la.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/0fe6c175e496c8b496f2a6ce25008bc5/c/a/caniff_mask.jpg

I agree with Sydney Phillips, that picture in the last panel is an adult Terry Lee, Chazz’s best bud. Anyone really interested in Terry and the Pirates and Caniff’s great art, the entire run is available in Hardback and color thru IDW. Great compilation, 5 books I think. Caniff was a genius, and continued to be during the Steve Canyon era.

@Cloddy@DoctorWho55@Maximara@Tarry PlaguerThank you for explaining the Mr. Charlie character. I don’t remember his previous appearance in Dick Tracy; it must have been just before I started reading this strip. At least archives now exist where I can go back and read these classics like Terry and the Pirates and the original Dick Tracy. If only I had the time.

So we now know how Annie managed to sneak her letter out. But it still doesn’t explain the old postage stamp. If this story is taking place in the present, did she take it from someone’s stamp collection? Or did Axel supply the local post office with collectors’ stamps as part of the 1944 village ruse? Then why the previously-discussed incorrect calendar? Or… are they truly in 1944? I am still hoping for the latter, since I am a fan of the time-travel genre.

One more question, then I’ll leave everyone alone.What is “root beer roll candy”? Is that the one shaped like little barrels? If it is, I am in agreement with Annie. Those are one of my favorites/favourites even though they are really difficult to find.

See several of Hotshot Charlie’s adventures at this site: http://allthingsger.blogspot.com/2012/06/is-that-you-charlie-friday-comic-book.html

Is Tess now working on the case, too, since she finally saw Dick’s message?

“This is an elaborate hoax even to the stamps.”-————But then why would the letters be passed out of Simmons Corners?

One, no, I didn’t read all the comments today. Time is limited..Two, okay, so today we are told that (a) Vitamin was wrong, we know “when” Tracy is, and that is NOW. And (b) Tracy and Annie are on Thunder Island, the coordinates that Annie sent Tracy and his last known intended destination..Very little mystery left in this story. Except this:.How the sam hill did Axel get ALL THESE PEOPLE on this island? Why did he get them here, for that matter, as well?.Dipping into Friday’s nightmare of comments, it is now very clear that Annie has known Tracy for a very long time – even before this apparent mass kidnapping took place. There should be absolutely NO complaints that the two should be together..And the real mystery: That Richard had a role in this town as Officer Tracy, DID AXEL KNOW THAT ANNIE WAS GOING TO BRING HIM HERE?.Last, and certainly least: Introducing Terry and the Pirates? Steve Canyon? Who next? Batman?.While this is a story that many have embraced, a fear I am having is that Dick Tracy may be drifting away from action and adventure, becoming a nostalgia and fantasy strip.

@Jonathan K: Root beer roll candy reminds me of the old Reed’s root beer candy (think Life Savers without the hole, and a translucent brown) that was around as late as the 1960s and 1970s…I don’t believe they are made any longer (my favorite flavor from them was Cinnamon).

From the description of the theatre program from a couple days ago, the next-to-last panel would be Kane Richmond as Spy Smasher, from the 1942 Republic serial. The serial is known and loved for its outstanding fight choreography and fast pace. Another nice homage.

Kane Richmond was quite underrated. He showed up as “The Shadow,” as I recall, and was in several Charlie Chan films, among so many others.

Robots? And to think that some complained about moon people last year!.But I think not. Though, if robots, that would neatly explain away why there were no mass reports of missing people..A growing mystery to me is, there was a place for “Officer Tracy” when he arrived. Therefore, Axel must have known he was coming..How? Yes, we’re supposed to believe he didn’t know Tracy was coming. But “Officer Tracy” puts the lie to that story. Axel must have known Tracy was coming, and that Annie was the one to send for him!.At this point, I maintain that all other mysteries have been resolved in this story.

Now they’re bringing in Terry and the Pirates? Oy vey! Keep Dick Tracy as Dick Tracy pure and simple. Enough of the bringing in the whole “mishpuha”. I’m finding it annoying now.

RWM and tsull2121 have disappeared, too! I hope they aren’t all crammed up in the penalty box!

An issue regarding Crimestoppers Textbook: very few, if any, new American made vehicles come with “cigarette lighters” anymore. What they have instead are receptacles that can be used for recharging or plugging in various electronic devices. A missing lighter from a receptacle is sort of a non sequitur in this day and age. My 2012 Ram pickup truck has two such receptacles standard and my 2014 Subaru OB has at three, but no lighters.

Sydney is right..The character in the photo is Charlie’s former partner in the air freight business, Terry Lee, not Steve Canyon..When the Korean War broke out, Terry, like Steve, was called back into active military service, and stayed in the Air Force until the strip was cancelled in the ’70’s..In special, authorized Sunday-style STEVE CANYON strip published in the AIR FORCE TIMES in 2007 (the 60th Anniversary of both the U.S.A.F. and the CANYON strip), drawn in Caniffian style by Air Force Master Sgt. Russ Maheras, Canyon, a full colonel when the strip died with Caniff, was shown to have been advanced to Brigadier General. .Terry was also a full colonel at the time T&TP was cancelled in 1973. Maybe he’s now a general officer, too.

Looking forward to seeing Moon Mullins soon…

If this is 1944, it’s still WWII and Terry and Hotshot are still in the Army Air Force. What’s with the Hotshot airlines?

On Thunder Island, ‘neath crescent moon, Tracy walks his beat

Must confer with Annie, their business kept off the street.

Missus Silo nods and winks, understands a schoolgirl crush

Annie adept at subterfuge, yet hates this pretend mush.

Slipping away to hatch a plan, they ascend to balcony

To once again sneak out a missive may be their destiny.

Annie loves her root beer roll, this gamble may get sticky

To fool old evil Axel requires stealth most tricky.

Elsewhere in the city, look to see Charlie Hotshot

Charles C. Charles is in charge, quite rare the moxie he’s got.

Pipe smoke wafting overhead, a favor’s been called in

No welsher is Hotshot Charlie, he aids friends with a grin.

A frequent flier of daring-do, he’ll soon take to the air

Who hath called on Charlie? To fly why, when and where?