I suppose a trip to Naperville wouldn’t hurt. A study in contrasts if nothing else. Big, strong looking detective statue, and not so big detective in these comics.
I must finally speak up. I was never exposed to DT when I was growing up in the 70’s and 80’s because of my newspaper. However, since then, I had read a lot of DT and enjoyed it. However, all the comics comments I have read are ALL negative, deriding the current artists and slamming them. If I have eaten in a restaurant all of my life and it switches owners, I expect it to be a bit different. If I really, really do not like the changes, I would give it one last try and, if still did not do it for me, I would not eat there again. The men and women who continue to create this strip are talented individuals who deserve better treatment than sniping at them behind the anonymity of the Internet. If you genuinely hate the direction/style/storyline of this strip, please just let the rest of us enjoy it without your negativity. I really do thank you for reading this and I hope you understand.
Dear patrickent: Well, most of us who make said negative remarks HAVE been exposed to Tracy when it WAS a great strip. I started reading DT at about age 8. Just as the whole derided Moon Maid saga began. And loved it. And Mr. Bribery & Ugly Christine. And Nah Tah. And Matty Square. I can not understand why TMS has allowed their once flagship strip to rot like this. As a fan and collector, I do have a perfect right to criticize what a travesty this once great strip has become. You need to read some reprints and collections of Tracy through the decades under the aegis of Chester Gould. It will be like reading an entirely different strip. Tight plotting, grotesque villains, chases, ironic ends, etc, etc. All sadly missing from today’s excuse for Dick Tracy.
Right on, fishbulb! As someone who remembers the
Golden Age of Tracy, when we had classic villains such as
Flattop, The Brow, Pruneface, Mumbles, etc., I am
constantly appalled at the poorly drawn and lazily
written junk that’s now passed off as a comic strip.
In its’ great days the same
panels weren’t used over & over, the stories were exciting,
and we saw more than talking heads.
I might suggest to patrikent that if the negative comments are
disturbing, he should stop reading them. As far as I’m
concerned, the comments are the only reason to go
to this page.
To use patrickent’s restaurant analogy…if this strip were a restaurant the Board of Health would have shut it down long ago.
I’ve been reading Dick Tracy since I was 5 or 6, and I’m alllllmost half a century old now. The comic strip has gone down the tubes – but I keep coming here to ‘read’ it … because it’s such fun to read the commentary. That’s the only reason I return – because the commentary is so much fun. Keep it up, keep it up!
Patrickent, I’m not as qualified as most others here, but I’ve been hooked on Macy since the forties - and I don’t mean my forties. Some things should not change. You used the restaurant example. I’ll use the National Anthem as an example. Go to a large sporting event and spot all of the old veterans there. Then look at their faces when one of the hip-hoppers adds their personal touch to the Anthem. That pretty much explains my feelings. Both Macy and the National Anthem are sacred in my book.
To see what the old master had done, Chester Gould, invest in purchasing some of the volumes of The Complete Dick Tracy by IDW Publishing on Amazon. It starts from 1931 and is steadily progressing to the end in 1977 in coming volumes. While DT fans remain loyal to the dimished art and story line never the less DT is at least still around. Locher isn’t ready to retire yet so I guess we have to wait. In the meantime treat yourselves to the old reprints.
Patrickent as someone who has been a DT fan for a long long time I’d have to agree with the others that todays strip is mainly a cut and paste mess will little ambition shown by the artistic team to add excitement.
If you want to see some of the back history of DT and why we feel this way I suggest you obtain a Copy of
The Dick Tracy case Book.
This Volume is cheaper than the above mentioned volumes and contains good stories from each decade of the strip. There are adventures by Chester Gould , Max Allen Collins and Dick Locher and you can see how the art and stories have evolved then devolved.
After reading the full unedited Brow story or the exciting cross country chase for Crewy Lou and a kidnapped infant or even the brief but heartbreaking story of Model Jones I think you will have a better understanding of what we are talking about.
My comments usually arn’t in the negative but more on the sometimes absurd laps of continuity and minimal attention to detail
BTW are we counting todays version of the house .. if so we are up to 3 so far and the story hasn’t really started yet.
I was 6 when I first started reading it. Chester Gould was a genius and the mold was definitely broke after he was born. We will never see the likes of him doing this strip again, and I can live with that. Like anything in life, things change, sometimes 4 the worse, sometimes 4 the better. At times the story lines lack direction and seem 2 go off the path. What I always hated 2 see was everybody complaining and bitching about the things like the artwork. My comments were shot down by some blowhard on here a while back, so I keep them 2 myself now 4 the most part. Like anything else in life, if u don’t like it, don’t read it, it’s a simple as that…
There are some comics I like that get a lot of negative comments – so I read the comic and not the comments. But the only reason to read Dick Tracy is to snark at it. Yes, some of the snarks that get posted here are not really valid, and I often point that out. But that’s the way life goes – no matter how bad your work is, it will still get some unjustified criticism.
For the ones who stay up late for the comic strip. My part since our computer is not far from the bedroom, when I can’t sleep and this happens alot from my rt shoulder hurting. Yea surgery tomorrow. I usually go elsewhere to either finish tapes or read. So I was up until 2am.
Mean time I will miss writing comments for awhile. At least I will get caught up on sleep from pain meds.
I see frequent comments about how the Sunday strip seems like a review, or a re-run. I’m under the impression that many papers run only the Sunday strip. Therefore, the events of the past week are summarized in a single strip.
Kab Buch said, “For the ones who stay up late for the comic strip. My part since our computer is not far from the bedroom, when I can’t sleep and this happens alot from my rt shoulder hurting. Yea surgery tomorrow. I usually go elsewhere to either finish tapes or read. So I was up until 2am.
Mean time I will miss writing comments for awhile. At least I will get caught up on sleep from pain meds.”
Hope your surgery goes well and helps your shoulder, Kab Buch.
Vista Bill Raley and Comet™ over 14 years ago
¿sʍǝıʌʇsod
FLIGHT SUIT over 14 years ago
ZZZZZzzzzzzzzz…..
margueritem over 14 years ago
Total rerun………bleh.
‘Morning, VB!
Vista Bill Raley and Comet™ over 14 years ago
And to think, we stayed up for this! Are there but three of us nightowls left here now? Good morning, margueritem and Flight Suit.
abatheguy over 14 years ago
Methinks I should check out the statue.
mjmsprt40 over 14 years ago
I suppose a trip to Naperville wouldn’t hurt. A study in contrasts if nothing else. Big, strong looking detective statue, and not so big detective in these comics.
JerryGorton over 14 years ago
Well the statue would be a crime stopper. The pigeons would use it instead of your car!
LudwigVonDrake over 14 years ago
We’ve actually gone backwards…sigh.
patrickent over 14 years ago
I must finally speak up. I was never exposed to DT when I was growing up in the 70’s and 80’s because of my newspaper. However, since then, I had read a lot of DT and enjoyed it. However, all the comics comments I have read are ALL negative, deriding the current artists and slamming them. If I have eaten in a restaurant all of my life and it switches owners, I expect it to be a bit different. If I really, really do not like the changes, I would give it one last try and, if still did not do it for me, I would not eat there again. The men and women who continue to create this strip are talented individuals who deserve better treatment than sniping at them behind the anonymity of the Internet. If you genuinely hate the direction/style/storyline of this strip, please just let the rest of us enjoy it without your negativity. I really do thank you for reading this and I hope you understand.
fishbulb over 14 years ago
Dear patrickent: Well, most of us who make said negative remarks HAVE been exposed to Tracy when it WAS a great strip. I started reading DT at about age 8. Just as the whole derided Moon Maid saga began. And loved it. And Mr. Bribery & Ugly Christine. And Nah Tah. And Matty Square. I can not understand why TMS has allowed their once flagship strip to rot like this. As a fan and collector, I do have a perfect right to criticize what a travesty this once great strip has become. You need to read some reprints and collections of Tracy through the decades under the aegis of Chester Gould. It will be like reading an entirely different strip. Tight plotting, grotesque villains, chases, ironic ends, etc, etc. All sadly missing from today’s excuse for Dick Tracy.
China60 over 14 years ago
Right on, fishbulb! As someone who remembers the Golden Age of Tracy, when we had classic villains such as Flattop, The Brow, Pruneface, Mumbles, etc., I am constantly appalled at the poorly drawn and lazily written junk that’s now passed off as a comic strip. In its’ great days the same panels weren’t used over & over, the stories were exciting, and we saw more than talking heads.
I might suggest to patrikent that if the negative comments are disturbing, he should stop reading them. As far as I’m concerned, the comments are the only reason to go to this page.
To use patrickent’s restaurant analogy…if this strip were a restaurant the Board of Health would have shut it down long ago.
Nighthawks Premium Member over 14 years ago
heard at a funeral wake:
“good mourning, this morning!”
pianist38 over 14 years ago
I’ve been reading Dick Tracy since I was 5 or 6, and I’m alllllmost half a century old now. The comic strip has gone down the tubes – but I keep coming here to ‘read’ it … because it’s such fun to read the commentary. That’s the only reason I return – because the commentary is so much fun. Keep it up, keep it up!
Morrow Cummings over 14 years ago
Patrickent, I’m not as qualified as most others here, but I’ve been hooked on Macy since the forties - and I don’t mean my forties. Some things should not change. You used the restaurant example. I’ll use the National Anthem as an example. Go to a large sporting event and spot all of the old veterans there. Then look at their faces when one of the hip-hoppers adds their personal touch to the Anthem. That pretty much explains my feelings. Both Macy and the National Anthem are sacred in my book.
436rge over 14 years ago
To see what the old master had done, Chester Gould, invest in purchasing some of the volumes of The Complete Dick Tracy by IDW Publishing on Amazon. It starts from 1931 and is steadily progressing to the end in 1977 in coming volumes. While DT fans remain loyal to the dimished art and story line never the less DT is at least still around. Locher isn’t ready to retire yet so I guess we have to wait. In the meantime treat yourselves to the old reprints.
gillbillvolume1 over 14 years ago
Patrickent as someone who has been a DT fan for a long long time I’d have to agree with the others that todays strip is mainly a cut and paste mess will little ambition shown by the artistic team to add excitement.
If you want to see some of the back history of DT and why we feel this way I suggest you obtain a Copy of The Dick Tracy case Book. This Volume is cheaper than the above mentioned volumes and contains good stories from each decade of the strip. There are adventures by Chester Gould , Max Allen Collins and Dick Locher and you can see how the art and stories have evolved then devolved.
After reading the full unedited Brow story or the exciting cross country chase for Crewy Lou and a kidnapped infant or even the brief but heartbreaking story of Model Jones I think you will have a better understanding of what we are talking about.
My comments usually arn’t in the negative but more on the sometimes absurd laps of continuity and minimal attention to detail
BTW are we counting todays version of the house .. if so we are up to 3 so far and the story hasn’t really started yet.
Dr. Midnight over 14 years ago
…besides, the negative comments are usually more entertaining than the strip itself….
punchydugan over 14 years ago
Hey Patrickent, While I agree with the others that the strip is not what it used to be, I gotta admire a guy who sticks up for Dick Tracy.
runar over 14 years ago
patrickent, slamming Tracy is the highlight of our day. How dare you try to take that away from us? We are all of us Comics Curmudgeons here.
Froxkrybra over 14 years ago
I was 6 when I first started reading it. Chester Gould was a genius and the mold was definitely broke after he was born. We will never see the likes of him doing this strip again, and I can live with that. Like anything in life, things change, sometimes 4 the worse, sometimes 4 the better. At times the story lines lack direction and seem 2 go off the path. What I always hated 2 see was everybody complaining and bitching about the things like the artwork. My comments were shot down by some blowhard on here a while back, so I keep them 2 myself now 4 the most part. Like anything else in life, if u don’t like it, don’t read it, it’s a simple as that…
CougarAllen over 14 years ago
Grimegobbers Tipsbook: If you want to steal a statue, go to the Naperville Illinois Riverwalk in the month of April.
-Cougar :{)
CougarAllen over 14 years ago
There are some comics I like that get a lot of negative comments – so I read the comic and not the comments. But the only reason to read Dick Tracy is to snark at it. Yes, some of the snarks that get posted here are not really valid, and I often point that out. But that’s the way life goes – no matter how bad your work is, it will still get some unjustified criticism.
-Cougar :{)
jpozenel over 14 years ago
Will his statue have deformed hands?
China60 over 14 years ago
jtpozenel: If the last panel in today’s strip is any indication, his hand will be coming out of his shoulder.
g6793 over 14 years ago
Hey Maxine? If you’re out there, I think it’s time for one of your tea parties…
kab2rb over 14 years ago
For the ones who stay up late for the comic strip. My part since our computer is not far from the bedroom, when I can’t sleep and this happens alot from my rt shoulder hurting. Yea surgery tomorrow. I usually go elsewhere to either finish tapes or read. So I was up until 2am. Mean time I will miss writing comments for awhile. At least I will get caught up on sleep from pain meds.
OneUrantian over 14 years ago
I see frequent comments about how the Sunday strip seems like a review, or a re-run. I’m under the impression that many papers run only the Sunday strip. Therefore, the events of the past week are summarized in a single strip.
willamp over 14 years ago
Hey guys it’s almost twenty years since the Dick Tracy film. Believe it was late June. Just saying.
Vista Bill Raley and Comet™ over 14 years ago
Kab Buch said, “For the ones who stay up late for the comic strip. My part since our computer is not far from the bedroom, when I can’t sleep and this happens alot from my rt shoulder hurting. Yea surgery tomorrow. I usually go elsewhere to either finish tapes or read. So I was up until 2am. Mean time I will miss writing comments for awhile. At least I will get caught up on sleep from pain meds.”
Hope your surgery goes well and helps your shoulder, Kab Buch.