Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for April 08, 2015

The story progresses…

Jimmy Choo Shooz knew the dealA billion dollars his to stealDriven by a need to proveThat little Jimmy found his grooveForever haunted by his pastShort, stubby and blind as a batA promise made to prove them wrongHow dare they say he’d never belongRespect is his he earned it wellHis lips are zipped he’ll never tellThe method used to stay aheadJust find a chump who’s almost deadIn desperation secrets spillA sacrifice to pay the billJimmys climb to top of the heapAccomplished through those dug in too deep.

.Since we’ll never get a background story on JCS I went ahead and made up my own.

“Training Day” approaches.

The day before yesterday, Pequod thought the train was headed to Tracy’s City and I thought it was heading away from there. It turns out that both of us are right, and in a way both are also wrong. The City is neither the starting point nor the finishing point—it’s just passing through—or it will if Choo Shooz doesn’t stop it.

It sounds like someone in the control room is taking a bribe in exchange for giving out information. The love of money is the root of all evil, as the Good Book says.

Lack of single-payer health care strikes again! If Tracyville were in Canada, the gold would be safe!

Morning, everyone. I believe this is only going to be an 8-week story, so I’m not expecting a ton of character development along the way.

Looks as if they are lining up to rob the train.

Morning, Tracyville!

Train robbing is always a fascinating enterprise in fiction. I wonder how Jimmy and his gang plan to pull this off.

@several: Yes, I realize that if it wasn’t guy with sick relative, it would be a gambling addict or person who lost their shirt in the stock market (much the same thing, really) to advance the plot.

Good morning Tracy fans._______@avenger09: your talent is amazing. I bet you dream the poem up in your sleep. Or you have a psychic connection to Joe and Mike. LOL._______@Willy007: I agree this will be a short storyline. Then, back to the other villains._______Be happy and healthy my friends.

Since this story is obviously about a train robbery, I’m thinking Mike and Joe (hopefully) consulted with an expert on railroads – their very own Sgt. Jim Doherty!I’m looking forward to accurate and detailed depictions of railroad operations.Someone questioned yesterday if there really was a connection allowing trains to pass from South America to the U.S. I don’t know much about that, but I have seen some You Tube videos with Kansas City Southern locomotives running in Mexico..

blind as a batQuite blind; also, unaware. For example, Without my glasses I’m blind as a bat, or I had no idea they wanted me to take over his job; I was blind as a bat. This simile, based on the erroneous idea that the bat’s erratic flight means it cannot see properly, has survived even though it is now known that bats have a sophisticated built-in sonar system. [Late 1500s]See also: bat, blindThe American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms

Concerning running a train from South America to the U.S., I don’t think so. How would it get over the Panama Canal? There are three bridges over the canal, but they are for automobile traffic, not trains.

Today, Team Tracy has just been laying track for this story-train. So far, we have seen nothing of Jimmy Choo Shooz’s plan in action. It could be pretty spectacular; think Britain’s Great Train Robbery…. I do have some sympathy for the dispatcher with medical bills (his own or a family member’s—it’s not clear which) and hope that ultimately he gets off with a light sentence.

The time is nearing for the train to pass through Tracytown. Jimmy will take advantage of the worker’s financial woes to get some inside assistance. I like the use of the newspaper the past three days. Jimmy reads the news and finalizes his plans for a robbery. Tracy reads the paper (while Sam checks out the on-line edition) and anticipates criminal activity. Fans read the strip and relish the set up of another good tale of crime and punishment. .Thanks for re-posting the Notta Chronicles, Willy007. She is a complex character. The Chin Chillars got around. From earth’s orbit (in search of Bribery’s $100,000), to Piggy’s farm, to the streets of Tracytown. What a great story.

“The need for money is the root of all evil” …?

There’s an issue of “Miracleman” which notes that the concept of money is a human fiction to which we’ve as a species collectively bought into – No pun intended.

Medical bills brings another otherwise honest man to the door of crime!!!

Just got back…things are going in different directions..TBC..

It’s too bad that litigation is so far out of hand in the U.S. Unfortunately, it seems that Canada has slid slightly more in that direction since the passage of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in 1982. It’s not that the Charter is a bad thing, but it can lead to excesses.

Good afternoon guys!

No problemo, mi amigo!You mentioned Morrow — what’s the latest on him? I thought his account had been restored. ??

Thanks, av09, and also for the poem. I didn’t realize it was about him. Sorry to hear that.

I feel I must correct you on one point:

JCS is wearing glasses, so that means he’s only legally blind, not blind as a bat.

Thanks JPW for taking the time to comment. You bring up a fabulous point! I suggest that going foward anyone anywhere should cease composing anything using what formally was referred as Poetic License! No more “Time flies”, no more “Dead Tired”, no more “Cat Got Your Tongue”, not even a single “Sufferin’ Succotash”! Count me in! LOL!

@Ken in Ohio: thanks for the great railroad info. Be well my friend.

Not really a train robbery film per se, but wondering if Mike and Joe will draw upon “The Taking of Pelham 1-2-3” at all.

Thanks everyone for your kind words.

Regarding the man in the 3rd panel with the medical bills: he seems to be in what LACMTA calls the Rail Operations Control room. So he must know the train’s itinerary, and wishes to convey that information to Mr. Choo Shooz in return for money to pay the medical bills. It seems to me that calling Mr. Choo Shooz from the Rail Operations Control Room is not a wise step for him, since ALL communications are recorded on tape, and will be available to the authorities on demand.

@SaskSledDog: thanks for the extra railroad info. Have a peaceful night my friend.

Millie Tomlin loved her workIt made her want to dance and twerkIf only mom had left a tipOn how her phone to get a gripIt made her fingers hurt a lotTo hold her phone just on it’s topShe always broke her fingernailsIt made her cry and made her wailShe knew at least her face was cleanThere were no scratches so obscene Just like the ones on BB EyesThat moved around and caused surprise.

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Hey I tried but I think today’s a real wreaking ball! LOL!

what is jimmy doing