Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for December 21, 2016

Mayor lady looks perfectly sweet and innocent.

Good morning, Frigid tough guy, Bill !

Will Eisner must be amused watching from heaven.

From yesterday’s meat locker

comes a shivering not happy camper, Frostbite Bill !

@Gweedo – It’s legal here !!! – Murray

BMBG leader Gweedo sternly inquired,

Where are the plug-in electric space heaters, Bill ? Are you trying to pretend you are winter camping on the Great Plains ?

.

I have four space heaters, Gweedo. It still feels cold. (image of space heaters)

Make sure you have one under the desk, Bill, as if you don’t already. I have an electric mattress pad. The heat rising up through them cold bones makes sleep a pleasure that should never end !

Is that the Roastamatic 6000 in the picture, Bill ?

Gosh, I wonder if we’ll be getting the same complaints we did when Broadway Bates came to town, and the Black Piranha and Cinnamon Knight appeared!

Sort of had a hunch we might already be starting, as yesterday’s strip had a definite ‘Will Eisner’ feel to it.

This is gonna be fun~!!

Part of The Spirit’s backstory – If I recall – Is that Denny Colt was exposed to exotic chemicals, and believed to be dead, only to rise from his grave at Wildwood Cemetery.

“Two Aides …”

.

Will the second aide be an iteration of The Spirit’s not-particularly-PC of yore, ’Ebony White’ …

.

Commissioner Dolan’s stalwart daughter, Ellen …

.

… or the aforementioned femme fatale, Perenelle-?!

Oh, and Joe draws a damn fine Spirit. :)

This will be a story where I’ll really miss being able to embed reference material …

.

Hoping against hope that Joe might somehow manage to overcome the limits of space and format to work in a Will Eisner-style graphic flourish, along the lines of these … http://13thdimension.com/13-of-the-greatest-spirit-title-pages/

I wonder if ‘The Spirit’ will remember that he, too, had at one point walked on the moon.

So everyone is dressed in blue today but the Spirit, who’s trademark is wearing blue, is in a sepia photo.

.

Good morning one and all!

.

Wow! You guys are certainly being very helpful concerning my lack of heat situation. Thanks! I’ll be back in a few hours to reply and look into things. Meanwhile, it’s back to bed!

I’m beginning to think Neil was right yesterday about The Philosopher’s Stone potentially being the MacGuffin.

.

SPOILER …

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

It would also explain and justify a certain someone’s presence in the upcoming Sunday strip art that Shelley posted on facebook.

Wonder if The Philosopher’s Stone might be used to cure … oh, I dunno … cancer?

.

Just a thought.

Two quick notes about Sunday’s strip that I forgot to make …

.

1.) Whoever the Moon Governor was speaking two said that – And I’m paraphrasing here – “There shouldn’t be anything like that on Earth,” presumably referring to Mysta’s telepresence, or telepathic footprint.

.

It’s now a fairly safe assumption that the “Lunar Sentinel” – That’s what I’ll call this person – Became aware of her presence on Earth.

.

2.) Further, I’d suggest that only a very small contingent of Lunarians remained behind on Earth to covertly monitor developments there.

.

The Moon Governor states that he cannot leave “For several Lunar Units.”

.

Leave for where? To investigate?

.

Or to wherever the greater portion of Lunarian society has emigrated?

.

I’m still thinking Jupiter’s moon, Europa.

.

[ Which would again make them – Literally – “Moon People.” ]

It would be interesting if the other aide was Ebony White, but changed into a non-stereotypical character, like they did with Blackhawk’s offensive Asian mascot Chop-Chop (now called Wu Cheng)..I think it’s probably a new character, though.

He reminds me of blackjack.

I hope he shows up again, he definitely is my favorite Tracy villain.

Let’s enjoy the Spirit of Christmas..

Its Getting Exciting!!

At the risk of starting something, Mayor Armstrong today looks remarkably like a certain recent presidential candidate… who shall remain nameless…

Not the best way to read the origin of “The Spirit,” but this will bring everyone more or less up to speed …

.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muJoiiQ8HTs

.

Eisner had re-drawn the origin at least once – which was the version I’d read many years ago – fascinating to see how much of the mythology was in place so early in the run.

As it happens, I was fortunate enough to meet Mr. Eisner – Albeit quite briefly – At what was then known as The San Diego Comic Con in the early 1990’s.

This is going to be excellent!

Having thought on it for awhile, think the version of The Spirit’s origin which I had read might have been printed in a volume of Jim Steranko’s ‘HISTORY OF COMICS’ from the 1970’s, in B&W.

Here we go …

.

I think this was the version of the origin I’d read years ago, only here presented In Living Color …

.

http://diversionsofthegroovykind.blogspot.com/2012/12/secret-origins-origin-of-spirit-by-will.html

if Mickey Finn shows up, we’ll see ol’ Phil again. And Kerry Drake, maybe Vic Flint.

I know that man, but my mind has become strangely clouded and my wits diminished to the point where his identity is lost. I fear madness may be upon me.

Guessing that this story will have a lot of moving parts and characters – possibly more than we at this point suspect – so it’s not surprising that it should play out over the course of three or four months.

Anybody notice the Eisner style rain washed window behind mayor Armstrong in the first panel? Nicely done with skyline and all.

I hate to say it – but this strip is starting to get genuinely goofy.

Here’s hoping we get an Eisner-esque single-panel “splash page” style Sunday strip before this arc is over!

So, the Spirit arc is to be about four months long, ehh? Well, we already know that the supporting cast will include Mr. Am and Perenelle (whosoever she may be), and maybe even Moon Governor, as well as Tracyville regulars. But it is the two iconic fedora-wearing detectives side-by-side, yellow and blue, that has me salivating….

Calling Dick Tracy.