Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for November 04, 2010

So the gun falls to their left, yet ends up on their right, and a gloveless hand reaches for it–and who is talking in panel #3? D’oggydoo, with a hand over his mouth? Or the homeless guy, with both his arms wrapped around the D’ork? Or yet another unexpected character in a clever homeless disguise?

What are Thick and the Feds doing while the gun is out of play? Time for another coffee break? Is Thick warming up for his marathon runaway? Or has the gun landed so close to him that even Thick can’t bungle the chance to do something useful?

What lecture can we expect from the homeless guy, if he isn’t mercifully interrupted? “We like living in squallor and poverty, with no idea where we’ll get our next meal!” Or will it turn out that he’s one of D’imwit’s ex-employees, fired and impoverished during a bout of corporate downsizing?

Oh, how sad. Triple D now suffers from tiny arm…

Spacy didn’t disarm the guy and he isn’t picking up the gun. Guess it’s safe to assume that he is running away.

3D was giving the homeless a bad name by giving away money. What could be worse? Must be one of them liberals.

Our complaints about a lack of action has paid off. The gun is moving so fast that it appears twice in the same panel 2.

That looks like a man’s hand in panel #3, which means we aren’t looking at Sue Doko or Thick. Not unless it’s a very clever disguise.

Where did the robot with the glowing eyes come from?

Robot? Maybe it’s the zombified remains of Butterfly McCorpse, annoyed at having been planted in D’ipstick’s grave instead of receiving its own proper home. It will run rampant until Locher lays it to rest with a non-laughable explanation about its role in this, um, story.

If that *is* Thick speaking in panel #3, does he realize the jurisdictional dispute he’s about to ignite? As a local law enforcement officer he could claim responsibility for taking a loose weapon off the streets (or alleys, or sidewalks, or wherever they are today), but what if Fursten of the FBI declares the gun to be evidence of a Federal crime, assuming Locher ever gives a statutory name to a criminal act? Couldn’t the manic from the SEC claim possession on the grounds that D’unce bought the weapon with ill-gotten revenues? What if Norton of the CIA reveals it to be a Luger or Uzi, as defined under a classified CIA regulation? Might the IRS have a lien on the gun? Will McDerrmott of the Fraud Unit reveal that it is, after all, a novelty cigarette lighter?

And in the ensuing melee, how long will it take D’emented to once again escape the short arm of the law, thereby allowing this arc to drag out even longer?

Wait…I still don’t understand the concept…why was 3D unable to shoot yesterday just because his mouth was covered?

Where’s Sloppy the Clown?

Just sit right back and I’ll tell a tale A tale of a famous dick Who started out as a civilian In this very strip Now Dick was a crime fighting man At one time so brave and sure Who could ever have thought That he would end up in the sewer Now the stories started getting rough And all logic, it was tossed If left in the hands of this doddering fool The legacy will be lost The legacy will be lost Now the strip has nothing new It’s a steaming pile With inconsistencies And Johnny Russco too Who complains about our lives But who cares He can just go and pound sand While reading Lochers great big pile.

Thank you margueritem, for you kind words yesterday.

Good words, Wonder Warthog. And it’s a shame that Johnny Rustic is troubled by BillThopmson. That one is my fault. I recently fooled around with the inferior Acme Home Cloning Kit and I’ve been beside myself ever since.

John Russco said, …know this it takes 37% more to be negitive and find fault than…… never mind … why be a jerk all of the time?

It takes 37% more what to be “negitive”? And how much more does it take to check your spelling before you post?

BillThompson’s alright in my book. Not sure about this BillThopmson cat, though.

WW - Great work! I don’t post as much as I used to, but I’m still here and I love reading your stuff.

It’s OK for Russco to speak his mind here. Freedom of speech is good stuff. But the negative comments is what makes coming here fun.

If only the guy with the glowing eyes were grabbing Locher and saying, “You know what, Mister? You give us cartoonists a bad name.”

Now that’s something I’d like to see!

The gun’s here, the gun’s there, the gun’s everywhere. Which gun? This size gun, that size gun, every size gun. And as for being “negative”, is real easy with this strip.

Mr. Russco, thank you for your post. We ALL are fans of the First Amendment. Bill Thompson, however, is my #1 Hero here. As far as the time he devotes to this forum, I am grateful to him because he provides me with a smile several times a day. One day before I die, I’d love to meet him and buy him a mug of his favorite refreshment. As far as berating someone for spending a certain percentage of time at a computer engaged in entertaining himself, have you ever considered Bill Thompson might be a paraplegic who has no other life? You would be surprised at the number of people whose name you see here that have nothing else in life to look forward to but this daily piddling. One day, I’ll tell you about my personal situation and why I sit here all day. But that will be another day.

God bless you, WW. You make my day, too!

wndrwrthg - You probably can’t see it from there, but I’m giving you a standing ovation. Bravo!

The late Bill Hicks had a response for people who told him it takes more effort to frown than to smile, but our naughty word filter won’t allow me to say it.

The mystery man is so right. We must all remember that not ALL homeless people are charitable billionaire con-men in disguise.

Although many remember him with fond nostalgia, Dick Tracy, now written and illustrated by Dick Locher, continues to be relevant as he combines old-fashioned values with 21st century innovation to capture corporate crooks, computer pirates, polluters, skyjackers, gang members and terrorists.

???????

ww and bt make this senseless mess of a strip at least somewhat enjoyable – everyday their talents put locher to shame.

I wonder what mental process from locher gets him from homeless people (or were they all feds?) defending 3D at one point to another magically appearing homeless person (or is he a fed too?) saying that 3D gives the homeless a bad name. how exactly? He did not harm them; he gave them money. this is not a story – it’s a piece of locher’s senseless and paranoid dementia. even worse – he’s trashed the legacy of Tracy

Sorry I’m late to this party, but I’m pretty well convinced that IS Tracy speaking and picking up the gun in panel 3.

On the subject of stupid criminals, anyone here following Mark Trail? The governor wanna-be is planning to off Mark. So he made sure everyone knew where they were supposed to meet, and now is using his own truck to smash into Mark’s car, leaving physical evidence that ties directly to him.

Still, I don’t suppose Tracy would be able to figure it out.

“They” are… I’m inclined to agree with WW and his eloquent poem. Awesome as always, WW. :)

Years ago as a kid comics were called “Funnies”.

Election is over and now we can enjoy a “Funnies Feud”.

Spacy’s as relevant as a wart on a warthog

Hark! Is that The Shadow that has grabbed 3D?

Yes, homelessness was a sterling career, a bright shining pinnacle of honour and wonderfulness before that guy smeared its good name in the mud. You know what? I don’t even wanna BE homeless anymore.

idarke,

you just killed my dream !

Thank you for the generous words, everyone.

morrow, you’re right about the health aspect, although happily I’m not paraplegic–we’re still playing pin-the-tail on the diagnosis with a metabolic problem. I’m glad you enjoy my comments. (If we ever get the chance to meet, my favorite beverage won’t set you back much–I’m alcohol-intolerant, so I have to settle for Coca Cola. But it’s who you drink with, not what you drink.)

billdi, I suspect that Locher got the DT job as a business subterfuge. Someone must have said “We’d like to pay you more for your editorial cartoons, but then we’d have to pay everyone else more … so why don’t you take over Dick Tracy? Just give us enough ink to fill the strip every day and don’t worry about quality.” Maybe they plan to dump DT at the end of his run, so they don’t care.

Dr. Midnight, “Luann” is actually worse than MT. No, really! I looked at a week’s worth of an arc where three ditzy girls handled a violent stalker named Dirk. I stopped when I realized their dim boyfriends were far away from the danger.

True. The difference is that Luann is supposed to be funny.

Emphasis on supposed.

Luann gets many more commnts on Comics.com than this strip does.