Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for November 12, 2010

So if D’buckworth is under arrest now, howcome they’re letting him stand way over there by himself?

And what are these illicit overseas activities? It’s the first we’ve heard of them.

Thick … .

(chuckle)

Thick called

(snicker)

Thick called someone stupid?

(guffaw!)

Oh, man, for Thick to call anyone stupid …

(HA HA HA HO HO HA)

Excuse me … while I …

(gasp)

laugh until I hyperventilate …

So we have a mix of real homeless and undercover agents posing as the homeless. How can you tell the difference?

Oh, that’s right. The real homeless don’t need no steenking badges.

“Yeah, and it took all of you to bring me down.”

Is Locher addressing the majority of commenters here?

What’s all this talk of Locher retiring in December? Look at this stuff; he’s already retired.

Why is there a talking George Washington statue in Panel 2?

Why is the CIA involved? Do they do domestic ops? There used to be limitations on their activities within this country – but post 9/11, who knows? And anyway, post Locher, it doesn’t mean spit to a tree.

The good news is, Thick has ended his rant.

The bad news is, it’s D’ingaling’s turn. “I saved the economy from collapse! Without me you’d all be living on the streets!”

And what’s this drivel about “even” the IRS, FBI and CIA knowing about D’umbell’s activities? Who does Thick believe was leading the investigation? The Cub Scouts? Didn’t the great defective notice that the Feds had D’oggydoo surrounded before he arrived? Or did he think that they had dressed for a come-as-you-aren’t party which just happened to be held in the alley where Cranky Jesus was hanging out?

Man, like this really brings me down.

Panel-Panner, Locher has invoked the CIA because he knows how to spell their name.

BillThompson:

That’s right. He keeps misspelling NSA.

“And what are these illicit overseas activities?”

Oh, he’s been pretending to be homeless in LOTS of countries!

barticle35 said:

“Man, like this really brings me down.”

With your avatar in mind, does this strip bring you down like the Roswell crash?

With your avatar in mind, does this strip bring you down like the Roswell crash?

Roswell didn’t happen. Pay no attention. Nothing to see here, please move on.

Rightwingmoron, when did the Nappingville PD become an organization?

Flight Suit, Agent Norton talked about the alleged crimes on 22 and 23 October. The charges made no sense; how do you make billions by blackmailing your employees? And how did he “work” the business world?

I think Cranky Jesus is going to tell his captors that they twisted the law to define his saintly works as crimes. If Thick doesn’t buy it at once, then something will happen to convince him.

Okay, I’ve finally figured it out. Locher feels bad that Gould got so much grief for the Space Coupe and Moon Maid and Groovey Groove that he decided to make Dick Tracy sooooo stupid that those periods would pale in comparison.

Which, yeah, they have.

Did Macy ever provide any police ID as all of the other bums in mufti did? How do they know that he is telling the truth?

Okay, time to move on to the next poorly written (and drawn) story.

Now y’all know why there wasn’t more detail in the science museum case

We should recommend to Locher that he develop a story about Moon Maid’s activities. She will be investigated by the American Space Society. Locher can draw agents with caps bearing that organization’s initials.

They’re going to wear out the hinges on the sewer grate with all these people constantly popping in and out. Not to mention the hinges of Tracy’s jaw. Speaking of people who are pretty stupid …

-Cougar :{)

blah blah blah

I bet that Macy and 3D are going to pontificate for the next month - which still won’t reveal any answers. If Locher’s contract expires in December, he doesn’t have time to spin another yarn. So, watch for them to ratchet-jaw at each other ‘till the clock runs out. And, if this is in the offing, I’d say this to Locher:

“You outdid yourself. You took an American hero and instead of continuing a tradition that spans 75 years, you decided to inject your personal bias toward the character that pays your bills and morph that hero into some subspecies of mental deficiency. I am amazed that anyone let you do that. If TMS owns the trademark or Warren Beatty, they ought to have you sitting at the Defendant’s Table. I was looking forward to sitting my grandson on my knee, as my dad did me, and together re-living the heroic adventures that made Dick Tracy great. What you have done, Mr. Locher, is drag an American hero to the level of Beavis and Butthead. Thanks alot.”

I see that all the agents have reappeared and are showing their badges again. Is that all that they do?

Who’s taking bets we don’t finish wrapping up this story until after Christmas?

This arc will get even more bizarre. It’s Locher’s Last Stand. Once he retires he’ll be a cranky old man without a soapbox and a street corner. He’s going to use Thick and D’ungpile to lecture us on how he’d save the world. He expects his views will be collected and reprinted for future generations of DT fans.

Locher’s DT material in the gocomics archive is grotesque. Thick’s latest act of courage is to bully a handcuffed man. It’s no wonder the cops at the Science Museum play stayed in their seats. They were hoping someone would shoot Thick.

Locher would probably have to look in the phone book to find the number to call for 911.

It’s no wonder Pat Patton quit and took retirement! Even though Locher didn’t have the courtesy to have a retirement sendoff for him (not even a Timex watch!), but in a off-the-record conversation with Chief Patton, he told me he couldn’t take it anymore. He told me that having Macy on the police force was causing the others to talk about mutiny. He didn’t wanna get fragged by his own men, so he chose retirement without a party. He told me he didn’t like being in a strip that was named after the equivalent to Gomer Pyle and Macy almost never checked in. They never knew where he was except he always had tickets he didn’t buy to civic events. Chief Patton said he allowed him to go because he always shook hands with the Grim Reaper at every event he attended and one day Lady Luck will prevail. Even Chief Liz(z) chose to sit it out, hoping the new Stuka pilot would go down in flames. Chief Patton had a parting word for Macy, which he asked me to deliver, but I can’t in this forum.

Locher is dragging out everything. There’s still no way to tell if Cranky Jesus is supposed to be Locher (my guess) or a symbolic George Soros (Sydney Phillips’ hypothesis).

Either way, I think Locher will soon bring this arc to its climax, i.e., Thick will have his chance to play duck-and-cower. I’m hoping to see Sue Doko in a Rambo mode as she tries to rescue her boss.

Any chance of the giant robots re-appearing? Maybe the pig on wheels will develop a taste for crime and DT will have to arrest it.

Or, maybe Sherlock, Lestrade and Gregson will show up to arrest DT for impersonating a detective.

Yeah, I know—- but I can dream, can’t I?

Two great posts morrow !

Please “Just Shoot Me” This story has gone on long enough. I can’t stand the pain anymore. Has anyone checked to see if Locher has had a stroke????

Just the other day I was looking over Tracy strips from 35 years ago….they had all that stuff about magnetic air cars and and a valley in the moon where a wonderful peaceful society lived.

That stuff made far more sense than this bleeep does….scary….

What if Cranky Jesus really symbolizes Warren Beatty?

What if this arc is a dig at him for the legal dispute over who owns the rights to Dick Tracy? D-cubed is in the entertainment business, is wealthy, has a troubled private life, is said to be vain and flew his Lear Jet up to Nova Scotia to see the total eclipse of the sun–er, travels all over the world and is involved in liberal political causes.

The utter comedy of Tribune’s legal argument against Beatty is their claim that the rights reverted to them because Beatty has made “no productive use” of the character.

And Locher … . Locher has?

Excuse me … I’m going to laugh until I hyperventilate again …

The longest arrest in human history. Wake me up next decade.

Tomorrow’s three frames–#1. Tracy: “We mean it, DBuckworth! We’re taking you in!” #2. DBuckworth: “You and the rest of these cops?” #3. Tracy: “You too, Penny!”

There Locher. For free, no less. You can go back to your nap now. And your day job.

Hilarious! Good riddance to Locher. December can’t get here soon enough to suit me.

Haaallllppppp!!!!! Get me out of this rotten strip!