Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for January 08, 2011

If I suspected Locher of having writing skills, I would say that Mordred’s associates are the cause of both the storm and the communications blackout, as well as the instigators of the brain-damaged transport scheme that got him alone with Thick Spacy. The only question would be whether the “associates” are his fellow criminals, or members of the American government which Locher hates so pathetically.

As always, Horn Hair’s horn has shifted to the side of her head away from the reader.

I thought Sam and the gang were going to put their all-weather gear on and rush to rescue Tracy. And now, even the cell phone is out!

Looks like Dick has let go of his prisoner. This is the worst strip I have ever seen.

So Dick, is this the worst storm you’ve ever seen? What about you, Mordred?

Surely it can’t get any worse than this.

(Sarcasm)

I’m beginning to think this is a bad storm. You can see little hints and clues woven throughout the narrative.

All communications, Testicle Chin? Does that include police car radios? And land lines? Next week will Locher waste an entire day explaining that the mail isn’t being delivered? (Chuckle: If the cell phone doesn’t work, how did Testicle Chin use it to learn that all communications are out?)

Mordred has put on his happy mask, if what Locher has drawn means anything. Is he insanely enjoying his predicament, or does he expect his associates to show up? (That is, if Locher mentioned them for some reason other than “This will pad out another day’s strip, Brozzie!”)

If this is such a bad storm wouldnt there have been some sort of warning forecasted before Dick was even sent on the job? Shouldnt the police have known about this already? Why in the World was he sent out on such a horrible day?

How many times are they going to put out lame attempts to rescue Dick? How long will Dick last before he attempts to shoot and then pistol whips the wit out of Mordred? Where in the World is Diet Smith? Surely he has some sort of gizmo that can be used to save Dick. What happened to the decoy cars? Please tell me they werent dumb enough to ‘power approach’ the water. If so theyre probably doing an incredible impression of a raft as they float off into the sunset. Maybe Dick could jump on one of them with Mordred and ride to safety and the end of this tale. No, thatll never happen.

The artwork frequently seems to put things out of proper perspective. In the third panel, Dick appears to have lost his money in a jukebox.

NVash, the only logical explanation for sending Thick out is that nobody expected the storm. That is only possible if someone in the story has a means to either (a) subvert every weather forecaster in North America or (b) has a technique to raise epic storms. That’s either black magic or some goofball invention.

If Locher could write, he would have done a little foreshadowing. He would have told us that Mordred was a brilliant scientist who went insane, or the leader of a Satanic cult. He would have had the characters wonder how this fierce storm could appear out of nowhere.

But Locher can’t write and doesn’t use logic. That “power approach” to the water was a means to get Mordred out of the car. Most likely he wants Mordred to attempt an escape so he can die an ironic death.

Bill, we’ve seen what Locher’s foreshadowing is like. Let’s consider it a merciful thing any time he forgoes the use of that technique.

I’ve got to get the kind of foul-weather gear Sam and his crew seem to have. Imagine– office wear that allows you to go out in the worst storm in years. Instead, I’ve been doing it the hard way. Trying to use more brains too—- no power approaches into chancy conditions. (Geez, where did Locher come up with that? A third grader would have known better than to do that.)

The company I drive for already seems to have the kind of communicators Sam is using. Doesn’t work anytime there’s a chance it might be useful.

So sad. I remember Dick, Tess, Pat (before he was chief), Junior, Sam (when he was a young wise guy). The strip was worth looking at and reading then. No more.

Maybe testicle chin has one of those phones that won’t work if you don’t hold it correctly

It looks to me that Panel 3 is a warmup for Classic Tracy that everyone is howling for! He’s got his track shoes on and getting ready for the starting gun. He’s spent so much time running in Locher’s reign that his tie has a permanant set in it like Dilbert’s. He’s even turned Mordred loose.

Dick’s tie, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind…

And it looks as if Doc Mordred is thinking, “Hmmm…nice looking garotte, Dickster!”

They must have left their all-weather gear in the car with four flat tires.

Worst. Storm. Ever.

Here is the worst storm Thick ever saw:

http://www.gocomics.com/dicktracy/2001/09/12/

It would have been a much better storm if the lightning had hit Dick Tracy and saved him from Locher. Instead it struck the lesser of two evils.

Am I the only one comparing the angle of the wind-blown rain to the angle of that necktie? That tie isn’t being blown by the wind, people. We have an anti-gravity necktie here! And now it’s rising up past horizontal! If it keeps on rising Tracy could be hung by the neck until dead!

-Cougar :{)

I’m confused… is this the worst storm ever?

That is a snappy shirt and tie combo Sam is wearing.

If this is the worst storm hes ever seen than he hasn’t lived in New England.

“It was a dark and stormy night. I’d taken a creative writing course.”

If Thick gets lucky and dies in this arc, Miss Tess and her lawyer ought to do well with their settlement from Naperville! Tess might get enough money from Thick’s wrongful death to be courted by Old Testicle Chin himself! Or, Teevo. Nothing beats a gal with lots of money! Some say the money makes them better-looking!

Well, in the dark days during and right after Hurricne Katrina, we used texting via cell phones to communicate with the authorities and our friends and relatives, because texts went through a different network which didn’t use the local central offices for disseminating the texts. So no matter where you were, text messages got through when normal cellular comms wouldn’t.

Actually, if you remember, Locher cleverly mentioned at the start of this story arc that Mordred was heavily sedated… this whole thing must be the hallucination that Mordred is having as a result of the drugs!

I mean, nothing else even makes sense, right? Right……?

What happened to the pistol Thick waved around yesterday and the day before?

What will tomorrow’s weekly recap look like? This week recapped the final two panels from last Sunday’s recap, Will Locher now focus even more tightly on Thick and Mordred’s situation? “If my socks get any wetter I’ll develop trench foot!” – “Hey, flatfoot, have I mentioned that when the rain hits my gimp mask, it makes a sound like frying bacon?” – “Mordred, you evil bad person, you are as annoying as the way my wet shorts cling to my flesh.” – “Aw dry up copper! HA HA HA HO HO HA!”

I remember the good old days when I thought Locher would have retired by now.

I have to go to Plainclothes now and again to remind myself of what this, the official Dick Tracy comic, should be.

Over thataway, Sam actually made an observation that could break the case. Sherlock Holmes would be pleased with Sam for noticing the difference in tear strings. The company is known for its red strings, in fact it’s part of their advertising. The bags full of “something that ain’t baking powder” has green strings and Sam noticed that.

See below.

http://www.plainclothescomics.com/

Bill, I just looked in on that link you posted. I could wish I hadn’t. Reason: Dick Locher was capable of much better stuff back then. If he could have kept up that level of writing/drawing this comic might not be the lightning rod that it is today for our comments.

“Tracy, you told me you liked pina colada and getting caught in the rain. I’m taking you off my list!”

Water, water, squishing ‘tween his toes What will the dick do, no-one knows Water, water around his ankles Well, at least it hides those cankles Water, water laps about his calf All Mordred does is laugh and laugh Water, water up to his knees Perhaps it’s time to take to the trees Water, water sloshing at his crotch This is a case only Tracy could botch Water, water wets his chest Now’s the time to become distressed Water, water up to his neck Will this be the end of this dreck? Water, water over his head Just how long can he tread?

BillThompson, how the heck did you recall a strip from nine years ago???

Either you’ve devoted way too much of your life to this strip, or Google has an auxiliary search function of which I’m unaware.

Wonder Warthog, that one’s better than usual, and your usual is always good.

Anthony 2816, it’s easy to remember the Mistress of Death arc, especially because the lightning strike bit appeared on 11 September 2001 as well as the day after. I looked at it again last month on a hunch that Locher would use the weather to kill Mordred. He’s so uncreative that lightning might strike twice.

Michael McMillan, the MoD arc moved faster than this one (three months long, I think) but it found other ways to stink. A Satanic priestess blows into town and at once the churches empty out? Thick announces that he’s going to find a reason to arrest her, despite a lack of a crime? The ME can’t identify corpses? Thick arrests a minister for murder because some burnt coins turned up in the collection box? And the villainess looked a lot like Cruella deVille.

BillThompson, hats off to you, you’re a genius.

Amazing how badly the storylines for Dick Tracy have degenerated in 10 years.

I wonder if Lochner didn’t have a bunch of pre-written storylines and simply ran out of material?