Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for September 08, 2020

Good morning™, fans of darkness!

Day 2: still no talking heads.

As Mysterious Scientist Guy emerges out of the shadows of the night into the light of the streetlamp with a flourish, he frightens a nearby innocent-looking woman. I solemnly swear he is up to no good!

Does the weed of crime bear bitter fruit?

Day 2: the Mad Scientist (Colin Clive) appears about to strike. He does at this particular moment in time look rather Jack the Ripper-ish, with the artificial and localized “London fog” and the young blonde target (if indeed she is). That would, if applied rigidly, suggest that she is not so innocent, but rather a Working Girl….

Still no text—which I like—, leaving lots of room for speculation….

Fog and a mysterious guy. Nice.

Ahhh … the Phantom of the Opera returns ! … or is he just a flasher?

What about the crime fighter “The Shadow” ?

My guess is that we’re taking a trip down Vampire Straße.

Should be interesting!

Like the detail in the strip today!

Good morning™, potential murder victims !

Our madman’s dress may evoke times gone by but he is here and now, going by the bits of vehicles behind in P.1 and the street lamp itself. Nothing like a grand entrance for this guy.

“Lots of room for speculation”, according to Sisyphos. Dies Mike know who he’s writing to or what ?

Look at all that haze. It’s the Caped Gas Man!!

A wizard in his own mind!!!

Do we know he’s a bad guy? I’m getting a real Lamont Cranston, Margot Lane vibe here.

innocent victim #1

I wish that I had the skills to draw like that . It is a special gift from GOD for sure . Thank you . Joe and Mike .

This doesn’t look very promising for the lady. Great artwork.

The woman recoils from the worst flatulence she has ever smelled.

PARKING LOT ATTENDANT: C’MON, PUT THAT THING HERE! I GOT CUSTOMAS WAITIN’ TO WATCH THE OPERA!

FUNNY BOY: HEY LADY! Where’s the terlit? This dry ice underwear I invented is doin’ more than just keepin’ the boys cool. I think they’re about to snap off!

If he starts singing Music of the Night…

“Let’s Get DANGEROUS!”

Whoa…. an unsually atmospheric start for this arc. Dare we hope for a good story here?

“Words fail me…!”

Looks like The Shadow using Mysterio’s smoke trick.

The Phantom of the Opera?

Looks like another time period piece…or maybe it’s a scene from a film kandilame is working on…either way it has yet to garner my interest

Is that Tess?

Very interesting. In five wordless panels over two days we have established the (likely) villain in his lair creating something with sharp points, leaving home after changing clothes, and poised to accost a woman on the street. A swift set-up indeed. The woman is not Tess. She is younger and has shorter hair. We know nothing about her. The cloak may be old fashioned, but we are clearly in the present day. Dynamic art. Intriguing start.

The very dramatic silent panels yesterday and today introduce a mysterious scientist-looking guy with a Shaky-stye haircut and Borg eye working on some mysterious gadget. He puts on an out-of-period inverness cape and large slouch-hat and makes a very dramatic appearance to an innocent-looking woman alone on the street.

That’s a lot of trouble to go to just to appear to one person. Is he making this overly-dramatic appearance to terrify? The woman looks surprised and somewhat terrified. Is she just an innocent extra there for the purpose of reacting to this flamboyant skpecial-effects reveal? Or, will she be a victim for some nefarious reason?

Although he is excellent at dramatic openings (e.g.: Tracy shot at without explanation, Dethany shot at without explanation—that one was so good it was used twice in a row) we often don’t fully understand the villains motives and goals as the story progresses. Hopefully, this will be better fleshed out on that front.

For some reason Mike’s villains have a tendency to reveal themselves. Villains dramatically revealing themselves is very Marvel-like. Marvel villains have super powers, however. If I were a super-powerless crook or murderer in Tracytown, I would try to keep a low profile. I would want to draw absolutely no notice from the police while I committed my robbery or murder or extortion. The only contact I would want from the police would be if I had to secretly knock off one of them if he got in my way (specifically Tracy). We’ll see how this pans out. I don’t expect this guy to be supernatural.

The overt melodrama is appropriate in a Halloween-themed story and in this case a good choice. The opening has everyone questioning the new character and what he is up to without all the talking heads. This is good, too. Comic Strips, like live theatre, are visual arts. I am hoping the mystery continues.

Problem is, this ain’t a comic strip or Marvel, although the boys are leaning in that direction more and more. BTW Neil, great observation

Wonder if we’ll ever see the Blue Beetle in here?

Brown isn’t a very dramatic hue for our probable new villain, but unfortunately for him the really sharp coat & hat colors were already taken by the Shadow, Green Hornet, Spirit, Carmen Sandiego and Tracy himself.

I AM THE TERROR THAT FLAPS IN THE NIGHT…

And for our next obscure crossover…. Enter The Trenchcoat Brigade. Would be awesome if that’s what it actually is though.

First, someone who had to race out of his lab with the quickness. All that smoke….reminds me of the special effects musicians who toured across country in the 70’s and 80’s used. Maybe Joe and Mike got themselves together and readers will be treated to a storyline with all the necessary plot twists to make it all worthwhile. Hope I won’t regret posting this when next week arrives and I get that “let down” feeling. Let me find my CD player and play some B.B. King.

“Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows.”

This guy steps out with style! I like him already!

Here’s a guy that comes with his own weather system!

‘Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!’

An entrance like that, to me, also brings to mind Abner Kadaver.

The hair makes her look a bit like Little Annie Fanny. Now that would be an interesting crossover.

Are we to run into Scooby and the gang in this adventure?

At least they’re social distancing

The beginning of a strong story, I think. The night of the Misty Vampire!