Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for October 03, 2009

I SAID RELEASE THE TIGER!!!!!!!!!!

Somehow, I don’t see you getting the last laugh, Pops…..

RHODA!! My dear little niece!

OK, funny face, tell us how the uncaged tiger will know who to kill. Does this mean Ringo won’t be killed even though he’s the one everyone wanted to kill in the first place? The show goes on!

Hi Auntie Marg…….I’ve come to “help things along” hehehehe

Just ONE MORE DAY!!!!!!

HANG ON!!

YOU CAN MAKE IT!!

Of course, now the tent is empty except for 7 complete morons and a tiger.

Rhoda, you are the best at “helping things along”!

I still want to know what happened to the funny dead duck.

barticle35, they fed it to the pig on wheels.

The laughter syllables in panel 3 would be a bit more effective if they were structured in a way that suggested actual maniacal laughter.

Margueritem, given that the pig-on-wheels is itself a cannon designed to fire projectiles, this could, conceivably, lead to the dead duck being endlessly regurgitated back into the upper rafters of the big top.

For anybody who missed my link yesterday, here, again, is the poor tiger’s new spin-off comic strip series, DICK TIGER:

http://kraptastrophe.blogspot.com/

BEWARE, OCTOBER 4 FAST APPROACHES!

Flightsuit, I enjoyed your “Dick Tiger” parody strip. Of course, if the tiger turns out to be a female, you may have to change her name to Tiger Tracy. ^_^

ha, ha, Ho, Ho, Hah, Hah – Ha Tracy’s nearly dead, Tiger’s paw … Tigers jaw, So let us MOVE on … Mattie’s tomorrow’s just ahead

Goodbye, Goodbye Dick Locher, Your contracts nearly done, And Mattie’s smiling faintly Red sweater in the sun Our readers are now silent Will Brozman fly away ? A new appointment letter As “bassmanbob” tried to say The “Mattie” name, and “Red the Sweater” Mouth breathing basement dweller You -sigh - you touchy onomatophobia feller

Don’t take offence young artist lad I merely used YOUR words, the words YOU use to jab Asked ? you refused to renounce the job, that Dicky Locher had Now the shoe’s upon the other foot , your’re “feelings” ? Glad or Sad ? I know you have no job on Tracy, although you want it bad, The truth is always better, deception voids respect and has you opened - seen through, revealed a rebel cad !

Sydney: Nice poem.

Dick: Nice to see some action maybe unfolding even though it was eleven weeks of nowhere to get us here.

And overall: there are two old comics I follow on this site, Dick Tracy and Gasoline Alley. It would be harder to beat on Dick Tracy’s lameness if Gasoline Alley were not being so well done right now. Is all I’m saying.

Thanks Jumbo, try reading Annie. It’s really well written. Jay Maeder who wrote the Dick Tracy biography and knows the old history better than most, He could write Tracy very effectively

I’m falling asleep got to go. Later tomorrow. See my posts on Locher Editorial Cartoon board last few days. He doesn’t read this board I’m sure he reads the other. His first love !

Ok, today is 24 HOUR COMIC DAY - as promised earlier in this forum, I am going to take the story as it is right now, and start a “alternate reality” during 24 hours - just as a fan trying to have fun. Dalies (and sundays) will be seen here: http://24hourdicktracycomic.robertomacedoalves.net/

In case someone is curious. I thought of an alternative ending that may be fun.

Maxine Viller, that’s good thinking! Here’s episode two, now named TRACY TIGER:

http://kraptastrophe.blogspot.com/

OK, first strip (for sunday) was posted here, in case you want to take a look: http://24hourdicktracycomic.robertomacedoalves.net/?p=5

Release the tiger? I thought Tracy and Enen were in a cage with the tiger? Does the cage have 2 compartments? Since we have never seen the actual cage, just close ups of the tiger’s face, I have no idea.

Release the tiger?

What? Now he’s from Power Rangers Jungle Fury? Red Ranger should sue!

so, Roberto….who is did the art work for the crimestoppers and the last panel?….the style reminds me of the old ‘steve canyon’ strip …I think mainly because it was done with brush (or at least a software program that duplicates ink drawn with a brush)

Flight Suit: Love your tiger. LOL

Roberto,

I’m awake again, Let me say immediately how refreshing the strip appears with just those minor changes and a simple, powerful “sense alerting” final panel. It raises the query, what’s the connection (?) How will it affect the looming outcome ? It’s a startling jump elsewhere. The strip itself comes ALIVE again ! Away from regimented, predictable drudgery !

A new character in that “condition” is a FIRST in mamy respects. First character we’ve seen in a HOSPITALIZED situation since Gould retired in 1977. That’s all of 32 years ! Effectively indicating just how narrow the scope had become to perk up readers interest. You’ve done it in one panel !

Kilian / Locher certainly never had it, and I can’t recall Collins either.(sorry, one exception - Mumbles story -1979).

Keen observers would have noticed that Gould used that ill or wounded, “near death” play, about once per year to rekindle the “sympathy” factor in reader’s minds.

And Roberto, it’s rewarding to the eye to see NORMAL “sized” HANDS on a character once again.

We need MORE !!!

Roberto, good stuff! JanCinVV, thanks!

Matt, I now hold the distinction of officially being the first follower of both strips. Don’t forget me when you’re famous.

I like the character design on that Apollo one. I can definitely see the classic Batman influence, and the white “eyebrows” on his cowl bring back fond memories of Adam West’s live-action Batman.

There’s also a bit of The Spirit’s vibe, I think, and maybe a little Green Hornet. The DT influence is also quite noticeable. I’m looking forward to tomorrow…

Well Mattie, Thanks for those links. It seems events have overtaken you and you’ve had to ‘jump the gun’ ! But I’ll certainly be reading with a curious eye.

Took an early peep at your introductory teaser on the Apollo strip, and as I recall you said it would be a Batman / Dick Tracy thing (?) So, who do we see there today ? Batman without ears (?) or, Dick Tracy wearing a Batman style costume ?

Judging from the intro art, it seems Batman is the “lead” character, Tracy in a sort of one peg down, second place ? Or is it your gambit to say, that in this “World” there is NO Bruce Wayne, and what we have is really - Dick Tracy alias Batman ?

I’ll be watching !

nighthawks:

The crimestoppers’ panel and the last panel were drawn by me - this is part of my attempt to make peace with Dick Tracy and imagine a way to creatively end this mess of a story and respect what has been done until now.

And yes, it is being done with a brush - I am still kind of a traditionalist!

Sydney:

Thank you very much for the kind comments - they mean a lot to me considering how much I respect your opinion and your encyclopaedical knowledge of all things Dick Tracy. I just finished 5 more dailies, that I am going to post right away! With a little bit more of the mystery going!

Comments are unlocked in case someone would make suggestions and/or feedback during these 24 hours!!

Sydney, what Matt had been trying to say was that the “Hollywood elevator pitch” for Apollo was that it’s “Batman meets Dick Tracy,” which doesn’t mean that it literally contains those characters, but that it contains elements similar to those of Batman and DT, without actually using their intellectual properties or being in any way formally connected to those franchises.

So that character on his page is neither Batman, nor Dick Tracy; It’s a new character whose style pays tribute to them.

Matthew:

I just bookmarked the links. They really sound like interesting concepts! I will be reading with attention.

Now I am going back to my 24-hour-Comics-Day experiment: I’ve just posted the false-dailies from Oct 5 to Oct 9, with a reference to the past that may clean up some of the current continuity inconsistencies.

http://24hourdicktracycomic.robertomacedoalves.net/

Sydney,

Please, if you see any continuity inconsistency, please tell me - there must be some holes in my character references and if you detect any, please tell me so!

Only one week ago “Now you all die, in what will look like a horrible accident.” http://www.gocomics.com/dicktracy/2009/09/27/

Obviously there’s been a change of plans. Now the plan is “I will tell the one person I’m not planning to kill the names of all my accomplices – and shout them out, to make sure the cops swarming all over the crime scene can all hear their names, and of course my maniacal laughter – but they will ignore me, since I’m disguised as a different clown.”

The problem with the new plan, though,* is he thought it up unilaterally. He hasn’t had any chance to confer with his accomplices since last Sunday’s strip. Maybe the clown has gone nuts and doesn’t know a good plan from a bad one, but have his accomplices gone nuts too? If not, they may well decide to adopt a new plan themselves – like “Let’s shoot the blabbering idiot and tell Tracy ‘Don’t pay any attention to him, he was nutso and we didn’t have anything to do with it. He was the one who murdered Louise Trapeze and he would have murdered you guys too if we hadn’t shot him. It sure is a good thing we happened to find where he hid his 30-30 sniper rifle just in the nick of time, isn’t it? Kthxby.’”

-Cougar :{)

*Well, one of the problems with the new plan. There are others….

:{)

Cougar,

In “Locherized” Dick Tracy there is a good chance there is a change of plan every day.

So when he did yesterday’s strip, he didn’t have a clue what direction he’d take the strip in today. He contemplated for 10 minutes, and decided that THIS morning. My theory is, that he figures that if he doesn’t know what’s going to happen his readers can’t guess either. He thinks he’s following Gould. And to a point, yes !

Difference is, Gould spent the whole weekend and many a sleepless night contemplating interesting twists and turns to enhance and rivet your attention on his finished product.

With Locher, I suspect it’s a maximum 10 minute daily exercise. So his “time” allocation is the problem, along with a failure to remember what went yesterday. It’s a recipe for embarrassing GOOFS and “contradictions” (like the one you spotted)

Sadly, it;s getting worse every day !

Ok, new strips posted, with the final pasted-up strips and the beginning of my fan-created universe! Just for fun, I wanted to do the “jump” from the pasted up strips to the fully-drawn strips… using that kind of pasted-up art as an introduction to close the “circus” storyline.

This is just a fan-made 24-hour exercise made for fun, using a “it was a dream” escape way to end the current storyline.

doodlerjeff yesteryday said something that made me think:

“Starting with the robot storyline through the casino fiasco I was astounded by how bad the strip had gotten. (…) the numbers from website visits here (and elsewhere I presume) are responsible for keeping a strip going.(…)They are just numbers to show to advertisers. (…) Anyone else who really hates the way this strip has degenerated should do the same.

And I think he’s right. That’s why I am ending DT in my mind with my ficticious storyline, and leave the strip, until they do the necessary shakeup. But I can’t just leave the strip with the current debacle ongoing…

As far as the writing is concerned, a Dick Tracy adventure is a short-short story. Those are normally written in one session. You could spend some time revising on another day, and then it’s done. Of course the drawing is more time-consuming and most cartoonists only draw one strip a day, but writing only one strip a day would be ridiculous. You’re probably right and that’s exactly what he’s doing, but … even if he is writing it one strip at a time, those of us who write longer works than short-shorts keep working at it day after day too, and we can remember what we wrote already. If we’re not sure what we wrote already we look. If we do make an occasional mistake in continuity it’s in some little detail that we forgot about – we don’t turn the whole plot upside down. Not successful writers….

-Cougar :{)

Cougar,

I don’t think anyone would mistake Dick Locher for a “succesful” writer. ;-)

Back in Gould (and Collins’s) days, as I understand it, TMS required the Sunday strips 12 weeks ahead of “publication” date (because of color) ad the daily’s (black & white) only 6 weeks in ahead. Back then the story direction would logically be guided by what had been done in the Sundays.

I’ve read where both Collins and Kilian had to submit complete story outlines to TMS for approval. And as I write, it occures to me that is where another problem lies. Once the broad outline is sanctioned, the Editors don’t see their job as one to look at detail. That’s left to Locher these days and he does’nt bother to check anything either. He doesn’t wear proffesional stockings. When something goes wrong it’s easy to imply it;s the Editors “fault”. And his accolytes (like Mattie et al), are quick to jump on boards like this and say so.

Locher (Mattie and Jeff say), has to keep work 17 weeks ahead of publication date. I have no idea if his Sunday pages are out ahead of the dalies as they once were. Or if Locher (and old hand who should know the “rules”) is required to submit completed story ideas for approval (?) His stories run on an average of about 15 to 17 weeks

At the end of the day it’s downright carelessness. And as a professional Locher should have greater pride in work he signs his name to. Perhaps at his age (80) he has given up and like an accolyte find it easier to relax and -SIGH- !

At the risk of annoying Flightsuit if this has already been asked, I have to ask: Did anybody tell the tiger that killing the detectives was the plan? Did the tiger agree?

Cats are fickle things, regardless of size. They do what they want to do when they want to do it. Trying to predict what this one will do once released is not possible— unless you’re the cartoonist who is drawing the critter.

For further reference to unpredictability in big cats, check the Book of Daniel. Daniel was kinda famous for, amongst other things, surviving uninjured in a lions den all night.

The clown didn’t mention the girl on the elephant as being one of the Ringo haters. Perhaps she’s the FBI agent that’s stationed in the circus… so… at the last minute, she charges in with the elephant trumpeting to save the day… followed by the pig on wheels who is Sam Catchum in disguise!

I believe all cartoonists have to send in the Sunday strips much earlier than dailies. Color takes a lot of extra work for the printers and they don’t want to be rushed about it.

(The color we’re seeing in dailies lately is not done by the cartoonists – it’s added later, apparently by someone who doesn’t bother to read the strips before coloring them.)

-Cougar :{)

Flight Suit,

Thanks for the clarification on Mattie’s strip. But the intro art does seem to have more coming from Batman than Tracy.

Seems we now have off-shoots of 4 strips/parodies coming out of the current problem D.T. strip

Roberto, I like it.

Margueritem: Thank you very much. I am just having too much fun with this. I am making my peace with Dick Tracy, so I can stop following the strip… I just didn’t expect to have so much fun!

And I just solved the Copyright Joe Flintheart Tracy problem that Sydney was talking about (at least, I solved it in my 24-hour fan-story!)… now, still 8 hours and a half to go!

http://24hourdicktracycomic.robertomacedoalves.net/

Mattie,

HOMAGE to who Bob Kane ? Perhaps I’m a little impatient but Dicky seems to be running a distant second ! ;-p

Will we see Dick Tracy with the hat, or in Lochor-ized bareheaded mode ?

Are you a “Vassal” Mattie (?) and is Locher a “Feudal Lord” ? One definition on MSN Encarta describes Homage as — “acknowlegment of allegience on the part of a Vassal toward a Feudal Lord”. ;-P

Seems I wasn’t far off on the Praetorian Guard bit.

Pulling your leg Mattie ! ;-p

13 strips created in 14 hours. Started with some paste-jobs for continuity’s sake. Still 6 hours to go – and I still want to tell whatever happened with the magnetic vehicles!

Mattie,

There is one flaw in your plan. This strip NEVER progesses. It regresses.