Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for November 23, 2008

Not one iota of plot advancement. I had hoped for at least 1/3 of the panel, even a 1/4.

Margueritem, let me be the first to welcome you to the world of Dick Tracy (Locher-style).

It’s obvious that this is the first series of Locher’s Dick Tracy strips that you’ve viewed, because you seem to be expecting plot advancement.

Locher long ago discovered that by doing away with any sort of reasonable plot advancement, he could cut his workload by at least 66%. He found that he could use the exact same drawings in some cases up to three times over.

While it’s a slap in the face to any of Dick Tracy’s long time fans, one can only admire the way that Locher exploits his monopolistic position.

And one day, may you do too.

Looks like Sam is going to do some damage to that ATM machine. That seems to be the only plot advancement today.

Anthony, one little correction in your lesson to Margarite; Locher doesn’t use the same drawing up to three times over. Go back to last year’s Halloween story. You’ll find the haunted house made every bit of twenty, and maybe more!

Doncha just love the SWAT Team? One guy in a baseball cap…. hiding in the bushes with the Hero of the Police Department. Tracy’s HR department must spend its time smoking up all their evidence.

“Without Traz-r, we’re dead ducks”… Oh, puleez. Somebody tell me what this town does fro REAL police protection. Maybe the state can be called in? In my hometown the state helps the locals on occassion.

The other day their “goose was cooked”.

Today they’re “dead ducks”.

What a bunch of turkeys.

I figure Ltl Buzz Bomb has one shot. Looking at him, I’d guess a small power pack, just enough circuitry to get off one blast from his cannon and he’s in big trouble if somebody/something steps on him.

Maybe Flying Buzz Bomb does voice mimicry, and will order BF/MF (as his master, Braces) to leave and go get the magnetic tapes.

Of course, BF/MF just might tell “Braces” to “get ‘em yourself”.

I am hardly an expert on robot technology, but is it even possible for a robot to be blinded by a laser? Wouldn’t he have some kind of radar or a similar detection system?

And that’s another thing – if Traze-R is blind, why is he looking right at Li’l Buzz Bomb? He was doing this the other day, too. If it’s talking that loud, then BF would hear it, and there would be no surprise.

Oh well – let Locher have his fun. I wonder if he’s a fan of the Daffy Duck cartoon “Dripalong Daffy,” where during the showdown with the bad guy, Porky winds up a toy solder that the bandit picks up and laughs at before it shoots him in the face and kills him.

neonleon59: It’s a fowl situation that they are in.

BF appears to be still “Old Technology”. He can’t follow both the police people and the attacking “groinbot” at the same time. Modern fighter jets can follow a dozen targets and engage several of them at the same time, so BF is behind the times just a wee bit.

Howabominable says:

“I am hardly an expert on robot technology, but is it even possible for a robot to be blinded by a laser? Wouldn’t he have some kind of radar or a similar detection system?”

It seems that Traze-r is old technology too. I’ve seen security cameras blinded by car headlights, the monitor in the security office totally “whites out” when that happens. Mayor Daley of Chicago depended on that the night he permanently shut down Meigs Field. Searchlights were shined on the nearby cameras, then bulldozers carved giant “X”s in the main runways.

So, yes, a laser blast could blind Traze-r’s TV camera “visual system”.

All I know is that MF/BF shouldn’t bend over or he’ll get a big surprise!