Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for March 18, 2012

Awesome

And we are excited about these upcoming stories, too!

Blackjack is over the top, I love it!

Robbing banks that, apparently, foreclose on people, and only taking the bank’s money. Playing music from a band known for their political messages. Dressing in a throwback style. This… is a proper Dick Tracy rogue. I love it! Now, will I love Fritz Ann Dietrich as much? I cannot wait.

Wasn’t this what the ex-hitman in MAC’s “Road to Perdition” was doing? Robbing the _bank_’s money?

They Might be Giants’ definitive cover of Tubthumping

It’s a shame Chumbawumba was a one hit wonder. If you ever have a chance, listen to the album Tubthumping was on, and you’ll discover that their other, completely unknown songs are even better than their drinking anthem.

What a kook! Money’s money to a bank robber, right? I guess not to our new pal, Blackjack!

I wonder what Blackjack does with the money he steals. I’m guessing that The Mole may get a large anonymous donation to his charity fund for homeless families.

Back at the hideout he celebrates with a whiskey drink, a vodka drink, a lager drink, a cider drink…

Wow! Blackjack is a great new villain! Apparently thinks of himself as a Robin Hood and that “the bank’s money” belongs to the bank and not to hundreds or thousands of mostly small-time depositors and clients…. Looking forward to an arc of terrific promise!

I really like his design. He almost pops out of the strip.

Why not a corrupt bank tycoon as a villain? Or a Enron Ceo?Or a Madoff?

That woman in the orange coat… is it just me, or do her earrings look like stacks of money?

blackjack looks a bit like TOMBSTONE from the spider man comics. by the way.. does wendy winchell know he stole her HAT too?!?

http://www.jasonrhart.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/tombstone_marvel_pictureboxart_160w.jpg

Woo Hoo! Great new villain – love the character and his appearance!Excellant art (isn’t the bank manager using a fountain pen?).And another interesting Crimestoppers (kudos, Jim).Is Tracy the only comic strip with a music soundtrack? (and Tarry, I guess I live in a cave; never heard of Tubthumping)

Mr Bribery and George Alpha were white collar crooks.Plenty of action, I recall

Not much original in a corrupt businessman villain.

Somehow or other, Blackjack reminds me of a cross between Abner Kadaver and Jack Nicholson.

I hate to tell ya, but some of that money you’re taking is mine too.

In the 1930’s many of the bank robbers of that time where viewed as heroes by the poor farmers and others who saw the banks as predators. The book “Pretty Boy” by Michael Wallis is a pretty good source for the phenomenon as well as documenting the life and death of Charles Arthur Floyd.

@Sisyphos – no individual depositor loses directly when the bank is robbed. If he’d taken the girls money she would be out personally.

I don’t live in a cave, but I have never heard “I get knocked down” until just now. The song for a bank robbery is probably appropriate but that is another one of those brain dead songs that has no heart. They repeat the lines over and over. P——-g the night away? How dumb is that? Did I miss something with this parenthetical bank job? How come we don’t get to see Dick Tracy? There seems to be some loose ends here. I think some luster is fading here DT team. When something seems too good to be true …. Oh well.

Love the bad guy, love the art, love this strip. Tracy gets knocked down, but he’ll get up again…..

Terry, I love this cave, it’s cool in the summer, warm in the winter, and no need to worry about tornadoes. It looks like the song is from 1997, and I wasn’t listening to much current popular music anymore, Loved the 80s, good times. That said , it’s a great song, and thanks for the link.

In TERRY AND THE PIRATES, there was a character named BURMA, and Caniff always hearalded her return by the lead characters hearing ST LOUIS BLUES playing somewhere. TUBTHUMPING is Blackjack’s theme, and it will be used in similiar fashion.

@Tarry PlaguerThank you for posting the picture of my Irish cousin yesterday.

The Texas Rangers organization was founded in 1835, 30 years before the Massachusetts state police were founded. They were the state-wide police force when Texas became a state in 1845.

My first impression of this “Blackjack” character is that he reminds me of a 1950’s Batman comic book villian.

Good afternoon all…

I like the new character!

Thanks, Tarry. I’m going back to my cave after hearing that!

First time on this website, but I’ve been watching for some time. Very interesting insights from those of you who comment! I first started reading the strip in 1961 (encouraged by my parents, who were fans!), and my first story line involved Spready Spensive, Duke Keen, and Mona the Mouthpiece (their lawyer who wore a hat that almost looked like a lamp shade & covered the top half of her face). That was followed by the Tommy McConny story (he was an escaped-con-turned-businessman who, while on a golf course, shot a golf ball into a supposedly abandoned home, and accidentally killed an old lady who turned out to be Junior Tracy’s birth mother, Mary Steele. Next, there was one of my all-time favorites – the story of the Brush who, with his henchman, Hendrix, ran a scam soliciting donations for fall-out victims. I’m surprised that no websites seem to discuss this period, which I consider to be some of Chester Gould’s best. The same can be said for the 52’s, the Pallette Twins (which featured the return to the strip of B.O.Plenty, Sparkle, & Gravel Gertie after an absence of many years!) Smallmouth Bass & Olga, and on & on. Mike Curtis & Joe Staton are doing work that shows they carefully studied the history and must have Chester Gould sitting on their shoulders. I thank everyone involved so very much for giving me a daily read to look forward to!

How very John Dillinger, of Blackjack!

And please forgive me for not starting my comments with: “Hello, Vista Bill”!

wow, good new villain and a real good piece of info in that Crimestoppers section. Nice chunk of law enforcement history

THE FIRST PEOPLE:In a book published in 1897 by Seamus Wiles, the First People are described as a race of humans that evolved before the dinosaurs. Only one edition of the book is believed to have been printed. The book is the only historical record left by the First People..THE DAILY NOTHING.JUST SOME RANDOM AERIAL PHOTO OF SOME HOUSES’ ROOFTOPS.What’s that LIGHT?.I don’t care, these DOLLAR BILL* Earrings* are really weighing me down, man..YEE-ALLL, IT’s* ME, Flavor Flav!* Check out my new girl friends..I’ve even traded in my GIANT CLOCK, for an OLD-FASHIONED Transistor RADIO!.HERE IT IS!.Is that Money?.YES..KEEP IT!I only came here for more GIRLFRIENDS!.Thanks for making the scene, man. Check out my reflective* GRILLS,* they’ll blind you, man.

Black Jack apparently took a page out of Arthur Penn’s script of Bonnie & Clyde!

wait shouldn’t his name be the ROBIN’ HOOD just a thought?

Ah, Blackjack and Tubthumping! Here’s the tune:

https://www.youtube.Com/watch?v=2H5uWRjFsGc