Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for April 29, 2012

I see Littleface has regrown his ears!And what did Mumbles say?Have an happy sunday everybody!

Good morning all…

Who’s that in the picture? The brain?

I don’t recognize him. Anyone?

And Mumbles isn’t supposed to be blond?

Littleface Finney! DT said “Bless my soul, no ears!” when he nabbed back in the 1940’s.

Yeah,what’s next? Krome with the left arm restored?

Buzza Wuzza is correct, that is Little Face Finney! I wonder how they will explain the ears, replacement ears cloned from the back of a mouse?

Did Mumbles say : “Everything ready,restaurant tomorrow”?

Thanks Bill.I’ve never been very fluent in Mumblese!:>)

Now that we’re back to the Mr. Crime story, let me again ask a question that I didn’t seem to get much of a response about the last time: “Who is the new Mr. Crime?” With all the great old-time characters that have been brought back, there are some others that I hope will not turn out to be this Boss-of-Bosses. Flattop (arguably Tracy’s most famous foe), died a definitive death. And while I know that MANY of the Tracy villains have found a second life, Flattop drowned, was shown on a slab, & was seen buried. The Brow – impaled on an American flagpole (how appropriate for a Nazi spy!). Tough to make a recovery. Even Mr. Bribery (dropped from a Space Coupe through a prison roof) should stay dead. Pruneface may still be alive, but he was more involved in anti-American espionage as opposed to being a crime boss.So, any guesses? By the way, DT team, Little Face Finney, now?!! How great is that?!!

The Texas Rangers in the Crimestoppers Textbook as promised.

How long has Littleface Finney been in stir? What is Mumbles starting tomorrow? Who are The Apparatus? Davey Mylar is a relative of Mr. Crime?! So many questions! —Now, on to answers!

Passing through Waco next month and may have to take a stop at the Texas Rangers Museum. I hear it’s pretty nice. Littleface, ’eh? Team Tracy has more tricks up the sleeve than David Copperfield!

“The Apparatus” The Boy/Girl Scouts of AmericaThe Mothers March Against Star TrekThe Beagle BoysThe Local Rotary Club(Joke) :>)

Look at Blaze’s expression. How does she recognize Littleface Finney? He’s old enough to be her great granddad! I think Panda is Mr. Crime!

Another classic character returns! Here’s the updated list: Link: Returning Dick Tracy characters..It’ll be interesting to see how the new team handles his missing ears (which he lost to frostbite). Is that photo (pre-loss) or more recent (reflecting replacements of some kind)?

Strangest hideout Ive ever seen. You know a new adventure is starting when you see the Tarzan movie set.

I remember, years ago (early 80s I think), that Pruneface had been frozen and then was thawed (I don’t remember the scientific names for them). Tracy was watching him, and I think was planning to get an indictment for sedition against Pruneface (no statute of limitations, he said), but Pruneface was captured by a Holocaust survivor. The strip showed their plane taking off, and I never saw Pruneface again.

I also remember Angel Top, Flat Top’s daughter, and The Brow’s son. Maybe this is Mumbles Junior, or the Third?

Trivia: Little Face Finney (or “Littleface” as Gould also spelled it) , was introduced on July 26, 1941, and last seen on Sept. 21, 1941.

You’re welcome. I speak Incoherent like a native.

Ear transplants?

On Dec 2, 2010; Chuck Norris & his brother Aaron were made honorary Texas Rangers.

Big Boy isn’t dead—he runs a chain of hamburger joints.

Woo gosh! Littleface Finney!Maybe he’s Mr. Crime – he wouldn’t be the first to run an organization from inside prison. As for his ears – they’re probably just prosthetics.Can’t wait to see where all this is going!

The Apparatus is the DT universe name for organized crime. Big Boy was one of their top bosses. It sounds like Mr. Crime is planning on some major moves. As for “Who is Mr. Crime?” My vote is Panda, he’s using his knowledge of George Alphas’ operations to make himself the boss, while appearing to just be the messenger boy.

i’m thinking mr crime is gonna turn out to be a woman somehow. maybe mrs. flattop? ike has said that this mumbles is the same one that was in the strip “back in the day” and who had plastic surgery at the hands of dr will carver. he also had said that they (he and the rest of the team) have plans for brows son, including giving him an actual NAME!

He looks like a blonde newt gingrich!

Okay, I’m guessing Davey IS Mr. Crime. Do I get a prize if I’m right?

As far as I know, we didn’t see Pruneface after he was captured by the Holocaust survivor. It’d be great if he was the new Mr. Crime. Or perhaps Fritz Ann or Ms Steffihawk, the receptionist?

In the Sunday paper that is delivered here at my home, there are 23 comics and most of the artists do not even try to draw nice looking hands on their characters. This week I was noticing that Spiderman, the Phantom and Dick Tracy were the only decent hands where some don’t even try like the figures with three fingers and some look as though they have boxing gloves on. Spiderman has the best hands this week.

Ladies and Gentleman I still hold for Pruneface being Mr. Crime. And now with Little Face Finney being reintroduced into the mix, I am almost sure of it. Pruneface was one of the only old time Tracy villians, aside from Flattop Jones, who had the cunning and the experience to pull together such a carbal of villians under one command!

New,.Re your question:.“Could [the Big Boy] have faked his death?”.The Big Boy did not fake his demise..He is, as the Munchkin City Coroner put it, “undeniably, and reliably dead.”

Little Face did part with Tracy on good terms, they even shook hands as he began his sentence…

Mr Crime possibilities based on non-dead characters:-Art Deko-Sue Real-Posey-Ms Chin Chillar-Peanutbutter-Dade Plenty-Brow’s Son (would he get a name?)-Haf n Haf-Kitten Girls-ZZ Welz-Pike-Molene (did she really get blown up? nice tie in back to Mole)

Intro (skip if you’ve already read any of the previous intros):

Hello, greetings, casual readers of past Tracy stories. I’m here because I’m on 2 missions. The first is something I’ve never done before, read each Tracy story by Mike Curtis (or his occasional guest writer) in one sitting each. I feel his stories are worth it. IMHO, Curtis is by far the best post-Gould writer this strip has ever had, and we’re all lucky to have him.

My second mission is to provide an immediately useful Featured Comment whenever needed. My 3 friends below will reply to me. You can read their replies if you like, but their only real purpose is to bump up this comment to the Featured Comment.

There are 2 basic types of immediately useful Featured Comments: anytime that day’s strip quotes a real song. I will provide an html to a recording to that song so you’ll know the tune even if you’ve never heard it before. The other type (this type) is to provide you with a Mumblespeak translator when needed.

End Intro

“What’d he say?”

Mumblespeak translator: He said, “Everything’s ready. We start tomorrow.”