Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for January 23, 2013

So…..is Mole trying to make an impression with someone else’s generosity?

I think he is sharing his good fortune in having the gift certificate. He’s being a decent chap. The question is, where are Ratty, Otter, and Badger?

And to think Warren Beatty wasted his old friend Dustin Hoffman in the role of Mumbles!

You’re replying to Gweedo Murray’s comment:

Flagged it !^^I think from now on, I’ll flag him automatically each time I see his name on a post, whether I read it or not

I don’t mind the idea of having 2 arcs run concurrently, but, seems a bit TOO abrupt here

Flagged.………………………………………………….Interesting coincidence that Tracy should be dining at Lowery’s the same evening that Mr. Mole, Mrs. Spencer, and Toad are there. I wonder who might be with Tracy; George and Brad?

Good morning all…

Mole is looking good in his suit!

Hmm.. they don’t know who bought the gift certificate. So, Mole may be trying to ride on it a bit. But mole is a decent guy, at heart.

I hope it turns out to be an uneventful evening for Mole and company. They deserve a break.

So Mole and the Spencers are back. I hope this does not bode bad for Toad. Mike has warned that this is going to be a dark story arc that deals with a pedophile. I hope that Toad is not in line to be his next victim. Knowing Mole’s early blood thirsty history, I am not sure I want to be the pedophile if he does go after Toad….

me too gweedo

fhofmann said, about 24 hours ago

I read Ken’s post, and I’ve read yours. Here’s what I saw.

Ken expressed a strong, widely held, religiously-based viewpoint about the practice of homosexuality. You have a strong viewpoint regarding same.

Ken did not express contempt or disrespect for you. You did toward him. You also disrespected the Christian religion, declaring it “harmful” and guilty of visiting “untold suffering” on others.

In a free society, there are few things more disturbing that to witness a person espouse religious bigotry in such sweeping terms as you have. Ironic that one ostensibly promoting tolerance can be so intolerant himself.-——————————————————————————-

No, Ken expressed contempt and disrespect for gays and lesbians everywhere. That he couches his contempt and disrespect in flowery, disingenuous religious terms does not in any way lessen the dehumanizing nature of his statements.

Are you denying that Ken’s brand of religious bigotry is harmful, and has visited untold suffering upon innocent people?

Would you care to take a guess how many gay teenagers have committed suicide because they were being raised by parents who thought the way Ken thinks?

For you to suggest that I am espousing religious bigotry because I objected to his faith-based bigotry is just bizarre.

You say I have disrespected the Christian religion? No, I have disrespected Ken’s destructive interpretation and practice of that religion. It’s not my fault he’s chosen to cherry-pick scripture and use it to heap scorn upon one of our society’s most persecuted minority groups.

Plenty of other Christians are able to go through life without promoting homophobia, and I am not going to give him a free pass on his bigotry. He is free to believe whatever the heck he wants, and I am similarly free to express my opinion of his beliefs.

My having and expressing an opinion of statements he made publicly does not constitute an act of intolerance on my part.

If you look at yesterday’s comments, you will see Ken patting himself on the back for ending his original offensive post with the assurance that there is always hope in Christ.

In other words, he’s saying that if you’re gay, there is always hope that if you betray yourself by completely abstaining from sex or affection or companionship, and if you pray and pray and pray, maybe God will cure you of your homosexuality.

The sad thing is that Ken has no understanding of how deeply offensive that notion is.

Tracy is looking a bit older. What is he now? 120? Assuming he was at least 30 when the strip started he must be at least that.

Johnnycat is really trying to wrest the Troll Trophy out of the hands of MPH and his alterego. But being the seasoned Pro, with years of OJT under his belt, MPH tricks Johnnycat in a faux sleep hold and perfectly executes a Pile Driver move that puts Johnnycat down for the count.

As the mild hubbub over the appearance of a gay couple subsides, it is worth noting that Team Tracy is doing very fine job of adding depth and nuance to Tracy’s character. He is genuine in shaking Brad’s hand and saying that he is pleased to meet him, as his African-American colleague, Detective Lee Ebony, looks on. Tracy is no homophobe. Tracy has not forgotten Mole. Mindful of Mole’s rehabilitation and his good works with the homeless, Tracy gives him a generous Christmas gift, which we see being put to good use in today’s strip. Tracy councils Cinnamon Knight with what is likely life-saving advice. He subsequently lets Cinnamon and Piranha walk away from actions that might have resulted in minor charges. Tracy holds his weeping granddaughter, Honeymoon, in a rare revelation of his tender, loving side. Now, we see a cold case related to the shameful “resettlement” camps introduced, offering another opportunity for depth and reflection. I am very pleased with the evolution of the Dick Tracy strip. Well done, Team Tracy!

I tell the tale of a rather curious soul

Who goes by but a single name, that of Mole

Some call him murderer, others call him scum

There are those more charitable and just call him bum

Perhaps he was a nogoodnik in a former life

Doing dastardly deeds and creating much strife

But many things happen in in the comic universe

Like changing your spots and lifting a curse

Doing right and help others is now what he is about

No longer can he be called a churlish lout

To have Roses’ love he would be delighted

Let us hope for him it is not unrequited

He dotes on the child, the fair haired “Toad”

It appears he’s assumed a protector mode

A quiet dinner, a delightful repast

Let’s hope this peaceful evening won’t be his last

But on the horizon, storm clouds roil and roll

Portending disaster that takes a great toll

I like my adventures both happy and mild

With no thoughts that harm may come to a child

But unfortunately life isn’t always what I like

So I do fear now for our tow headed tyke

The box in the lake, the old man who sweats

What going to happen? Everyone place their bets

At the edge of our seats we wait with bated breath

Will this arc end in bloodshed and death?

It’s Dick Tracy, so we know it must

The laws long arm is mighty and hopefully just

So until tomorrow we must wait to see

Just what the team has in store for Mr. Tracy.

No.

Yes.

Well if we’re ’ nit picking ’ the strip again, how come you overlooked Brad’s extra short forearm yesterday ? You kind of wonder why it’s drawn that way ? Any special significance ?

Must say it reminded me of Locher’s tiny hands, how could we forget those ? Where the Wrist Geenee often, almost touched the knuckles ?

There are people, myself included, who believe that homosexuality is a sin. And in my case, I also have the experience that I had when I was ten years old; a man offered me money if I would perform oral sex on him. I refused, of course, and I thank God that I didn’t get close enough for him to grab me. So I do not consider the lifestyle to be as harmless as some folks do. I do not, however, wish any harm on the homosexuals; God gave us all freedom of choice, and that’s their choice. I do not like it when that lifestyle is brought out into the public eye and thrown into my face. I keep my sex life at home and I believe that others should do the same, for the sake of courtesy, if nothing else.

I read these comics as a form of escape literature. I liked the COMIC comments too. But lately some of the content of the comments is getting to be the very stuff I wish to read comics to escape from. Isn’t there a better forum, a more appropriate forum to take this stuff? Please?

Gweedo Murray:It says that 17 hours ago, you flagged helloimjohnnycat’s comment, but I’m just starting to read all the comments at 7:35 PM est, and his comment is still there (unless there was an even worse one that was taken off the board).

“Used to be I could spend all my daysReading about Tracy’s exciting foraysInto a world filled with Gangsters, corruption and viceNow all I get are characters making niceDon’t get me wrong I think Moon Maid is FoxyToad is real cute and Honeymoon has MoxyBut I long for the strip that held my attentionInstead of feeling I’ve been sent to detention.Copyright Still Da Man 2013Unauthorized use of this poem without express written permission is strictly forbidden!!! LOL!!!”Now, that’s funny. I don’t care who you are!

May I interrupt the current dialogue to comment on the story, lol? Is it just me, or is finding the perpetrator of a 70 year old crime kind of, well….anti-climatic? The person would have to be either deceased now, or close to it in some nursing home, hardly a threat to society anymore. If convicted, 2 years in prison would be probably more than they would serve with the death penalty. I’m glad we’re back with the Mole/Toad thread, it’s kinda neat…..

WOW. There are a lot of commenters with some very strong and (I think) arrogant remarks today. I was going to reply to Sweet Betty’s question asked yesterday about internment camps but, excuse me, I will wait until the air clears.

Thank you for the clarification about flagging.

I think my favorite moments in this strip these days is when Mole and Toad are together. I think I’m even beginning to iike her more than Honeymoon at this point. I’d really hate for something bad to happen to her, but should it come to pass (this is the Dick Tracy world, after all), I have hope that Team Tracy will have done it for a reason, and make sense out of the aftermath.

Flight Suit, condemning sin is different than condemning people. You refuse that distinction, and it’s apparent that in your world there would be no toleration for anyone who teaches what Christians and Jews have believed for millennia. So be it.We’re gone round the block enough I think, so this is probably a good place to stop. I bear you no ill will. Peace, out.