Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for July 31, 2016

Sam and Lizz investigate while Tracy is awayBrightly burn the midnight oil. Leave no time left to play.Press calls it the “Vampire Car.” It sure does take a biteLizz and Sam are on the case, so as to set things right.Rikki meets with Bribery, he appears on the big screenSuch a twisted spectacle: vicious, foul and mean.Look to see Tess and Tracy ride the Orient ExpressCalm, relaxing tea time. Never would they guessThat Kadaver shadows them to Paris Opera HouseLike the Phantom in the book, strong passions he can’t douse.Sam and Lizz they solider on, clues few and hard to findTake a shot on Dethany, so smart and Goth and kind.A bright candle in the darkness, young Dethany knew RikkiHappy now to lend a hand to a case complex and tricky.

She’s ba-aa-a-ack …

Super-extended supporting cast – Activate~!!

We knew Dethany had to reappear sometime soon. She said she knew Rikki and that is Sam and Lizz’s big problem right now. I seems that Mr. Bribery is still battling The Apparatus. He tried to eliminate them before, but he hasn’t given up. Sam and Lizz have also noticed what several people here commented on, that the very visible Vampire Mechanique is not Abner Kadaver’s usual style. He seems to be trying new tactics. That might be a good idea for him because the old tactics didn’t work so great.

I’m still recovering from my trip last week and need sleep, so no weekly update at the moment.

Oy.Next week: Tracy gets lost on his trip and is rescued by Mark Trail. Meanwhile, Rex Morgan, MD, surgically removes Sam’s toothpick…-Mike: Please, let’s limit the cross-overs. Really, Fearless Fosdick straight to the Phantom, a flight on Air Warbucks and now Dethany.

I do enjoy the various turns this strip now takes….

The Unofficial GoComics Staton/Curtis Death ListAs compiled by boboscar, Tarry Plaguer, and AnyFaceNOTE: Names with a + were found dead or killed prior to the story start.+ Wormy & Thistledew (Reported dead in armory fire) 3/21/11Flyface 4/22/11The Fifth & Eddie Garcia (Caught in ’Thor’s Hammer’ beam weapon overload explosion) 4/25/11Earl (Flaky and Hot Rize’s innocent co-worker) 5/12/11Hot Rize (Asphyxiated in flour silo) 5/28/11Emma Parks (A.K.A. Ponytail Mk I) 6/14/11The 2 terrorists who tried to hire and double cross Morning Gloria 8/13/11Big Frost 10/20/11Apparatus Member (Killed by DoubleUp) 10/25/11 & fed to Tonsils 10/27/11Flakey Biscuits 10/29/11, confirmed 5/29/16 (of a heart attack brought on by Blaze’s murder attempt)+ Sizzler Sitzes (Hired by Kadaver to kill Charles Adams A.K.A. Baron Clovis in a hit and run. Was then shot and killed by Kadaver to keep him quiet) 10/31/11 identified 11/9/11Cueball 1/31/12Mr. Levitz (Doubleup’s main henchman in his first story; later killed by Kadaver to get Doubleup off) 3/13/12+ Vincent Vinyl 5/5/12 confirmed 5/11/12The 3 supporting members of the Mumbles Quartet (Car bomb explosion arranged by Abner Kadaver under Panda’s orders) 5/20/12Lt. Teevo (Fed to Muerte Vine by The Mushroom Lady) 7/8/12 confirmed 7/18/12Davey Mylar (A.K.A. Mr. Crime Mk II) 7/14/12 tombstone 9/30/12Panda (Tripped and fell into Tonsils’ tank under smoke cover released by Abner Kadaver, then eaten) 7/15/12 confirmed 7/23/12+ Arthur Curry (Aquarium director) 8/22/12Bookie (Measles’ partner) 10/14/12Measles (Overdose) 11/10/12+ Stephen Baux’s fiancée 2/8/13 identified 2/27/13Simon Baux A.K.A. Sweat Box (Struck by train during car chase) 2/24/13Diet Smith Industries Guard (Supposedly killed by Bardoll) 6/25/13 (Uncertain; shown lying on the ground and called a “casualty” on 6/29/13, but unconfirmed)Bardoll 7/7/13 confirmed 7/16/13Hy Pressure 9/28/13 confirmed 10/8/13Bill “Shortcake” Mitchell (Apparatus member) (never confirmed, but implied) 10/31/13Miles Mycroft (Garroted by Silver Nitrate, then fed to Lena the Hyena) 1/26/14Mr. Kolossal 4/30/14Ed Rosato (Never confirmed, but implied) 5/14/14Tabby Angus 5/28/14The Butcher of the Balkans A.K.A. Henrik Wilemse (Punjab placed his magic blanket over him, sending the Butcher on to “fly with the Maji” where none have ever returned) 7/27/14Axel’s “crack combat troops” (Implied to have all gone the same way as The Butcher of the Balkans a la Punjab) 9/30/14Axel (Blown up by Dr. Kenyon’s unstable experimental explosive) 10/5/14Otis (Killed by Gruesome) 12/5/14Mrs. Flattop (Flattened by 70-pound Film Canister thrown by Sprocket Nitrate in self-defense) 3/1/15 confirmed 3/6/15Cork 4/29/15 confirmed 5/1/15Fontane 5/6/15 confirmed 5/12/15Jimmy Choo Shooz (Sucked into undertow at Lake Prachett) 6/4/15Méliès (Accidentally shot with 50 caliber bullet – Possibly in right eye – By Apollo) 8/23/15 confirmed 8/31/15Rocket Munroe & Apollo (They would’ve been fatally shot by 9/12/15, on 9/13/15 it’s implied Venus is the only one on that floor still alive, on 9/21/15, Rocket & Apollo are among those on that floor who are identified.)Venus 9/22/15+ Vic Smith /John Cassaday 11/7/15+ Byron Orlock 11/16/15Freddy Capp 11/23/15The Hangman/The Brow’s Son/Alfred Brau, Jr. (caught and hanged in Tracy’s safety cable while trying to hang Tracy) 12/10/15Cheater Gunsmoke and his driver (crushed to death by Rikki Mortis’ vampire car) 7/19/16Multiple “crime bosses” Rikki’s vampire car takes a bite out of 7/31/16

Will it be a Battle of the Goths?

All I can say is, oh, good grief!

I LOVE IT! MORE CROSS-OVER COMICS!

Kinda wishing Lenore was in-frame, too. Hopefully later on in the week….

Sam and Lizz have deduced who might be at the helm of the Vampire Car, a.k.a. Vampire Mechanique, but have yet to find a course of action in pursuit of Rikki Mortis—other than to call in another Goth Girl, Dethany Dendrobia, skilled corporate trouble-shooter and computer expert.Rikki versus Dethany is quite an interesting match; top of the card, in fact.Meanwhile, back in Paris….

Not sure why the complainers are complaining. You have no problems with any of the tech that shows up here. Or a car chomping car, but a character cross over sends you into B mode. What gives.

.Good morning DT (and Fasty Track) fans!.Will Dethany turn on her buddy, Rikki? Rikki’s a busy girl with her cool machine!

Any way to bring Gomez and Morticia into this story?

Love it! Her character is fun. Maybe they’ll bring in her cowbird and boyfriend to help, too.

I agree with Jim in CT – these crossovers really are getting out of hand. You CAN have too much of a good thing. At this rate, jumping the shark can’t be too far off.

It seems it takes a Goth to catch a Goth.

Vampire automobiles! What a silly notion, eh Truck?…Truck…?

I think the cross over complainers have a bit of a point. We’ve had two cross overs in this story (Fearless Fosdick and the Phantom) that didn’t advance the plot at all (although I did enjoy them).But whatever validity that point had doesn’t exist here. Dethany isn’t holding up the plot, she’s a part of the plot. Sam’s contacting her to learn more info on their prime suspect Rikki Mortis. The only reason to object is an automatic animosity to cross overs in general, and that I can’t get behind.

“Fight fire with fire – I always say.” (Bugs Bunny)

Yes! Yes! Yes!

Sam Lizz look at factsDethany has her own pathBetter worse who knowsCrossovers good if serve purposeLook at why she has appeared

Dethany’s previous appearance in DT was on January 15-16 of this year, and although Sam seems to think that it was their first meeting it’s obvious from their conversation that they knew each other. There was an appearance of Tracy at the same time in On The Fast Track – one which forsaged the recent Fearless Fosdick arc.

Also, exactly one year earlier, aspiring detective Honeymoon showed off (to Sam!) the Dethany interactive game she got for Christmas – maybe Honey will get to meet Dethany this time!

[claps!] Oh this will be a great thread! I cannot wait to see it.

I tend to like cross-overs. Naturally, the mileage varies. It is a good way to attract new readers, as the number of “likes” and some new posters attest. The Phantom was quite effective, imo. We got a glimpse of Honeymoon and Junior, while planting a seed for Mysta’s next appearance with the revelation that something is troubling her. We saw two crime fighters having a brief face to face. It is worth noting that these cross-overs are occurring within an unusual context. Tracy is not working a case or chasing a criminal. He is on vacation in an interesting array of locations. He does not yet know he is being stalked. Sam and Lizz are working a case. Dethany has already appeared in the Specs story, thus her credentials have been established. She may have information useful to Lizz and Sam. Sam asks Dethany to help carry the load. I wonder if Rikki is in there…

Thanks to Night-Gaunt49, Vista Bill, Chris Sherlock, captmutt (nice!), JPuzzleWhiz and Ray Toler for the kind words. Very much appreciated. Ray, I need to order the reprint volume with Spots and Ogden. I’ve only seen a handful of panels from this period. Needless to say, I’ve already pre-ordered the just-announced Moon Maid volume (21).

I don’t mind an occasional crossover and often find them to be fun interludes. I’m not sure how I feel about the seeming trend of an all-inclusive comic strip universe where all comic strip characters interact. It is a humorous convention in Gasoline Alley with the ‘Old Comics Home’ but even there it is often presented as a nostalgic sequence rather than a full incorporation of these old characters into the general action of the Wallet family interactions.

My disagreements come when the crossover incorporates characters from a strip that is decidedly different in style of drawing and tone of the strip. The cartoony style of gag-a-day strips like Popeye or Snuffy Smith don’t seem to merge well with a gritty detective strip and only seem to really appeal to comic strip geeks or fanboys (of which I am one) in my opinion. The Fosdick crossover was wisely shown as a dream sequence.

Certainly Dick Tracy appeared in animated cartoons with Mr. Magoo but the actual tone of the Dick Tracy strip had to be compromised quite a bit in this particular animated foray. The Dick Tracy animated series featuring Hemlock Holmes, Joe Jitsu, etc. had nothing to do with the actual Dick Tracy strip. I have seen no talking dogs wearing British Bobby helmets in the actual Dick Tracy strip.

Others like Annie merge better and are more fulfilling as would The Phantom, whose strip is based on action and adventure and is much closer in tone to Dick Tracy than a chance meeting with Olive Oyl. If both Popeye and Tracy are in the same universe, can Tracy also gain an advantage in a fight by wolfing down a can of spinach when he needs that extra muscle to defeat a foe?

So I don’t mind some and dislike others. Mostly though, as I have said, to me it depends on the style and tone of the crossover strip. Dethany may be a Goth character as is Rikki but for the crossover situation she either has to be portrayed more realistically or the Tracyverse grotesques extend to more than the villains. Compare Dethany’s face to the face of Lizz and see which is more consistent to the artistic style Joe has brought to the Strip, making it somewhat more realistic than Gould, less stylized than Locher and more detailed than Fletcher.

Sometimes the crossovers work and sometimes they tend to stick out like sore thumbs.

One thing that I think is cool about Alley Oop is the stylized scenery. I like the way the current artist draws forests, cliffs, etc.

.With Abner abroad and Rikki out all hours of the night, I have invited Dethany to come and keep me company. It’s scary being in the crypt alone!.

Illegal Seagull stated,We must delve into the sunless subterranean world of goth culture to search for leads.-—————————————————————————————.Here?.

As to whether crossovers help attract new (or returning) readers, let me provide one data point: I started reading DT again two years ago when I read that the Annie strip cliffhanger was going to resolved. I then started reading the Cardinal after the “crossover” involving bullying (of Honeymoon at the mall). Finally, I again started following On the Fast Track (which I lost access to about 30 years ago, pre-World Wide Web) when they had the January 2016 crossover. The crossovers made me look, I liked what I saw, and continuing reading in each case.

I started reading DT in the 50’s. I used to cut out the strips for a scrapbook. I had a had a record probably a 78. Yes, I’m old!

I saw Dick Tracy in the Sunday paper, about the time Sam threw Tarter Soss over Aunt Soso’s cliff. Then I noticed a few strips which featured the 2-way wrist radio. A short time later, a friend of mine had a couple of us over to his house for a comic book reading afternoon – he had, literally, a whole vat of comic books. I found a Harvey reprint of the Shoulders’ second appearance story, and the Big Frost story, and another one featuring Dick Tracy’s interrupted honeymoon. I was hooked. My friends and i started following the story in the paper, as well as reading all the comic books we could find.

Neil Wick – When I was in Japan with the Air Force, the U. S. Stars and Stripes carried both dailies and Sundays in B&W, so I started a scrapbook and collected the entire Chameleon and Pouch and Johnny Scorn continuity. I still have that, although the double-stick tape i used is bleeding through the notebook paer after all these years.

My opinion on the crossovers is a combination of what a lot of people said. I think some are okay but they don’t have to be in every story. I think they should limited to those characters that would plausibly fit in the Tracy Universe. Ones like Barney Google, Popeye, and Mr. Magoo are great characters but the art and their strips are too cartoony. While Annie seemed to fit in, her world includes magic and supernatural which is now in Tracy’s world. Also there were vague references to Batman and Superman. Do we want to bring the whole DC Universe in? Now that Mary Worth has crossed over with the Phantom, will we see her in Tracy? If I see a crossover with BC, Snoopy, Garfield or Hagar, then we really jumped the shark. Be careful, guys.

I personally love the crossovers. They have been overwhelmingly positive too.