Recent Comments

1. 13 days ago on Dick Tracy

   Was it the old Marvel Comics letters pages that handed out “no-prizes?” I believe for explaining away a so-called “error” in a story, if memory serves. I would say, in this case, “Pruneface’s” head is the wrong shape because it’s not the genuine article, but it IS the head shape of the dope in Pruneface make-up

2. 18 days ago on Dick Tracy

   I don’t intend this as a negative comment to any of the newer creative teams around Dick Tracy, but over the last several years we have seen many “breaks” in the continuity for re- runs of previous story lines, “Minute Mysteries” (of greatly varying quality), and even re- runs of Minute Mysteries. Rather, I’d like to stop and think again of the remarkable work of Chester Gould. For more than 45 years; through a depression, a World War, undoubtedly through sickness, vacations, and all sorts of personal events both joyous and tragic, for 7 days a week, a new Dick Tracy strip appeared in newspapers across the country. I realize he had assistants, and possibly they didn’t get as much credit as they deserved. However, I would guess that the vast majority of work was from Gould himself. And this was in a time when a cartoonist’s work was more “labor intensive” than today; no computers, lettering and inking was all done by hand, etc. I guess I can’t say positively, but judging by the IDW books that I have read, anyway… I don’t think there was a single instance of a “re- run.” Am I correct? To keep up that type of creativity and quality across five decades is amazing, and probably something that will rarely be seen again.

3. 19 days ago on Dick Tracy

   I really hope that is not the case, I do hope that The Tribune is committed to righting the ship and continuing new Tracy stories. I am also still a fan of newsprint, and like the feeling of a physical newspaper in my hands, and like the fact that Tracy is still printed daily. Having said all that, we are all watching the slow demise of actual “newspapers”; I have begun to wonder if someday the internet will be a place where us old fashioned types can read brand new Tracy stories, 4 panels per day, and not the size of postage stamps, just as God and Chester Gould had intended from the beginning

4. 3 months ago on Dick Tracy

   I do like the old- school notation pointing out the 2- way wrist radio

5. 4 months ago on Dick Tracy

   My thought exactly… looks a little too much like Sam Elliot…

6. 4 months ago on Dick Tracy

   You’re kind of helping make our case here. Yes, Bogart the actor was famous for his characters in trenchcoats to “us” the viewing audiences, but you would never hear a character in one of those movies say “Look, there goes Sam Spade! I’d recognize him anywhere in that trenchcoat of his!!”

7. 4 months ago on Dick Tracy

   In my opinion, the “yellow” was meant to represent the normal “canvas” type color of common trench coat (think of Humphrey Bogart movies.) I don’t know if the yellow was a result of more limited printing processes of the 1930s and 40s, or if the bright, primary colors were used to attract eyes to the funny pages in the days of pre-TV, b/w movies, and b/w photos and illustrations in the rest of the newspaper. Either way, in my opinion, this is a common trench coat and fedora that Tracy wears; it doesn’t fit his character that he would be wearing a gaudy, bright yellow coat, or plastic yellow raincoat. Unfortunately, some modern writers and readers seem to think of it as some kind of superhero costume.

   Further, at least in my observation, there is no way Tracy would have been wearing his trenchcoat in strips that ran in August. Tracy’s wardrobe kind of followed the calendar, much like in real life, and in the summer, Tracy may be in his suit coat, but just as likely may just a dress shirt, possibly with a vest and rolled up sleeves.

   In short, Tracy’s “yellow” coat is just a coat… it is not a superhero “costume.”

8. 5 months ago on Dick Tracy

   Too often we’re seeing 3 panels (or 6) say something that could be said in one panel

9. 8 months ago on Dick Tracy

   By saying “the real one,” I would prefer to think Tracy is talking about the car actually used in the filming of the tv show. Unfortunately, Mike has always subtly (and sometimes not so subtly) beat around the bush that everyone from Batman and Superman to Popeye and Walt Wallet, and who knows who else, all exist in Tracy’s universe, and of course they all know each other. Unfortunately, we will likely have to endure these fanboy fantasies as long as Mike writes the strip

10. 8 months ago on Dick Tracy

    Kind of clunky dialogue tday… who in the world says “The car we drove here now won’t start”???