Good morning, VB!
It’s Sunday, a good day to read ‘Dick Tracy, and admire the well drawn characters, and the wonderful colors, and no, I’m not Simon Penn.
Crimestoppers - Sorry. Not good advice. I used to work in retail and fewer than 10 percent of the customers would sign the backs of the cards. The reason was the same that I don’t sign mine. If the card gets lost, the thief not only has your card and your account number, they also have your signature that they can learn to copy. Retail stores need to take that item off their cards.
Stan Freberg meets Dick Tracy? Man, I have got to get me that album! Anyone want to loan me $96.00?
Not much to say these days now that Dick Tracy is a fast paced, clever, good looking comic strip again. I don’t want to sound like a walking ad for a crappy fast food place, but, well, I’m lovin’ it!
When I worked in retail, I started to follow the lead of some customers who wrote “See I.D.” on the back of their credit cards.
There’s a contradiction here. A few days ago we were told the gizmo was a crime-fighting weapon; now it’s something Smith was developing for the military. Thor’s Hammer makes more sense as a military weapon than as a police weapon; it could reduce collateral damage and inflict fewer combat casualties.
Either way, Smith gives Dick a plausible reason to handle this matter quietly. Presumably the weapon is something that criminals could make with relative ease.
I was told to write “Ask to show picture ID” in the signature area. Sounds foolproof, but in one year I was asked maybe three times to show my ID. Clerks just don’t look at the signature line. And it’s no protection on the internet. Twice I’ve had people try to make purchases using my card number on the internet (they also had my name) or over the phone. Once the seller caught it and the second time the credit card company caught it, both because calls were from a third-world country and my home address is in the USA..
A debit card, using a PIN, is probably safest, at least for point-of-sale purchases..
Another great strip, a quick recap then on we go! A Crimestoppers by Jim Doherty, his book ”Just the Facts” was great, and let us not forget the Pouch being trhown in the mix. The other thing I noticied is the story could actually stand on its own. What I mean by that is I could actually see it in a book form, not a graphic novel, but an actual novel. Throw Joe’s amazing art in, not to mention the amazing work of Shelley and Shane,and this is a slam dunk. We’re getting spoiled. WOW, I gotta go lay down, this is too much.
BillThompson actually it was Tracy that assumed it was for law enforcement, Diet, while he didn’t correct him, said he told the goverment there were too many flaws.
One reason Diet terminated the employee(s) is he was spending too much time watching TV. Look up at the dishes on the roof! Direct TV, Dish Network…… they’re ALL up there! Looks like a sports bar! Come to think of it, maybe they do have a sports bar for the employees.
Speaking of Dick Tracy music, anyone here heard the novelty record from many years ago by JJ Cale? I had the 45 and you can hear it at this site. Good story too.
Well, maybe, Det.DanDone, but on 31 March Diet Smith said it could be used against rioters and fleeing vehicles. That doesn’t sound like military applications.
You don’t really need the $96. Most (but admittedly not all) of that album is available on iTunes. If you only wanted to hear “Face the Funnies” you could get that for 99 cents.
I’ve always signed my cards, but– it seems my signature is never the same twice. Now that we’re using these screens to sign on it’s even worse. My screen sig never, by any chance, resembles the sig on paper. I buy enough fuel with a card to know.
I have a question for Mike/Joe, or for a regular who’s smarter than me (that would be most of you).
Last Wednesday, Diet told Dick “the Space Coupe has something to do with why I called you. I didn’t retire the Space Coupe because of ‘negative effects of magnetism,’ that was just a cover story. The REAL REASON is a secret I’m entrusting to you.”
Then over the next few days, we hear the story of the “Thor’s Hammer” weapon, and how it could have fallen into the wrong hands, and how a fired employee may have his hands on the technology.
Where’s the connection between the Space Coupe, ther “real reason” it was retired, and Thor’s Hammer?
(Please note that this is definitely NOT a criticism of the new, improved Dick Tracy; I am overwhelmingly impressed by our new creative team. This is an attempt to help my feeble brain understand a plot point.)
If you print “ASK FOR I.D.” in large block letters on the back of your card, it leaves no room for someone else to forge your signature. That’s what I do with all my cards, and it works.
On the other hand, it only works for in-person purchases. If someone who stole your card buys from Amazon or another online retailer the “ASK FOR I.D.” trick won’t help you at all. That’s why it’s worth it to get those account-protection plans… it did save my hide when my own card was lost.
Well, maybe, Det.DanDone, but on 31 March Diet Smith said it could be used against rioters and fleeing vehicles. That doesn’t sound like military applications
Color is good, but black & white is better (that is for me and my crew) This is a good story and fine art work even if it’s copy & paste. Many of us know how the story goes, but this stuff IS great and I like to read each and every comment every day. Now that is good fun stuff as well, but it shows many what you are made of. A lot of people’s character is simply gripe, moan and complain, and that too is (or can be) a good thing. 159 days until September 9th I’m so excited!
NEONLEON59 – The connection is that criminals stole the Space Coupe, and Diet Smith is afraid the same thing could happen to Thor’s Hammer. While the Coupe is super-high tech transportation, the Hammer could be used as very potent weapon.
I think I remember Pouch – where did he fit into Tracy’s past?
The Pouch was a smuggler, who worked with The Mole’s daughter Molene. They both later got involved with Jonny Scorn, and El Tigress. The Pouch was a Tracy villain (or side kick) who never got caught. Although, he was arrested once and turned loose.
First with in Gould’s 1970 - Chameleon story and then he continued into the following Johnny Scorn (1970) tale which brought back the Mole and intoduced his Granddaughter Molene and another female badie El Tigress.
Aside from early Rogues (1930’s) Maxine Viller and Prof. Emirc, -Pouch was the only Gould villain never brought to justice.
I haven’t had anybody check the back of my card in years. In fact, I swipe the card while the cashier is still checking things out and have it back in my wallet and away when they’re finished. They don’t even see me. I have to tell them it’s been swiped and to hit the magic button so we can proceed. Nobody has ever asked me to pull the card back out so they can look at it.
Joe & Shelley -
If you are reading this … please know that I like your pencils and inking very much … but … (isn’t there always a “but?”) Dick’s misfitting hat is beginning to bug me. Sometimes it doesn’t fit properly on his head. I understand how difficult the problem is … show his face, but put a hat on his head that, if lowered to its proper place, would obscure part of his features. The first panel of Fridays strip is a good example of a “bad hat day.” In that panel Dick’s hat is just not on his head.
——————————————————————————–
APersonOfInterest, I mentioned this to Shelley and she said that, for the very reason you mention, the hat will often be floating. This is a decision by Joe, and Shelley agrees with him. Seeing Dick’s face is the important thing, otherwise he would go around looking like The Fifth.
I suppose that we can have a competition amongst all of you regular Tracy fans to see who can come up with the best reason Dick’s hat floats. Maybe he has some Diet Smith gizmo stuffed in it? A special camera for the Wrist Geenee maybe, with some sort of anti-shock gimbal mount so the picture is steady, and a Bluetooth transmitter. Maybe Sam has one as well, and that is why he never takes his hat off. Anyone got a better idea?
“Scientific American reports that a newly patented method of non-lethal incapacitation can render an assailant helpless for several minutes by overloading the neural networks connected to the retina with a brief flash of high-intensity light. ‘It’s the inverse of blindness—the technical term is a loss of contrast sensitivity,’ says Todd Eisenberg, the engineer who invented the device.
more here: http://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/04/03/2113243/StunRay-Incapacitates-With-a-Flash-of-Light
Terry Pleger, your question brings up a different point. Where is the lens on the wrist GeeNee? What field of view does it have? Will we see Dick holding up his wrist to give someone at headquarters a better view through it?
As for the floating hat, maybe once in a while you could show him doing something with it. Push it back a bit when he’s thinking, tip it to someone, pull it over his eyes when he leans back in a chair for a nap. As for equipment placed in the hat, you’d need to show something on the outside of the hat to represent audio and video pickups. (And would it be a good idea for anyone to have an active RF generator so close to their brain for long periods?)
I don’t mind the floating hat, which is an obvious visual cue in the artwork.
For nearly a decade now, I have signed many credit-card receipts, and almost all of those signature-pad thingies, as George W. Bush, usually as clearly as i can. No one has ever batted an eye, even the rare clerk that has compared it with my actual card name/signature.
FLIGHT SUIT about 13 years ago
Retail clerks, I assure you, my mother gave me permission to use this credit card!
Vista Bill Raley and Comet™ about 13 years ago
Good morning everybody…
margueritem about 13 years ago
Good morning, VB! It’s Sunday, a good day to read ‘Dick Tracy, and admire the well drawn characters, and the wonderful colors, and no, I’m not Simon Penn.
peteatkinson about 13 years ago
Woah…. a recap… AND the story moves along?! This is madness!!
And no matter how late i stay up, can never beat flight suit or vistabill to the first comment…..
I’ll get it one of these days.
thejensens about 13 years ago
I thought we might see the Space Coupe back in action.
But, I fear it is going to remain in “Moth Balls”
Good Morning Vista Bill.
LudwigVonDrake about 13 years ago
Do you think Diet and Sam buy their green jackets in the same place?
coratelli about 13 years ago
Yeah!
Major Matt Mason Premium Member about 13 years ago
Say, this album might interest y’all:
http://eil.com/shop/moreinfo.asp?catalogid=490191
;)
davidf42 about 13 years ago
Crimestoppers - Sorry. Not good advice. I used to work in retail and fewer than 10 percent of the customers would sign the backs of the cards. The reason was the same that I don’t sign mine. If the card gets lost, the thief not only has your card and your account number, they also have your signature that they can learn to copy. Retail stores need to take that item off their cards.
JCFremont about 13 years ago
Stan Freberg meets Dick Tracy? Man, I have got to get me that album! Anyone want to loan me $96.00?
Not much to say these days now that Dick Tracy is a fast paced, clever, good looking comic strip again. I don’t want to sound like a walking ad for a crappy fast food place, but, well, I’m lovin’ it!
When I worked in retail, I started to follow the lead of some customers who wrote “See I.D.” on the back of their credit cards.
Bill Thompson about 13 years ago
There’s a contradiction here. A few days ago we were told the gizmo was a crime-fighting weapon; now it’s something Smith was developing for the military. Thor’s Hammer makes more sense as a military weapon than as a police weapon; it could reduce collateral damage and inflict fewer combat casualties.
Either way, Smith gives Dick a plausible reason to handle this matter quietly. Presumably the weapon is something that criminals could make with relative ease.
Ray_C about 13 years ago
I was told to write “Ask to show picture ID” in the signature area. Sounds foolproof, but in one year I was asked maybe three times to show my ID. Clerks just don’t look at the signature line. And it’s no protection on the internet. Twice I’ve had people try to make purchases using my card number on the internet (they also had my name) or over the phone. Once the seller caught it and the second time the credit card company caught it, both because calls were from a third-world country and my home address is in the USA.. A debit card, using a PIN, is probably safest, at least for point-of-sale purchases..
Det.DanDone about 13 years ago
Another great strip, a quick recap then on we go! A Crimestoppers by Jim Doherty, his book ”Just the Facts” was great, and let us not forget the Pouch being trhown in the mix. The other thing I noticied is the story could actually stand on its own. What I mean by that is I could actually see it in a book form, not a graphic novel, but an actual novel. Throw Joe’s amazing art in, not to mention the amazing work of Shelley and Shane,and this is a slam dunk. We’re getting spoiled. WOW, I gotta go lay down, this is too much.
BillThompson actually it was Tracy that assumed it was for law enforcement, Diet, while he didn’t correct him, said he told the goverment there were too many flaws.
Morrow Cummings about 13 years ago
One reason Diet terminated the employee(s) is he was spending too much time watching TV. Look up at the dishes on the roof! Direct TV, Dish Network…… they’re ALL up there! Looks like a sports bar! Come to think of it, maybe they do have a sports bar for the employees.
MikeCurtis Premium Member about 13 years ago
Speaking of Dick Tracy music, anyone here heard the novelty record from many years ago by JJ Cale? I had the 45 and you can hear it at this site. Good story too.
http://www.jjcale.net/samples.php
Bill Thompson about 13 years ago
Well, maybe, Det.DanDone, but on 31 March Diet Smith said it could be used against rioters and fleeing vehicles. That doesn’t sound like military applications.
Nighthawks Premium Member about 13 years ago
test your DickTracy observational skills without checking:
what is Flyface’s hotel room number?
Dr. Midnight about 13 years ago
JC Fremont:
You don’t really need the $96. Most (but admittedly not all) of that album is available on iTunes. If you only wanted to hear “Face the Funnies” you could get that for 99 cents.
mjmsprt40 about 13 years ago
I’ve always signed my cards, but– it seems my signature is never the same twice. Now that we’re using these screens to sign on it’s even worse. My screen sig never, by any chance, resembles the sig on paper. I buy enough fuel with a card to know.
neonleon59 about 13 years ago
I have a question for Mike/Joe, or for a regular who’s smarter than me (that would be most of you).
Last Wednesday, Diet told Dick “the Space Coupe has something to do with why I called you. I didn’t retire the Space Coupe because of ‘negative effects of magnetism,’ that was just a cover story. The REAL REASON is a secret I’m entrusting to you.”
Then over the next few days, we hear the story of the “Thor’s Hammer” weapon, and how it could have fallen into the wrong hands, and how a fired employee may have his hands on the technology.
Where’s the connection between the Space Coupe, ther “real reason” it was retired, and Thor’s Hammer?
(Please note that this is definitely NOT a criticism of the new, improved Dick Tracy; I am overwhelmingly impressed by our new creative team. This is an attempt to help my feeble brain understand a plot point.)
TheKid965 about 13 years ago
If you print “ASK FOR I.D.” in large block letters on the back of your card, it leaves no room for someone else to forge your signature. That’s what I do with all my cards, and it works.
On the other hand, it only works for in-person purchases. If someone who stole your card buys from Amazon or another online retailer the “ASK FOR I.D.” trick won’t help you at all. That’s why it’s worth it to get those account-protection plans… it did save my hide when my own card was lost.
Det.DanDone about 13 years ago
BillThompson said, about 1 hour ago
Well, maybe, Det.DanDone, but on 31 March Diet Smith said it could be used against rioters and fleeing vehicles. That doesn’t sound like military applications
True… at least let us hope not…
johnrussco about 13 years ago
Color is good, but black & white is better (that is for me and my crew) This is a good story and fine art work even if it’s copy & paste. Many of us know how the story goes, but this stuff IS great and I like to read each and every comment every day. Now that is good fun stuff as well, but it shows many what you are made of. A lot of people’s character is simply gripe, moan and complain, and that too is (or can be) a good thing. 159 days until September 9th I’m so excited!
Can't Sleep about 13 years ago
NEONLEON59 – The connection is that criminals stole the Space Coupe, and Diet Smith is afraid the same thing could happen to Thor’s Hammer. While the Coupe is super-high tech transportation, the Hammer could be used as very potent weapon.
I think I remember Pouch – where did he fit into Tracy’s past?
andy.vaughn about 13 years ago
The Pouch was a smuggler, who worked with The Mole’s daughter Molene. They both later got involved with Jonny Scorn, and El Tigress. The Pouch was a Tracy villain (or side kick) who never got caught. Although, he was arrested once and turned loose.
sydney about 13 years ago
Pouch ?
First with in Gould’s 1970 - Chameleon story and then he continued into the following Johnny Scorn (1970) tale which brought back the Mole and intoduced his Granddaughter Molene and another female badie El Tigress.
Aside from early Rogues (1930’s) Maxine Viller and Prof. Emirc, -Pouch was the only Gould villain never brought to justice.
bartmon about 13 years ago
POUCH !!! OMG !! one of my favorite characters!
Araldite about 13 years ago
I haven’t had anybody check the back of my card in years. In fact, I swipe the card while the cashier is still checking things out and have it back in my wallet and away when they’re finished. They don’t even see me. I have to tell them it’s been swiped and to hit the magic button so we can proceed. Nobody has ever asked me to pull the card back out so they can look at it.
prrdh about 13 years ago
Is Flyface in a condition that’s attracting even more flies than usual?
Tarry Plaguer about 13 years ago
APersonOfInterest said,
Joe & Shelley - If you are reading this … please know that I like your pencils and inking very much … but … (isn’t there always a “but?”) Dick’s misfitting hat is beginning to bug me. Sometimes it doesn’t fit properly on his head. I understand how difficult the problem is … show his face, but put a hat on his head that, if lowered to its proper place, would obscure part of his features. The first panel of Fridays strip is a good example of a “bad hat day.” In that panel Dick’s hat is just not on his head. ——————————————————————————–
APersonOfInterest, I mentioned this to Shelley and she said that, for the very reason you mention, the hat will often be floating. This is a decision by Joe, and Shelley agrees with him. Seeing Dick’s face is the important thing, otherwise he would go around looking like The Fifth.
I suppose that we can have a competition amongst all of you regular Tracy fans to see who can come up with the best reason Dick’s hat floats. Maybe he has some Diet Smith gizmo stuffed in it? A special camera for the Wrist Geenee maybe, with some sort of anti-shock gimbal mount so the picture is steady, and a Bluetooth transmitter. Maybe Sam has one as well, and that is why he never takes his hat off. Anyone got a better idea?
kcredden about 13 years ago
Thought you would like to see this
StunRay Incapacitates With a Flash of Light
“Scientific American reports that a newly patented method of non-lethal incapacitation can render an assailant helpless for several minutes by overloading the neural networks connected to the retina with a brief flash of high-intensity light. ‘It’s the inverse of blindness—the technical term is a loss of contrast sensitivity,’ says Todd Eisenberg, the engineer who invented the device.
more here: http://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/04/03/2113243/StunRay-Incapacitates-With-a-Flash-of-Light
Atomic light, Diet? :)
Bill Thompson about 13 years ago
Terry Pleger, your question brings up a different point. Where is the lens on the wrist GeeNee? What field of view does it have? Will we see Dick holding up his wrist to give someone at headquarters a better view through it?
As for the floating hat, maybe once in a while you could show him doing something with it. Push it back a bit when he’s thinking, tip it to someone, pull it over his eyes when he leans back in a chair for a nap. As for equipment placed in the hat, you’d need to show something on the outside of the hat to represent audio and video pickups. (And would it be a good idea for anyone to have an active RF generator so close to their brain for long periods?)
I don’t mind the floating hat, which is an obvious visual cue in the artwork.
MikeCurtis Premium Member about 13 years ago
I always thought the Great Gazoo was hiding in Tracy’s hat when it floats.
Bill Thompson about 13 years ago
That sounds better than hiding a bald spot.
countoftowergrove about 13 years ago
Looks like Pouch has lost some of his jowls since 1970,
btmosley about 13 years ago
http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=15401
mzkdad about 13 years ago
nighthawks said
“test your DickTracy observational skills without checking: what is Flyface’s hotel room number?”: Is there a special significance to the room number?
dakota_jones about 13 years ago
At last! The Pouch is back! I’m so glad I lived to see this day!
ChucklinChuck about 13 years ago
For nearly a decade now, I have signed many credit-card receipts, and almost all of those signature-pad thingies, as George W. Bush, usually as clearly as i can. No one has ever batted an eye, even the rare clerk that has compared it with my actual card name/signature.