The first panel makes me shiver! Nicely done. I feel for Dick trapped in the car with all that cigarette smoke, though. Funny that my parents both smoked and I never thought twice about it. Times change.
A comment on Sam’s smoking: I’m sure many of you Tracy fans are following his adventures in the IDW reprints. Check out Feb 12, 1949. Sam gets the hell beat out of him and is subsequently being transported in an ambulance. Despite a bashed face, a concussion, and an unstaunched head wound, he’s still puffing away! He’s still smoking in the hospital when a bunch of kids come to visit him two days later. I suppose you could say this qualifies Sam as a true tobacco connoisseur.
If you’re referring to Sydney’s post, I think he was referring to “character” as a set of traits or characteristics, as in a movie character, not character as a set of human qualities. At least, that’s how I took it; but Sydney can speak for himself on that one.
I thought Sam’s smoking showed his character as edgy and street-smart, hanging with the vixens, working the informers, opposed to Tracy’s goody-two-shoes role. I hope Sam has opportunity to be more than The Chain Smoking Jewish Cop In The Clown-Colored Green Suit.Gould and immediate post-transition Tracy is more real to me than anything since and I fully enjoy the degree to which the creative team is aligning to the original characterizations and bringing back forgotten characters (a pet peeve I had with Gould, creating all these great characters then dropping most of them to focus on folks like Peanutbutter, who was then dropped himself, redemption story unresolved).
Speaking of iconic fedoras, my 2012 Wish List includes a new addition to the Wall of Shot-Up Hats. Was there ever a legible picture of the Wall where one could read descriptions of the epic battles?
Sam’s ever-present cigarette IS a part of his character. Can you imagine him without access to a cigarette for half a day and how his reactions to a situation would be different than if he had one? Until we develop smell-a-round, though, we’ll have just imagine the ever-present aroma of stale smoke he permeates… and is utterly clueless of. That is part of his character, too.
Sam should smoke. Real people smoke. But I disagree that DT is “goody-two-shoes” compared to “street-wise” Sam. DT is just more hardcore, straight edged hardcore, just the way he should be.
Even in this day and age, the place I work for, has about 40% of their staff going outside for a smoke.
Smoking is still real thing in our society today.
Great gains have been made such as no smoking in the workplace or restaurants, but to have everyone not smoking in the strip, is not a reflection of real life.
Yes, I suppose you are right. There is one other aspect to Sam’s smoking. I mentioned this once before, but don’t know if anyone else has thought of it or not.
Sam is a cop, and there are times when he has a cigarette hanging off his lip while he and Tracy are looking over a crime scene. Certainly, a cop as smart as Sam is wouldn’t take a chance on contaminating a crime scene by dribbling his own ashes all over everything. Chester Gould always had his cops up on the latest techniques, and yet, once, he showed Sam using a vacuum with filter to gather evidence, and had his cigarette dangling right over the filter. We were just kids when we read that scene, but my buddy and I both thought that was kind of dumb. And that was back in the 50’s. Now, thanks to all the CSI type shows, everybody knows about that sort of stuff.
Vista Bill Raley and Comet™ over 12 years ago
Good morning fellow DT fans…
Mdstudio over 12 years ago
Great artwork once again. You really get a sense of the night and snowy weather.
Sisyphos over 12 years ago
Great, iconic Tracy image in panel 3! And I agree that Spike Jr. is not really a bad guy.
APersonOfInterest over 12 years ago
The story is moving right along … and the art is just right for the mood of the story and demeanor of the characters.-YES !
Ray_C over 12 years ago
The first panel makes me shiver! Nicely done. I feel for Dick trapped in the car with all that cigarette smoke, though. Funny that my parents both smoked and I never thought twice about it. Times change.
mancla over 12 years ago
A comment on Sam’s smoking: I’m sure many of you Tracy fans are following his adventures in the IDW reprints. Check out Feb 12, 1949. Sam gets the hell beat out of him and is subsequently being transported in an ambulance. Despite a bashed face, a concussion, and an unstaunched head wound, he’s still puffing away! He’s still smoking in the hospital when a bunch of kids come to visit him two days later. I suppose you could say this qualifies Sam as a true tobacco connoisseur.
Ray_C over 12 years ago
If you’re referring to Sydney’s post, I think he was referring to “character” as a set of traits or characteristics, as in a movie character, not character as a set of human qualities. At least, that’s how I took it; but Sydney can speak for himself on that one.
MrBriberysShrunkenHeads over 12 years ago
I thought Sam’s smoking showed his character as edgy and street-smart, hanging with the vixens, working the informers, opposed to Tracy’s goody-two-shoes role. I hope Sam has opportunity to be more than The Chain Smoking Jewish Cop In The Clown-Colored Green Suit.Gould and immediate post-transition Tracy is more real to me than anything since and I fully enjoy the degree to which the creative team is aligning to the original characterizations and bringing back forgotten characters (a pet peeve I had with Gould, creating all these great characters then dropping most of them to focus on folks like Peanutbutter, who was then dropped himself, redemption story unresolved).
MrBriberysShrunkenHeads over 12 years ago
Speaking of iconic fedoras, my 2012 Wish List includes a new addition to the Wall of Shot-Up Hats. Was there ever a legible picture of the Wall where one could read descriptions of the epic battles?
erwinbert over 12 years ago
Sam’s ever-present cigarette IS a part of his character. Can you imagine him without access to a cigarette for half a day and how his reactions to a situation would be different than if he had one? Until we develop smell-a-round, though, we’ll have just imagine the ever-present aroma of stale smoke he permeates… and is utterly clueless of. That is part of his character, too.
Weegel over 12 years ago
Color again? Sigh!.On the upside, ComicStripNation.com has finally dropped those annoying watermarks.
Buzza Wuzza over 12 years ago
Sam should smoke. Real people smoke. But I disagree that DT is “goody-two-shoes” compared to “street-wise” Sam. DT is just more hardcore, straight edged hardcore, just the way he should be.
thejensens over 12 years ago
Everyone, please get over Sam smoking.
Even in this day and age, the place I work for, has about 40% of their staff going outside for a smoke.
Smoking is still real thing in our society today.
Great gains have been made such as no smoking in the workplace or restaurants, but to have everyone not smoking in the strip, is not a reflection of real life.
Ken in Ohio over 12 years ago
@safeway674:
Yes, I suppose you are right. There is one other aspect to Sam’s smoking. I mentioned this once before, but don’t know if anyone else has thought of it or not.
Sam is a cop, and there are times when he has a cigarette hanging off his lip while he and Tracy are looking over a crime scene. Certainly, a cop as smart as Sam is wouldn’t take a chance on contaminating a crime scene by dribbling his own ashes all over everything. Chester Gould always had his cops up on the latest techniques, and yet, once, he showed Sam using a vacuum with filter to gather evidence, and had his cigarette dangling right over the filter. We were just kids when we read that scene, but my buddy and I both thought that was kind of dumb. And that was back in the 50’s. Now, thanks to all the CSI type shows, everybody knows about that sort of stuff.