Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for July 25, 2014

I think he would nail him after they got to where they were going.

Punjab and Asp better be quick!

Now I’ll finally get to see what the Asp can do!

What do you mean “us”, dead man!

Anyone have a clue as to what the next story might be?

I’m a little confused, are they still in the alley or did they duck into a house or something?

Good morning guys!

Is the butcher stretching his arm? Or reaching for his phone? Or for his ciggies? Or perhaps something else …

Looks like that new deodorant Henrick is trying out may be causing a little rash. (And if you believe that…..)

Forget the great AM, I’m in the mood for some great Ham!

Guys like Henrik don’t like loose end, and Paulo is about as loose an end as you’re likely to find. Given Henrik’s charming nickname, it’s more likely that he is reaching for a knife, rather than a gun.

Kinda-sorta got the feeling the Great AM’s first name is I, as in “I AM”. But, I could be wrong.

I’m guessing the “Butcher” isn’t reaching for a passport, so that Paulo can tag along. Wonderful art, with an especially sinister middle panel..It would be fun to see Team Tracy have the luxury of the olde four-panel daily format. There would be many possibilities for the more generous format. As was noted yesterday, the pace could be faster with the ability to explore and advance 25% more each day. Faster pace, added depth, more dialogue (if and when needed), more stories per year, more creative flexibility all around. Seeing how the current three-panel limit is sometimes put to creative use with two-panels, one longer for more detailed compositions, the possibilities would extend beyond pace and depth..Of course, the four-panel format could also be used to judiciously jump around: three panels on the main arc at hand with the fourth used to give us a peek at the type of scene that currently can’t be squeezed in due to limited space. While much is left to the imagination for good reason, there are many interesting off-panel events I’d like to see. For example, when Tracy was defeating the third and final death trap late last year, Kadaver sent Rikki away to secure the Murder Mansion. Rikki is a great character. She didn’t want to leave Kadaver, but obeyed his order, never yet to be seen again.

What fun to see Rikki, in this imaginary additional panel, securing the mansion, while fretting over the unknown fate of Kadaver. Or Tess visiting Bonnie in the hospital after she was rescued by Blackjack. Or Tabby Angus getting a longer last horseback ride as he makes his way from home to radio station. Or Mysta during filming on the set of The Moon Maid. .The extra panels could be added to digital versions. As we anxiously await volume two of Calling Dick Tracy!, recent news for the comic industry is quite good:.“Print and digital may have found the ideal place to coexist: the comic book industry. A report released last week estimates that North American sales of comics — whether single issues, collected editions or digital downloads — were $870 million for 2013, up from $635 million in 2012. Digital sales rose to $90 million from $70 million. That strong demand for digital is welcome news for the entrepreneurial writers and artists who are continuing to evolve their digital portfolios” (Gutines, NYTimes, 7/20/14). This good news was echoed at last week’s Comic-Con International: “At the annual comic book convention here last week, publishers embraced tablets and e-readers to show off their wares, and companies like comiXology demonstrated technological innovations to better distribute those offerings” (Schmidt, NYTimes, 7/21/14). .More, more, more! The bottom line is that we know a good thing when we see it. Greedy fans that we are, we just can’t get enough of the good stuff from Team Tracy.

Good morning fans. Paulo is about to depart this life. Exit stage left.

Good artwork in this series!

Paulo, we barely got to know ya…….

Sorry Paulo, I work alone!I can hear the Asp… “Alas! Poor Paulo, I knew him, Punjab!”

Remember that Paulo has a boat that they can use to get out of town. It would be much safer than attempting to drive away.

Really great art, especially that middle panel. Joe’s mastered the pupil-less eyes.

Never fear, the Asp is here..

I wonder what happened between the two hoods and Mr. Am. Maybe we’ll find out later.

If the city is no longer safe for them, maybe they can escape to Thunder Island. There have a boat available to them, presumably.

Hopefully this laborious story wraps up before Labor Day.

…….I don’t know, his reaching inside is coat is too obvious…..I’m not biting……..remember all the other obvious-but-never-ended up-happening scenerios? Like the “poisoned” pepperoni pizza that had us all saying goodbye to BB Eyes? Anyways, even if they’re inside somewhere, doubt they’re out of the other s sight, and reach…

As for the Nitrates, I think I remember someone saying we get them in January, so they wouldn’t be next. As for Abner K. back for Halloween? HECK, YEAH!!! Gruesome criminals are a huge part of what makes “Dick Tracy”, and Abner tops that list. I loved all the Halloween artwork during the original intro of Abner; that story is still fun to go back and re-read over and over….

The old car exhaust gag. It must be as old as cars! (I think I first saw that done by Laurel and Hardy.)People may have tried that gag before the invention of cars, but I’m sure the horses objected.

Rightwingmoron, I didn’t have the heart to disappoint the gentleman, but the other night when he was enjoying a glass of goat’s milk, that billy goat he was milking wasn’t giving the kind you find in a grocery store..

He reaches into his coat, and pulls out a tin of Altoids.

Thanks for the warning Neil. I’ll amend; hopefully this horror story is finished by Halloween.

(Sorry for reposting out of sequence. A typo was bugging me, then my Internet went down for a few minutes.)