Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for August 03, 2014

Blast from the past! Love it!

Good morning everyone from “granddaddy”

I like today’s strip! Another surprise visitor!

Mike & Joe just continue to surprise!

Holy flashback Batman!Influence looks kinda like Jack Palance.

So Warbucks went to the airport and In-flu-ence.

Sorry, VB, must have posted mine seconds after yours! Just nice to know we think alike!

INFLUENCE?!?!?!? That’s amazing….yet another of Tracy’s criminal foes who seems to have joined the good guy side of the law…..

http://dicktracy.wikia.com/wiki/Influence

Maybe I missed something along the way, but it seems that we haven’t heard from Margueritem in quite a while. Any one have any ideas?

“granddaddy” makes me feel old! That “handle” was for you, gweedo. In the real world, I’m nearly 80 and a great grandfather. In the world of Dick Tracy, we don’t age. I like that!

Once there was a madman of destructive influenceThose who gazed into his eyes soon felt his dominance.To owe this man some money and not repay the debtWas to assure early demise; death a certain bet.He once owned a casino where Flintheart lost big timeSoon Vitamin was hypnotized and misled into crime.He torched his place of business and ended friendships trueWhen under undue influence no telling what he’d do.Finally to pay his debt he fleeced Ms. Florence LaneShe wrote a check for thousands then did the same again.Tracy was suspicious when Flintheart disappearedPatton nearly captured him but that arrest was queered.Pat was quickly hypnotized, mauled and left for deadReached Tracy on his 2-Way, was found and saved instead.Finally the day arrived: an end to influenceJustice was delivered, ‘twas no coincidence.Looking out upon the world behind bars of a cageEpiphany for Influence, a time to turn the page.Look to see hypnotically influence used for goodHelping witnesses to crimes recall all that they could.Flown in from Houston, Texas, to aid Paulo’s memoryTo influence his clouded mind, locate Little Annie.

…..looks like he walked out of “The Simpsons”……

Every word a gem, Pequod77! Thank You!

I guess Influence has developed a vanity issue as last time we saw him (way back in the 1980s) his hair was white. That is also when we learn about his religious conversion in prison, early parole, and using his skills to help the Texas state police and the FBI. He along with the Mole and Pear Shape attended the wedding of Sparkly Plenty and Junior Tracy.

Pat was nearly killed by Influence, that’s why he won’t see him. Happy Sunday to you all!

I notice Sam’s got a toothpick instead of a cigarette. Times are changing!

I’ve said before that I didn’t think we were finished introducing characters for this story, but I was not expecting Influence at all, a villain from Tracy strips in the 1940s, who managed to get to the present day the normal way, rather that through magical time travel. He still looks very creepy!

Sam is doing a fine job as pro temp head of the MCU. But I don’t know that it was really necessary for Daddy to bring in Influence for the interrogation. I think Punjab and Asp could have a done that quite well—unless, of course, you insist that the captain has to survive, his sanity intact….

What, Influence is living on the down low? LMAO! With who, BB Eyes? I guess you can never tell about people and their secret lives.

Whoa! Another plast from the past! The Influence! Did he leave his life of crime behind? Bring back Flattop! Bring back Flattop! Say he really didn’t drown but someone found his body, gave him CPR and he’s been underground all these years. He and Mrs. Flattop can reunite!

I think Influence has a cousin named Morris “Moe” Szyslak, who runs a bar in Springfield.

I still don’t see what Punjab thinks he gained by “dispatching” the Butcher the way he did. Annie was last known to be in the company of the Butcher, so the logical thing to have done would be to question him about Annie’s whereabouts. Instead, POOF, he’s gone, and now they have to bring in special help to ask the ship’s captain questions that he failed to answer before.It almost feels as if Mike just wanted to work that “magic carpet” stuff into the story somewhere, because it was such a big part of the old Annie strips.

Good morning fans. With the right kind of influence Sam will get the info he needs! Maybe!

Perhaps Internal Affairs finally reminded Sam there’s no smoking in public buildings in The City.

Pat is such a wimp! Face your fears and man up! Sam’s smoking a toothpick these days? Good for him!

Well, it seems our old friend Influence appearing here, hasn’t aged one iota, since his original 1946/47 clash with – Tracy ?

As some know, he served his Jail term, and on release, reformed – decided to continue then, as a ‘legitimate’ Hypnotist, based in Houston Texas, Tracy did see him briefly back then, in 1982 (during the Collins/Fletcher era). At that time, his Hair appeared grey – or rather, ‘shockingly’ WHITE !

Happily today, the new Teams wisely decided to ‘de-age’ him, (lessening the pool of ‘pre-historic’ characters in the strip) as back then (1982) – he really looked like a – ‘FRIGHTENED DEER’ trapped in the Headlights of one of those passing Time Machines !

And they’ve therefore provided a fitting – Black, ‘Just For Men’ – Auto Shop – appearance ? ;- )

No chains needed for the eyes this time !

Fresh off his bouncer job at Numbers… :)

That was pretty cool PQ77. I for one still wants to see Sam smoke. Bad enough Liz quit. Hate all this P.C. stuff. Oh well. Great story and penciling.

Yeah, Night-Gaunt. HPD has to keep him outta sight; he’s not exactly Anise Parker’s cup of tea.

Once again Team Tracy delves into the past to add flavor to an already delicious story. The Influence caper can be found in volume ten of The Complete Dick Tracy (1945-47). Pat’s reluctance to face Influence is understandable. After being hypnotized and beaten, he was placed in an abandoned refrigerator in the dump. Influence returned in 1982, reformed and released early from prison. He turned his hypnotic powers to helping witnesses to recall more vivid details, so that they might better aid the police. Here’s hoping he gets Paulo to spill useful information. Annie and Tracy could use their friends’ help out on Thunder Island.

Thanks to Donnie Pitchford, cpalmeresq, JoviusGM, davidf42, Charlie, Ray Toler, the too late song, Morrow and JPuzzleWhiz for the kind words. Much appreciated!

I was expecting today’s strip to have Tracy at the Town Council meeting, not this!This story has been running since June 1, and Mike is still throwing surprises our way.Joe’s made Influence look creepier than ever. (That yellow tint to his skin adds to the effect.)I always enjoy seeing these classic characters, and it makes perfect sense to have him interrogate Paulo.

Tracy didn’t seem too convinced of Influence’s conversion.

Influence hasn’t changed a bit…This Sunday Spread is great..Sam’s doing a great job…What will tomorrow bring? Its only a day away…TBC..

Anyone notice that Influence looks a lot like Rudolph Hess?

In the original “Influence” story, the character was able to make people do all sorts of outrageous things – he caused Vitamin Flintheart to give up vitamins and eat dried peas instead, he caused an elderly rich widow to sign over most of her money, he caused Pat Patton to hand over his gun – just by looking at his victims. When Tracy tracked him down ,it turned out that his only gimmick was a set of odd shaped contact lenses. Tracy was able to disable Influence simply by busting the lenses. I always did think that was one of Gould’s weaker ideas. They didn’t actually mention hypnotism in the original story – that idea must have been introduced when Collins and Fletcher brought him back.

Please forget the jack Palance/Influence references. Influence was a villain in the mid 40s 46-47. Palance did not come on the scene until late 1949, with his first big role in Sudden Fear 1952. So just deal with Influence’s hair dye job.

Hey its 2014, even Sherlock is on the patch…we all hafta stop smoking some day…i love you, Sam

Influence isn’t the ultimate interrogator, Jack Bauer is.

@Ray TolerWell, Influence said in that strip that he can “help witnesses bring up details they might otherwise never recall.” That seems like the perfect thing for the captain who took Annie somewhere but doesn’t know where. It’s possible that he’s been hypnotized rather like the listeners of Belinda have been to not recall where he took Annie.

TODAY POSTS . . .Well it’s not 100, but enough Influence . . . to recall another memorable rogue - 88 Keyes !

I was “Billy” until I started junior high school and quickly became “Bill”. My dad sometimes called me “Will”. “Vista Bill” dates to 2007 when I acquired my dream machine, “Comet”, and immediately fell in love with MS Vista OS. I try to keep comet on the leading edge of technology. Comet has 14 tb of internal and attached hard drives, 10 gb RAM, and an Intel 3.46 mHz processor.

Regarding Marguritem, I told her you guys are asking about her.

We almost hit 100 posts.

Once there was a madman of destructive influence

Those who gazed into his eyes soon felt his dominance.

To owe this man some money and not repay the debt

Was to assure early demise; death a certain bet.

He once owned a casino where Flintheart lost big time

Soon Vitamin was hypnotized and misled into crime.

He torched his place of business and ended friendships true

When under undue influence no telling what he’d do.

Finally to pay his debt he fleeced Ms. Florence Lane

She wrote a check for thousands then did the same again.

Tracy was suspicious when Flintheart disappeared

Patton nearly captured him but that arrest was queered.

Pat was quickly hypnotized, mauled and left for dead

Reached Tracy on his 2-Way, was found and saved instead.

Finally the day arrived: an end to influence

Justice was delivered, ‘twas no coincidence.

Looking out upon the world behind bars of a cage

Epiphany for Influence, a time to turn the page.

Look to see hypnotically influence used for good

Helping witnesses to crimes recall all that they could.

Flown in from Houston, Texas, to aid Paulo’s memory

To influence his clouded mind, locate Little Annie.