Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for March 22, 2015

Big shootout at the warehouse, the machine guns quickly jamApproaching stealthily with care, ‘tis Tracy’s sidekick, Sam.A gutsy gal, she’s Flintheart’s pal, the plucky KandikaneBoldly steps in. Helps Tracy win. Knocks sense from Silver’s brain..This so incites his sister’s wrath, she leaps out from the carTo strangle Kandi with bare hands, in this she can’t get far.Sprocket swiftly is subdued, hands cuffed behind her backPerturbed to be in custody, gratitude does Tracy lack.She saved his little Grandson from Stiletta’s vile plotHer reward a cell in City Jail where she can sit and rot..Confinement too for Lena: City Zoo acquisitionPaces in her habitat, an unnatural condition.Elsewhere, at the Willoughby, Stiletta she is mournedLifeless in a wooden box, can’t say she wasn’t warned.Blowtop told her that her plan was simply suicideBlackjack sent fresh flowers. Woo Gosh! How Blowtop cried..So Stiletta soon to be buried beneath the groundFlintheart lost a little blood, yet true love he has found.The Nitrates under lock and key, to prison they are boundCriminals face daunting odds when Tracy comes around.

Life goes on we have no DoubtGood, evil innocent it somehow all works outLena’s living large having been excused of guiltSprocket’s rage is still the same she’s angry to the hiltThe family Jones still carry bones but now’s the time to waitToday they mourn the loss of one Tomorrow they can fight and hateThe past is gone we have to move onthe future we anticipateThis one thing that we know for sureJohnny A’s gonna have a mean headache!

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I want to thank everyone who commented on the poem I posted yesterday. I’ll list all of you by name..

1. Gweedo! .

THE END! .LOL!

.I have a traveling friend who’s always on the goNo matter where he drives he will always pay his tollMighty Gweedo is his nameA friend to all, an ocassional painBe it sun, rain sleet or snowEveryone in Tracyville’s at peace because they knowMore dependable than the mail, or Tracy’s MCUGweedo’s sure to post a Gif that drives away the bluesThe greatest claim to fame for himIs not some sports or childhood winThe fact that makes him special and niceIs knowing he’s only been banished twice!

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This one’s for you kid!

GOOD MORNING TRACYVILLE!

A little mix of everything!

Well, it looks like the city zoo has a new attraction.

The guards are not going to have a good time if they insist that Sprocket wear shoes. (They did let her keep the sunglasses, apparently. Nice of them.)

“Willoughby Funeral Home” Is Willoughby anyone we know? Apparently, Blackjack has been keeping track of Stiletta. I’m sure we’ll be seeing him again sometime, maybe not right away. One thing is sure, Stiletta is really dead.

Johnny Adonis!

Noooooooo!

Pequod77 & avenger09 (in order of appearance!)…Kudos to you both!

I tried my best to bring today’s back to it’s usual Wal-Mart’s level instead of repeating yesterday’s gas station snack shop effort. LOL! I hope movie extras everywhere approve!

Meanwhile, Johnny Adonis is surveilling the Blackhearts headquarters, until he is surprised by TBolt, who we first met on January 11, the day before the Sprocket Siblings story started. I wonder while it’s Johnny and not the police, and I also wonder what role TBolt serves with the Blackhearts, if any. Could the man in the car that we saw on January 11 have been the boss of the three Blackhearts ringleaders that we know?

The last we heard of the Blackhearts, they were saying that only two Apparatus members remain in The City. I wonder who those two are and what they are up to. Perhaps we will find out in the upcoming story.

I dig Johnny’s inquisitive raised eyebrow A la Spock in panel 5! Fascinating!

Seeing Sprocket (maybe for the last time?), Blowtop, mentions of the Blackhearts, Blackjack, Apollo, Stiletta, “Lena”, seeing Johnny Adonis, TBolt (emissary of the man with thing ring in the limo)…Could any more have been packed in to a Sunday strip?!

Whoo gosh! That was a great story arc!

And, let’s not forget another interesting contribution from Jim Doherty. Always entertaining and informative, Jim. Thank You.

I bet when he wakes up Tess is gonna give him a lot of FLACK!

So the person in the limo with the ring from 1/11/15 is the head of the Blackhearts?

This is a great wrapup to a very good story.It’s fun to see villains with personality. Sprocket throwing a fit over having to wear shoes. Blowtop crying over a relative that nearly killed him.And I like how things have transitioned quickly to what looks like the beginning of the Blackhearts story. What will happen to Johnny Adonis?Finally, another terrific poem by Pequod77.Great Sunday!

Vitamin better be careful or Bill’s gonna steal Kandi from under his ample nose! Eventually all the women of Tracyville fall under Bill’s spell!

There’s a Bialy here with your name on it!

… along with their wages !

That would be good, too. Our friend Timmy’s gonna need it!

The fellow with a board…another member of the “Flattop” family?

Economical wind-up to the Flintheart-Nitrate saga in the first three panels (half of today’s allotment), with three separate venues: a newspaper story tells us Lena Hyena has been send to the City Zoo; Sprocket Nitrate continues to act up in the slam over having been issued shoes; and Blowtop laments Stiletta in his own distinctive way, woo gosh, tying in Blackjack incidentally!Then we transition to the opening scenes of a new tale, as Johnny A is taken down by TBolt while he was staking out the Blackhearts. Tess, then, will presumably become involved; and can Tracy be far behind? We’re off!

Good morning fellow DT Fans!

Perfect wrap up. Great poetry by Pequod77 and Avenger09. An outstanding start for the week ahead.

Looking back again at the teaser on TBolt, I see that he or she (I’m not sure which yet) is the driver for the mysterious man in the back of the limo. In today’s strip, Johnny says (or thinks, actually), “That must be the head of the Blackhearts! He returned from Europe not long ago.” At first, I thought Johnny was talking about Apollo who also returned from Europe not long ago, but Apollo is not “the head of the Blackhearts,” so the man (or maybe woman) in the back of the limo has to be the head of the Blackhearts. This could be the big boss’ first visit to the Blackhearts penthouse since returning from Europe.

So many tie ins—and closures. Great poetry to both of you today Pequod and Avenger. And VB, I hope you visit your friend in the hospital…’tis a gentlemanly thing to do…

WHAT??!! Please tell me that Johnny is not dead.

Criminal hyena? I think Criminal’s hyena would have sounded a little better. I mean, was it Lena’s fault the Nitrates had her munch on people?

Great poem Avenger.

There is a Willoughby in Ohio. it is a small town – sort of a suburb of Cleveland, but in the next county and with its’ own history and a small downtown area of its’ own, as well. Concerts at the gazebo in the Summer, too. And a great place for railfans, as both CSX and NS come through within walking distance of each other.

NG49, yeah they usually kill animals that have tasted human flesh, but like I’ve already mentioned a few days ago, The Dallas, Texas Zoo exhibited the gators that were used by that one hotel owner to kill some of his guests. That gruesome story became the basis of the horror movie, Eaten Alive.

Good morning to all DT fans.______________Pequod and avenger our favorite poets!

Willoughby Funeral Home probably refers to an episode from season 1 of The Twilight Zone (1960) where the ending shows the hearse from the Willoughby and Son Funeral Home.

Closed coffin, eh? I guess the 70-lb. film canister didn’t exactly “leave a beautiful corpse…” (Woo gosh, Blowtop! looks like you’re the last surviving member of the Jones family.)

“That makes sense, as the current team, while capable, have shown themselves unwilling to be creative.”gleeb, that is nonsense. This funeral home didn’t have to be named. The caption could’ve called it “the funeral home”, or “a local funeral home” or even “at Mrs. Flattop’s funeral”. That would all be less creative than naming it Willoughby, but I suspect you wouldn’t see an opportunity to accuse the current team of being “unwilling to be creative”.Calling the funeral home Willoughby is creative. It’s a sly, subtle reference to an episode of the Twilight Zone, giving those of us who saw the episode to go, “Oh yeah!” It adds an extra element of fun to the strip that otherwise wouldn’t be there.

PQ, excellent recap, as usual! Your background intrigues me. Does Gweedo have your e-mail? (He has a lot of us posters’ e-mail addresses)

Howcum Sprocket still has her shades? Most jails (so I’ve heard by word of mouth) don’t allow “guests” to have such that can be used as a weapon or something to hurt themselves.

In my opinion this was the most complete story yet from this Tracy crew. No loose ends. A good wrapup to the story with a little Gouldian humor from Sprocket. And the most amazing twist that none of us expected: the death of Stiletta from a so-called lesser character. They are improving with age!!

One great story ends, even as we get our second glimpse of T-Bolt. Nice pivot that leaves a divot up side Johnny’s head. There is a ton to like about the Nitrates’ return and Stiletta’s demise. First, we have the continued development of Kandikane. What a wonderful character she is. Smart, pretty and accomplished, she makes Flintheart even more interesting. The old ham risked his life to save Kandi, who was quick to return the heroics. Next, the unexpected death of Stiletta, at the hands of Sprocket, brought an element of surprise and raised the stakes. Didn’t see that one coming. Finally, the brief return of the repaired Wonder Car. Mrs. Jones should have driven away while she had a chance. That she couldn’t let go of her warped obsession with revenge made for a swift downfall. Blowtop weeps for the departed Stiletta, even though she sliced him up good. Silver and Sprocket’s dancing days are at an end.

Thanks to Ray Toler, cpalmeresq, Gweedo, Neil Wick, Day-Day2001 (welcome back), Willy007, VistaBill, Starman1948, Chris Sherlock, Morrow (no, only two Tracy fans have that and one of them no longer posts) and JPuzzleWhiz for the kind words. Very much appreciated!

BUT… BUT…Why did Silver keep running into the back room?-It was so often, I had to think it had some bearing upon the story.So what was it?Sigh. Loose ends. Gotta love ’em.(Or not.)

Funny to see Johnny caught off guard like that. Thought he was more careful than that.

Thank you Joe, Mike, Shelley, Shane and Jim!!! WELL DONE!!!

I am surprised, usually they kill animals that have tasted human flesh, whether domestic or wild.____________________

Mike and Joe probably figured putting an animal down was too much of a downer for the newspaper audience.

Plus, Lena’s fate will remain unknown to those readers whose newspapers drop the “disposable” panel.

The $64,000 question is …

Did Johnny get whacked …

… or did Johnny get WHACKED?

A wonderful twofer, av. There are no holds “bard” when you versify!I see what you did there, JPuzz! Good comment!

I’ve posted a thank you note to Mike and Joe for their work on the Nitrates and Mrs. Flattop over at the Dick Tracy yahoo board. Read it here:https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/DickTracy/conversations/messages/18714

Thanks to all who clued me in on “A Stop at Willoughby.” I’m sure that’s what the reference is and I don’t consider it a lapse of creativity. Such references dropped in here and there definitely add some extra fun to the strip for the sharp-eyed readers.

Is this great comic art and story or what!!! ’ IMO, only Bushmiller’s Nancy and Griffin’s Zippy are a close 2nd and 3rd!! The only 3 strips worth reading(though I do many!!).:)

Since Johnny Adonis is a private detective, this brings up the question – who is he working for, and what is that client’s connection to this Blackheart business. Also, Johnny seems to already be aware of the Blackhearts, which I’m not sure the police are at this point. Hopefully he will compare notes with Tracy on this.

Rikki wants to ride into the sunset with me, JPuzzleWhiz!

Best to let KadaverGo ahead and have her!

I agree and I love your little poem.

I see the hairstyle as coincidental.

I also expect that the hairstyle is a mere coincidence, unless there’s something later on to prove otherwise.

I hope they throw the book at Sprocket. She killed my favorite character. And do you think Blowtop is now reformed or will he go back to his criminal ways?

Wow, the writers passed on two potentially compelling story llines. I would have like to have seen Stilletta kidnap DT3 and see how that would have played out. Secondly, the Nitrates never got a chance to run their scam on Agate Aggie. Are you guys happy with the way this story ended?

Is there any significance to the juxtaposition of Stiletta’s funeral and TBolt makin’ the scene?

Just curious.

And it would be easy-peasy to have “Mrs. Flattop” menace the Tracy family in 2016 …

… If Flattop had been a Bigamist!

Homage to Twilight Zone episode “A Stop at Willoughby.”

Great job, Team Tracy!Wonderful recap, Pequod! Thank you!Avenger, great poem again, thanks!

Well, a quick tying of a couple of loose ends:1. Lena’s fate now in a zoo. Wonder if they have Lena mingling with other hyenas?2. Sprocket in the clink, and no shoes for her, thank you.3. New adventure, Johnny Adonis whacked by TBolt—and off we go!

I’m curious, and I ask the Tracy vets: are Venus and Apollo related? Since we had the Jones’ family highlighted in the past arc, and now we’re going to delve into the Blackhearts, who is TBolt’s unseen boss—the reputed third member?

Guesses on the name? Since Venus’s and Apollo’s names were derived from Roman/Greek mythology, they are linked to the same father: the Greek “Zeus,” or the Roman “Jupiter” or nickname “Jove.”

So the man in the Limo: the “father” figure/leader of the Blackhearts? Zeus? Jupiter? Jove?

…or some other name entirely?

Thanks everyone for your kind words.

Who better than a namesake of the Greco-Roman God of Sky and Thunder to have someone under their command named TBolt!

Despite what I just finished writing, I do like the idea of the God of Thunder having a personal assistant named TBolt. We’ll no doubt be introduced to the big boss sometime this week, and maybe then we’ll know.

she is stupit.

why will you hit him

Big shootout at the warehouse, the machine guns quickly jam

Approaching stealthily with care, ‘tis Tracy’s sidekick, Sam.

A gutsy gal, she’s Flintheart’s pal, the plucky Kandikane

Boldly steps in. Helps Tracy win. Knocks sense from Silver’s brain.

This so incites his sister’s wrath, she leaps out from the car

To strangle Kandi with bare hands, in this she can’t get far.

Sprocket swiftly is subdued, hands cuffed behind her back

Perturbed to be in custody, gratitude does Tracy lack.

She saved his little Grandson from Stiletta’s vile plot

Her reward a cell in City Jail where she can sit and rot.

Confinement too for Lena: City Zoo acquisition

Paces in her habitat, an unnatural condition.

Elsewhere, at the Willoughby, Stiletta she is mourned

Lifeless in a wooden box, can’t say she wasn’t warned.

Blowtop told her that her plan was simply suicide

Blackjack sent fresh flowers. Woo Gosh! How Blowtop cried.

So Stiletta soon to be buried beneath the ground

Flintheart lost a little blood, yet true love he has found.

The Nitrates under lock and key, to prison they are bound

Criminals face daunting odds when Tracy comes around.