Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for July 02, 2017

Sparkle in the lion’s den. Her trepidation grows

Blackjack is a troubled man who’ll reap just what he sows.

Enter into his trophy room and scrutinize his lair

Obsession undeniable. He does not seem to care.

A baby stroller might be fun if one’s a little kid

I’d auction all on EBay just to see what fools might bid.

The Sparkle lamp it softly glows, behold illumination

The dolly house in pristine shape, a true fan’s exaltation.

A picture book without a mark, it never has been used

Sparkle has not the slightest clue her trust has been abused.

A Tracy bulls-eye on the wall designed for rubber darts

Blackjack’s obsession out of hand. Here’s where the trouble starts.

Music, soda, dolls galore

Pictures, strollers and so much more

A plethora of memories scattered about

A number that’s much too high to count

An almost perfect afternoon spent

Reliving the past and how quickly it went

Yet always present despite the smile

The color of worry a deep red of Nile

Would this ruse to buy some time

To save some lives and stop a crime

End the way a good fairytale would

She tried her best doing all that she could.

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Thanks to Morrow, Gweedo, CP, Chris, Ronnie & whisplicka for joining club Fiddler! There’s room for many more!

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https://www.gofundme.com/fiddlersfight

Love today’s “Disposable” panel.

FYI: “Kickapoo Joy Juice” is still available for purchase, long after the comic strip which inspired it has faded from the zeitgeist.

That’s a weird-looking smile on Sparkle’s face…

I don’t like that look on Blackjack. Is he going to let go of the source of his obsession? I have this feeling that the invitation is going to turn into an abduction.

Calling Dick Tracy….

Black Jack looks decidedly creepy, there…

No creepier than Sparkles — seven year itch?

Good morning guys!

A tad late again.

He can’t release her, she’ll lead the police straight to him.

Am I the only one who thinks that the look on Sparkle’s face, in the final panel, is totally at odds with all the other ones?

Still photo or motion pictures?

And then the shopping she was planning to do?

I finally found the Featured Comment!! I was wondering where it can be found from reading comments here. I don’t see it because I go here with comments=visible on the URL. Took me too long to find it. :(

I think if Blackjack tries anything, Sparkle’s got another “collectible” for him – her foot in his man-pocket!

The joke may be on Blackjack – Sparkle’s comment about her parents never seeing some of the Sparkle Plenty items may mean they are unlicensed and so he got gypped when he bought them! LOL

It is intriguingly “meta” for a Tracy villain to have collectables from the Dick Tracy comic strip. While the story frames Blackjack’s collection as being from Sparkle’s days as a young radio star, he has collected items sold when newspapers and Tracy were massively popular. He was wise to avoid the Bonnie Braids baby doll, which was every bit as unattractive as Gould drew the baby. While it is not likely that Blackjack could have escaped the bank without a confrontation (even having decided to leave the cash be), he is an unusual villain. Now that his stuff is signed, will he auction it off? My guess is no.

I was surprised that my referencing “Colorforms” last week elicited no response. I had a ton of fun with my Deputy Dawg set. All the varmints were included: Muskie Muskrat, Possible Possum (“It’s poss-e-bool”), Vincent Van Gopher and Pig Newton. I also had the Yogi Bear and Flintstones Colorforms. Wonder what those would fetch on Ebay these days.

I had heard Firesign Theatre riff on Joyce well before I was assigned Ulysses as an undergrad. The long-playing comedy record, How Can You Be in Two Places at Once When You’re Not Anywhere at All (1969) is one of their many high caliber works. Thanks to John Day—and Anyface—for the reminder.

Also, the Nightmare Before Christmas reminder from Night-Gaunt49 and Neil Wick was timely. A student in my summer class came in wearing a Jack Skellington shirt recently. I had to share the story of becoming the coolest Uncle ever many years back when I gave my twin nieces the movie for Christmas. The two-faced mayor is priceless.

Thanks to 22ph, Gweedo, Neil Wick, Night-Gaunt49, Vista Bill and JPuzzleWhiz for the kind words. Very much appreciated!

The hooded henchman in the background may not be too keen on just casually giving Sparkle a “ride home” – it wouldn’t be the first time a gang turned on their boss. For example, Blowtop was actually shot by Joe when he and Toots had enough of Blowtop’s crazy antics, which jeopardized their operation and made them vulnerable to the cops.

I would kill for a Blackjack toy to go with my old Playmates Tracy ones.

I connect best to him…he’s a big fan like me!

Blackjack Bank Robber and Sparkle Plenty Tracy Cop-artist’s Wife are getting along just famously, as if the best of old friends, rather than her being a quasi-hostage to a demented, crack-pot crack-shot. So far, so good, and I’m glad she autographed all of those numerous memorabilia for him. But am I alone in thinking something is not quite right in his last-panel request for “a picture together”? What kind of picture? To be put to what use (if not solely for addition to his collection)? I think something is amiss here, going forward, even though I can’t say exactly what or why….

I can’t believe a man as obviously unhinged as BlackJack could find professional criminals willing to work for him.

Careful, Breathless. The PC Police here can and will wipe you out if you don’t agree with their collective likes and dislikes.