Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for October 24, 2009

What!? Now they’re on the ground. Where’s the cage? When are the police that Mr. Pops called going to arrive? Is that Fee Fi’s hand in the shadows behind Della in panel 2? So much activity now!

“We won’t be a party to murder?”

Interesting…

So that implies that Della and Fee Fi would not have approved of Louise’s killing? How foolish of Mr. Pops to assume, then, that they were his allies.

But…

Della and Fee Fi WERE involved in illegal arms sales. Did they, like Ringo, also do time?

Remind me again, why is it that all the employees of the illegal arms-dealing company wound up in a circus together?

This is so Fellini-esque, with Frank Zappa’s “200 Motels” and the Monkees’ “Head” thrown in for good measure.

Just too bizarre for me….. or lame….

Flight Suit said, “Remind me again, why is it that all the employees of the illegal arms-dealing company wound up in a circus together?”

Amazing, isn’t it. And, they apparantly were not trained as circus performers.

These days many major corporations such as banks require their ceo’s to be clowns. Or contortionists.

I posted this yesterday, but late in the day…if anyone wants to express an opinion to Tribune Media Services about this strip:

Mary Elson, Managing Editor melson@tribune.com 435 N. Michigan Avenue Suite 1500 Chicago, IL 60611 USA

now that the action is over (phew) we can resume the standing around and talking positions.

Hah, hah!

Always trust fat women

Panel 1: Is it snowing inside the tent?

The big stretch (bad as it appears) is not the coincidence of all the crooked importers ending up working in a Circus, and were somehow a suitable set of “freaks” to just fit in.

But the “Big Boner”, with Obamacare odds (Trillion to one), IS the FBI hiding Ringo for his “SAFETY” in the SAME place, where as ALL the crooks looking to KILL him were hiding !

How on earth could an Author (other contradictions aside) have such a palpably INFANTILE plot ??

No “donaldo” ! Before Locher hits the “reset button” to resume the standing around “talky,.talking talk” performance - he loves so well, Mr.Pops has to make a little effort to escape !

This story has redefined - “talking heads” for comic strips !

This is so far beyond logic that I’ll save the effort to comment. I think Macy needs to take Della over to Papa Johns and fill ‘er up.

Where he heck is Mattie, or is he too embarassed to show up and defend his hero? Or is he too busy copying old Batman storylines for his newest venture?

Speaking of “Batman”…. Notice how this is getting more like the old series starring Adam West? Crook hatches diabolical scheme to do in hero, then walks away and doesn’t see to it that it works. (Yes, I know this has already been mentioned, but if our illustrious author can have endless repeats so can we.) Now, all DT and NN have to do is set a diabolical trap for the criminal and the circle will be complete.

Robert “Pops” Brown was a merry old soul Though there are those who swore he was a real… He had a good job with pay and bennies Moving illegal arms and selling to our enemies Then the feds found out and they shut him down The smile he was wearing turned into a frown He did a little time and returned the money So they released him early, now that’s kinda funny The money wasn’t stolen, but came from arms sales So how could returning it win him a release from jail His co-conspirators must not have been found Because here they are in a circus running around Where each one is a specific type of freak Another plot point that makes this story weak At this point in my narrative I would like to inject A little thing that Locher seems to neglect A smuggling operation under cover of the big tent Makes more sense than where this story has went If the circus had been used to cover the smuggling Then our credulity would not have to be struggling But on that one little point I fear I digress And now over to Ringo and his roll in this mess He was the rat that shut down the operation So the FBI chose to give him a new situation By starting a new life through witness protection He would be safe and free from detection Little did they know or even could foresee That the one place they chose was with the enemy Pops had sworn to revenge his incarceration By touring with the circus across this nation He would seek out that rotten no-goodnik And give his butt a really good swift kick With Ringo being delivered safely into their laps All that remained for them was just to play taps The one who would kill him was done in instead By a jealous rival who shot her stone dead The reason behind this to us was explained The other one wanted to kill him, man that’s just lame The murder was done for everyone to see And sitting in the audience was Dick Tracy From notes that threaten becoming notes of ransom We are treated to a story filled with flotsam and jetsam From ludicrous plot twists and tedious repetition This story is a long way from its final fruition Tracy was threatened and was able to escape From a situation that near drove us ape Saved by two freaks that won’t be a party to murder But who have no qualms selling arms across the border What will now transpire we do not know But whatever it is the telling will be slow

Did I have a stroke and that’s why I can’t follow the logic of this story line? Or did Locher? Maybe that’s why the artwork has deteriorated as well.

Where’s the beef? In order to set a trap for Pops, it would be a help to have some meat for the tiger to chew on. Then, when Pops does finally step in to see his handiwork and to see Ringo get nailed for it, Tracy and crew spring their trap. OK, I’m dreaming here but at least this would make some kind of sense. I fear we’re going to be served up something that only a tired artist who doesn’t care would dream up.

morrow,

The great DEFENDERS have all “thrown in the towel”. Sevearly embarrassed to talk out - and then really look foolish !

I was once told not to speak ill of Locher’s strip, something GREAT was on the way and I would be “sorry” and look rather stupid.

Was this the CRACKER-JACK work that they KNEW was to come ?? ;-P

Dunno, Sydney. Maybe this was the Big Kahuna. Fell flat, though.

Aw, the old Batman show remains a favorite of mine. It was SUPPOSED to be silly. Let’s not disparage it by comparing it to this pointless, banal dreck.

Matthew, I don’t think morrow’s comment was intended to say that you are ripping off any one particular Batman story. But let’s be honest, your design for Apollo is basically Batman as drawn by Dick Sprang with minor changes to the costume. It’s ridiculous to act self-righteously indignant when someone points out that obvious similarity, regardless of whether you meant it as an homage, a parody, or plagiarism.

Let’s be glad that it seems to be almost over. But then another plot will come along and go on and on and on……

jtpozenel said, about 6 hours ago

“Did I have a stroke and that’s why I can’t follow the logic of this story line?” ————————————————- Hmm, that’s a thought. Maybe I’m wrong about Tracy being brain-damaged. Maybe it’s the rest of us who are brain-damaged – all of us? It obviously isn’t just you. Did some super-villain do it sometime in the years I wasn’t reading Dick Tracy? Put a drug in the water supply or released a virus or something? And now we’re all too stupid to tell sense from nonsense?

-Cougar :{)

margueritem,

I’m puzzled. What’s the “significance” of the hyphenated name change (morgue-ritem) ? And then the bridal avatar ?

Could that be subtle comment on where the strip is heading (?) or is the combination cynically suggesting that marriage somehow has an equivalency to death ? ;-p

Sydney, I’m guessing that marg/morg has more to do with the upcoming holiday than anything else. Ten gets you one that after Halloween is over she reverts back to the name we know.

Sydney, it’s a Halloween thing. Michael Mc Millan is correct. The corpse bride just goes along with the general theme.