Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for October 12, 2014

The explosion is a doozy, down on Kenyon’s FarmAxel blown to smithereens, no more shall he do harm.Punjab and Asp, cut and bruised, buffeted by the blastAxel’s gone to pieces, his time on earth now past.Sought to bamboozle Kenyon: mix chemicals for harmSaid it was the Second World War, sounded false alarm.Good folks indeed did step right up, one being InfluenceHotshot Charlie took flight at night, ‘twas no coincidence.Later, Tracy lays it out: Chief gets an abridged storyAxel sought a deadly bomb, apt that his death was gory.Warbucks creates a legacy, helping youths who grieveA parent lost wearing the badge, help shall they receive.Annie’s time spent in the past brings tomorrow’s future nearCould it be her rich history portends Police career?Dining atop the old Siam, the band knows what to playA tender tune from a Rough Mix draws curtains on the day.Safe and sound is Annie, she’s met a fine new friendTick-tock time in Tracy’s town, her exploits at an end.

Best wishes to Daddy and Annie! I hope to see them again some fine day. The Asp and Punjab, too.

A celebration atop the Siam Hotel brings the entertaining crossover to a satisfying close. Warbucks creates an endowment scholarship fund for the children of fallen officers, assuring them an education and enhanced opportunities. Nice touch. Few would begrudge a father doing what he could to find an abducted child. Whether or not the Annie strip is ever revived, there’s no doubt that Team Tracy has left the cast in a much happier state of limbo. I’d say the affection for Annie in particular, and comics in general, is palpable in this entertaining tale. .We may or may not learn the identity of Axel’s employers. Did Griswold make a desperate attempt to put the Apparatus back on top with the acquisition of a very powerful explosive? If so, we may see him taken out by colleagues unhappy to receive no return on their investment. If Venus was making a play to further consolidate the Consortium’s power, she may find herself the target of an ambitious underling looking to take her place. Venus already failed to obtain a Space Coupe, so may be looking over her shoulder these days. Uneasy sits the crown, even on a head as lovely as hers. Of course, it is just as likely that Axel was employed by a villain or villains we have yet to meet. Crime and punishment is messy business: it won’t be hemmed in by the confines of three panels a day. Those in charge of Kenyon’s abduction and Axel’s operation will eventually be revealed, I’d wager. This is not a loose end, but rather another sign of the complexity of Tracyville, as reconstituted by Team Tracy..As Tracy sips his club soda, I raise a toast to Team Tracy for this rich crossover. I was a college freshman when Townshend/Lane’s high caliber Rough Mix came out. I remember it well. The curtain falls as the band plays “Annie.” I wonder where Mr. Am is. He’d be late to his own funeral, although I suppose such an event is an impossibility. Good to see Annie and “Daddy” reunited after their longest separation. A much more satisfying close than the strip received upon its cancellation.

Well done on another interesting Crimestoppers. The vile, senseless murders at Brown’s Chicken were huge news in the Chicagoland area.

Nice to see the Sunday strip finally.appeared. As noted by W H H in the comments prior to the Sunday strip positing, perhaps the Townsend/Lane tune is “Annie”.

Annie (Ronnie Lane)

Old oaks stand tall, AnnieSeen the world grow small, AnnieBut when they fall, AnnieWhere will we be?Winter has come, AnnieNo strength in the sun, AnnieAnd when it’s gone, AnnieWhere shall we be?When all the colours have fadedWhen ol’ Jack comes to callDon’t tell them no, tell them maybeOh Annie, may God bless us allOh, yeah, Annie, may God bless us allHear the children call AnnieEvery leaf must fall, AnnieGod bless us all AnnieWherever we’ll beAnd God bless us all AnnieWherever we’ll be

I think this storyline makes a good case for further adventures of Little Orphan Annie! There’s no way Warbucks will settle down and Annie is a danger magnet. They need to be back on the comics page!

There’s a little pointer saying that Dick Tracy is drinking club soda, but I suspect that everyone in his party is drinking the same (except Annie). I don’t suppose that Tracy is the designated driver, but they are all sort of still on duty.

@Pequod, Thanks for the images. Mr. Am is obviously the “Great I Am” whose name could not be spoken.

Warbucks can’t afford to pay for a hotel suite, but can endow a scholarship. It is a very strange world that the one percent lives in.

Together at last…together forever….I don’t need anything but you….

It sounds like Annie may be having another visit with Honeymoon Tracy at some time in the future. Annie has always been a bit of a junior detective anyway. She might team up well with Honeymoon.

Classy.

The explosion is a doozy, down on Kenyon’s Farm

Axel blown to smithereens, no more shall he do harm.

Punjab and Asp, cut and bruised, buffeted by the blast

Axel’s gone to pieces, his time on earth now past.

Sought to bamboozle Kenyon: mix chemicals for harm

Said it was the Second World War, sounded false alarm.

Good folks indeed did step right up, one being Influence

Hotshot Charlie took flight at night, ‘twas no coincidence.

Later, Tracy lays it out: Chief gets an abridged story

Axel sought a deadly bomb, apt that his death was gory.

Warbucks creates a legacy, helping youths who grieve

A parent lost wearing the badge, help shall they receive.

Annie’s time spent in the past brings tomorrow’s future near

Could it be her rich history portends Police career?

Dining atop the old Siam, the band knows what to play

A tender tune from a Rough Mix draws curtains on the day.

Safe and sound is Annie, she’s met a fine new friend

Tick-tock time in Tracy’s town, her exploits at an end.

Intro (skip if you’ve already read any of the previous intros):

Hello, greetings, casual readers of past Tracy stories. I’m here because I’m on 2 missions. The first is something I’ve never done before, read each Tracy story by Mike Curtis (or his occasional guest writer) in one sitting each. I feel his stories are worth it. IMHO, Curtis is by far the best post-Gould writer this strip has ever had, and we’re all lucky to have him.

My second mission is to provide an immediately useful Featured Comment whenever needed. My 3 friends below will reply to me. You can read their replies if you like, but their only real purpose is to bump up this comment to the Featured Comment.

There are 2 basic types of immediately useful Featured Comments: the first type is to provide you with a Mumblespeak translator when needed. The other type (this type) is anytime that day’s strip quotes a real song. I will provide an html to a recording to that song so you’ll know the tune even if you’ve never heard it before.

End Intro

And here’s the song, a good way to end this epic tale on:

https://www.youtube.Com/watch?v=eHLWgX3RpvQ