Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for May 22, 2016

Wendy Wichel ate some crow. I saw it on TVForced to ‘fess up to the truth, which failed to set her freeFrom sneering innuendo, from gossip spun to goldIn-between commercial scenes of products to be sold.Putty Puss did play a role with enthusiastic lustBadly wants another date though absent is all trust.The bearded lady’s quite a gal, she made a huge impressionCompared to life at Happy Dale a glorious digression.Someone has to tell the Mayor of Tracy’s innocenceShe smolders with antipathy and cold malevolence.Armstrong will keep the video, a spicy souvenirIt sure does look like Tracy, so the keepsake she’ll hold dear.

.Good morning all!.Nice work Pequod!

Who’s The Bearer of Bad News …?

Harley Niav is still listed as “Harvey” today.

The mayor is indeed not pleased.Anyone knows why the Mayor acts that way. I think Pequod in his recap insinuated something but I might have misread it.Thanks Pequod for your view on what is happening in DT. The same goes to avenger09 for yesterday’s poem.

I don’t think we will see what happened to Notta. The current story ends today. I think next is the Bribery story — the misadventures of Matty Squared and Ignatz.

Peter Lorre! You Hungarian reprobate, you!

On a morning in a Tracy ComicIn a city with no reference to timeHe runs through the City Hall like Peter LorreContemplating a Crime….

State of the DT World Report

May 22, 2016

Story map: Act 3 concludes

The “story map” at http://dt.canadatoyou.com/nottafallarmove/ has been updated with another week, and I added Sunday as well.

So where are we now? Many of the recent stories have had what I’ve been calling a “false climax,” followed later by the real climax. This story is not exactly like that, but we’re still having two climaxes in the storyline. As I was saying before, we really have five main characters in this storyline, for the good guys, Tracy and Sam and for the bad guys, Notta, Blaze, and Putty Puss.

Tracy has been on a journey to clear his name from the frame-up and, with Sam’s help, he has done it.

As for the others, Putty Puss has been taken in, along with his would-be killer, Screwball.

All that’s left is Notta Fallar and Blaze Rize. Notta will realize pretty soon that her plan to smear Tracy’s name has failed, as has her plan to get Putty Puss killed to cover up the evidence. It’s hard to say at this point where Notta is going in her emotional journey and her journey in life and why. She hasn’t said much about it.

Blaze has definitely been going through some emotional peaks and valleys lately and I think that her story is an important aspect of this whole sequence. We turn to Act 4 now (as I want to number them). I’m tentatively thinking of Act 4 as “Notta Fallar is going down,” but we actually have no idea where Notta is going, nor where Blaze is going. Maybe we’ll find out in the coming days. With the announcement of an upcoming crossover sequence at the end of June, I’m thinking that we may have about a month of primarily Notta and Blaze.

Repeating my very late reply from last night@smartman (from yesterday)Really, the only crime so far in the main story was done by the Mayor for illegally suspending a union employee without the due process …

Well Notta and her associates conspired to and actually carried out incrimination of a public official and there has to be a law against that in my opinion.

For example, this law in Ohio:

(B) No person shall knowingly file a complaint against a peace officer that alleges that the peace officer engaged in misconduct in the performance of the officer’s duties if the person knows that the allegation is false.(C) Whoever violates division (B) of this section is guilty of making a false allegation of peace officer misconduct, a misdemeanor of the first degree.As for Tracy, it’s not just embarassment that he’s accused of cheating on his wife. The more serious charge is consorting with a known felon. Here are some examples of court cases along that line:DEA agent was properly terminated for maintaining a sexual relationship with a criminal informant. Rackers v. DoJ, #CH-0752-97-0218-I-1, 79 M.S.P.R. 262, 1998 MSPB Lexis 870 (1998). {N/R}Federal court refuses to reinstate a police officer who was fired for his friendship with a murder suspect. Tillman v. City of West Point, 953 F.Supp. 145 (N.D.Miss. 1996). [1997 FP 147]Federal court upholds termination of trooper for association with a drug dealer; trooper failed to prove a “familial” relationship that might be protected by the First Amendment. White v. Fla. Hwy. Patrol, 928 F.Supp. 1153 (M.D.Fla. 1996). [1997 FP 51-2]Termination of deputy for dating crime figure’s wife upheld by federal court. Baron v. Meloni, 602 F.Supp. 614 (W.D. N.Y. 1985); Baron v. Meloni, 556 F.Supp. 796 (W.D. N.Y. 1983).Suspension warranted when officer “fraternized” with ex-con, even though conviction was nearly 20 years ago. Morrisette v. Dilworth, 59 N.Y.2d 449, 452 N.E.2d 1222 (1983), affirming 454 N.Y.S.2d 864.

Morning, Tracy Fans!

Wasn’t there a villain in “Annie” that looked like Peter Lorre? Maybe this is part of the Annie crossover story.

Why’s the mayor angry? I’d think she’d be happy her top detective is cleared, and schedule a press conference with her proclaiming that she always had confidence in Tracy’s integrity, and welcoming him back to active duty.

I have to say it – today’s Crimestoppers must be the dumbest one I’ve ever seen.Look under the car for thugs? Seriously?And if you see a stranger inside your car, leave as quickly as possible. Ya think?Yeesh.

I’m started to wonder if Mayor Armstrong has a connection to Notta and/or Blaze? No proof but suspending Tracy without pay without even a cursory investigation is very odd as Tracy & Armstrong would be well-known in the town and the mayor’s reaction to Tracy being cleared as almost as if she is angry that Tracy will be back to work at some point in the next few days, unless the mayor keeps him off duty for “her” investigation.

Journalistic integrity? That only happens in the funny papers!

Me thinks the Mayor is not on the up-and-up.

Wendy acts without restrictions. When convenient feigns convictions. Yet ratings rule her, she’s glad to jump through hoops. Should she spew some falsehoods, it’s “oh dear” and then “whoops!” Tracy gets a happy ending. Asp he’s once again befriending. Look to see the chilly Mayor. Who brings the news, what soul might dare? ‘Tis Peter Lorre in Birth of a Notion. To mean Mayor Armstrong he shows devotion. I agree with Willy007 that there is more to Notta than her recent belittlement of Blaze suggests. She and George felt a sense of redemption when helping Tracy to apprehend Piggy (with brave assistance from Mysta). Notta lost her husband and has been caretaker of a greatly diminished Purdy for some time. I don’t expect any charges will come her way on the Putty video. I suspect she’ll be around for awhile. We know we’ll be seeing Wendy again, as there is, sadly, a huge appetite for outrageous spectacles, no matter how shallow.

Thanks to Vista Bill, Night-Gaunt49, 22ph (the Mayor does seem to be easily roused when Tracy is the matter at hand), blunebottle, Gweedo, Chris Sherlock, Willy007 and JPuzzleWhiz for the kind words. Very much appreciated!

I think you’re forgetting that Notta holds Dick responsible for the death of her husband.

.

As well as the condition of her brother.

Trucks and the larger ess-U-vees have generous clearance underneath.-——Even so, if you’re lying in wait for someone, it’s a whole lot easier to do it on your feet than on your belly, needing to crawl out from under the vehicle.

Seems Mayor Armstrong has it in for Dick Tracy…..I too wonder why she detests the man. I think she may indeed be corrupt and possibly hooked up with Bribery or some other ne’er do well…….

“Wendy Wichel ate some crow. I saw it on TV”

Except no. Wendy avoided mentioning that she originally broke the “red door” tape story.

Not only does the lackey resemble Lorre, but he also bears a striking likeness to Gomez Addams, as drawn for the New Yorker by creator Charles Addams.

Wendy Wichel does her best to sound like a journalist, while choking on crow. Bar Bar Bar Barbara Armstrong’s office (“the 4th floor”) is insulated from offensive reality, but she is seemingly watching TV, so she already knows of the Wichel recant (such as it is) when her aide bursts in (Dr. Einstein? I am doubtful for now, but need to see or hear more before I can be certain). For my part, I see nothing to suggest she has anything but continuing animus for Tracy, whatever the reason. Is she corrupt? I think so; the only questions are, how corrupt, and is there enough evidence for any legal action against her?

This would seem to wrap up the bulk of the story unless Mike has some surprise event or maybe a return to Bribery HQ for more developments. The current strip doesn’t have long chases of criminals as occurred in the Gould era but I expect there will be some attempt to find Notta. Whether she will escape remains to be seen. Wouldn’t surprise me to see something completely unexpected though.

He might have, as “Mr. Moto”.

I just did a little image search on the Internet and, although I did find a few (very few) images of Mr. Moto with a mustache, it wasn’t a pencil mustache like on today’s strip. This style of mustache is closer to Gomez’s style.

Wendy, you’re indoors, on camera and this ain’t Texas – unless you’re moonlighting as Carmen Sandiego, take that hat off!

Has he been strolling through the crowd like Peter Lorre contemplating a crime?