Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for August 27, 2016

.Good morning guys!.Gweedo! We have competition! Do you think avenger09 has anything to do with this?

Way to draw out the drama, Mike ! .Good morning, Big Britches Bill !!!-Who is that taking my designated newscaster spot ?

Dick, we hardly knew ye….well, actually, we knew you pretty well.

Poor Tess, though. So sad!

Well, since it’s hard to have a Dick Tracy strip without Dick Tracy, one wonders how and under what circumstances he’ll be found…..

Both are safe but not high and dry.

“H. G.” Wells.

Generalissimo Francisco Franco Watch – Day 1.

Gweedo continued this rhetoric and blurted these unforgettable words for one and all to hear,Good thing the crew were out drinking the night before and slept in.-——————————————————————————————-.OK! The entire BMBG™ broadcasting team is confined to the broadcast booth for the next 24 hours!.except to use the restroom.

Also, SBN News apparently has a European bureau.

The upside of a funeral would be that it offers an opportunity to check in on the rest of the extended cast.

Tracy will be found alive come January for the next crossover event …

… unless said event happens to be a flashback.

Going out to the mobile sound unit to catch a little shut eye !

Must confess, I’m still intrigued by Mike’s statement that research material is required in regards to the upcoming guest appearance.

Might it be a more obscure character than we’ve been lead to believe?

“Big” could also refer to size.

Nero Wolfe?

Possibly someone better known internationally?

Tintin?

… or maybe Mike is just being thorough.

[ At BCC last year, he was toting around collections of Fearless Fosdick strips. ]

And then there’s this still-outstanding mystery from 2015 …

What exactly was Mr. Bigg/Bribery doing to aid and abet?

… or was this a rare case of Mike getting ahead of himself?

Oh……Tracy’s really dead? I guess Mike & Joe got tired of writing his stories after all. Guess I’ll have to find another strip to read…….

This looks like a job …

… for Richard Vance!

Love where this story’s going. Over the falls.

What’s that small rectangle in the middle of the far left side of panel two?

Is it the dedication plaque?

While this H.G. Wells, as a reporter, is more reminiscent of the Orson Welles adaptation of “War of the Worlds”, I will instead link a review I did of his first short SF novel, “The Time Machine”: http://www.skjam.com/2015/02/28/book-review-the-time-machine/

With the TV news reporting it, I guess its time to update the ol’ Death List!

@ Anyface:They’ve made a point of showing us that rectangle before. I thought it was the plaque, too. But you don’t suppose they have it fixed up so that it’s also some kind of secret door? How big is that plaque in real life – would it be large enough to swing out on a hidden hinge, and then walk through? Remember, when Tracy asked where was Tess, Abner came back with “This way, Tracy” and then there was another puff of smoke.

The end.

The Return of Dick Tracy. Will Sam play the Watson role?

H. G. Wells? Really?

A hidden door would have required excavation of the cliff face. Such an operation would have certainly been noticed by those who administer this tourist site and the narrow path would likely have had to be closed for some time while the operation took place.

Speaking of which …

“ALL MY CHILDREN” once built an elaborate waterfall set INSIDE THEIR STUDIO to facilitate a character’s exit from the canvas.

.Gweedo puts the hurts on the BMBG competition (aka SBN)!.Attaboy, Gweedo. Sic ‘em! I’m proud to be part of the team!.

It’s hard for a news organization to compete when the other one has a time machine ensuring they’ll be there right when the news breaks. Keep up the great work BMBG! Now, where’s the yodeler? I could use a good wake-up call right about now.

what’s with all this broadcasting crap?

I wonder if Tracy will take this opportunity to play dead and do some undercover work?

Tess’ expression in panel three …

… somehow reminds me of this song.

Looking back at the Monday 8/22 strip where Tess’ whereabouts are revealed, of course the most obvious suspect is Abner, who is letting her go because she served her purpose. However, could the “American” who hired the kidnappers be a third party who found out Abner’s plan and wanted to get her out of harm’s way? I know – it’s a stretch, but something doesn’t seem right, including today’s strip. Tess has seen Dick get out of worse scrapes than this – are those fake tears? Could this have been yesterday’s complete conversation between Sam and Tess?

SAM: Hi Tess! How’s the vacation going?

TESS: He’s here!

SAM: What’s that?

TESS: Have you heard from Abner Kadaver?

SAM: Abner Kadaver? We’ve been after him. He’s been very busy since you left.

TESS: Dick has known that Abner has been following us here in Europe for days. [Note: Remember that Dick told Abner this on Thursday 8/11.] The two of them have disappeared.

SAM: Tracy. Oh no!

TESS: That’s okay. Dick has a plan. He didn’t tell me the details, but said if he vanished to pretend that I think he’s dead, to throw Abner’s goons off. Let me know if you hear from Abner. I’ll be in touch.

(hangs up phone)

SAM: Lizz, I think we’ve been played!

We have both A.I.C. Doyle and H.G. Wells running around the Fearsome Place. It’s getting to be a heady literary congress. While Tess needs reassuring and comforting, Tracy and Kadaver need search and rescue/recovery. What mystery/crime fiction author or authors fit the bill?

Where’s Julie Verne …?

Maybe Sam Spade will be the guest detective…

WOW! I am SO disappointed with Sunday’s strip. It’s really just a recap of today’s. It reminds me of the bad old days.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzz,,,,,