Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for October 20, 2019

Mommie dearest, don’t you dare. Just put that needle down

Thought there was a chance we’d bond. Disturbing now your frown.

Drinks and dinner. Film and fun. A chance to start again

Now your mask has slipped aside, revealed a twisted grin.

Howells’ money is so tainted. You can’t spend it in the grave

Renounce this sin. You cannot win. Your own life you may save.

Darkness overcomes me now. As helpless as a child

When Tracy catches up with you the payback won’t be mild.

The curtain drops on me today. What shall be my fate?

Villains who have done me harm are moved by greed and hate.

The enormous sounds

Of leaps and bounds

Crashing into the sea

Of suspended reality

In disbelief we mourn

Over the loss and our scorn

Of a tale that shakes our faith

Written obviously in haste

The art the words the moves

Of a love that’s lost it’s groove

Much more my heart can’t bare

Of the dread and deep despair

Oh the glory of the past

Left us all much too fast

Good morning™, guys!

The Howells apparently have mysterious plans for Det. Frisk! Also, it looks like they managed to come up with yet another excuse to get Coffee off their case. (Well, this time it was Lily delivering the excuse.)

Be interesting to see who rescues Frisk…..Tracy OR her mother, in a heart tugging change of mind…..I would prefer the latter….

Good morning™, suspicious looking “actors” !

I hope Coffee wakes up and smells the… well, he should get a gut feeling on the “grounds” that these smoky lard buckets are not quite upstanding types and the not so un obvious sinister look in Lily’s eyes.

First panel, after throw away stuff: Frisky now looks like a ragged scarecrow.

Great poetry by both Pequod and Avenger09! 10 stars! (Five for each)

See, folks? I told you yesterday.

This art is really jarring

Right in the ole windpipe. Frisk probably drowned on the injection.

SAM’S SCHOOL FOR SUPERVILLAINS (Bayonne, NJ) Lesson # 143: Yadda, Yadda, Yadda… The above scenario is, unfortunately, an all-to-common aspiring antagonists’ strategy; instead of poison in the syringe, only knock-out drugs are used, setting the stage for a more elaborate “offing.” In the real world, the villains would simply use poison, blades or firearms which would be quicker and give them a head start on the getaway. For some reason, budding bad guys and gals have this desire to explain their reasons to the intended victim, which eats up precious time and gives the hero/authorities/villain turncoat/whoever a chance to enact a rescue. Do you all out there have any idea how long we’ve been trying to break this stupid habit among our students? Yet it persists… go figure.

Very effective use of shading in today’s offering.

Maybe we’ll find out Frisk doesn’t drink?

Where are they going to stash her, or what do they have planned? Hmmmmm…..!

1-ROSIE: So this was the chick who was gonna smash our Smokes ring eh? JACKIE: Yeah.

2-ROSIE: It was pure genius to give her the knockout shot here instead of all the other opportunities we had. This way we had audience people who could’ve seen you give her the shot, a theater dick to contend with and 120 pounds of dead weight to lug outta here.

3-SHERIFF: What’s goin’ on here?

4-JACKIE: Nothin’ Sheriff. The play was so boring, she fell asleep. SHERIFF: Yep. That’s happened more n once. Well, git ‘er outta here. I gotta turn out the lights.

5-ROSIE: And we gotta turn out the lights – ON PRIMM! BWAAA HAA HAAA!

SHERIFF: What’s that? ROSIE: Ummm, I said “(muffle) set the lights – ON DIM!”

SHERIFF: We ain’t got a dimmer switch. ROSIE: You couldn’t get any dimmer…

SHERIFF: What’s that? ROSIE: FOR PETE’S SAKES! I SAID ‘LET’S GO GET DINNER!’

SHERIFF: Well, I suggest that little diner across the street… ROSIE: OMG! Can I borrow your six shooter Sheriff? SHERIFF: Shore. Be careful. It’s loaded.

Theres no way in HELL youre gonna convince me that this is Joe’s artwork. Like i said before, an inker simply CAN’T destroy artwork this badly

I’m hoping the cowboy is smarter than the detective.

I’ve always preferred the weekday artwork over the Sunday artwork. I prefer the more precise, detailed style – which is more appropriate for a detective story. Today’s strip is more jarring than usual though. There needs to be some consistency from day to day. This style of art might be very effective in other forums but it is not for Dick Tracy.

So Frisk is back to being a man today? – And there’s nothing wrong with that.

My first thought is how does Lily get enough of the drug into Det. Frisk before Frisk starts knocking the hand and the needle away and starts resisting? (And won’t that attract the attention of other people?)

Poetry is better than the story, and the art is way, way off

I am surprised no one has complimented Coffee’s appearance which looks mighty good.

Why does Frisk now look like Dagwood Bumstead?

Oh, I see how the Dick Tracy strip goes now, Every storyline is going to climax in the Patterson Playhouse during a production of “Our Town,” no matter how contrived the storytelling is going to be.

Clair looks like the Sea Witch in Little Mermaid. And maybe some other Disney female villains.

Frisk sleeps a not-so-sweet sleep, thanks to Lily, her “Mommy Dearest,” and Clair is immediately on the spot to help transfer the drugged detective to " the place we’ve got planned for her" (cue ominous musical theme!). Coffee observes but is deceived (or is he?).

Calling Dick Tracy!

I tell ya, that is one evil look Mom has in that middle bottom panel. If Coffee is sanguine about them ‘taking care’ of Frisk after seeing that look, he is one thick brick.