Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for January 19, 2020

Assailed by heavy fire, Sam and Tracy soon pinned down

Detectives are not bullet-proof, no matter their renown.

Gang member becomes “hostage.” Roboto slips away

Safety first for Tracy. They shall meet again one day.

A night out at the theatre. Curtain rises on the play

Mysta looks spectacular. Futura has a way

Of leaving viewers breathless. The Chimera quite a vision

Roboto, he is smitten, so now ponders a decision.

Themes that tend to resonate. What’s real and what’s robotic?

Beauty more than just skin deep, so Mysta is hypnotic.

She’s unaware Roboto’s there. Or of his turn of mind

Should he cross a single line she’ll no longer be kind.

Good morning™, Metropolitans!

At first, I thought he looked a bit like Ralph, the fake hostage, but this is obviously Mr. Roboto without his mask. He looks fairly average and normal.

It does seem with the official colours, Mysta’s costume does include bare shoulders, but it’s hard to say for sure. It could be just the lighting and shadows on the gold costume.

Looks like Mr Roboto also comes with a faceplate or full face mask. So, spirit gum, or suction keeping that on?

So, Roboto’s downfall is that he’s going to make a pass at Moon Maid.

So, have we finally seen Roboto without his mask?

I I still cant believe Tracy was duped by that fake hostage scam. He’s smarter than that.

Disney’s been too focused on live remakes. Missed an opportunity to do an update: Beauty and the Bot!

You’d think that speeding TO the fire would be the more dangerous part!

This is a critical scene from the play. The woman in the tube is the REAL Maria, whose likeness Rotwang (the “mad scientist”) is transferring to Robotrix (the golden fembot), thus transforming Robotrix into “False Maria,” a female android whom Rotwang will use to seduce men and take over the city.

So, that’s how Roboto looks without his mask.

Mysta’s dolled up, and Roboto can’t resist. This should be fun.

Hmmm…the guy in the background with the specs is wearing a turtleneck that looks awfully familiar.

I think he looks like one of the Pep Boys Auto Parts guys, Manny, Moe or Jack!!!

Oh uh… This can’t end well.

Well that raised a red flag in my mind; “Stalker”

Great artwork, composition and coloring today!!!

the plot thickens

I think we just got our first look at Roboto’s face.

Oh, I can’t wait to see how THIS turns out!

On a different note, I’m so sorry that Fernando died trying to make the world a safer place. From what I read (so correct me if I’m wrong), inmates volunteer to become firefighters, for $1 an hour, during their prison terms, however they are not given the opportunity to become firefighters once they’re released, because no criminal record is required. They’re trying to change that with new legislation.

Like I said – Mysta saves the playhouse some cash by bringing her own special effects…

He’s just as bland and boring as this entire storyline

Maybe just the way he is drawn, but is there a black line surrounding his face? Maybe from a mask?

I want to know how they accomplished those special effects we see – the swirling lines around False Maria, for example – on stage. Hard to generate special effects in live theater, presumably especially in a small hometown playhouse.

1-PERFESSOR: I’m so sorry darling. My attempt to use human-sized bank pneumatic tubes to revolutionize travel has resulted in your death. Oh well. You knew the risks. I think…

2-…NO MATTER! I’m already onto my next big idea – BP9000! The perfect woman! Perfect proportions, perfect features and no voice box!

3-ARISE BP9000!

4-Ummmm, up BP9000…come on, you can do it…uh oh…

5-KABUKI: WHAT A COSTUME! I MUST POSSESS IT!

Granted, this is slightly off topic, but how is there an audience if the show is “Coming Soon” as the marquee says?

I’ll be glad when roboto is inside,m I’m getting sick of the ear worm

If you’re wondering where Tracy & Sam are, they’re at the station, doing the paperwork on the robbery.

“Domo arigato, Mysta.”

— Roboto

Mr Roboto is star struck with her electrifying performance.

With the weird line around his face, it looks like he’s wearing a mask. Badly. Probably stuck on with JB Weld™.

It certainly seems as though the star-struck dude in the final panel is Mr. Roboto Unmasked. And he turns out to be a rather ordinary-looking guy—maybe kind of nerdy with that bow tie, but not likely to draw undue attention to himself in a crowd, especially a crowd of theatre-goers here at the Patterson presentation of Metropolis, which would assuredly draw a lot of artsy people with, sometimes, their artsy quirks.

Mysta Chimera makes a stunning (pun?) False Maria, and I hope we get to see a bit more of the play and her before Roboto goes bonkers and does disruptive behaviors….

I have been reading the Chester Gould’s Dick Tracy books for years. This Dick Tracy is a very cheap imitation that leaves me unsatisfied. No real mystery and none of Tracy’s wit or good sense. He is a cheap imitation of himself in this strip.