Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for February 23, 2020

I pay. You say

On that fateful day

We were as thick as thieves.

Some mess. I’d guess

Tess feeling stress

Good reputation leaves.

‘Tis planned. Half grand

Rising flames thus fanned

Tess has a call to make.

Some scam. Shake sham

Might get in a jam

The alibi a fake.

“Entrapment.” ✨

Good morning™, shifty Shaky schemers !

I think he expects to get the half a grand from Tess. Boy, will he be surprised !  I still don’t get what he is trying to do.

Good morning™, visitors!

Shaky’s scheme seems complicated, but there is seemingly no downside for McQueen. This part of the deal is pretty straightforward.

’Tis a mess

I do suggest

And I confess

I fear the rest

’Tis not the best

And lacking zest

Has reached a crest

I do not jest

“I’ll be waiting for you, McQueen.” Be afraid—be very afraid!

Yeesh. $500 is peanuts nowadays. He’ll probably try to soak Tess for 5 or 10 grand!!

We get to meet Mr. McQueen! Shaky’s scheme is beginning to become apparent!

More and more interesting.

500 bucks isn’t exactly retirement money, McQueen. That’s one visit to the auto shop. Probably not worth it.

Half a grand? That’s chump change. How about half a Mil ?!

This detective story goes back over two thousand years. (Part of the long version of Daniel in the Catholic and Orthodox versions of the book in the Bible, but I think there’s a Babylonian or Persian version that goes back further.) You have two lying witnesses. You question them separately, and they can’t agree on any details. “Where were the two of you on August 14th?” “Uh, playing poker with the guys.” “At a bar planning to rob a gas station.”

Wouldn’t Shaky need to give McQueen more details? Why would they be together on that night if they obviously don’t know each other? Also, by court order, these conversations can be recorded, so Shaky just incriminated himself.

“Yes man I never met before, who visited me in prison, I’ll be glad to testify to anything you wish for $500. Heck, I don’t even need any details.”

The prison will have records of Shaky visiting him after he talked to Tess.

Makes.

No.

Sense.

“…I guess I should clarify. Shaky is my name.”

The curtain opens on yet another new scene in ‘Riffin Without A Script’

1-JJSS: Gimme a couple loosies and a pint of Thunderbird. JIMMY STRIPES: Huh?

2-JJSS: I’m placing an order dummy. Go with it.

3-JIMMY STRIPES: I’m the dummy? Look around idjit. Ya ever been in an economically deprived area liquor store where you sit down to place your order? And where’s the individual ciggies and the booze moron?

4-JJSS: Heh. Oh yeah. Sorry. I’ll have a Big Mac and Diet Coke then.

5-JIMMY STRIPES: AI YI YIIII! Fine. Coming right up. Just give your money to the guard. Enjoy your meal. Simpleton. JJSS: Oh. No pickle please.

You mean he didn’t set this up BEFORE making his shakedown attempt? It’ll be easy to check McQueen’s visitors and see Shaky saw him after making his move on Tess. Even if he lied about his name, Shaky’s got a face easy to recognize.

for $500 he’ll commit perjury to say he was with someone that was not brought up BY HIS OWN ATTORNEY DURING THE TRIAL? lets add on these conversation are through a telephone that is listned to and this just completely threw out ANY semblance of reality or procedural evens. why not just take out a freaking magic ring and fly over the walls of the pen?

Geez, these “writers” ain’t no Raymond Chandlers. Let’s see, a guy whose sentence is up in two months is gonna lie to the cops to give himself and/or Shakes an “alibi” for a measly $500 dollars. I mean “chump change” isn’t even the right term for this. That would be cheap even in the 40s when the real Shaky was working his gigs. Suspension of disbelief is one thing, but this “plot” is ridiculous. ..On the upside, the Hall of Fame guy didn’t die this week.

Shaky does realize there’s a good chance that their talk is being recorded, right?

If McQueen weren’t the seriously dimwit that he is, he might recognize that Shaky is setting him up to take a fall while simultaneously soiling Tess’s reputation. -And for a measly $500! Shaky is a dumb twitch, but James McQueen is much dumber-the kind of guy of whom you later say, “he got what he deserved.” The only puzzle here is, why did Shaky specifically choose Jamey-boy?

Come on, get real. Everyone knows everyone in the Dick Tracy universe was at the Patterson Playhouse on August 14. They’re there every nite.

We see in the last panel McQueen is normal size and overweight,but the 1st panel he looks like a dwarf actor from TV I just can’t place.Herve Villechaize without the mustache? Whether this scheme turns out to be hairbrained or not,one must praise both ends of the art.Readers squawk that Sunday looks far different than the weekdays.But Shaky 2 is looking more evil by the minute no matter who does the art.