Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for September 14, 2020

And now the villain has a name : Professor Stokes…

I wonder if his name is a homage to Bram Stoker who authored “Dracula” ?

Good morning™, detectives!

So, Professor Stokes at the college knows a lot about vampire lore. Judging by the hairstyle, the angled eyebrows and the cleft chin, we can confirm that he is the scientist from the first day.

Speaking of chins, Brenda’s chin looks better today. Thanks, Shelley!

Fantastic! Now we have the perfect punny retort for readers critical of this crossover caper:

Different ‘Stokes‘ for different folks.

That’s the Mad Scientist/Vampire! You’re sending them into a trap Brenda!

Our villain, ladies and gentlemen….visually bland and uninteresting but he does get a point or two for being named for the author of Dracula.

Sez Ray, some bunch of hours ago

“I believe Brenda Starr is actually more compatible with DT than Annie.”

Appearance wise she meshes better with the art of the rest of the cast and relates on an adult level, that being it is mostly always adult characters the people the strip. Honeymoon and friends are the most young people we see with some consistency.

Nice strip, today.

Good morning™, bland boring middle of the road killers !

This bird lives a double life. Is there a Jekyll – Hyde drink he takes to gear up for his night time activities ?  What a shock he’ll get when he corners the knowing Honeymoon and tries to silence her.

Ooo… Just had a creepy thought. Given the way Brenda Starr always sparkles, if this were a “Twilight” novel then SHE’D be the vampire!!!

It’s something that would occur to Crystal. Don’t know if Annie would think of it.

Very well done strip today looking forward to this saga!

Nobody parts their hair like that! I wonder what Stokes is a professor OF? There cant be too many tenured positions in Vampiric Lore.

I wonder, do electric shocks slow vampires down any?

The lightning fast pace continues, as Starr sends the girls off to interview an expert on Vampire lore. That this expert is the killer could not be known. Honeymoon and Annie are headed into the lair of a depraved night stalker. Bet they smell a rat and notice some small details. The game is afoot! This may be the most rapid Act I in the history of the strip. While I like long stories that develop slowly, there is certainly no fat on the bones of this tale. Well done! Always a pleasure to see Annie come to visit Honeymoon. She and Warbucks, Punjab, Asp, and Am are welcome members of the Dick Tracy cast of characters.

Over on Fastrack, Dethany and Guy today announced that their Halloween wedding is going online – which has the side effect of making it easier for a DT appearance there.

Brenda’s eyes are showing her age.

RED: Let’s forget what I said about your looks, girls. Hey. Check out my boyfriend. Cute huh?

ANNIE: Looks like he parts his hair with an ax. BLONDIE: Where’s the profile view that should a come with this mug shot? ANNIE: I think this is the picture of a guy they passed around at school. BLONDIE: Yeah! With a warning not to get into his van!

RED: Now look who has the mean jokes. ANNIE: We’re not joking!

DUN DUN DUNNNNNNN!

Anyone’s eyes would look tired after 53 years of nonstop sparkling!

The “sparkles” in Brenda Starr’s hair are cool. The “sparkles” by her eyes are disconcerting.

Brenda looks better today with Shelley’s softer inking.

Weird lines under Brenda’s eyes.

I don’t care what anyone says. Brenda looked better yesterday than today. Some say she was “out of character” yesterday. (I haven’t seen her in ages and didn’t care about her back then, either)

But today, with those Venus Flytrap eyes, Brenda is downright UGLY!

Also, as of today, this is clearly a Scooby Doo (like) adventure. It’s going to be the girls all the way. Tracy will only be there to help them get out of the trouble they’re getting into.

That’s if the girls really need him.

After all, Honeymoon has her mother’s super-powers.

Our man! And readily available at “the college” (Tracyville State U.?)….

Scholarly vampire expert Prof. Stokes by day, crazed Wannabe Vampire killer by night!

Annie and Honeymoon will perhaps set off warning bells in his demented brain, but I think that they are not in any direct danger at this point.

Full Disclosure. I have some interest in vampire lore and have read quite a lot about them, starting of course (besides Bram Stoker and other 19th century fictional works) with Montague Summers and ranging through Paul Barber, with numerous others along the way or since….

I don’t mind the crossovers but could we possibly have a really good story line that’s long enough?

I’m retired, but I think some of these commenters need to get jobs or back to work quickly

Something interesting:

https://i0.wp.com/www.dailycartoonist.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Screenshot_2020-09-13-119253906_10220334217959184_7316522616367814152_n-jpg-JPEG-Image-960-%C3%97-632-pixels.png?resize=600%2C392

What is interesting is Honeymoon is taking the course, since we know it’s been established she is planning to go into law enforcement.

However, she will learn some good investigation skills taking this course that will help her in her future career in law enforcement. Smart Kid.

Hmm… are Honey Moon and Annie going to major in journalism when they get to college? They both look like freshmen. Maybe off the drawing board they have registered. With the cameo appearances Annie probably is an out of state student who would live in the dormitory unless Daddy Warbucks hooked her with an apartment. Maybe a future storyline will feature her, Honey Moon and Crystal as room mates. Meanwhile Honey Moon and Annie have an assignment….tracking down “have hickeys will travel”.

Professor Stokes!!! One of my favorite characters on Dark Shadows!

We don’t really know the circumstances of the murder besides the newspaper headline, but it seems to me jumping the gun a bit assuming that the killer is a real vampire, as opposed, for instance, to an “ordinary” murderer who wants to muddy his trail.

If Stokes puts the bite on Honeymoon with his metal fangs, he may be in for a shock.

Honeymoon: Oh, by the way, Ms. Starr – could you turn off the sparkle? You’re jamming my frequencies…

Professor Stokes from Dark Shadows?

With the exception of the center part, the picture of Professor Stokes looks a lot like H. P. Lovecraft. However, there is a Dax Stokes who is “…an academic librarian and professor with an interest in Dracula; the folklore vampire; and vampires in popular culture. He frequently lectures on these topics in the North Texas area, where he lives with his wife and three children.” He has a podcast “The Vampire Historian.”

Cool to see all the original DS fans here. Would like to have seen Prof Stokes look more like Thayer David though.