1-RIKKI: You don’t need to cuff him. I think he’ll come along peaceably.
TEN: WHY YOU ARRESTING ME? I was just defending myself and others from the mad arrow-shooter! You know – Standing My Ground! AND I have a permit to “Crotch Carry” a weapon. It’s in my crotch holster! Take a look!
DT: Cut him loose. He’s right. President DeSantis and Vice President Matt Gaetz made that the law of the land.
2-RIKKI: I wish you had lived to see the glorious world our new administration has created even though it kind of led to your death.
EDITOR’S NOTE: I happen to be in Florida now which explains the tenor or today’s ALTERNATE TAKE! I could’ve just as easily written about heat and humidity and crowds. Maybe tomorrow…
Tomorrow’s strip: Rikki turns to the audience and breaks the fourth wall: “YOU THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO SHOW YOU ABNER’S FACE, DIDN’T YOU?” SORRY!!! lol j/k
Let’s see….Lon Chaney Sr.?…Clayton Moore?….Bruce Wayne?? Oh the tension, the tension. ..BTW, once again, an astute Wick observation. Will the Case of the Wandering Dart in Dick end at last.?
As for Abner wearing a mask… In one his last appearances, Rikki is answering the phone while Abner is taking a shower and his mask was hanging from the back of a chair…
Like everyone else… I’m looking forward to seeing who is under the mask… As the old Foster Grant sunglass commercial says : “Who’s that under those Foster Grants ?”
I started this yesterday, but didn’t have a finish. So now;“How many times must old Abner die, before he truly is dead?“Yes, and how many times will the colorist err, before he learns blood is red?“And what does it matter that Rikki is cute, since a murderous life she has led?“The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind.“The answer is blowin in the wind.”
Re removing the dart; as has been pointed out, you want to wait until you’ve got time to do it right, since the dart is (mostly) plugging the leak. (And if the head was barbed, it’s going to do more damage coming out.) But the other angle is that if Tracy is active while having the dart stuck into him, he’’s running the risk of knocking the shaft against door frames, seatbacks, etc., which is likely to be quite painful!
This strip reminds of a Night Gallery episode, where Leslie Nielsen played the Phantom of the Opera. After he had lured a young singer down to his lair beneath the opera house, Nielsen, as the Phantom lit several candles, then tried to blow out the wick, but it wouldn’t go out, because Nielsen was wearing the mask. So he was waving it around, trying to extinguish the flame, while staying in character & delivering his lines. Ah, the days of one-take television.
The first time I saw Abner, he was in jail and he looked like he does here. In other words, he was wearing a mask while incarcerated! What jail would allow that?
I have an uncomfortable feeling that, under the mask, he looks like a craggy Karloff, which makes little sense in his having an intimate relationship with Rikki. Unmaskings are always iffy, as there will be people who go with it and others who will be disappointed. It’s the finest of tightropes. Just PLEASE don’t make it Wacky Funnyman Rip Taylor!!
For the next three months, Tracy’s arm will be in a sling. Liz, Lee and Sam will do the heavy lifting. Tracy gets desk duty and will hate it. He’ll come down with a case of RLS. (Restless Leg Syndrome)
The Temptress teases, but we shall not see the real Face of Abner. The convenient pause by Tracy and his back-up to give Rikki “a minute” also provides her with time for some sleigh of hand, perhaps passing Abner a key (for handcuffs) or a weapon of some sort.
Nevertheless, I expect Kadaver is past his “use by” date and will finally become dead fish dead. His schtick is old tophat by now. Rikki may live to commit another crime another day (after escaping prison), however.
Ten’s male. Okay; it was just yesterday’s art that made me wonder if he might have been a woman. Tomorrow is Saturday, probably main story’s end. Sunday would be good for a denouement (see Ray Toler’s post about 3/4s of the way above, in the long string of replies to Neil Wick), but I’m not holding my breath….
Come Monday, Joe and Mike should have some new villains to bring out of the bull pen. Some Generation Xers or Millennials. Wasn’t Honey Moon and Crystal taking Criminal Studies? They could infiltrate some circles. Sort of Mod Squad and A Chance to Live, the show where David Cassidy played an undercover police officer.
AnyFace over 3 years ago
DaJellyBelly over 3 years ago
The unveiling! Like in “The Phantom Of The Opera!”
Neil Wick over 3 years ago
Good morning™, all!
Will we finally see what’s beneath that mask?
Brian Premium Member over 3 years ago
And underneath . . . perfectly normal!
avenger09 over 3 years ago
Removing the mask
Is such a task
It’s the end of the mystery
But to Rikki’s surprise
Those EMT guys
Came to take care of Tracy
Abner can wait
It’s a very deserved fate
For all the problems he gave
If he only learned to shoot straight
He might be walking out of the gate
Instead of waiting to be saved
Major Matt Mason Premium Member over 3 years ago
“DON KNOTTS?!”
rck_zee over 3 years ago
Did everybody forget we already saw what he looked like last time?This time we will see what he looks like….dead.
Leo Cannyn Premium Member over 3 years ago
And underneath the mask is…… a skeleton. She just ripped off his face. Hellraiser style.
seanyj over 3 years ago
Well Rikki, you’re going back to prison for the rest of your life with no one to help you escape this time.
Gweedo -it's legal here- Murray over 3 years ago
Good morning™, kollared and killed !
Game over, Rikki. Maybe the jailer will leave a key in a door for your next escape.
blunebottle over 3 years ago
The Big Reveal!
Ida No over 3 years ago
Tracy: “There’s… nothing there!?”
Rikki: “Bu-bye, coppers!”
iggyman over 3 years ago
Kind of touching, Rikki’s concern!
BigDaveGlass over 3 years ago
I think Rikki is in for a shock….
L Silverman over 3 years ago
It’s Tom Cruise!
Straker UFO over 3 years ago
Next panel: It’s… VITAMIN FLINTHEART! What a magnificent actor!
crobinson019 over 3 years ago
Turns out he’s really Thomas Tracy, Dick’s Ne’er Do Well Brother
Aladar30 Premium Member over 3 years ago
The cliffhanger!
zoner1974 over 3 years ago
Don’t trust her. It’s some kind of trick to help them escape.
NormanMarshall over 3 years ago
Oh, no! It’s Cary Grant!
SKJAM! Premium Member over 3 years ago
Meanwhile, Ten of Spades gets to keep his mask.
tsull2121 over 3 years ago
Wow, I didnt see that one coming… The Sweatbox Express pulled into the station like a ninja in the night! Geez… what a let down
tsull2121 over 3 years ago
Btw, the arrow seems to have moved to Tracy’s elbow today
Wichita1.0 over 3 years ago
“MR. BONDS, THE FRIENDLY BANKER!” If Sam says ‘zoinks,’ I’m going to throw up.
Wichita1.0 over 3 years ago
It’s probably Johnny Depp.
tripwire45 over 3 years ago
Right now, besides Abner, the best friend Rikki’s got in life is Dick Tracy.
atomicdog over 3 years ago
Hasn’t Tracy been poisoned? Why is he standing around?
FFosdick over 3 years ago
I would put 2 pairs of handcuffs on that 10 of Spades
GoComicsGo! over 3 years ago
Why am I thinking of the Kane face reveal from the WWE?
WestofthePecan Premium Member over 3 years ago
Drum roll, please……………
AngeloVentura over 3 years ago
“Ye Gods! It’s Cruella De Vil!”
Chrisstopher over 3 years ago
It turns out that he’s really Flattop.
comicwire over 3 years ago
Luke….I’m your father!!
MuddyUSA Premium Member over 3 years ago
This story should have been titled, “Fooled Y’all.”
Jim Douglas over 3 years ago
I suspect, as usual, the strip will switch to a different scene, or the next situation….. bet ya!
Mostly Water Premium Member over 3 years ago
Russian nesting dolls come to mind. Maybe it will be masks all the way down.
jrankin1959 over 3 years ago
Drum roll, please…
[Unnamed Reader - bf182b] over 3 years ago
The unmasking of a Dick Tracy villain usually means we’ve seen the last of him.
Another Take over 3 years ago
1-RIKKI: You don’t need to cuff him. I think he’ll come along peaceably.
TEN: WHY YOU ARRESTING ME? I was just defending myself and others from the mad arrow-shooter! You know – Standing My Ground! AND I have a permit to “Crotch Carry” a weapon. It’s in my crotch holster! Take a look!
DT: Cut him loose. He’s right. President DeSantis and Vice President Matt Gaetz made that the law of the land.
2-RIKKI: I wish you had lived to see the glorious world our new administration has created even though it kind of led to your death.
A.B.: HANG ON NOW! I AIN’T DEAD YET!
RIKKI: Really? AWH SHOOT!
TEN: MOVE OVER! I’LL DO IT!
DT: DANG COP WANNABEES!!! EVERYBODY STAND… TEN: BLAM BLAM BLAM!
DT: …down.
EDITOR’S NOTE: I happen to be in Florida now which explains the tenor or today’s ALTERNATE TAKE! I could’ve just as easily written about heat and humidity and crowds. Maybe tomorrow…
Don Bagert Premium Member over 3 years ago
Tomorrow’s strip: Rikki turns to the audience and breaks the fourth wall: “YOU THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO SHOW YOU ABNER’S FACE, DIDN’T YOU?” SORRY!!! lol j/k
buckman-j over 3 years ago
Let’s see….Lon Chaney Sr.?…Clayton Moore?….Bruce Wayne?? Oh the tension, the tension. ..BTW, once again, an astute Wick observation. Will the Case of the Wandering Dart in Dick end at last.?
WGillete over 3 years ago
Abner isn’t going to die from the gunshot. But maybe HE’LL FLIP ON THE APPARATUS! Tracy will have to protect Abner and Rikki!
ridenslide65 over 3 years ago
IT’S A MASK?
DaleMcNamee over 3 years ago
As for Abner wearing a mask… In one his last appearances, Rikki is answering the phone while Abner is taking a shower and his mask was hanging from the back of a chair…
Like everyone else… I’m looking forward to seeing who is under the mask… As the old Foster Grant sunglass commercial says : “Who’s that under those Foster Grants ?”
tcayer over 3 years ago
Wait… that was a MASK?!
ScottHolman over 3 years ago
Will someone pull that rediculous dart out of Tracy’s arm now?
carlfishman over 3 years ago
I started this yesterday, but didn’t have a finish. So now;“How many times must old Abner die, before he truly is dead?“Yes, and how many times will the colorist err, before he learns blood is red?“And what does it matter that Rikki is cute, since a murderous life she has led?“The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind.“The answer is blowin in the wind.”
Re removing the dart; as has been pointed out, you want to wait until you’ve got time to do it right, since the dart is (mostly) plugging the leak. (And if the head was barbed, it’s going to do more damage coming out.) But the other angle is that if Tracy is active while having the dart stuck into him, he’’s running the risk of knocking the shaft against door frames, seatbacks, etc., which is likely to be quite painful!
orbenjawell Premium Member over 3 years ago
Anakin Skywalker, perhaps?……..
Brian Premium Member over 3 years ago
“It’s the Old Caretaker!”
“And I would have gotten away with it if weren’t for you meddling kids!”
“Uh, we’re not kids.”
“You are to me! Didn’t you see that capital ‘O’ on ‘Old’?”
BreathlessMahoney77 over 3 years ago
This strip reminds of a Night Gallery episode, where Leslie Nielsen played the Phantom of the Opera. After he had lured a young singer down to his lair beneath the opera house, Nielsen, as the Phantom lit several candles, then tried to blow out the wick, but it wouldn’t go out, because Nielsen was wearing the mask. So he was waving it around, trying to extinguish the flame, while staying in character & delivering his lines. Ah, the days of one-take television.
Jab Jr 1957 over 3 years ago
The first time I saw Abner, he was in jail and he looked like he does here. In other words, he was wearing a mask while incarcerated! What jail would allow that?
Wichita1.0 over 3 years ago
I have an uncomfortable feeling that, under the mask, he looks like a craggy Karloff, which makes little sense in his having an intimate relationship with Rikki. Unmaskings are always iffy, as there will be people who go with it and others who will be disappointed. It’s the finest of tightropes. Just PLEASE don’t make it Wacky Funnyman Rip Taylor!!
Newenglandah over 3 years ago
Flattop? Prune Face?
STACEY MARSHALL Premium Member over 3 years ago
He probably looks a lot scarier with the mask off!
Jab Jr 1957 over 3 years ago
As for wearing a mask, it does explain how Abner can talk even though he has no lips. Does Tracy know he’s wearing a mask?
IvanB.Cohen over 3 years ago
Don’t tell me! She takes the mask off him and he looks like a movie matinee idol.
IvanB.Cohen over 3 years ago
By the look on his face, Abner has as they used to say, “bought the farm” or “kicked the bucket”.
IvanB.Cohen over 3 years ago
Smoke still in the theater? Open all the exit doors! How else can the crime scene tape be put up if everybody is tripping over each other?
IvanB.Cohen over 3 years ago
For the next three months, Tracy’s arm will be in a sling. Liz, Lee and Sam will do the heavy lifting. Tracy gets desk duty and will hate it. He’ll come down with a case of RLS. (Restless Leg Syndrome)
IvanB.Cohen over 3 years ago
It would behoove Ten of Spades to do the time for the crime. He does not want to bring undue attention to the Apparatus.
Sisyphos over 3 years ago
The Temptress teases, but we shall not see the real Face of Abner. The convenient pause by Tracy and his back-up to give Rikki “a minute” also provides her with time for some sleigh of hand, perhaps passing Abner a key (for handcuffs) or a weapon of some sort.
Nevertheless, I expect Kadaver is past his “use by” date and will finally become dead fish dead. His schtick is old tophat by now. Rikki may live to commit another crime another day (after escaping prison), however.
Ten’s male. Okay; it was just yesterday’s art that made me wonder if he might have been a woman. Tomorrow is Saturday, probably main story’s end. Sunday would be good for a denouement (see Ray Toler’s post about 3/4s of the way above, in the long string of replies to Neil Wick), but I’m not holding my breath….
IvanB.Cohen over 3 years ago
Come Monday, Joe and Mike should have some new villains to bring out of the bull pen. Some Generation Xers or Millennials. Wasn’t Honey Moon and Crystal taking Criminal Studies? They could infiltrate some circles. Sort of Mod Squad and A Chance to Live, the show where David Cassidy played an undercover police officer.