Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for December 30, 2021

Good morning™, everybody!

Interviewing and bookkeeping: Lizz should have no trouble handling that type of work.

Nice cityscape. Good use of perspective in panel one.

Is this the ‘business’ that Briar Rose was so concerned about, while she was being held at Apparatus’ HQ..? Has the Apparatus now taken it over..?

Lizz is getting right in the thrall of things it appears.

Delia is lovely. I wonder if she’s a former escort.

Is one of those applicants going to be someone we recognize?

Good morning™, uptown girls !

Boss lady can escort me anytime. :-)  The artwork on the wall in panel two is a nice touch. And I agree; the cityscape in P.1 has a good view angle and nice detail for being “only” background.

Just wondering what type of questions one would ask when interviewing an escort for a job.

Two questions.

Has no one heard Patty speak? How does Lizz pass her voice as Patty‘s?

Do women on Tracy‘s police force do anything other than undercover work? It sure seems like the only time we see them.

Great work from Shelley Pleger.

Many, many years ago before AIDS, I had heard that the local upscale heart of the respectable downtown business district had hosted several gay bathhouses.

Local reference I hope the Escort service has good security people watching the girls! A dangerous job at times!

I don’t think the police broke up the Apparatus as much as they thought. Apparently there’s still a lot of it left with a lot of expanding legit(?) business

Apparently both Lizz and Tracy possess convincing voice ~ mimicking skills! Tracy easily fooled the “Ace” recently!

Not wanting to get political here but (along the lines of todays strip) grateful that Ghislaine Maxwell was found guilty. I hope that it leads to a lot of further convictions, I don’t care who gets burned. Democrats, Republicans, the Future King of England. If they’re dirty, they need to go to the cleaner.

The comic may show it all as a nice, business like, professional service but it is nothing but the wealthy abusing and treating people like objects.

1-DOLL: UGH! If we directed some of the Police Department Budget to the vagrant problem, we wouldn’t have all these urine puddles every morning!

2-DELIA: Hi. I’m Delia. You must be Samson judging from your hair. HA HA! JOKING! OK. You thought you were going to be the boss but actually, I am.

DOLL: Interesting photo. When did you have a Toga Party?

DELIA: Oh that? It was taken at the last Republican National Convention. I think Mitch took that…

3-DELIA: Now, first off – you’ll never be the face of the company. Your office will be tucked away in the back. We don’t want walk-in customers thinking that you’re representative of our wares – so to speak.

DT speaking through the glasses: I think she just called you ugly

DOLL: SHADDAP!

DELIA: WHAT?!?

DOLL: I asked “Are sexy miniskirts worn sans undies the required uniform?”

DELIA: Hmmm. Didn’t sound like that but to answer the question – not for you – never for you – please!

Nice perspective in the first panel! It livens up the establishing shot of the business area, which is cool! Delia is making a good first impression, she seems to be organized and professional. If this office is catered, perhaps Patty made an error in taking the moral high road and squealing to Tracy & co!

The Ace is finding that it is much easier to give a kill order than to replace the departed. Sam saved Briar from the Jack, yet Ace is at pains to replace her. Lizz (“Patty”) is getting a streamlined training to assure that the escort service does not miss a beat. Delia can screen applicants and juggle crooked books. Still, I wager that bookkeeping is not her greatest asset. As always, locations matter. Tracyville is a big city. Today we move from the busy street scene in an area more upscale than Lizz expected, to the office, where lovely ladies adorn the walls. A hot, steaming cup of joe helps the newcomer take it all in. Lee was deep undercover long term in the Blackhearts, as T-Bolt, while Lizz is just warming up. Well played.

Hmmm, I wonder who the ‘applicants’ are? Are they applying to be the escorts or are they applicants to, ahem, be customers and “engage” the escorts? If the latter, that could be an interesting source of intel for Lizz and the MCU. Perhaps even spin off a future storyline.

How much for Orange Hair? I’ll pay anything!

The Apparatus knows how to invest its money. Offices of the escort service with those paintings…moving on up. Now this is class.

I wonder if they interview applicants in person or online.

Hmm. It appears that Delia is the Madam of this upscale escort service (and possibly a former escort herself), and that Patty Cure (Lizz undercover) will be a mid-level office “manager”; or, is Delia retiring from the business and Patty-Lizz taking her place? I could read this either way at this point. Further exposition will clarify, I expect.

There have been TV episodes about this kind of high-tone service, with $1000/hour girls, or $10000 the night, and obviously very wealthy customers prominent in the local society….

I’m really liking the realistic detail in the first panel: Two guys using their cell phones while walking along the sidewalk, and the one guy glancing sideways for a look at Lizz, another guy turning his collar up against the cold.

Why Why Why,Delia…..??Forgive me Delia,I just could not take any more.