Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for March 06, 2023

and in jest, I brought up the idea that Basil St. John MIGHT be involved a couple of days ago…

“This is a test”

Mike’s new payment plan must have him getting paid by the word, since all that’s happened for weeks is yadda yadda yadda!

The 1930’s never looked more boring than in this alleged story!

“This has only been a test!”

Oh good, a crossover!

Good morning™, everyone!

In the novel “Black Orchids,” Wolfe travelled to a flower show to see some rare black orchids, so I can believe he would travel to get his hands on these.

Good morning™, crossover  talkers !

Since we’re onto “black” orchids can we get Dethany’s name in here or any other ’toon characters who have a deathly flavor in their name ?  All cartoon universes eligible.

“Black Orchids” is a 1941 novella where Nero Wolfe is craving to own that orchid variety.

Brenda “Braless” Starr ? Does she still have a comic strip ? I still remember the tv movie with her going into a bathtub and in the tub which was pure crap for Jill StJohn !

Black Orchid is also a DC comics super-heroine

Beautiful Black orchids are very common today.

Shellys images of the " black Orchids " are just " super " , thanks : )

Now hold a minute…Nero Wolfe left his dinner…later packed a bag and high-tailed it out of town…just to wind up in Tracy land on the account of some flowers? What’s this Basil St. John fellow doing…holding them hostage?

Wolfe is volunteering to sit in a room on the account of a promise of a gift of orchids. Gee whiz, couldn’t this Basil St. John fellow promised him a rare stamp instead? Come to think of it from my reading of Nero Wolfe mysteries, the character does have a thing for flowers or is it a fetish?

Basil St. John, Brenda Starr, are Daddy Warbucks and Little Orphan Annie going to be making cameo appearances as well?

Truth be told as of this date, to borrow from Tracy, " I admit I can’t make heads or tails out of this storyline". Guess I’m along for the ride…be done broke my brain trying to do otherwise.

Does this help us date the flashback/reminiscence, since Brenda and Basil’s marriage ended in divorce? Does anyone know when it ended? Wikipedia doesn’t help and I don’t know Brenda’s strip at all.

Brenda Starr reporter, that goes way back!

Let’s see… If we are having a flashback to when Tracy was with Pat the time is well before Brenda married Basil. He was a mystery man in and out of her life at that point.

I wish GoComics would reprint Brenda Starr and Steve Canyon.

tie a few more comics together and we’ll find it’s being grown by duke from doonsbury

Actually, a black orchid DID show up as an element in a Stout book.

My Dad read Brenda Starr everyday back in the old Detroit Free Press. They had a great line up of comics, three or four pages, more on Sundays.

Sure hopw we see Brenda in this story. Would be nice if she made a come back.

Those “black orchids” look more like black lilies to me…I’ve got several black lilies in my yard and yellow, white, purple and pink orchids (plus over a year experience in the garden department at Walmart) I can tell the difference just by looking at the pic here and the real life versions

1-DT: Why is this telegram in code??? I can’t make heads nor tails… ARCHIE: You’re holding it upside down. Here, I’ll just tell you…

2-…It says Basil St. Johns Wart will give the fat man a black orchid if he comes for a visit – alone.

3-DT: So you called this St. Johns Wart fellow to see if they’ve just been talking orchids all week? ARCHIE: WHY DIDN’T I THINK OF THAT???

DT: FFS Did you claim to be a Private Investigator when you came in here? ARCHIE: That’s PrivateS Investigator. It’s just a card I hand out to chicks. Once in a blue moon I find one who thinks it’s so funny that they LET ME DO IT!

DT: Get out. Get out now and never come back.

Could the telegram be “forged” i.e. it not be from Basil, but from some adversary of Wolfe who lured him into a trap?

A 3 way crossover? And, were Basil and Brenda married at the time of the flashback?Black Orchids, was the title of another Wolfe mystery. A rival orchid grower came up with a supposedly pure black orchid, and, is displaying them at a flower show. Archie is more interested in stil another display featuring, of course, a nice looking young woman. And, is the case in most Wolfe stories, a murder happens. Wolfe’s fee for solving this case was, of course, the black orchids.

Brenda Starr….I read the comic as a kid!

Archie’s dialogue today is oddly contraction-free and stilted. It isn’t like him to sound so formal….

We now know that the “BLA” shown on the crumpled telegram in Sunday’s strip means “BLACK ORCHIDS.”

Talk about Crossovers! Nero Wolfe, Brenda Starr! What’s next? Smokey Stover? heh heh

When are Steve Canyon, the Dragon Lady and Smilin’ Jack arriving? Better yet, Tracy finds out Wolfe has been taken to Dogpatch……

All this time in the station and no coffee for Dick and Archie?

Brenda, come back!

Oh, wow – more comic strip stars in this comic strip! Way to go onward!

MOVIE QUOTE—-

“Listen here,lady,I’m the usher!”

“Well,go ahead and ush!”

Sophie Tucker—THOROUGHBREDS DON’T CRY —1937

I sense this is leading up to a massive April 1st joke…

Basil St.John was introduced during WW2—-you might try the strips Gweedo is running on the GASOLINE ALLEY site to get the occasional look at him.

Wolfe is being calm,cool,collected,and hungry—like any detective.Hey,how long would it take Itchy Oliver to starve Wolfe to death??

Replying to Ken in Ohio

Do you exaggerate much?

I don’t know about that, but I’ll tell you what’s definitely not an exaggeration;

You have absolutely no problem reading and responding to me when I post a comment you disagree with but I’ve taken the time to write and post 11 very short chapters of my original “Tracy Meets Doctor Fix” story and I can count the number of comments and/or likes from you on zero hands!

Now, I completely understand that my writing style might not be your cup of Metamucil, or that my story should only be used to line Walter’s cage, or that my Tracy saga is more disgusting than Gweedo’s constipated goat’s manure, but it would be nice if you at least showed a sliver of appreciation that I care enough to take the time to write it. Hey, suggestions and even criticism is welcomed.

But go ahead, keep ignoring me except when I post a comment you disagree with.

Go ahead and fire away.

Wolfe received three black orchids from millionaire Lewis Hewitt. Something fishy is going on here!

must be memory lane theme time

The Tracy strip has improved greatly with the new story writer.

Yikes! Crossovers, or at least name-drops, upon crossovers! At least this is a thoughtful one, though, with Brenda’s long-time Mystery Man (and finally husband), Basil St. John [pronounced “sin-jin”], specializing in rare orchids. Hmm. Should we also expect to see Henry Hull, Warner Oland, and other cast-members from Werewolf of London (1935), with its rare “Mariphasa” Asian flower?

Or, are we simply dealing with a phony “Basil St. John” and kidnapper of Nero Wolf? I don’t think yesterday’s “Sir” looked like Basil….

Great plot build up and send off, by Mike Curtis! This is certainly the best Dick Tracy story, l have read in years! Terrifically conceived and delivered crossover story design and an equally riveting narrative, too, by Curtis!

Shelley’s artwork shines brilliantly forth, as always!

Way to go, Team Tracy!!!