Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for April 18, 2023

Oh golly gee Mr. Wilson, what a vanity power trip this strip has become.

Mike’s attitude seems to be, “I can, so I will!”

That doesn’t look much like Rick, too skinny and wrong complexion.

If you’re gonna jam a name dropping, guest appearing, grade B reality show actor upon us, at least make him realistic!

That is one huge hand Shelley has drawn on Rick.

Pawn Stars is a gazillion times faker than Firestrike’s favorite show, Porn Stars! LOL!

Ok, I’m done. I feel better!

So I guess Rick is visiting “Chicago” or in the “TribuneVerse” (We got to call it SOMETHING!), his shop is in the windy city?

Come on, we all know it’s Chicago…before he retires, I want Mike to Admit it’s Chicago! (He’s dropped as many, if not more, hints than anyone percentage wise since Chet himself!)

yadda yadda yadda, blah, blah, blah…

What… was the purpose of today’s strip?

This is bad. Neil’s not here yet.

Good morning™, tepid talking heads !

I might as well be reading Mary worth or Funky Winkerbean, for all the fun this is. LOL !

Good morning™, everybody!

Well, I not really sure of the purpose of this cameo appearance by Rick Harrison. I’m guessing they kind of had to put him in the strip somewhere to get permission to use Steve. I appears that the scene takes place in the police station cafeteria. I think this is probably the first time that the cafeteria has appeared in the strip.

I note that Tracy misses the Old Man, as at least one commenter here in the last few days also said.

Why is Dick Tracy considered a mystery strip? Because often the meaning of each day’s strip is a mystery to its readers.

Hey Rick, How much will you give me for my Squad Car?!

We all miss the old man !

Seriously, is this necessary at all? There’s been, what…3 or 4 days since we last saw the ridiculously nicknamed “gameboy” and we still know nothing about him or his motivation or really ANYTHING at all….Mike’s self indulgence in crossovers with characters/people that only HE cares about is ridiculous and only leads to less than lackluster stories that bear only a minimal resemblance to Tracy or any sort of police procedure. Next thing you know, Thomas Magnum (complete with mustache) will appear in tracyville driving a talking car while 3 lovely ladies from California ride shotgun to visit “Mack and his wife” and spot a dishevelled seemingly homeless guy in a rumpled trenchcoat walking on the sidewalk with a delightful English woman from Maine

Nice tribute to " The Old Man" on Pawn Stars.

I have not only never watched “Pawn Stars,” but until the last few days I never even HEARD of Pawn Stars, so I’m completely lost.

TRACY: “And I’ll ask you AGAIN,Baldy! How much will you give me for Sam?!? Through an arrangement with the Capp estate, I’m replacing him with Detective Schmoo tomorrow night.”

RICK: “Really? A schmoo?”

TRACY: “Well, on long stakeout I can always eat HIM if I get hungry.”

RICK: “Yeh. That’s why I keep Chumlee around”

Tracy needs to get out in the sun more, he’s almost translucent next to Rick. Hope he’s taking vitamin D!

I do like how Dick is drawn. He looks kinda burly and tough. Definitely no pencil neck.

More hot coffee conversation………….

ENOUGH ALREADY.

Those look like demitasse cups in the first panel. In a cafeteria? Well, la-di-dah!

1-DT: I asked you to fly here to see if it’s ok if we use Steve. So…is it? RICK ROLL: That’s all you wanted to know???

2-…So I spent $700 on a plane ticket just to answer a stupid question about a free-lancer and to drink bad coffee??? You coulda just called and I woulda said I DON’T CONTROL WHAT HE DOES!!!

3-DT: Well, I’m kind of a celebrity hoore and you almost qualify as one. Also, I needed an excuse to see the Police Cafeteria. I’ve never been here before. Kind a nice. What do you think of it? Rick? Where you going? CAN YOU SIGN THIS NAPKIN? WHAT’S MY HAT WALL WORTH TO YOU??? RICK, COME BACK, RICK!!!

“That item is worth upwards of $12,000!”

“The best I can offer you is $600…”

Shelley’s hitting a home run, but the story is picking daisies out in left field instead of running the bases.

I Hurt OT: They delivered the new refrigerator today. Now, in high school, I worked for my dad. It usually takes a maximum of 15 minutes to reverse the doors and make sure they’re true and seal properly. Here? 90 minutes. All the time they were at the truck, there was occasion swearing and off-key singing. Oh, and small objects being dropped and hastily picked up.

All the while, I heard Oliver Hardy saying, “Now, Stanley, once I position the nail thusly, you hit it.”

Dick Tracy memorabilia on Pawn Stars but no Rick and No Steve…?!!https://youtu.be/SyHHSoi3Lck

I was talking with some folks today and one guy mentioned Tracy, wondering when someone we know will show up in the strip. Turns out that several friends and I know someone who appears on the show. No, that’s not gonna make me watch it. But he WOULD look good as a cartoon character!

Maybe Gameboy will kidnap this Pawn Star guy because of the word “pawn”, you know, what you call the game pieces or men in a game?

Of connect it to chess, and Dick ends up a king and all the other cops as various chessmen. Sort of like a Batman villian plot.

Nothing. This strip contributes nothing to the (alleged) crime story of Gameboy and his rather Mike-like addiction to old toys and stuff. References to a TV show I’ve never seen and its cast of whom I’ve never heard. Sipping coffee in the TPD HQ cafeteria.

I hope the coffee is better than this detour from our focus on detection and meting out justice….