Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for October 04, 2023

Good morning™, everyone!

We met Owen Cormac Desmond on April 15, 2015 and continued several days after that in the “Million Dollar Limited” story. It’s nice to see this story connecting with recent strip history.

I hope Desmond is in his office, & not out at a rare book con.

Sam: But I wanna drive there, not walk there.

Good morning™, walking talking heads !

On their way to another session of head talking. Nice Fall day city street scene in P.1. :-)

Railfan my kind of person!

It seems a little odd to have Tracy asking Sam for advice, and taking it… On the other hand, it could be a test! Tracy knew they needed to consult Desmond and was checking Sam’s memory.

The “your pal assistant state attorney O. Cormac Desmond” and “railfan” are strictly a reminder to the readers of who Desmond is. Real people don’t talk like that. Tracy doesn’t need to be reminded on Desmond’s job title, “your buddy, Cormac Desmond,” would have been enough for Tracy to know who Sam meant.

I like the way Tracy whips around in the third panel. You can practically hear the sound effect.

WOW! Today’s installment is amazing! So much action and excitement in 3 panels! Hats off to everyone invo————,,,

Rats! It was just a dream!

The art seems to be for different dialogue (or vice-versa). Sam points one way, then Tracy points a different way. You’d think high-ranking cops would both know where the States Attorneys’ offices are.

Sam saves the day .

OCD? Really?

TRACY: After I throw you in a cell, I may look INTO that."

SAM: You’ve been making overtures to Rip Haywire to take my job again, HAVEN’T you?

TRACY (thinking): Only if Dudley Do Right turns me down.

Walk? Are you meshuggah? What do you think the fancy cars are for?

1-SAM: ♪♪ ALL THE LEAVES ARE BROWN ♪♪ … come on, Dick. You do the high harmony! DT: Ha-rumpfff! Fine. ♪♪ AND THE SKIES ARE GRAYYYYY! ♪♪

2-SAM: GREAT – TAKE IT, DICK!

3-DT: ♪♪ I GO FOR A WALK – PROBABLY THIS A – WAYYYYY! ♪♪ SAM: Awhhh – you muffed it up. That’s not the words…

DT: SHADDAP! I’M ON A ROLL! ♪♪ MY TRENCHCOAT LIKES THE COLD! IT KNOWS I’LL WEAR IT ALL DAAAYYY! NIPPY WEATHER DREAMIN’. ON SUCH A… ♪♪

CAR RADIO: All units in the vicinity. Report of a cat being tortured near the Justice Building. SAM: HEY! WE’RE NEAR THERE! This is Unit 54. We’ll take that call!

MOVIE QUOTE—

“Every time you open your mouth, you put in more feet than centipede”

Sidney Toler—THE JADE MASK—1945

Take a look at MARK TRAIL,ALLEY OOP,and NANCY.

Then thank t he Lord for Shelley.

Today is Dick’s 92nd Anniversary. Pinkie The Stabber has yet to RSVP.

In panel 3 Tracy just ripped off an SBD and is trying to send it in Sam’s direction!

Most action in weeks!

Sam was rarin’ to hop into the car so’s they could go get a pastrami sandwhich somewhere…..D.T is raining on THAT parade, as they have some important work to do……..

Ah…life in the big city.

Ah,…the big city! Where the women wiggle when they walk!

A ferroequinologist who’s into incunabula? You don’t get that combination very often.

And always remember that COnfidence Dolan was a complete moron

Sam doesn’t seem too anxious to walk there .

I’m pretty sure Shaky and Edison are involved in this. They just don’t like feeling left out.

Tracy’s friend is “O.C.D”?

Só far, this storyline has been great. I’m looking forward for more development on this mystery that’s going on. So many questions! Time will answer them…

And, coincidence strikes again! Tracy’s “pal” from an earlier case, assistant state’s attorney (equivalent to district attorney in some jurisdictions) Owen Cormac Desmond (OCD* for short?) just happens to be a railfan, knowledgeable about rare books, and in the Justice Building only a short walk away! Naturally, Tracy, with Sam following faithfully, will take advantage of whatever help OCD can be in this investigation….

*OCD to some can only mean “obsessive-compulsive disorder”; but there is a smaller yet also relevant cohort to whom the first meaning for OCD is “Oxford Classical Dictionary,” a standard resource in its field. And then there is “Owen Cormac Desmond” for a select minority….