Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for December 17, 2024

Good morning™, everyone!

A recap of yesterday and a preview of what will happen tomorrow is a good way to do things. It’s important for those readers who may have missed a day. Gould would do this sort of thing very often.

Sam miffed with Tracy’s brushoff. “I finally do some actual work, and this is the thanks I get?!”

“Nice try to get some narrative momentum going in this story, Sam, but It’s my job to bring it to a screeching halt.”

“We don’t want to linger on this too long or the fact I’m older than Herr Totentanz might come up.”

Apparently whatever Lizz finds out tomorrow is going to be so jaw-droppingly shocking and exciting that it’s gonna make this entire story worthwhile! Can’t wait!

Our planet needs a “hystoricalectomy”.

Good morning™, Overshadowed Suspicions !

Tracy takes notice of a likeness to a present day (undiscovered criminal ?) but has more pressing concerns. Has Sam been doing time at Gold’s Gym ?

Everyone looks so frealin’ miserable! Smile, it’s Christmas time again!

I wonder what the FOSC think of the diss by Tracy to Sam’s work?

Going by the collar badges, at least Herr Totentanz is/was Wehrmacht and not SS.

Liz will reveal that the younger Totten was at the TA (where, as we saw, he was bailing out the Totten employee). But it places him at the murder scene (even if he has a strong alibi for why) so it simply must be him.

Real employee had already been picked up by TA. Was this a setup for a meeting between Totten and victim that went horribly awry? Why arrange a meeting in that bizarre way? That’s why the good Lord gave us cheap smoky bars.

By one of those coincidences known only in the world of Dick Tracy, did Totten see victim and knew he had to kill him (why?) and so set his drunken real employee on a bench, “Sit here for a minute,” and run back to do the murder?

In either case we still have a Tracy-sized coincidence of the victim asking to use the toilet, the cameras going out (or the wiring being so simply Totten can quickly put them on the fritz) and the guard being deaf and watching cat videos while it all happens to make the murder possible. Totten has the necessary EDCs to disable a security system? He carried them with him that day because he knew victim was going to be there and told an employee to get drunk and picked up by the TA ’cause the victim would be along later?

sam looks kind of butch there

Oh , Tracy doing his Amazing Karnak act! I love that bit!

“Sam, bad deli meat, week in the hospital, BIG office party! Now let’s see what it says in this conveniently already-opened folder!”

REJOICE, ONE AND ALL! Tomorrow begins a festive month-long crossover.

YES! YOU GUESSED IT! It’s the MUPPET/TRACY CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR. (it would’ve been on ice, but someone left a toaster on while making a pastrami-on-raisin-bread sandwich, and the rink melted).

Just a few of the highlights!

Beaker replaces Sam, and hilarity and the occasional deafening blast ensue!

Pruneface drops by to share his recipe for killer prune danish (and to rob everyone)!

GAMES? Yeah, we’ve got ‘em. Tracy will draw a maze on the top of Flattop’s dome and everyone gets to try at rolling a small steel ball through it. The winner gets a custom mug shot in the costume of their choice! (Dibs on the Snoopy outfit.)

And, for the finale, it’s unlimited free baseballs for ALL, as B.O. ascends the dunking tank filled with soapy water!

BE THERE or BE SOMEPLACE ELSE!

Sam looks like he’s ready to crack some skulls .

Tracy, the resemblance, and, name change, would be even more interesting to certain people in Israeli Intelligence, and, the UN. Might take a moment to forward that file to them.

1- DT: Bring me some aspirin, Sam. I really tied one on last night…

2- : …And no – I don’t believe your Uncle Heinrich looks like you at all.

3- SAM: Awh – you’re just envious of our blond hair, bright blue eyes and strong jaw line! DT: Do you think you might’ve made a wrong turn somewhere in your research into your family history, Sam?

SAM: Huh? No! I was as thorough as I am when I dig into a MCU Case! DT: Yeah…you bring a tenacious will and clear mind to every case all right… eye roll Now where’s that aspirin?

SAM: What aspirin?

If the implication is that Pa Totten worked under Himmler in the SS, it’s a stretch. Even if he were in his early 20s at the time, that would make him over 100 now.