Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for February 08, 2021

Good morning™, customers!

Well, I guess that establishes a timeline. The events of the December 16 strip took place the night before last. A lot has happened in a short time!

I think there’s an implication of “loser” in Stankelli’s gesture demonstrating the dollar bill, even if he’s using his left hand to do it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loser_(hand_gesture) : "The Loser is a hand gesture made by extending the right thumb and index fingers, leaving the other fingers closed to create the letter L, interpreted as “loser”, and generally given as a demeaning sign. Sometimes this is accompanied by raising the hand to the giver’s forehead, and sometimes it is done when resting the head in one’s own hands."

Good morning™, clean cut dealers !

Bill when he was just getting started and had only been busted a time or two. He just got seedier and shabbier as time went.

Is a connection to Pouch starting to form ?  Pouch will be fielded some er .. ah difficult questions soon. After all, he sees all and knows all…

Well, we moved along and are now interrogating yet another witness.

Still gauging the pacing of the story. Like Neil said, the last action was 16 December. (Not counting Tiger Lilly’s misfortune at the mansion)

Hoping we’re not heading for another rushed finish.

Nice upside down rendering of Bill in panel 3, before the Dollar became his symbolic trademark.

Next panel: (Tracy) “Tell ya what, I’m gonna turn these over and shuffle ‘em. If you can tell me which one is ’Dollar’ Bill we’ll drop the charges.” (Stankelli) “That one.” (Tracy) “LOSER!”

Well, duh, it’s a picture of some old mug shot not a picture of him selling in the park when you made a purchase.

Everyone’s assuming those are mugshots but they could be autopsy ID photos. That would account for him not being any younger (note the witness didn’t say anything about that) which would be the case in old mug shots and his being cleaner and without his "accouterments’.

JPuzzleWhiz 4 days agoMaybe not. This information period of the story may end by Sunday, if not on Saturday.

Well, looks like my concerns were valid. Don’t say I didn’t warn ya, JPuZZZzzzzz,,,,,

Tracy’s toupee seems to be shifting in panel 2! LOL!

This will take us to the cops who patrol the park and broke up the shouting match between Pouch and Aquarius.

1-DT: We’ve determined that you’re too ugly to be issue from my loins but maybe I can help you find your real father…

2-…I’ve pulled pictures of the ugliest criminals we have on file. Have you ever seen any of these men?

3-STANKWELL: I don’t care ‘bout that no mo. I’m happy that I can date your daughter there without it being a weird brother, sister thing. Not that I care about that much. Whadaya say, babe? Let’s cut lose tonight snip snip with hand scissors

DAUGHTER: Shoot him Daddy.

Here is an EXCELLENT article on Chester Gould and the style of Dick Tracy from 2016 that I found online. Good comments after the article, too. It talks about how Gould’s weaker stories are the ones that are rushed. It discusses the logic used by Gould in the strip and many other topics we have discussed here concerning the current team.

Perhaps Mike and the gang should read this:

http://www.tcj.com/the-gould-rush-the-mad-allure-of-dick-tracy/

Gee thanks there Neil on that “L” thingee, I never knew that.

Hmmmm, the letter L, interpreted as “loser”.

Good old Dollar Bill, he was a great guy. I guess now he’s sleepin’ on a slab.

I wonder if Tracy’ll find the “lucky buck” from Dollar Bill’s headband.

I like this deliberately-paced police procedural with Tracy interviewing (since he’s a witness, not a suspect, I wouldn’t call it an interrogation) Blaine Stankelli. Gradually, the leads link “Dollar Bill” with dealing, in the park, and somehow relating to Pouch, who has to come under suspicion of something shadier than selling balloons at a cheap price. The patrol uniforms who interrupted the argument between Pouch and Aquarius should also soon have their reports reviewed and expanded upon in interviews with Tracy (or Sam, etc.), too. And so it comes together….