Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for November 27, 2021

Good morning™, everyone!

Mumbles:

“The Ace of Spades is really pissed at you, Jack”

“And what did you do with Briar Rose’s body?”

I think “collarman” is probably a typo for “counterman” in the second panel.

So the counterman is an undercover cop! That explains a lot of things!

It’s Tracy.

Better not be Tracy!

999,999 posts to go!

Deli guy wears his wrist wizard on his right wrist. He must be left-handed.

Everyone speculated about the counterman the last two weeks and no one, including me, correctly guessed that he was an undercover officer. Mike can still surprise us.

(Now come the posts that will try to explain how this wouldn’t work. But that’s why we’re here!)

A-ha! Didn’t see that coming.

The fake Jack’s eyeholes in his hood are blank white spaces, like Batman’s mask. So were the eyeholes in the real Jack’s hood. But the Ace’s eyeholes are very large and so his eyes are clearly visible. I wonder what that means, if it means anything at all…

Good morning™, collaring countermen !

Officer Deli-icious looks enormously relieved that Mumbles and “Jack” have gone. Was he actually frightened by all the preceding events ?  He might be considering a career change since discovering that he actually likes prepping and serving delectables. It certainly beats being in close proximity to murderous types.

Oh Mikey boy, like what you did in P1.

Wait…..didn’t Sam shoot this guy with Mumbles? Or is the guy also undercover?

Cue “The Entertainer” because the Sting is on…

Note to Apparatus. You could save a ton of money if you didn’t have to buy those long, hooded bathrobes to disguise you agents when they go out in public. There is something called a mask. It fits over the head and is easily taken on and off.

Second note to Apparatus. Do you think you are less conspicuous when you’re running around in the long, hooded bathrobes. You stand out like sore thumbs in a crowd. There is something called a mask. (see above)

Third note to Apparatus. If you order two or three hundred masks, with your corporate logo emblazoned on them, Masks Inc will custom design them with mouth holes to make it easier for you to smoke cigars.

(This comment is a paid advertisement for Masks Inc.)

Thanks again for your interpretations of Mumblespeak! (btw, could you sort of traipse over to the Big Nate strip one day when (occasional character, he’s rarely seen there, so….) Wayne, the comic book store proprietor, is there……I’d like to know what “mumble mumble mumble mumble” means, most times………)

LOL… Guess who is the Jack of Spades…. LOL. Give you a clue by my question: Why would the police have left that thug after the fire fight?

@Neil Wick – Thanks for the translation.

Yesterday on this board, people were wondering why there was a Jack of Spades logo on the uniform, whereas on November 14, there was none. I think I’ve solved the mystery — I went back to look at the 11/14 strip, and I noticed that there is what looks to be the lower hem of a pullover sweater or sweatshirt. In yesterday’s strip, there is no such hem. This means that we were looking at the part of the uniform underneath the sweatshirt. See for yourself:

https://www.gocomics.com/dicktracy/2021/11/14?ct=v&cti=1028975

It’s a good thing that no Apparatus operatives ever spotted the police issued two way wrist radio on Counterman’s wrist – or that his handlers never checked in on him using it while operatives were there. It might’ve been tough to explain.

That’s a heck of a typo. And I’m really surprised they snuck, “Pzzdatyou” passed the censors. This is supposed to be a family strip.

I have to wonder if Ace of Spades was laundering his share of the fortune through this deli.

I wonder if Mumbles had towels in the trunk to soak up blood from Jack of Spade’s wound. Plus is he driving him to a doctor used by the crime syndicate?

1-MUSHMOUTH: Jst remmbrd – SUV hs no trnk. Ridinna bkseet, Steenkee.

2-MUSHMOUTH: Wanna bttl of watr? Mint? Howsdaheet?

DT: Lemme guess – your side hustle is being an Uber Driver? MUSHMOUTH: Wrng, smrty pnts! Its LIFT DRVR.

3-UNDERCOVER HIPPY: WHOA DUDE! WHO IS THAT DISGUISED AS JACK? I can see those tight buns even through the weird coat he’s wearing. Not that there’s anything wrong with that…

SAM: It has to be Tracy then. I can tell you from years of viewing – not that there’s anything wrong with that. WAIT A MINUTE? WHERE’D YOU GET THAT 2-WAY???

UNDERCOVER HIPPY: The guy dressed up as Jack gave it to me so it wouldn’t get spotted.

SAM: Uh oh. We were going to use it to track his route so we could rush in and save him when it becomes obvious that he’s not Jack.

U. H.: Oops. Maybe I can run out and return … nope…they’re gone.

I’m lovin’ the subterfuge!

Thank Goodness!!! I thought Dick Tracy had REALLY slipped the rails/Jumped The Shark last week. Ok, back on track. I can get down off my soapbox.

I like it when rough spots get smoothed over and questions answered.

I’m trying to get my head around the timeline here. Some observations/questions:

1. Since Briar Rose was taken downtown and questioned, the Deli was cleaned up, Mumbles was called in away from an evening date to go immediately sent to the Deli, which was just closing… Did Mumbles wait a day? It seems his evening date would have been after the deli closed unless the deli stayed open way late… and then he waited until closing time. Ot was Mumbles taking his evening date in the afternoon?

2. The undercover Jack of Spades has a story that Briar Rose got some hits in before he took her out… a day or two ago? This doesn’t seem like a very plausible story. How would she have knocked him out after he killed her? Maybe his story doesn’t have to be plausible if it gets him into Apparatus HQ?

3. It explains a lot if the counterman at the deli is undercover. On the other hand, what’s he undercover for? Surely Apparatus knows how to buy something using a business front so as to keep from being detected. Pretty sloppy if they are open enough to let the police easily discover their business dealings. That last thing they would want is for the owner on the deed of the deli to say “Apparatus.” I imagine this will be explained to us? Maybe deli-counter-man has been infiltrating Apparatus for some time and just happened to end up in the deli? The gig is up for him now though if that’s the case. On the other hand, if Apparatus thinks he’s their guy, why didn’t they just contact him and ask what’s up with Briar Rose the Jack of spades? He’s not a very good mole for the police if he’s not included in those kinds of things, and he’s not a very good front door man for apparatus if he can’t be relied on to report goings on.

About the Counter guy and the Collarman.The undercover cop is a different man than the one seen in the 11/12/21 strip cleaning up Sam’s table at the Deli. Shelley tried to make him look a bit different, but I guess she wasn’t able to do it enough that it was obvious.The original is skinnier and has sleepy closed eyes and a short sleeve shirt. This shows his lack of a wrist wizard on either arm. His chin is also narrower and his hair is less poofy and pulled back tightly.

https://www.gocomics.com/dicktracy/2021/11/12

The undercover cop has his eyes open wide, has a broader and beefier build a square jaw and may be wearing a wig since his hair is poofy on top and sort of wavey.

It isn’t at all obvious, but then he is supposed to look enough like the real counterman that he would fool any Apparatus member who showed up. I guess he fooled us as well. :)

As for The Collarman. Mike wrote it that way. Shelley says that it is supposedly slang for a guy who cleans up murder scenes for crime syndicates. I wasn’t able to prove this, but Mike wrote it that way, so that is what it says. In short, a Cleaner.

Pizzat u? sure it’s a family strip becuz only NlWick can understand ol’ Mumbldy Peg

Teaser: Sunday’s comic will show it really is Tracy and he calls Sam for help…..

Officer ‘Cole’ Slaw. He usually stays in the station house, grilling suspects.

Being a late poster, I have the advantage of having read Tarry Plaguer"s post before making mine. From that it follows that this undercover cop-counter man was only infiltrated after the fact (and after the original counter man was swept up by the cops).

The hooded robe being used to disguise “Jack’s” bodysuit garb is very like what is frequently used by athletes (e.g., boxers; my high school’s swim team; etc.) and in any case need only suffice for the short transit from Marmel’s to Mumble’s waiting car.

Now, Mumbles dutifully delivers “Jack” Tracy (?) to Apparatus HQ, and a showdown looms in the offing….

P3 Me after my family leaves after Tahnksgiving

Panel One—-it’s The Spoiler from the BATMAN books.

The Collarman is probably Sam, as he collared Rose, and took her to the police station.