Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for May 11, 2020

Good morning™, hotel visitors!

“‘Welcome to my parlour,’ said the movie star to the dick” …

Why is room 2312 on the 21st floor? … or does that floor lead to the special penthouse elevator that we saw in another story?

You meet her in a public place, Tracy – don’t do it, don’t go in…

Oliver Warbucks said “I couldn’t afford it.” Is this movie star richer than him?

It’s a trap!!!

The door already opened suggests to me that Ms. Dyer has carefully arranged and placed herself in a tableau vivant—an elaborately staged “living painting” with her as the focal point—to achieve maximum control of Tracy’s first impression of her. It will be as if the curtain opened and she is on the stage. (You can’t get that effect if you’re first playing the role of usher at the door.) My guess is that she will be in character as Breathless.

The Temptation of Tracy

Using the Hotel Siam here reminds me that Annie Warbucks is supposed to return this summer…

I really hate to have to say this, but Tracy really is one dumb cop!

The Great AM sees all, knows all—-and he’s really quite a voyeur

Maybe it’s the actor portraying Tracy???

Who knows what will be behind the half opened brown door? What awaits our hero? Will he soon be facing “Dyer circumstance”? We will see!!

Come in, Detective. I’m wearing my…well, anyway.

The dragon’s lair.

Nice yellow pants you’re wearing Dicky.

Room 2312 is on the 21st floor?

The front desk just tells people what room the famous actress is in?

1-DT: I’m Chief Detective Tracy of the Tracyville PD. I hear there’s a movie star here. NIGHT CLERK: Yes there is Detective Tracy. DT: Hey. How’d you know my name? Is this a set up? Never mind. Is she dressed and is the Elevator Operator sober?

NIGHT CLERK: Mostly and mostly.

2-ELEVATOR OPERATOR: She’s two more floors up but I’m scared…urp…a heights…urp…so you gotta walk from here.

3-Knock Knock

BROOMHILDA PLENTY: You didn’t tell me you was expectin’ company!

FORTUNE SEEKER: SHADDAP AND GET IN THE CLOSET. ♪♪♫Come in!!! ♪♪♫

Talk about walking into the spider’s den

ccreeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaak…

Agree with all of the above and I think the artwork really nicely conveyed the suspense of the moment. Definitely want to see what happens next!

Middle panel shows the number 21. Wouldn’t most of those floors be in the 21 series? Maybe Joe and Mike meant to put 23.

Desk Clerk shouldn’t be giving out her room number.

Come right in detective! I’m just sayin’ Hi, like a spider to a fly….come right ahead and you’re dead.

Welcome to my house. Enter freely and of your own will. (Dracula, Bram Stoker)

Tracy is the Chief of Detectives in his city, sure, but to say the whole title like the desk clerk is saying would be a bit awkward. Most people would just say “Detective Tracy”, I should think. It’s like those pharmacy advertisements on TV, where a person acting as if they’re in normal, everyday conversation, says “I have moderate to severe (name of disease)”. Nobody talks like that; they would just say “I have . . .”

Tracy didn’t get to be a veteran Chief of Detectives by being dumb. He is occasionally rash, running into dangerous situations without backup, but he generally knows what he’s doing. I’m pretty sure he recognizes the potential dangers of walking into this actress’s room and that it may be a setup to compromise him. On the other hand, it is by no means clear that Fortuna Dyer’s intentions are to bring down Tracy; she may really just want to interview and tease him for her film part. We shall, no doubt, see….