Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for March 14, 2021

Ten years ago this very day, Dick Tracy resurrected

Rejuvenated and renewed, vast differences detected.

Thrill to see rich history. A classic back in style

Lost track of Tracy way back when. Woo Gosh! It’d been a while.

Aquarius now furious. Big trouble in his yard

A Tiger in root cellar. A basement full of hard

Drugs that cannot be explained, balloon he hopes to sell

Thought that he was riding high, now things ain’t going well.

Time to bounce, lest police pounce. Retreat and strategize

Learn the truth. Will cops have proof? Best to prioritize.

Pouch, he hides. Tense time abides. Balloon now tucked away

Job not done. Prepare to run. The park shall close the day.

Here in the land of Tracyville, stories captivating

Tiger leaves the root cellar. Pouch bides his time still waiting

Tiger wet yet no regret. The current sweeps him south

Did take a chance. Cold waters dance. Silent is his mouth.

Sam and Tracy on the case. Fighting crime provides rewards

Team Tracy honored by their peers with three Harvey Awards.

My hat’s off to Team Tracy, for all these things and more

We loyal fans now clap our hands, voice approval with a roar.

“Thanks Tiger Lily!” As Pouch makes his getaway.

Pouch is headed back to the park where it’s nice and safe.

Good morning™, everybody!

As Tiger Lilly heads south through the cold waters of the Bedwell Canal, can Tracy and Sam catch up to him at 25th and Burnside?

Meanwhile, Pouch has taken off during the commotion, but can he make to the rendez-vous with his mysterious customer? If you’ll remember, he promised the balloon to the customer within 24 hours after Aquarius “absconded” with it. It looks like he may still be able to make that self-imposed deadline.

Another Take braggadocio’d about 15 hours ago

@Gweedo it’s legal here Murray

“I worked at a gas station as a teen”

The highlight of your life, like Al Bundy’s high school football career. ;-p

Your anthem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BN8vF-zPh84

Like Brian says. Tiger Lilly takes one for the team. Pouch looks to get away clean.

Hope he has his balloon.

Good morning™, fleeing cockroaches !

If Aquarius has money he can get to now would be a good time to leave town. Cheeseycakes will be left to pick up the broken pieces of her life while cooling her heels in detention. I’m sure Sam can find a charge to hang on her. Does Alex have Mr. Kleen on speed dial ?  Peggy should want to pop a pill or two once she gets back to this mess.

Today’s comment is a 10TH ANNIVERSARY shout-out to Joe & Mike. Thanx for keeping the Dick Tracy flame burning & delivering a decade’s worth of entertaining & exciting daily strips. Somewhere, I’m sure, Chester Gould is smiling.

Why is it soooo difficult to find good minions? Tiger Lily gets to a little ditch, and rather than jump over it, or even face plant, he takes a dive that an Italian soccer player would envy.

Pouch’s look panel 1 is fabulous!

Next panel: (Andy Capp, in the canal) “Oi, mate! Where’s yer hat?”

Poor Tiger Lily. He’s been tied up, freezing, unconscious, and now that he’s finally free — he’s being chased by the police and falls into the icy canal water! He should surrender, just to get somewhere warm! And with him distracting the police, Pouch gets away (Whatapal, whatapal, whatapal). Yep, just like Pouch planned it – and not like we expected.

Root cellars are usually sunk into the ground, with nothing but a low mound over them. Real root cellars. I’d need to go back to when he was tossed in, but I thought it looked normal then. It seemed to look like a normal root cellar as he broke out yesterday. Today he’s emerging from the top of a hill. Looks like a mountain and mole hill effect going on (IMO).

Yesterday, Tiger Lily was below the cops. Today he’s above them and then below them. I don’t see how it was possible for him to get away.

He’s save thanks to Tiger Lily’s sacrifice.

Great images as usual and this is getting very interesting for sure .

Holy Crap, this is so confusing. It’s all about a blue balloon that went “poof!”

Tune in tomorrow for Neil to answer all those questions he posed. BTW, I’m not sure Chester Gould would approve of this Neverending Tale.

Tiger Lily…he can’t win for losing….blinded by a police officer’s flashlight….runs while disoriented into the woods….takes an unintentional dive into the canal….if the cold water doesn’t do him in…the pollution will.

1-OFFICER BACKUP: HANG ON LITTLE BUDDY! WE’RE COMING! FRENCHY: I AIN’T NOBODY’S LITTLE BUDDY! I’M THE GUY WHO KILLED DOLLAR BILL! DICK TRACY HAS BEEN LOOKING FOR ME!

2-OFFICER BACKUP: Really? Paging Dick Tracy! This is Officer Backup. INCREDIBLY, I’ve just identified suspected murderer Frenchy from 50 yards away in the dark! AND he was disguised as a child slash legless person to boot! Should I shoot? Over.

3-DT: Negative. That’s no longer the world we live in. Let him get away if necessary but do NOT shoot.

POW POW POW!

4-OFFICER BACKUP: I fired warning shots but judging from his header into the canal, they might’ve been too accurate. Over.

5-OFFICER BACKUP: Boy. Tracy sure was mad. I oughta get a marksman medal but “DESK DUTY” he says. I’ll spend the time coming up with some great burns for when we fill out our SUPERIOR REVIEW SURVEY.

Superior respects your initiative HELL TO THE NO!

Salute Commander Collins!

Pouch is cramped, frustrated, and terrified at all the police activity around The 1312; but he does catch a break. Even as Pouch has ventured out of the dumb waiter, Tiger Lilly (surely at the minimum wanted as a POI in the disposal of the corpse of Dollar Bill Dolan, per the trailcam video) emerges from the root cellar into the beam of an officer’s flashlight; he seeks to run away, and the two uniforms engage pursuit. Pouch has his opportunity to slink away, and does, apprehensively. Tiger Lilly in frantic flight has tripped and taken a headlong plunge into the Bedwell Canal, presumably cold water. Tracy and Sam hurry by squad car to head Tiger off due south, at or near 25th and Burnside.

Can Pouch deliver the Blue Balloon before his deadline ("dead"line probably all too literal)? Will Tracy and Sam collar hapless Tiger Lilly?

Slightly OT: I picked up the current Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine yesterday as it has a story by Max Allan Collins and Mickey Spillane on the Black Mask. Just wanted to share for the mystery lovers.

Gentlemen and ladies in attendance, I am browsing up to Dick Tracy, with a glass ofchilled brandy, wondering from my days of youth, how the hell did Chester Gouldlet his comic strip land in these guys laps. No disrespect intended, but if you makethe story long….make it interesting not confusing. Without going into detail I rememberstrips about Tracy being captive and starved that were not this long. As a kid. then older now, I always liked Gould’s Dick Tracy.