Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for September 19, 2022

And special guest star Piston Puss!

Good morning™, all!

Basil Jett seems to be a reference to Joseph Bazalgette, the engineer of London’s sewer system in the mid-1800s. Before that, there was sewage everywhere, including in the River Thames, causing all sorts of diseases in the city. More here: https://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/discover/how-bazalgette-built-londons-first-super-sewer

Wren Christopher is Christopher Wren backwards. He is best known as the architect of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, but he was responsible for the rebuilding of over 50 other churches that were destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666. Among other buildings, he designed Kensington Palace, where the new Prince and Pricess of Wales (William and Catherine), although they are in the process of moving out of London and will keep their apartments there mainly for offices.

Anita Bath is a rather obvious play on “I need a bath.” Maybe someone here can say what inspired that name.

Belatedly …

A quick check reveals “Anita Bath” is a) a Vancouver-based journalist for the CBC who was on vacation in London when news of the Queen’s passing broke, b) a character from Grand Theft Auto, & c) a famous phone prank joke used by Bart Simpson.

Anita Vacation ?

Good morning™, men on a Mission !

Sam almost looks like someone else in P.2. “Tricky Prickears” has one pointy chin, good for opening those cans of green beer from the green beer brewery across town, when on stakeout and Doսche Sam forgets to bring the ‘church key’.

What’s happened to Joe’s art – it’s missing his trademark “smoothness” he’s had for decades! It doesn’t even look like his DT work from just a couple of years ago? Lines seem heavier, details doesn’t look right…Perhaps the reproduction, or is Shelley not assisting him like before the switch-over?

They should find a lot of dirt on Anita Bath…

Maybe Art Decco will show up !!!

Maybe Anita is related to B.O.?

Just how “Eccentric” remains to be seen. Patton is sending Tracy and Catchem to the freak show….

Anita Bath, eh? This ought to be interesting…

Joes images ar just " fantastic " today , Tracys hat is so cool : ) And it is so good to see Sam again : )

don’t get too close to Anita Bath

Did Tracy just slip here, and, call his command officer by his first name in public? (Even if it’s just Sam.)

Panel 2 certainly shows Dick’s chin honed to a fine edge.

Tracy is making the universal, obscene “yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever” hand gesture in Panel 3. Joe just forgot to put in the up and down motion lines (he’s been away from the game a while so it’s understandable).

Only got the Wren one, but then I’m an untutored hick.

MOVIE QUOTE——“You must be a miserable doctor if you’re willing to let a wealthy patient slip away at the age of 55!”

CHAMBER OF HORRORS—-British—1940

I’m trying to remember when there was last a museum robbery in the strip.I think there have been darn few outside of Art Dekko.

Tracy villains t end to be the “smash and grab” type.

This somewhat blunt set-up strongly suggests, IMO, that these three canting curators (i.e., curators whose names are suggestive of further meaning) will be found out either as principal suspects in the crime-obviously-to-come or (less likely) as victims. Who among you, I ask them rhetorically, would not like to possess your very own “Froyne of Layven”?

I don’t dislike Joe’s artwork. I just like Shelley’s a little better.