Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for June 25, 2023

Anders’ life of crime so brief

Talked to Tracy. Caught harsh grief

Caught a slug to his forehead

In the office cold and dead.

Has been said crime does not pay

Run your mouth. Face your last day

Nothing now on Anders’ mind

Draws a blank: forever kind.

An “inside man” gives Tracy eyes

Gather info on the size

Of the phone scam operation

Gift the crooks some consternation.

Transport man soon to look and see

Glimpse cold call impropriety

If Sprocket’s working her temp gig

Repercussions shall be big.

SURPRISE, ANDERS!…

Good morning™, everyone!

Anders may be getting a gun to his head (Panel “0”) rather than “his money.”

Get that guy that infiltrated Coffyhead’s op.

Something seems missing.

When were we told he’d be hanging around for some money?

One things for sure, that’s the last time he’ll tell the truth!!!

Life on old McGweedo’s farm is always a love-in.

It’s a regular Hillbilly Goatstock!

https://www.facebook.com/reel/940207437428369?s=yWDuG2&fs=e&mibextid=Nif5oz

What(s) next is the correct question for us long suffering Tracyoids!

I’ll be shocked if this goulash of a story can come together in a cohesive way!

Someone didn’t pay attention to all those Perry Mason trials….murder only makes things worse in the end.

This was all generated by ChatGPT, right? I’m pretty sure it was. Real writers don’t yet have anything to fear from A.I.

Good morning™, sneaky killers !

The dope doesn’t even have a “muffler” on that piece. Who will Ander’s replacement be ?  He wouldn’t be there if what he was doing wasn’t necessary. Nice ominous tone in the throwaway panel.

Another reason to request touch free delivery.

A) especially nice art work todayB) nice “Hall of Fame” I like a happy ending instead of an “end of watch”

The guy who used to be Cinamon Knight that later enrolled in the police academy, he would be ideal to pose as a delivery man. Oh, what’s that you say Mike? He is still in training. Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time.

Must be after hours, the killer is not bothering to use a silencer.

Is there a continuation error? Ander was just on the phone as Tracy leaves yesterday and today he’s just getting into his car with Sam as the guy enters Ander’s office. How did he get there so fast? Or is this a series of trope coincidences?

How did the gunman (or gunwoman) get pass the secretary/receptionist? Why does Tracy need a fake delivery man (or woman) to see inside Audie’s business? Doesn’t Tracy have some sort of wrist gizmo that allows him to see through doors & walls now? Or maybe if they check the biz out on the internet, they may see a help wanted ad & send in a fake job applicant. Or just get a search warrant, they probably have probable cause after seeing Anders. & why do I have the feeling Monday’s strip will feature some whole new storyline or character?

It looks like someone isn’t getting their cut. They’re about to be cut out instead.

The expressions are excellent. Art, at times, can tell as much of the story as the dialog.

Anders is the manager at Argos. Was it just set up as a front to get the equipment for the scam center? (And, if so, it seems like things are overly complicated in the need to set up Argos to begin with.) If Argos has been around, and he’s always been a crook, he should have set aside enough money by this point to take it on the lam – and how did Audie know to get in touch with him? If Argos has been around, and Anders has been honest, why the lapse in moral values? It appears (which can’t always be trusted) that Tracy and Sam left Argos to drive to Audie’s address, but after they left Anders called Audie to warn him, and Audie had time to realize he needed to eliminate Anders (why, if he’s already given the address?) get over to Argos, kill Anders, and will probably be back at the address when Sam & Tracy arrive.

And the fundamental whopper can’t be removed. No police department will assume a scam center is operating in their city since scammers work nationally and internationally. There should have been a federal agency contacting the MCU for help in tracking down one suspected of being in Tracyville. Oh, if only the strip had an FBI agent! Maybe a female to promote diversity! She might even flirt with Sam to add a little comedy relief.

Someone just met their death !!! And they were selling ‘My Pillow’ !!!

…at this exciting juncture, they’ll speed-dial FalseDeliveryPersons “r” Us and see what’s available for rental today…….

Excellent .

Too disjointed. I have no idea what’s going on.

He got paid in lead. He won’t have worry about spending it, though.

Anders, isn’t the money from the insurance claim you filed enough, that you have to wait for a payoff from your “associate”? A payoff that looks like it will end tragically, for you.

What the hell is Tracy doing in the car? Is he huffing nitrous oxide out of a tube?

I like that the artwork is improving.

1-ARCHIE ANDERS: ♪♪♫ NOBODY KNOWS THE TROUBLE I’VE SEEN…

2-…NOBODY KNOWS BUT JESUS ♪♪♫ Well, if I can get past this little bugaboo, I’ll be fine.

3-A GUNSHOT! FFS! Now I’ve got to hire a new receptionist I guess. When will it end?!?!

4-SAM: I wonder what business that guy with the pistol had with the car repair shop? DT: Just picking up his car I imagine…

5-…Our job certainly has gotten easier with legal Open Carry. We don’t have to even wonder about seeing someone with a gun anymore – IT’S LEGAL! It’s about time politicians did something to help us men in Blue! SAM: And women.

DT: Huh? Oh. Sure. I suppose you’ll want me to add all those other genders too, right MR. WOKE?!? SAM: Open Carry, multiple genders, gay beer. It’s a different world, Dick. A different world…

Come together ideally!

My take on the odd timing: For storytelling purposes, two events are happening here and the second event immediately follows yesterday’s strip while the first event happens later that same day after closing. The reason it’s told in this order is because the first event is an ending and the second event is a continuation. You want the continuation to be told last. So it’s a little jarring this way, but I get it.

In yesterday’s news, I speculated that the colorist may be privy to today’s strip and I’m right. The yellow background here clearly isn’t intended to be the real color of the wall, but illustrative of the mood. It brightens to a more intense hue to signal a sudden increase in intensity. The colorist picked up on this from having a preview of today’s strip and used it in yesterday’s strip. It’s less realistic and more illustrative. It’s a creative tool available to cartoon artists.

Be prepared for Monday and Tuesday, when Tracy and Faithful Sam go on a road trip, and literally EVERY panel has them joyfully singing a never ending duet of the theme to the BANANA SPLITS HOUR. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yqAaejuRn8

The antepenultimate and ultimate panels display striking facial contrasts. Tracy, almost smirking in the latter at his own cleverness. Anders startled in the former, apparently for the last time ever, presumably confronted by the gunman seen in the throwaway (oh, for the “Good Old Days.” when we’d actually see someone getting shot in a Dick Tracy comic strip; nowadays we are “too sensitive” to face even a cartoon Reality)

Do we know that it was Audie who shot Anders? (Never mind do we know at all that Anders was shot.) No, we don’t. Of the cast seen so far, he seems most likely, but there could be a new arch-villain/assassin on the scene (which would go far to alleviating some of the logistical issues raised by having Audie at Argos to off Anders so soon)….

At $.44 a pound at the scrap buyer, that’s not a great deal.

Constable Solomon was (is?) a Peeler in more senses than one.

Hey, Sprocket, Dick Tracy’s calling your name!!

Say goodbye to the late Mr.Anders.

Or as a murder victim was referred to in LITTLE ORPHAN ANNIE

“The Ex Mr.X”