Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for December 10, 2023

In library lair she is unaware the walls are closing in

Above the fray in many ways, feels she was born to win.

Once captain of the fencing team, class of eighty-five

Such pedigree and privilege. Yet killers seldom thrive.

Tracy has the evidence. All facts support his case

Sits with Owen Cormac for an honest face-to-face.

Two warrants are warranted; first search then arrest

Crime does not pay come justice day, as many can attest.

Will she surrender quietly? Seek council when waylaid?

Shall she resist? Fail to desist? Draw fast a deadly blade?

Good morning™, everyone!

Tracy has finally figured out that the weapon was an épée and that Xaviera (who they are still calling “Xaveria” this week) was the skilled fencer who did it. As the Assistant States Attorney, Owen can get the warrants quickly. The time is coming for the final showdown.

No mention yet of the results of the DNA testing?

Women’s épée was not an Olympic sport until the 1996 games in Atlanta. Until then, women fencers competed only in the foil event. Apparently Ms. Libris was an athlete who was a bit ahead of her time.

the truth about XL finally hits Owen like a slap in the face, but he performs his duty without hesitation or resistance or further doubt…

public servant and all that, you know…

truth, justice and the Tracyville way…

So, Xavier Libris apparently committed murders using a highly specialized method & weapon that could easily be traced back to her, to kill people she had some connection to in several cases, leaving behind DNA evidence, her name in registration books, & on-camera CCTV appearances at various crime scenes, for reasons still unknown but presumably for rare collectible manuscripts she probably had the financial resources to buy. The Beagle Boys were bigger criminal masterminds.

Good morning™, menacing throwaway panels !

Dickie’s on the move and Owen is along for the ride. In the space of three panels Libby goes from sweet Poly Purebred to Natasha Fatale. The inverted abbreviated “Women’s Locker Room” must be on a large glass panel that one can see through from the other side. Fortunately the view does not look into sensitive areas.

Fartstump will be pulling the image to his face in order to get some around-the-corner forbidden visuals. ;-p

Oh, so Desmond is in on the skull duggery with X, just like I pointed out earlier. I’ve got this thing in the bag, pretty much wrapped up.

I can’t remember if this strip has ever had this level of detective work and investigation before. It almost seems like it’s real as opposed to a comic strip.

Eric has beaten me down! I don’t have the energy or desire to complain anymore. The level of boredom in this story has drained me of strength

Congratulations, Mr Costello, you win! well played.

Lower left panel, Tracy looks grim and determined!

That locker scene, she looks like the mouse caught with the cheese!

The big hole in this plot is why Libris would show up with a sword?

Go prepared with a weapon Tracy and throw the well armored book at her !!!

As I’ve been screaming loudly, for weeks, You had enough for a search warrant weeks ago – why did you wait so bloody long!?!

(For those who came in late, they had a witness who provided evidence that she had possession of one or more of the stolen books. That is good enough for a search warrant.)

Watches out Tracy. Looks like Goldielocks is taking the sword out to attacks you next.

A smarter criminal woulda avoided all the plot holes but Goldielocks is fall into each one looking for just the right size plot hole.

Can we just get to the trainyard and put this abomination to rest already

Huh. The Assistant State Attorney’s initials are O.C.D.

kind of cute when she smiles…still say it’s not her, way too obvious

ok major plot fails here for fact checking.Choate didn’t have a fencing team in 1985.Women were certainly not fencing epee competitively in the 1980’s. I was captain of the Trinity collage fencing team in the 86-87 season and we were trying to build up fencing in the central Connecticut region so we didn’t have to keep driving to Massachusetts for meets. otherwise it was just us and U-conn.

The Armchair Detective Division agrees with Dick Tracy .

I can never understand why Killers keep the Weapon they use to kill someone.

I’ve wondered what would have happened if Owen hadn’t known Libris. They probably would have found Libris, but taken a little longer – after all, the MCU eventually found the connection between the Libris and Caxton patriarchs. The fencing aspect would had to have come a lot later, though.

Wouldn’t an assistant state’s attorney know off hand what judge was available to sign off on arrest warrants?

Are we ever going to find out what Libris said to unnerve poor Wendy ?

Easy to think that this is all too pat and Cate is being framed. But it looks like they want to wind this up by Xmas…..2024.

So what about that second report that Tracy got handed (by Lizz) at police headquarters? We’ve been assuming that it’s about the threat made by X to Wendy Wichel – maybe it will provide a sense of urgency for the magistrate to get Libris arrested and held without bail.

I feel that I am watching a bad Columbo episode

the difference in her countenance between panels 4 & 6 is chilling. I wonder what happened in her life to turn her into a serial killer Guess we’ll find out as more unfolds. Are there other victims in her wake of horror? (⁠☞⁠ ⁠ಠ⁠_⁠ಠ⁠)⁠☞

What does experience with the épée, even at the Olympic level, have to do with “the skill to stab someone, just once through the heart with a bladed weapon and kill them”? That skill involves a knowledge of anatomy that the épée fencer is uniquely unlikely to have; unlike fencing with the saber or foil, the entire body is the target area, so that the fencer has no particular reason to acquire any skill in aiming the point precisely.

1-DT: If you’d stop reading those Door Dash lunch options for a second I’ll tell you my theory…

2-…People have been stabbed and Libris is the only person around who likes to cut people – with her sword-thingee and, as you’ve found out, with her tongue…

3-…I’m talking about how she sliced you to ribbons at the restaurant in case you’ve forgotten. Anyway…

4-…Clearly we have enough for warrants!

5-OWEN: HELLO – DESMOND HERE! I need a warrant on Xave-rhea Libris.

XAVE-RHEA: So – they’re finally on to me? OWEN: THAT’S RIGHT! YOU’D BETTER RUN…to the magistrate. XAVE-RHEA: Thanks for the tip, Owen. OWEN: You’re welcome, beautiful.

DT: ? That’s weird

Chief of Detectives Dick Tracy lays it all out for Owen Cormac Desmond, Assistant State’s Attorney, and points at Xaviera Libris as being guilty of murder. Desmond concurs (reluctantly or not, for a fellow-Choate graduate) and rings up for the on-call magistrate (judge or surrogate therefor) to get the warrants signed (for search and for arrest).

On guard, Xaviera! Tracy is on the move!! He’s getting to the point, one might say….

I’ve never seen a story that grinds so slowly as to show the detective applying for a search warrant. I stopped reading the story and looked in expecting today to be the wrap up, but at this rate, this may drag into January.

She’s actually smiling in the fencing team photo! Her hair’s down! Holy good times, Batman – she used to have FUN!

Hopefully the search warrant will cover her home and the gymnasium. The lady probably has a good lawyer on retainer. One of those in case of emergency break glass situations.

The problem with whole épée thing is that, at least with Ms. Caxton, the victim had plenty of warning. “Oh no! You are going to stab me with that sword? Well, I’d better hold perfectly still so you don’t miss my heart.”

Lower left hand panel—Dick needs an antacid

Wealth can make a good temporary shield. Oodles was a millionaire gangster who got away with murder for 20 years—-then it all came crashing down overnight.

They HAVE to end this by Christmas—-Dick is traditionally way behind with his shopping.

And Firestrike has ordered 25 pounds of pigs feet,and the authorities want to know why.