Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for October 13, 2015

Yes, this IS interesting! A “Barry Allen” (the Flash) comment AND 88 Keyes ! Difficult to call it a (excuse me) “Flash Back”, since those 2 characters were years apart. But, as always, I will appreciate the story as it unfolds, and I have confidence in Team Tracy to make it entertaining! And, as we all know here, time-lines are not set in stone!

Good morning to ✯✯ Vista Bill Raley ✯✯ and everyone.

.Good morning guys!.81 years old minus two weeks.

By the way, Mike didn’t think anyone would figure out who Reggie was that quickly, but he told me that today’s strip would have given away the answer, which I can now see is indeed the case.

Is that paper behind Reggie in the second panel “The Sentinel?”

As in, “The Daily Sentinel,” published by Britt Reid?

Are we in someone’s dream?

Why’s the paper titled “The Midnight Mirror?”

[ Possibly a hint that we are in a dream? ]

Reminds me of the old radio series, “Night Beat,” starring Frank Lovejoy.

“Crime Wave In Third Week” rings a bell, too.

For my own edification: Are there still newstands? I would see them in downtown Detroit & in New York City. Time & Life magazines, assortments of newspapers, AND the newest comic books! This was before comic book stores existed (and the only place you could get your comics were drugstores on racks that swiveled!

Hmmm …

… could this be a glimpse into a world without Dick Tracy?

“It’s A Not-So-Wonderful Life” …?

Since we know this can’t be 88 Keyes (who died of lead poisoning courtesy of a machine gun wielded by none other than Dick Tracy) I’m wondering who this “Mr. Keyes” fellow will turn out to be.

Good morning, DY fans!We are in a parallel universe, I suppose.

… where “88 Keyes” never got Tommy-Gunned down.

Could Mike be riffing on this “Garfield” story from 1989 …?

“Why “88 Keyes,” I wondered …

From The Dick Tracy Wiki …

“When Tracy caught up to 88, Keyes had hidden in a cramped tool shack next to a railroad track. Knowing that 88 was armed, Tracy refused to take any chances on the fugitive escaping again. Tracy offered 88 a chance to surrender. When Keyes refused to give an answer, Tracy fired bullets from a machine gun into the shed in an X pattern. 88’s body (and loaded gun) fell out of the shed, ending the pursuit.”

Other sources claim Keyes had set it up as an ambush.

What if, in this universe, that ambush had succeeded.

Still haven’t sussed out whether this Mr. Keyes is a mobster or an honest businessman harassed by petty hoods. Nor is it yet clear how much Reggie really knows (metropolitan downtown newsstand operators of long standing would get to know their regular clientele pretty well). “Barry Allen” may be just a throwaway and not really meant to introduce The Flash into this story arc. I guess I’ll have to wait and see….

It’s all sorts of bizarre that today’s strip with its “Barry Allen” reference runs on the same day that CW’s “The Flash” will introduce Jay Garrick in its “Flash of Two Worlds” episode.

Team up of Dick Tracy and the Flash ?

Reggie ? Wasn’t he the blind vendor on the old 1990s series, the Flash, played by Robert Shayne who also played aka Inspector Henderson on the the ’50 show, Adv. of Superman.

Night-Gaunt49 cautioned,Keep that meter running Not so wild anymore Bill!-——————————————————————————-.wild?

Gweedo confused me,Good morning to Lord Raley and all the resta you jamokes !-—————————————————————————-.Good morning Gweedo! Are you implying that I am a jamoke? I hope not. Thanks for the upgrade to “Lord Raley”.

Did anyone catch a ‘date’ on that paper ?Is this a “flash back” ? Could these be Actors at a new Show at a now reconstructed Patterson Playhouse ?Take those inside ‘tips’ from *Mike with a ‘pinch of salt’ . . .

That Message Board (screened by a paper) appearing behind heads (in 2 and 3) might have a concealed Blue Image monitor (?) …Keeping a recording check of ‘on going’ events in that earlier 1940’s time sector ?Keep looking for the “eyes” in that outline of a face on the Message board. Possibly, two lenses needed for depth of vision . . . Clever location !

Don’t believe me ? Well …More important ,,, mosey over to Tracy in that Seattle (Comics Kingdom) paper, and you’ll note Reggie’s Coat and Shirt, are correctly ‘color coded’ – i.e. BLUE . . .

Likely, that’s Diet’s ‘Forward Man’ on the ground ?And for Mr. D another chance to become ‘relevant’ in Dick Tracy again. He can move on (and Up), from that ‘lowly station’, of being a psychological counselor for a mentally troubled Mystra ‘Mindy’ Chimera !

And of course, I say ALL this - with a heavy dose of “Speculation” !And Mike’s “right on”, on one thing, “never before”, have we had Anything quite like THIS in Dick Tracy!

Even though they’ve “blacked out” 88’s Face - in panel 3, you can see from 1. This is not a ‘look-alike’ Actor, but the real thing !

At another level, important that Bribery gets “wind of” all the present (personality tracking abilities) and pull them into his new forward operation where he could ‘Beef Up’ competence of second string management, with the likes of Ugly Christine, Nah Tey, Matty Square (even Kitty) rather than those modern day incompetents that could only think of Betrayal. And/or, that buying a powerful hand gun was “somehow” of great significance to Business success ? (Remembered as, the ‘only move’ Apollo made in his 2 years?)Gosh ! Even Miss Deal may be back in 2016/17 ?

It’s in a relatively recent time, possibly even present day. There’s a newspaper on display with a color photo on the front. This creative team includes a colorist, doesn’t it? (Or is that just on Sunday?)

If 88 Keyes here is a fake, it might be Putty Puss.

A sunny morning to all.-—————A good story with twists and turns no doubt.-—————May your day be filled with blessings my friends.

Hmm…in the 2nd panel, it appears Keyes is only giving Reggie one coin for the paper. Is he cheating the blind vendor, or is this in the past? lol

By the way here is a Facebook page called “Midnight Mirror” under “News/Media website”, apparently originating in India https://www.facebook.com/midnightmirror

Could all this be a nightmare created by Abner Kadaver?-I’m sure that is the real 88 Keyes, and it’s taking place in the past. The 1940’s, maybe?-I wouldn’t put any importance into the Barry Allen reference; like Reggie, it’s just an inside gag.

“Barry Allen”? Is there going to be a Dick Tracy/Flash crossover?

Good Morning to Reggie & Mr. Keys….and all the Fans, thanks for the tips..TBC..

If the reference to Barry Allan is just Mike doing a little “name dropping”, which is a well established Dick Tracy tradition – (Gould did it, too.) Then this could well be some sort of flashback. However, they would still need to retcon some things, because the original 88 had definite references to WWII. There was gas rationing, train travel (not Amtrak) 1940’s farming techniques. But, we’ve already seen a modern Nellie in another story, and she is still the starry eyed teenager she was in the original story, so Mike has already retconned her in to the present day. That newspaper appears to cost a quarter, so it’s certainly not today!(I always try to read the existing comments before I write any, so as not to repeat what others have said. I know that today, I did repeat some ideas, but there was just so much here that I wanted to sort out in my own thinking.)

Well, this is interesting. Barry, AND 88 keys?

I cannot wait to see what comes from this new thread.

But for now, I’m going to absolutely enjoy Flash tonite. Jay is coming!

A curious beginning. The original 88 Keyes was no good, but the implication is that the Mr. Keyes we see here is an honest businessman. Could this be an alternate universe, something like a Bizarro World Dick Tracy?

Night-Gaunt49 implied,You weren’t wild in your youth? Maybe more like Wild Bill Hickok?-———————————————————————-.I wouldn’t trade my younger days for a billion dollars!

Gweedo suggested(?),No, and you’re welcome your Lordship. I would call you “Lord Bowler”, but you don’t look like one.-————————————————————————.Not even close, Gweedo!

“I’ve got hoods asking for. . .protection money every night.”Now, that could mean that he is being accosted by hoods every night. But it could mean that the hoods are in his employ, and he’s got them out doing his dirty work every night. Cleverly worded, and, of course, we can’t hear voice inflection.

They may “ask” for protection money, but, like the “offer you can’t refuse” in The Godfather, you don’t realistically have the option of turning down a request for protection money.

The suggestion that he might want to talk to Barry at the police lab also suggests that he is not a rotten egg, unless Reggie is joking but it doesn’t seem that he is.

88 Keyes it’s alive?

GWEEDO!!! OK, I’ll do it! give me a wee bit of time to email it to you!

Hi Gweedo. Guess who was throwing up this morning?I have yet to take a “test”LOL! Just kidding. I think something I ate must not have been digested properly. But seriously it was so horrible. I’m hardly ever sick.Hope you didn’t mind me sharing this “delightful” news with you. I wanted to see how you were doing as well.

GWEEDO! You got mail!

Bring back another guy killed in the 40s. Any chance we’ll ever see a new villain, or would that be too creative?

Who buys phone cards anymore ?

Actually, any place there are a lot of immigrants, phone cards are extremely popular still. At least that’s the case in Canada and I’m pretty sure it is the the U.S., too.

News from Mike Curtis (possible slight spoiler as to upcoming stories):

By the way, I know Tracy readers are wondering about Notta Fallar and Abner Kadaver. Notta’s story is scheduled for spring and Abner gets the summer special epic.

I don’t think Reggie’s joking, just a little naive. I am not seeing an evil grimace or anything that resembles one in P. 1, so I could be all wrong about the guy.

Reggie could be naive, though in his position he is a prime candidate for “street smarts.” As for 88 Keyes, he doesn’t look too menacing, but it heard to read him at this point. Deciding factors are being kept from us.

Do I see a little flip-floppy on your assessment of the Keyes man ?

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from graduate studies, it’s to hedge everything you say. Still, I have to point out that there are possible cues, even if they can be taken both ways. I didn’t even clue in to the other interpretation until Ken pointed it out.

Who spotted the Flash reference?