Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for April 17, 2016

Transformation now complete, Putty Puss becomes Dick TracyNotta dressed up to the nines, hot outfit rather racy.Neckline plunges down to there. Piled high is her long hairPutty Puss has not a care. Embraces Notta’s form so fair.Blaze aims her camera at the pair, a reluctant love sick pawnWere she there in Putty’s place, she’d remove all she has on.Elsewhere, we find Bribery in cahoots with Doctor GlitchMatty Squared inside a box, he thinks there’s been a switch.“Where are Kitty and Christine? What has transpired here?I am not feeling at all well, am not myself, I fear.”Elsewhere, Wendy’s hard at work when arrives the daily mailInside there are candid shots of a nature to assailThe character of Tracy, now seen in black and whiteDoing things with Notta Tess would declare far from right.

.Good morning all!.Excellent, Pequod!

If you leak the ‘compromising photos’ without seeking payment, is it blackmail?

… or just a smear campaign?

And as we live in a ‘post-truth’ Photoshop era …

… how much of what we see can we/should we believe?

I said a few days ago that the tape and photos would make their way to Wendy Wichel.

That’s a nice shout out in the next to last panel to a Baltimore lad!

Thinking about it, Notta had Blaze use a Film Camera, didn’t she?

No photoshop necessary.

And film is much harder to fake.

BTW, If that rag runs those photos without checking it’s validity, as fact. The paper and Wichel will have opened themselves up to a slander and libel lawsuit!!

Knowing Wendy, she’ll go to print with the pics asap. She’s as cold blooded as Notta.

“with pics of Notta duds scantI just can’t… on a leg so finelike sweet winekeep my mind off her ice cream cone hair.I don’t care if I can’t find the keysto my cair. I want my Lotta NottaNow !!!”Here’s your Lotta Notta. :)

Wendy, no one else will believe it either.

Wendy cites the name of "H. L. Menken in her exclamation. From Wikipedia:

Henry Louis “H. L.” Mencken (September 12, 1880 – January 29, 1956) was a German-American journalist, satirist, cultural critic and scholar of American English…. As a scholar Mencken is known for The American Language, a multi-volume study of how the English language is spoken in the United States. His satirical reporting on the Scopes trial, which he dubbed the “Monkey Trial”, also earned him notoriety.

Paging Dan Rather and Mary Mapes…

Notta rest relaxHard day framing our TracyPutty Puss tires herBlaze takes pictures and films themWill she betray her girlfriend

Holy Edvard Munch,,it’ll be right in the papers with JST

Uh …

… why exactly did Notta need for Tracy to be out of town in order to implement this scheme?

Wendy is a “print first ask questions later” reporter, which is exactly what Notta is counting on. I’m sure this is a distraction for something bigger. While Tracy is defending himself, Notta and Blaze will be elsewhere stirring up trouble.

@Ken in OhioI think Wendy works at a TV news channel, not a newspaper …

Yes, Wendy works for Schrecker Broadcast News, better known as SBN, a cable TV news channel. She’s phoning the boss, Mr. Schrecker, in today’s strip. Once she breaks the story, it’s likely to be all over the place, though. She’s always looking for negative stories about Tracy, so I don’t I don’t think she’ll waste any time checking facts.

Wendy is wearing corduroy lipstick. LOL

No doubt Wendy will have the pictures gone over to verify they weren’t Photoshopped.I bet the pictures are just a tease to get Wendy’s attention, and then Notta will sell her the video.

See that LEG up in the Air . . .It ‘frames’, a ‘worrying state’ of Affairs !

“Menchken!”… Why call his name in vain?This female’s - a ‘lively’ version of the same*!*No hesitating, our Wendy … isn’t waiting …Typewriter fingers speeding, no sign of vacillating …

No dismay, in a “Throw Shade” - Crusade …You may even ‘glimpse’ the blade, in the way Tracy is portrayed?Her Heart won’t Skip One Beat …To take our Dick Tracy off the Street …

Of “sorts,” a reputation ‘gerrymander’One without a dash of candor?Plus a likely SBN TV report - of dirtOr … talking ‘manufactured’ slander

Now what can Tracy DO ?Yet another worry is - Tess’ View ?Will Mayor Armstrong “flex” some Muscle ?And “give” our Hero any Hustle ?

So many Worries and Questions to revile usWhile Bribery shapes his VirusWill his Matty Squared do a BANKING ‘Scare’ ?If SO, who will investigate? Will the FBI be there?

If we go on recent “precedent” … … better start from now, to pull your HAIR*!*Perhaps. from “anywhere” ?

Gweedo said late last night,With you and others posting the long bits it is a good idea to do it on days that are normally “quiet” and don’t have Moon Maid in the story.

I think we’re pretty safe from Mysta until about the fall maybe.

Many good posts from knowledgeable sources this week. Thanks for the death of Matty Square strips, Willy007. Good to be reminded of his horrific demise now that his squared self is up and running.Boboscar’s “no death” overview left us to consider what we saw and what was said. The force of the explosion at Estrella’s lifted a car outside off the ground, yet no casualties were mentioned in the strip. No word or panel suggests fatalities. A sensitive way to provide action and resolution without too loud an echo from the headlines. Boboscar’s stories overview is also much appreciated. I agree with the commentary on the commentary. I stopped reading Tracy at some point, so the information is good to have. Neil’s plot summary offers a detailed reminder of Spicy and Spectacle’s adventure. Syd’s knowledge of the strip and its valued archivists/historians is worth repeating. Hat’s off. Notta is looking marvelous today. Suitable for framing. She is a complex character, which I like. She was abused by Piggy, lost her husband and is caretaker of a brother turned burden. She and George killed Bribery’s body double, and she was involved with the Blackhearts. She remains in contact with Bribery. Is she still receiving packages? I’m glad her intentions do not appear to be violent. Nice to see her relaxing today, content with remote, a cold beverage and hot Blaze. In more tumultuous times she shed tears for Purdy.

Thanks to Vista Bill, Neil Wick, Ray Toler (cheers), Gweedo (nice), Willy007, capt mutt (very nice), 60s fan, JPuzzleWhiz and Chris Sherlock for the kind words. Very much appreciated!

Otherwise it would be like Tracy was in two places at once in the same city.-———————————Remember Mark Sanford? He was the governor of South Carolina who disappeared over the Father’s Day weekend in ‘09, and one of his aides said he, “was hiking the Appalachian Trail”? He actually had ducked out on his family and went to Buenos Aires to be with his girlfriend.-SO Notta is setting Tracy up: he says he’s in Cuba, but he’s “hiking the Appalachian Trail” with her.

“Holy H.L. Mencken,” indeed!

@ AnyFace

“Uh …… why exactly did Notta need for Tracy to be ‘out of town’ in order to implement this scheme?”-———————————————————————

Umm …Seems, you’ve ‘backed’ our Author up against a Wall …Really no need for Tracy … to be “Out of Town” At All ! ?

And, the Smear is on!The Smear Job in Tracyville will go down in the lore of infamy as one of the boldest failed attempts to bring down America’s most famous detective ever! Lounge while you may, Notta, because this, too, shall pass. And Blaze? Either “turn state’s evidence,” as they say, or be on the lam again….

Gweedo mentioned,Uh, oh ! I forgot somebody… Good morning, Bill !-———————————————————————.Hello Gweedo!

I wonder what exactly is in that envelope? Is it just the photos? Is there a DVD disc also? Would have to be with the sound off because Putty Puss’s singing would blow it. Also, is there any documentation claiming when the photos were taken? Surely there’s no hiding the identity of Notta as she will be recognized quickly and that by itself should make it look suspicious. Lots of things to consider here.

.Gweedo, after last week’s bout with your computer, Rikki thought you deserved a good meal so she prepared this standing rib roast for you! OK?..Nothing like this, I promise: “Eye of newt, and toe of frog,Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,Adder’s fork, and blind-worm’s sting,Lizard’s leg, and howlet’s wing,—For a charm of powerful trouble,Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.”—Macbeth (IV, i, 14-15)

This is not the first time someone has tried to smear Tracy’s good name. Spinner ReCord and the Police Custodian tried a frame up to make it appear that Tracy had pilfered cash and jewelry from the Police Vault.Of course, Tracy and Sam wasted no time; bringing out the big guns from the lab: Spectro-Analysis of paint scrapings from the vault safety deposit boxes, measurements of the boxes to prove that they could be interchanged with boxes from outside, etc. etc. Crooks in Tracyville tend to get very nervous when Tracy does his “Sherlock Holmes” routine; the Custodian was no exception. So Spinner shot him, and the rest of the story was a satisfying variation of a Tracy Trope: the cops trying to catch Spinner before Spinner was able to destroy a crucial piece of evidence.This story has all kinds of potential for that sort of thing. Putty Puss’ DNA must be all over Notta’s apartment, for example.

Gweedo asked,Umm, Bill ? Are those ribs anyone we know ? ?-————————————————————————.I’ll check Gweedo. Roll call is at daylight.

Transformation now complete, Putty Puss becomes Dick Tracy

Notta dressed up to the nines, hot outfit rather racy.

Neckline plunges down to there. Piled high is her long hair

Putty Puss has not a care. Embraces Notta’s form so fair.

Blaze aims her camera at the pair, a reluctant love sick pawn

Were she there in Putty’s place, she’d remove all she has on.

Elsewhere, we find Bribery in cahoots with Doctor Glitch

Matty Squared inside a box, he thinks there’s been a switch.

“Where are Kitty and Christine? What has transpired here?

I am not feeling at all well, am not myself, I fear.”

Elsewhere, Wendy’s hard at work when arrives the daily mail

Inside there are candid shots of a nature to assail

The character of Tracy, now seen in black and white

Doing things with Notta Tess would declare far from right.