Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for July 31, 2021

That she is. ✨

Tracy’s sure conducting an investigation now.

I’ve never come in second before on this site.

Now the plot moves along.

I remember people commenting on those apples when they were fresh. Who knew they would serve a purpose in moving the story along?

Good morning™, everyone!

The fact that Mysta didn’t take any luggage is an important clue that she probably didn’t go away on a honeymoon. Even people who elope take some clothes with them, I imagine. Besides that, Stellaluna tells us that she doesn’t travel without lots of luggage and we know very well that Vera could never force her to do anything (Zap!). The bowl of apples looks to me like it’s been there well over a week.

Good to see Tracy doing the investigating…what he notices…his logic at interpreting the clues. Good job, Mike. More of this, please.

Hmmmm. wonder what’s written in the journal in panel three?

“So, obviously, my next step is to contact TCA directly and tell them what I told GoComics.”

You’re a good man, Char..Puzzler !

Good morning™, crackly wrist radios !

Looks like Tracy is talking into the radio and then lighting up the closet. That journal looks a little convenient. Do you suppose there will be an entry mentioning the upcoming meeting at the “Archibald” residence ?

„Could Alldid have kidnapped Mysta?“

„Not likely. She’s more than a match for him.“

And yet, we know that both have been kidnapped.

Mysta doesn’t have a secretary, so no one to check here. Will Vera’s secretary be able to help?

Another issue: In the beginning (of Mysta 2.0), Retik and Stellaluna were characters vital to this iteration of Moon Maid. To me, it is a bit of a leap that, all of a sudden, they are no longer part of the scene.

This arc would appear to be a guest appearance for both of them.

Where did those flies come from?

I am sure those flies were not in that room before she brought those apples home. If the fly eggs were already on those apples when she brought them home. better think again before you bite an apple.

Something is rotten, but not in the state of Denmark.

Though they tend to move slowly overall; I really prefer a procedural in my mystery stories. Good to see the slices of life, and the procedures being done here.

Mmmph: a journal with a ball point pen poised upon the cover….take a look, perhaps?

However, having zapped him twice for flirting, the police shouldn’t rule out Vera shooting Mysta in a fit of rage after the book tour was over, dumping the body, and taking it on the lam. A more realistic scenario than an insane comic strip collector buying the ring to negate Mysta’s powers and taking them to a tropical island.

Between Mysta’s apartment and Vera’s office has to be the schedule for his book tour.

“I believe so. She’s not the kind to travel light”. After all those purchases Archival had to make to accommodate her, it will be a miracle if his private plane can get up off the runway.

In this century, no one is drugged or chioroformed anymore.

“Not likely. She’s more than a match for him”. Gee, everybody in Tracyland knows that Vera is a featherweight. He’ll never live that reputation down.

We can have a story sub plot by reading the journal for a couple of weeks.

There’s the diary with another clue in the foreground.

Gee, between the rotten fruit, the luggage left behind, and, Mysta’s journal (when Stellaluna, and, Tracy get around to reading it,) do you think there’s enough evidence to “suggest” something’s not right?

I note that Tracy didn’t discount the possibility that Vera would kidnap someone LOL!

Times like this, Dick regrets that his chiseled shnozz smells everything so keenly.

Oh look! A journal.

Something sure is rotten Dicko, this story arc. And once again, Ace reporter Neil tells us what we just read. Thanks Neil.

Looks like Tracy, finally, is going to work.

1-DT: Hello, Tess. Guess what? That rumor that Horny kept her zapping skills sharp by zapping flies looks to be TRUE! Maybe I’ll use that technique to keep the old shooting eye sharp… TESS: Like hell you will. Not in this house, buster. CLICK

2-DT: HELLO! My skills are suggesting that we’ve just located the closet and furthermore – that Horny is not hiding in it!

SVETLANA: Ooh, you’re good, Dick…

3-…so, what can you discern from the office? DT: I discern that it seems inappropriate for you to be here at what may be a crime scene.

SVETTY: Oh, you think it might be the case? Yuck. That may be enough to dissuade me from moving into this beautiful suite should Horny never return… NOPE, I’m ok with it. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a lot of thigh-high boots to try on.

DT: Oh? SHAA_WINGGGG! Hmmm, bad day to have worn my hot weather “pants” *

ALSO – A warm welcome back to Jaz who disappeared from the Comments for a bit! Now to find out where SixAm’s gotten off too…

If Stellaluna appears in tomorrow’s strip, what color will she be?

Ooooh, look! Tracy committed “cop humor” in panel 1. The closet is not bare in panel 2. And while Tracy wryly but accurately comments in panel 3 that Mysta could easily whip Vile Alldone’s a$$, he/we also observe the Journal that may very well provide highly pertinent information. The Great Detective is detecting (with input from cute but still mis-colored little Stellaluna), and all is right with the Tracyverse today. Excelsior!

I’m catching up with the strip. I have a spotty record when it comes to reading comic strips, especially this one.

I didn’t really read the strip at all until 2017, with the first appearance of Svengoolie. I read the strip daily for a few months, but eventually gave up again. But I also went back to Gocomics’ first strip in 2001. I am now exactly 5 years behind, reading about Tracy and Tess in Europe while being stalked by Abner Kadaver. Coincidentally, I started reading every day again this year with the death of Kadaver. I’m wondering what I’ll do when I finally catch up all the way. I’ve gotten used to reading 7 Tracy strips a day. There are other strips; I guess I’ll read a few others. (I’m also reading 3 cancelled strips, Annie, Ink Pen and Little Nemo.) That’s a long way away, though. At a rate of 7 a day, it’ll take me another year to fully catch up!

Okay,in a snail mail to the creators I figured out “the luggage clue” long ago.And yeah,she’s more than a match for him.Blindfolded while eating bananas.Used to be known as “PASS THE JELLY”,completely ignorant of computers and managed to get back in by sheer accident using this totally unimaginative name.But it’s good to be back.I can only keep track of the strip on my work computer.