Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for August 11, 2021

Is Mysta glowing?

Good morning™, blacklighters!

Sam is searching with UV light which makes it easy to spot human bodily fluids, like tears, sweat, etc. Tracy (also with UV light?) enters that darkened room where Vera and Mysta were staying until the movers took away all the furniture. I believe that the secret entrance to the safe room is off this room. Also, there’s something shiny on the other side of the otherwise empty room.

Now does our collector pull a gun?

Note to the MC: Ultraviolet light is not all that yellow. The bluish glow of the wall sconce lamps in the safe room on Sunday were probably closer the the violet end of the spectrum.

I found a picture that might be a little like the one that were depicted:

https://image.lampsplus.com/is/image/cropped/26513cropped.fpx?qlt=75&wid=274&hei=274&op_sharpen=1&resMode=sharp2&fmt=.jpg

WAIT FOR IT!

HOLD ON TO SOMETHING!

BRACE YOURSELF!

DON’T READ ANY FUTHER IF YOUR NAME IS JIM!

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The door in panel two can’t close properly based on position of the door hinges.

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THIS NITPICKING MOMENT IN HISTORY WAS BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE “FRIENDS OF NITPICKERS SOCIETY” CANADIAN CHAPTER HEADED BY THE HONORABLE NEIL WICK!

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EXTRA BONUS NITPICK,,,

WHAT HAPPENED TO SAM’S TOOTHPICK???

Good morning™, rumpled rug finders !

Tracy’s about to hit the jackpot. Tracy calls out for Sam in a pitched tone. Sam’s ears perk up, like a German Shepard, and he goes bounding in Tracy’s direction while Brock slyly sneaks out.

Aha! A clue!

Panel three looks odd. What is that behind the door? I can’t tell….

Yes!

Panel 1 Why ultraviolet…wouldn’t infrared be better in searching for homeotherms?

Back in the seventies, Diet developed a lamp that would allow the police to pull foot print samples from the carpeting. (Okay so it was a Little Big Book) And my first thoughts were 1) Brock is acting like the killers in Columbo—all smug and thinking he got away with it, and Sam’s an idiot. and 2) MAN! that is REALLY deep pile carpet…

Archival is worried about Sam recording? Is that because of evidence he might find, or because he’s worried about illicit copies of his rare artwork? The latter reason would be equally in character.

A High-heel mark? Gee I’m just guessing or a button?

Perhaps Tracy has found a strand of Mysta’s poorly-colored hair. Who knew that the MC could come in handy? It was all part of the story.

“That’s a police wrist device!”— I see Brock’s pulling exposition duty today.

Aha! Clues! The scuffing of the carpet, and, what the (probable) high intensity light from Tracy’s wrist device, seem to have lead him to the door to the space where Mysta and Alldid are being kept.And, Archival, why are you seemingly surprised that Sam (and, Tracy,) are wearing, (and, using,) wrist devices? You did your research into Mysta (and, Alldid.) That research should have lead to to her friends. And, if you studied Tracy (and, his team,) at all, you would’ve found (at least,) the public information about the wrist devices, and, how Tracy’s team ALWAYS wears them.

Lot of traffic in the room…yep! Due to moving Archival’s collections.

Hmm…somebody dropped something…could it be a clue?

A little UV light will reveal some prints other than Archival and his staff? Sam and Tracy did not bring a fingerprint kit with them. Maybe they did, now which one is going to the squad car to get it.

Tracy spots a clue?

1-STAN: So it’s true what they say about you – that you couldn’t find your ass with both hands and a flashlight.

SAM: Well, Mr. Smarty Pants, as you can see – I DON’T HAVE BOTH HANDS AVAILABLE because one is using the flashlight! So THERE!

2-DT: Hmmm. Stan Lee said this is the bathroom…let’s see… light switch click

3-YUCK! CARPET IN THE BATHROOM! I don’t even want to imagine what’s been trapped in those fibers over the years. Never mind. I’ll just hold it…

A secret room like in Sherlock Holmes’ “The Norwood Builder” (^.^). hmmm could that flash be from Mysta? We shall see

“It can’t be… but it is! A 1909 S VDB Lincoln Head penny! It must be Very Fine at the least!”

Gee thanks Neil, I wouldn’t have seen that rather large pointy flash in the lower right hand corner if you hadn’t mentioned it. Capt. Obvious strikes again

Ah, Tracy and Sam actually doing detective work!

In attempting to escape from his mansion,Archival gets his head caught in an ivy vine…or did they do that already?Always nice to see expert cops on the snoop.We can avoid all those “What do you do with Archival after you catch him?” questions by having him die a typically gruesome Tracy villain death.

THE FLINTHEART PLAYHOUSE is a new creation.

What became of Viatmin’s original property,the dinner theatre where B.U.TIFFIL starred?

Ha ha…..ha ha HA!!

FUNNY MOMENTS IN DICK TRACY

“Do we call for a body bag or a record sleeve?”—-SAM CATCHEM,1980’S.

Sometimes the little things can lead to finding bigger things.

Yes, Tracy; what is that? (We have been teased.) The deep pile carpeting is convenient, and the UV light in “police wrist devices” even more so. Something is exposed in the corner of the dark room, and I expect Tracy will be checking it out. Even by tomorrow, he may find the secret doorway to the hidden safe room where the hostages are being held by two Tin Soldiers (you are allowed to recall a Billy Jack song)….