Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for January 19, 2023

Good morning™, all!

Finally the right strip. If you missed yesterday, here it is again.

https://i.postimg.cc/5ttH5x2y/dt20230118.png

A “speargun,” that’s what it’s called. As far as I understand, those are now considered a prohibited weapon in Canada. Tracy does move far when duty calls. As long as he doesn’t have any “jet lag,” he should be able to take over the investigation of Paul’s murder, because I sure that Wunbrow’s “business” in Panama City is an unrelated investigation of his own which he will need to get back to.

I have to comment on “Saludos amigos,” although In the first place, “amigos” can’t be plural unless you are talking to more than one person. Also, I’m no Spanish expert, but “saludos” (“greetings”) is not, as far as I know, something you say when you are saying goodbye. Something like “Chao amigo” or “¡Hasta pronto amigo!” (“see you soon, friend”) would make a lot more sense. Please, writers of the strip, if you are going to put in dialog that is in Spanish, find a Spanish speaker to look it over.

now how does Wunbrow know that an assassin was waiting for Paul?… what, he heard it through the grapevine?…

Don’t let them embalm a murder victim? I guess Tracy really has a low opinion of the local cops.

Boy, today’s strip sure has a morbid touch. Not sure why Tracy feels the need to personally investigate Chandler’s murder down in Florida, when he seems to have a big clue (found by Blaze, remember) linking him to Art Dekko in Tracyville that could be followed up on.

Good morning™, still missing strip from yesterday !

I wonder if the hard copy readers will get a double panel with yesterday’s on top. If they get the same as we get here then they are missing an essential part of the story. Wotta buncha goofs ! …Whoever they are.

“Chicago” to Panama City, Panama is a lot longer than 3 hours…6 by plane direct. Unless Diet got a new space coop from the Moon Leader….

Since Dekko was planning to cheat both of his partners out of their shares of the money anyways, why would it matter anyways, if Paul had expected a bigger share? Killing him made no sense at all…..other than to help Tracy solve the case I guess, lol

Wunbrow must use several cell phones of different colors.

How can there be any witnesses if the beach was deserted?

Mike’s pacing issues inevitably lead to plot holes such as what we see in this story.

So this was all a big scam to give Dick Tracy a holiday!

Shouldn’t it be “… it appears an assassin was waiting for him with a spear gun.”?

Personally I would have used the word assailant because story wise he doesn’t know for a fact that he was assassinated so it’s just conjecture on his part.

Tracy says "Keep him on ice until I get there!

So is Wunbrow on the Panama City force or no? I note he’s not touching any of the collected evidence. Also—Happy Birthday to Joe Staton!!

Tracy has no jurisdiction there.

It was clearly death by homicide so they are not going to be doing anything final to the body for a while.

I still say the assassin should have just grabbed and ankle and pulled him under. with an aqualung he can just wait him out, then a drown body washes in with the tide-tragedy but won’t trigger an investigation like harpooning does.

Surf City, here we come.

“No, it was no accident. His name was engraved on the spear, next to a little poorly-executed skull which resembled either potato or Bullwinkle. It was misspelled, though. He much haven been SO insulted during is last moments.”

He should be called Inspector Unaceja.

1-WUNBROW: This is your pal, Wunbrow. I just floated into town. Panama City to be specific. I’m looking at spear that was used to kill someone. It’s engraved with the name “Kripto” and a message that reads – IF FOUND RETURN TO THE FOLLOWING ADDRESS OR CALL THE NOTED NUMBER I don’t know where to begin, Dick. HELP!

2-DT: On my way. Check out the thong sitch on the beach for me. Also. How fresh is the meat? Rancid smells really engage my braincells for some reason.

3-WUNBROW: Well, the vic laid on the hot beach for awhile so you’ll be fully engaged. In the meantime, we’re rousting everyone in P.C. who looks like they smoke pot so we’ll have 30 or 40 thousand perps for you to question when you get here. DT: GOOD THINKING, WUN! I too am thinking this might be a case of … REEFER MADNESS ON THE REEF!

@firestrike1 – How else?

Told you so. If he had just dragged him under and drowned him, there would be no investigation.

You don’t ACCIDENTALLY get shot with a spear gun.

Panel 1—is Wunbrow looking down into the coffin/morgue slab and actually feeling sorry for Paul?

TESS—-“You went to Florida without ME??”

MOVIE QUOTE—-

“Don’t worry about him,he’s harmless.I had him released from an asylum in ALabama”

Jay C.Flippen—CARNIVAL STORY—1954

3 hours to get to Panama by plane? When did Tracy move to southern Mexico? You could pick any number of hours, Mike. Why go so ridiculous?

Interestingly GC hasn’t replaced yesterdays mistaken repeat with the correct one, which they’ve done in the past when there has been a mistake like that or that the strips weren’t put in, like recently here on DT where they weren’t for several days.

Wouldn’t the authorities try to see if Paul had any next of kin before rushing to embalm him? Not to be facetious but gee whiz does the morgue have a waiting list?

So many people for Tracy to question when he gets to Panama City…they probably were given a number. I trust there will be enough seats in the waiting room to accomodate them.

Add to list of obscure characters I’d like to see

Junior’s 1938 childhood friend Brighton Spotts;who invented “gurning” long before the word was officially coined.

I like this mutual aid among crime fighters.

Detective “Why the heck is he _there?”_ Wunbrow is doing all the grunt-work, and Tracyville’s Chief of Detectives will get all the credit when the case is broken. Seems fair.

Life is not always fair in Dick Tracy. Just ask any of numerous characters, currently alive or currently dead, such as Paul Chandler (dead, you know. Skewered. Note to the wise: Never go on a solo early morning swim if you are a Dick Tracy character!)….