Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for July 25, 2023

“I’ll give him one of these Tic Tacs. That’ll calm him down.”

Good morning™, somber tones !

Sabs is definitely breaking. Did she ever give thought that a little ‘harmless’ telephone ‘pranking’ could go so south ?

Elsewhere… Has Susan gotten the news yet ?  That would be her cue to “bugout”.

Audie is a former Boy Scout before they kicked him out as he was scamming fellow would-be scouts back then to get merit badges for tasks required by him but never performed…

“be prepared"…

now he’s prepared for Mad Maddy…

Good morning™, guys!

Well, it seems that Anders called Audie to complain about Dick Tracy investigating and then Audie sent Madsen to deliver Anders’ share of the money. I had thought that Madsen’s arrival was not directly related to the phone call, but it seems that it was.

If Audie & Sabrina had any brains, they’d roll up this fly-by-nite phone scam operation in a heartbeat & high tail it out of town before a) the cops tie them in to the Anders shooting or b) Madsen returns to collect his money then kills them to cover his tracks, but since when did any of the characters in this story do the smart thing other than when Chik Tracy II warned Gravel Plenty she was being phone scammed?

Madsen is like the terminator. He’ll be back.

Audie’s last name…Ball? Brother to Screw and Cue?

Should be interesting what transpires!

Who arrives at the old TV station first, Tracy or Madsen?

She’s such a Debbie Downer, you’d think she was firestrike’s girlfriend!

Or Gweedo’s main goat!

So, as Madsen never left the largely empty call center (going by my scrip), I assume this is at another locale. Starting to make a little sense to me.

Sabrina asking if Madsen will come back, has to be a rhetorical question. One, Madsen wants the money that Audie was supposed to pay him. Two. If Madsen doesn’t come back, Mike has to find a different way to advance the plot.

….Geeze, THIS running dialogue is like…….T.V!……..in P3, Sabby’s face expression is reminiscent of the hapless wife who has to admit to hubby that she botched tonight’s dinner……..oh wail……….

he’s ready for him, he’ll gang up on him with all his other personalities.

The best laid plans . . .

It doesn’t matter…there will be more filler nonsense to come………..

MOVIE QUOTE—

“So long, Eddie. And Happy New Year”

Humphrey Bogart to James Cagney

THE ROARING TWENTIES—1939

And at the crucial showdown, Audie has a complete breakdown when he can’t open the child proof cap on his pills.

Love Sabrina’s hang-dog expression in Panel 3. She’s wondering why she didn’t take up muffin baking instead.

EVERYBODY will show up at the same time—Madsen will freak when he sees Tracy and Dick will save Audie the trouble

1-SABRA: You can’t shut me up with cheap tricks!

2-AUDIE: I know. It’s just…sniff…

3-…my puppy got run over yesterday and,,,sniff…I really miss the little guy. SABRA: AWH! Why didn’t you say so? What can I do to help? AUDIE: HA! If tricks and shiny objects don’t work – go the sympathy route! I guess you could take my car in for an undercarriage wash – there’s puppy parts all over under there.

SABRA: Of course! Wait. YOU ran over him? *Oh,eh… a little bit.

TOMORROW? Sam is kidnapped by aliens from the plaet Koosbain!

But “Niabsook” makes no sense

I am completely lost in this story…

8:22 pm, est and ONLY 57 comments???

Did the strip finally put everyone to sleep???

Poor cousin Sabrina has been drained of all hope and bravado. She is just plain afraid. Big bald bad cousin Audie is more resigned to whatever Fate may hold, and claims to be “prepared” for Madsen, should he return. (Would that mean well-armed and fully alert?)

BTW, Anders got “his cut,” all right. It just wasn’t what he wanted or expected. —Just a slug of hot lead….

I’m gone for a few days and the plot has hardly budged?