Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for January 29, 2024

“He seems like an okay guy though. He handed me a nice boxed pen set to give to Tess. Of course I’ll take credit for it.”

Dick couldn’t see through Fata/Baxter’s ‘disguise’?…

none are so blind ad those who will not or CAN’T see, the dumb-ass…

Good morning™, everyone!

At least he knows that there is something suspicious about Bob Baxter.

JPW, care to amend you reply from yesterday? LOL!

Shelley’s illustrations today are very blah!

Sorry, Ziggy!

Typo in last panel. It’s supposed to be “I can learn from his firsthand.” Assuming there’s a character already named Firsthand.

Is there a new artist on duty in this strip? Dick Tracy’s face and hair look a little different and Pat Patton looks a little thinner than usual.

What does Baxter have to justify this background check other than being brought in as a fill-in for the main attraction?

Wouldn’t Vitamin have character references on who he allows to appear in his theater?

They haven’t done a background check yet ? And who is protecting Tess ?

Eh you say he a card but not you checks his i.d. cards yet Tracy?

Baxter’s disguise is decent, because Fata can mimic a man’s body language accurately. The police are looking for a woman, and wouldn’t immediately go to Baxter as Fata in disguise. I doubt it would bear up under really close scrutiny, but it’s adequate for her purposes. (Similar to Clark Kent and Superman—you aren’t expecting Clark to be anyone else, really.)

Oh, “Baxter” claims to have been called a number of times in the past when FM disappeared for awhile. FM said that “Baxter” was a fall back identity to use when the heat was on, and she would re-emerge when the heat was off…

So, how sloppy is FM that she needs to keep dropping out of sight? What crimes has she committed that the police were looking for her? Why have the police stopped looking for FM, so that it is safe to retire Baxter and bring FM back on the scene? Why are the police departments not sharing their wanted lists with other police departments? I mean, if there is a warrant out for unpaid traffic tickets the police in Detroit probably won’t mention it to the cops in LA. But if she’s been botching hits in other cities, or is suspected of murders in other cities all PDs in the country would know.

What crimes are so big that FM would have to go into hiding, but so small the police don’t share the information?

A skilled actress can pull off male impersonation. Check out actress Tilda Swindon as a male psychoanalyst in “Suspiria.”

MOVIE QUOTE—-

“I’m just doing a good deed, you old fart!”

Boy Scout to Burt Lancaster—-TOUGH GUYS—1986

You want a REAL disguise? Go back to 1943 and Mrs.Pruneface disguising herself to “look normal”

Worked great,too. her disguise was only revealed by accident.

If Tracy keeps coming around to the theatre EVERY DAY,our magicianess is going to get paranoid and slip up.

Tracy took his hat off? Aieee! The world is coming to an end!

CHIEF (pushing the button that summons the helpful men in the white tuxes): Sooo, you think he’s a TRANSFORMER, eh?

Ed Firsthand, the city’s fastest dispenser of passably accurate tips. Unless you ask those three hundred innocents Tracy’s railroaded into the Concrete Casa for lengthy stays, thanks to Ed’s sloppy reportage.

@firestrike1 – My sentiments exactly…well maybe a little less stringent…..nevertheless!!!….

1-DT: What did you want to discuss, Chief? CHIEF: The weather. What do you think I want to…

2-DT: Yeah, it’s colder than a witch’s teet, out there! My “boys” have been doing their impression of raisins for weeks now! I saw a dog froze to a fire hydrant by a string of iced pee. Sam’s jaws froze up mid-bite and…

3-CHIEF: I WAS BEING FACETIOUS! EXPLAIN HOW YOU LET FATA MORGANA GET AWAY SO EASILY!!!

DT: Whoa Chief. Just cause there’s snow on the roof don’t mean there ain’t still fire in the furnace! Am I right, Chief? Huh? Ain’t that right??? CHIEF: Idiot…

…cut him some slack….can’t “crack the case”TOO early, remember, THIS has GOT to drag on for at least 5 weeks……

Next: FM/Baxter and Rikki kidnaps Tracy and Fata masquerades as him. Everyone is fooled – except for the elephant! :)