Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for September 21, 2013

Hy is going to have low blood pressure real soon!

Built-in flashlight!

The lights are out. Hy Pressure has a gun. Tracy, Sam and Junior are looking for him. Mysta and Sparkle are who knows where, along with Pop and Nellie. The two gangs are squaring off outside. The rain is pouring, the lightning flashing. The Space Coupe is approaching.Wouldn’t this be a good time for a piece of rhubarb pie?(Sorry, Prarie Home Companion flashback there…)What I meant to say was, it’s all gonna happen tomorrow!

Looks like the shoutout’s about to begin! Wonder who will be left standing when it’s all over?

Hmmmm…. supposedly the sniper is waiting for Nellie to pass by that window, and Hy’s ponytail looks similar to hers….maybe Charma will give us some ironic justice?

so good…

Uh-oh! Pressure’s got his gun drawn and no-one can see where he is. Someone’s going to get shot at, no matter how much caution they exercise. I love the art in the last panel. The wrist flashlight is great, too.

They were just about to cuff him when the lightning struck the transformer, so I’m sure nobody has had a chance to search him yet.

If Pressure had a clue he’d forget about the gun and find an exit!

Bullets start flying tomorrow, I expect. Who will make the mistake of walking in front of that window and thus simultaneously providing a target for the sniper outside and a silhouette for Hy Pressure to shoot at inside?

I hope there isn’t a death in the Tracy family.

What sniper? Pressure brought along Doubleup, BB Eyes and Mumbles. There isn’t a sniper among them.

The sniper was established earlier, but we haven’t seen him lately. Hy may or may not have him standing by this time. (But plotwise, the sniper is almost certainly hidden nearby.

Yes, Tracy takes a risk. At the same time he provides light so Sam and Lizz (and Junior?) can see if they have a target. He is not waving his wrist wizard, he is targeting its light so as to illuminate the room. Smart and gutsy. The third panel of Pressue alone in a room with gun raised is priceless. A perfect panel to raise the tension even higher. Hurry up Sunday!

I thought the sniper would do his thing if Wheaton refused to sell. But Hy came with the check, thinking Pop was selling. Was Hy gonna buy the farm and then have a sniper shoot Nellie? If so, then he needs to get sniped. C’mon Sniper! Steady now….. about 5 inches in front of the ponytail….. hold your breath…… s-q-u-e-e-z-e.

My firsts thought…it’s going to be Sam or Liz that we lose. But it could be Junior or someone else.

I really can’t believe how Mike and Joe (and Shelley and Shane) have been able to build the tension in this story.Here we are, heading into the climax, and we still have unanswered questions and mysterious motives.This is their best Tracy tale yet.

Good afternoon all…

Not a doubt in my mind that Sunday’s strip will be one of the best ever!

I first heard the late, great Jazz pianist, Tommy Flanagan, on John Coltrane’s Giant Steps (1960). Three years earlier they played together on a wonderful album, The Cats. Flanagan also makes a very strong impression on Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis’ 1976 opus, Straight Ahead. The album closes with “Watch What Happens,” and I will certainly be doing exactly that as this wonderful, epic story continues.

Posted this 3 hours ago after seeing you at Gasoline Alley: “Glad to see you back, GM. Now, how about a grand re-appearance on the DT board. Your comments were appreciated.”Welcome home, Gweedo!

I think some of you are under the impression that Hy Pressure brought along B-B Eyes, Double Up, & Mumbles. He didn’t. The Apparatus sent them to make sure he gets the job done. You can guess what happens if he doesn’t. He’ll get whipped into a shape, probably pretzel or Swiss cheeze.

Yes, I realized that. Still, the reference sent me to the turntable and soon Mr. Flanagan was making music at the ivories, 88 Keyes having nothing on him. Is it Sunday yet?

I can’t see them doing away with either Sam Or Lizz. Those characters have been a part of the strip for decades.

I could see one of them being near-fatally wounded, with a story of their recovery being a major part of the narrative through next year.