Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for August 31, 2014

I hope everyone has a safe & happy Labor Day!

I read the mail today, oh boy: second secret false fan letterWager on action from the MCU, if ye be a bettor.An innocent interfered with, townsfolk hypnotizedPhotos reveal inhabitants, vivid vantage of night skies.Tracy is not drowned or lost, no trip to Davey’s lockerOn Thunder Island he walks a beat: news that is a shocker.Helping hands are happy hands, Fritz Ann gives Sam the eyeA restricted area has been breached, ‘tis time to do or die.Elsewhere, Tracy’s on the job, no hair falls to the floorAt the local Barber Shop a closed sign on the door.Post Office shuttered for the day, friends are helping KenyonAnnie gathers up the eggs, the lab now her dominion.Reveals surprise in her blank eyes to find Mason and JaegerBeakers and a microscope, looks of surprise do greet her.Standing there, tries not to stare, yet she must question, “Why?”Gathering intelligence, she’s a courageous, savvy spy.

Annie got that letter out in the nick of time!

“Leapin’ Lizards”’ indeed!

Good morning fellow DT and Annie Fans!

I hope Sam and Fritz Ann are keeping their minds on Thunder Island!

Good morning, all!I’m surprised to see Emil the barber with a test tube, and the postmaster at a microscope.Just what is Prof. Kenyon’s project?

Night-Gaunt & GweedoThanks for your comments yesterday.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQ9-rmal9r0

I theorized a few days ago that the barber, Mr. Mason, was just as hypnotized as the other villagers, but it now appears that I probably wasn’t right. I now think that Emil Mason and Postmaster Jaeger are fully awake and working for Axel. That could explain how the mail gets to the outside world, if the postmaster is part of Axel’s plan. If he’s fully aware of what Axel is doing, he could easily meet with outside mail workers. I think that whoever kidnapped Tracy also knows quite a bit about how the whole operation works.

Good morning to all, and happy Labor/Labour Day weekend.No mystery here… the post office is always closed on Sundays, and I would bet that barber shops did the same in the 1940s.This would not arouse suspicion among the townspeople since they are still brainwashed, but Tracy and Annie know better.

Thank You, Pequod77! A tribute to the Beatles “A Day In The Life”! Classic!

The shaded fellow with a hat and newspaper outside the Barber shop seems to be watching.

And in panel 2, someone is sneakin’ round the corner, keeping an eye on our hero.

Looks like Mason and Jaeger are helping Kenyon in his research (note Mason holding test tubes or containers and Jaeger at microscope in last panel, mentioned by Pequod77 in his verses and by NightShade09). The skulker seeming to read a newspaper (mentioned by holiday76, blunebottle, and Neal Wick above) resembles the Asp: coincidence?Things are coming to a head in Simmons Corners; I hope the cavalry arrives in time!

Quick note: the FBI was called just “Bureau of Investigation” back in 1917; it didn’t pick up the “Federal” part until the 1930s.

The mysterious guy with the hat in panel 2 was also in the crowd in last Sunday’s strip, wearing his hat at night. And no, I don’t think it’s the Asp.

And, since Annie walked into something she was not supposed to, I think we can expect to see her captured and hogtied tomorrow.

Happy Labor Day weekend fans. Strange place to fine the barber and postmaster. Tracy’s questions lead me to believe that it is not Sunday nor Monday on Thunder Island.

I wonder if Professor Kenyon’s work is in germ warfare. It would explain why he needs so many eggs.

There’s no action in this story,Eight Days a Week! LOL! Another tribute to the Beatles! Yeah yeah yeah!

Just obeying the voice on the radio…

PQ, you absolutely outdo yourself every time, and on short notice. I don’t know if the others notice, but you position on the timeline means you do it in a few minutes. Awesome! Thanks! I miss a lot of clues in the artwork unless you point them out for me!

It appears Mason and Jaegar are chemists undercover. What are they creating for Axel?

Am I the only one to see an Abbott and Costello reference?Lou Costello would always call out, “Hey, Abbott!” (making the name 3 syllables).Just reminded by Tracy’s, “Hey, Mr. Abbott.”

Really nice art today, especially that glowing oven, with no black lines.I doubt if that could have been done before computer “inking.”

Henrik?

It seems likely that until this story, 1932 was the last time Tracy was seen wielding a baton. He’d soon become a plainclothesman. I’m enjoying the time spent on Thunder Island. The playful use of the 1944 era is a creative change of scenery, while the tantalizing possibility of time travel lurks for a future story. Research continues off-panel at Smith Industries, and Warbucks assures Smith that he is not alone in exploring this audacious field of scientific inquiry. Meanwhile, Kenyon’s research may be nearing fruition. Are his helpers also hypnotized, or do they do Axel’s bidding with clear minds? .Tracy and Annie play dumb with Axel, even as they gather facts and get a second letter through to the Plentys. The MCU is on the case with “unofficial” help from Hotshot Charlie, Punjab, Asp and Mr. Am. We see detective work on two fronts with tension simmering. The MCU is now fully focused on Thunder Island, with Fritz Ann cutting away red tape to set the stage for action. I find this crossover to be very successful.

Thanks to Jonathan K., cpalmeresq (pleased you noted the Beatles nod), Neil Wick, Willy007, Chris Sherlock, Ray Toler, morrow and mzkdad for the kind words. Much appreciated!

This is a great strip to follow. You just never know around here what’s gonna happen next….Great poem PQ77..

Not quite. Charles Joseph Bonaparte, one of the last of the American Bonapartes, was Teddy Roosevelt’s Attorney General from 1906 until the end of Roosevelt’s term of office in March 1909, not the director of the Bureau of Investigation, but rather his boss.. Napoleon I was his great uncle. The direct American Bonaparte line died out with the deaths of Charles and his brother Jerome, although Jerome’s daughter had numerous descendants.

And then …They tied her up ..And then …They threw her on the railroad track ..And then ..And then ..

Not sure if Emil has a look of surprise at being discovered or if it’s just the zombie trance.

I think the rounded mouth and raised eyebrows definitely indicate surprise. I could be wrong but those cues don’t at all seem like a zombie trance to me.

Just when some people thought we were already past the climax of this story, today’s developments seem to indicate possible new story complications. If Annie becomes somehow confined and not able to roam freely through the town, Tracy’s escape plan is going to require considerable revision.

I read the mail today, oh boy: second secret false fan letter

Wager on action from the MCU, if ye be a bettor.

An innocent interfered with. Town folk hypnotized

Photos reveal inhabitants; vivid vantage of night skies.

Tracy is not drowned or lost, no trip to Davey’s locker

On Thunder Island he walks a beat: news that is a shocker.

Helping hands are happy hands. Fritz Ann gives Sam the eye

A restricted area has been breached. ’Tis time to do or die.

Elsewhere, Tracy’s on the job. No hair falls to the floor

At the local Barber Shop a closed sign on the door.

Post Office shuttered for the day. Friends are helping Kenyon

Annie gathers up the eggs, the lab now her dominion.

Reveals surprise in her blank eyes to find Mason and Jaeger

Beakers and a microscope. Looks of surprise do greet her.

Standing there, tries not to stare, yet she must question, “Why?”

Gathering intelligence, she’s a courageous, savvy spy.