Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for August 18, 2016

Tracy is going to push Abner over the edge. It’s time to yodel Farm Boy!Abner still does not know the meaning of stealth. Yes, Abner, trash talk Tracy to your death!

Too casual an exchange for a life-or-death struggle.

.Good morning guys!.Tracy jokes but the end of the first half is in sight and BMBG is here for you….Today’s half time show will offer soothing music in the fashion of Spike Jones by BMBG’s own studio musicians Neil Wick, Vista Bill, and Gweedo. Enjoy!.

Tracy will push Abner over the edge. When Tracy gets down there, Abner will have disappeared, so he can come back in six months or so.

As the world sleeps, Gweedo uttered these immortal words,Good morning Vista Bill and the whole of “Tracyville on the road crew” !-———————————————————————-.Good morning Gweedo! BMBG is here for our radio listeners and will remain on the scene of the battle as long as necessary to keep out audience informed!

Tracy, he’s got your wife. If you still have your pistol, SHOOT HIM!

As we sit by placidly, Gweedo trumpeted,I do the crank siren and clang clang sounds !-——————————————————————————.Gweedo, the question is, can you multitask?**

What happened to that knife in the first panel? did it hit the rock wall behind Tracy? I guess so, though I thought for a moment that Tracy may have shot at it with his gun.

As the world turns, Gweedo exclaimed,I get two people’s pay for it too !-——————————————————————-.So this is why BMBG cut my pay? I’m going to bed!

In the rocket’s red glare, Gweedo offered this tidbit of astounding information,No ! No !, Bill ! They cut your pay to have funds to redecorate the executive washroom !!!-——————————————————————.Dirty rats!

Looks like Tracy’s lining up to deliver a right upper-cut. That could get messy…..real messy, since Abner’s face is already falling apart.

Kidnap Tess. Meet at the Reichenbach Falls to a duel to the death. Seems fairly straightforward. I don’t see much sign of the two years of preparation.

We got a real live vaudeville act taking place right before our eyes! (Cue drums)Anyway, it doesn’t really matter, Abner will presumably die and then mysteriously reappear in 2017. We all let Mike and Joe get away with never explaining how Abner got out if the cement pool. This will probably be the same.

Great point Night-Gaunt49. Abner might not be the best at stealth, but I like it how he is decent at it while throwing campy humor at the same time.

In front of the audience, Gweedo gleefully pronounced,*No, Bill ! Clean rats !!!-——————————————————————.Hah!

Abner may find the Falls more formidable than his own death trap. When Tracy speaks of spoons he whets my appetite for some of his home made chili. Sing it, Tracy!

Question for Gweedo,Gweedo, I notice that you are promoting the “Morning Farm Report”. I ask, will Paul Harvey be joining us in the broadcast booth?

Still enjoying the Sherlockian setting for this battle, and on my birthday, too! :D

JPuzzleWhiz mercifully pleaded in all modesty,Can I supply the vocals? (Yes, I can sing!)-——————————————————————-.Certainly! BMBG accepts you generous offer, JPuzzleWhiz (ok, Gweedo?)

I prefer knives over guns… when they’re next to the soup spoon.

Tracy, you’re not even making any sense. Just shoot him and let’s move on already!

Gweedo knowledgeably enlightened us,Only if he can rise from the grave.-————————————————————————-.Gone, but never to be forgotten!

From the Comics Curmudgeon today:

I mean, why would I shoot my food, right? I could, I guess. Like if I shot my food a bunch of times, that’d break it up into bite-sized pieces. But that seems like way more work than it’s worth. Still, you know, for fighting and stuff, I think guns are the way to go.

Its the Final Problem…it never seems to end…Dick & Abner are timeless hero & villain..both shall go over the top..over the edge??

I am happy to see so much humor being bandied about by the Tracy Irregulars. Good work!

.BGMG wants to thank our loyal fans, especially avenger09 and Morrow for their continued support during our broadcast of the battle of the century. BeeGee will continue the broadcast for as long as it takes. Following the battle, we will return to the USA to begin coverage of the Rikki Mortis Story.. Today, we welcome JPuzzleWhiz who is joining us as lead singer on the show.

Gweedo, in all sincerity, inquired of me,Well, that depends, Bill. Can you get Rikki off the killing spree long enough to dig him up !?-———————————————————————.Gweedo, I must tell you, Rikki has taken leave of her senses. We are even sleeping in separate coffins these days. Fortunately, since Abner is in Europe conducting unfinished business, I was able to move into his coffin. If and when he returns, I’ll probably have to sleep on the moss on the floor.

Trifling badinage between antagonists locked in a duel to the death is as nothing compared to the remarks passed here as our broadcast team expands. Is there a studio large enough? (The trend these days of austerity is towards ever-smaller studios, some hardly larger than walk-in closets.)And where does Kadaver keep his knife-horde? Is that a greatcoat of many inner pockets/sheathes?It seems that Tracy continues to hold his fire, hoping to bring down the Faceless Fiend without shooting him. (BTW, Ken in Ohio, in the real world, there is no such thing as shooting to wound or “take him out of action”; if you are going to shoot at someone, you must assume that you may kill him; otherwise, don’t shoot.)

Abner’s using deadly force, so use your gun already, Tracy. Self defense, open and shut.

I have to say, I’m not too impressed with Tracy’s tough talk in the last panel.

The colorist did a really nice job adding the blue shadows on Abner’s gloves. A nice touch.

@Sisyphos:By the way, I learned a new word today, thanks to you – “badinage” – -Had to Google how to pronounce it, as well.

Gweedo unclouded my tired old 81+ year old brain when he stated,He means those other guys, Bill !-—————————————————————————.That puts me at ease, Gweedo. You are a guiding light for this old guy!

Gweedo posted a fitting tribute to one of radio’s finest,Turning our mics off for a 30 seconds moment of silence !-——————————————————————.My first parrot faithfully listened to Paul Harvey every morning. One did not dare disturb him when Paul Harvey was on the air. His voice mesmerized Happy (my parrot).

.A few of the BeeGee fans. They are following the battle as it progresses..Posted with permission of the Big Media Broadcasting Group (BMBG)..

I got really excited at the thought of Mattie coming back! BB has gotta get back, too! That’ll give Gweedo and Bill a well-deserved breather and also get the comments over a hundred every day. To be serious (for a minute), you folks have never lived until you have read the discussions back then. BassmanBob could crank out stories in episodes that outperformed the 3 Stooges! Mattie was the main character and would threaten to sue everyone, including the moderator and the site. It was priceless! (Sigh), gone are the days, I feel.

JPW sings nowBooth crowded like Marx Brothers filmDick’s table set sloppyComments better days of yoreFun attracted like moths/flame

Does that guy EVER have anything nice to say about a comic?

He calls himself a curmudgeon for a reason. I’m afraid I wouldn’t make a very good curmudgeon.

Gweedo picked up and ran,My absence earlier was due to having to let the repairmen in to the transmitter room to replace a broken oscillator.-————————————————————————-.Careful Gwwedo! You’re displaying our broadcasting equipment! The enemy could pick this up and duplicate it. Then we would no longer be alone in the race for broadcasting supremacy!

JPuzzleWhiz resonated,Warmin’ up the baritone pipes right now!-——————————————————————-.Stand by, JPussleWhiz. We’re on in just over an hour! 66-65-64-63…

Gweedo was inquisitive and asked,Bill ! Was the broadcast replayed throughout the day ?-————————————————————————-.If it was, my wife would have changed the station. She wasn’t one for repeats..Although Happy would probably have loved it!

Now Gweedo wants to know,Who’s crypt is it anyway, Bee ?!-—————————————————————————.It’s a condo, Gweedo. Me, Rikki, and Abner.

.Apologies for the spelling errors, guys. I went to bed early and just awoke to do the internet and GoComics. I’m more groggy than usual..I don’t like using the word “typo.”