Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for March 26, 2021

Good morning™, all!

Mr. Bellum finally has a first name! That’s useful because his son is also Mr. Bellum. Anyway, it seems that he has a lot of control over the affairs of 1312 Bedwell. Meanwhile, Pouch and Tiger Lilly are indeed saying nothing, as we expected.

Yet another character to join the party. Woo Hoo!

The wrap up is going to be a huge let down, just you wait and see.

Changed my avatar to a picture of me from one of my bands nursing home concerts. Feel free to laugh, I brought it upon myself! LOL!

I see Pouch is playing Spaßmacher here!

Good morning™, information gatherers !

Despite his burning desire to get the property, Steph, has been a good brother in helping with expenses at Bellum manor. Tracy doesn’t buy that l’il ol’ innocent me act for a second. It almost looks like Tiger is trying to be helpful tho’ the symbolic paper isn’t telling me anything.

HAHAHAHAHA

Go to love the obvious lying face on Pouch.

As pure as the driven slush…..

“Stephan”? What a bizarre name! Why isn’t he named something sensible like Pouches, Tiger Lily or Aquarius?

Is that a bandage on Tiger Lily’s head… or is he trying to work on makeup for Phantom of the Opera?

Interesting last set of panels. Paul knows nothing (of course), and Tiger Lilly wants peace? Talk about running around in circles.

Character #? and so it goes………..

So TL came up with something that he handed to the Detective. Looks like a Peace Symbol

1-DOLL FACE: Well, Motorhead didn’t fall for the Catch and Release confession trick.

SAM: Apropos of nothing, have you ever noticed my resemblance to Frenchy, aka Tiger Lilly. Same face spots. Same red eyes. DOLL: Well, now that you mention it.

SAM: Apropos of nothing, do you think this guy is hot? DOLL: Well, now that you mention it.

2-DT: Dammit Mel! I know you can talk. Knock off the mute act!

3-TRACY’S DAUGHTER: You drew the footprint of the American chicken? + No? Oh! Your captor had this symbol on the back of his jacket! That’s not helpful at all. Everybody in Tracyville has that kind of cool jacket…

+ I remember the male teachers in my High School were sharing mimeographed peace signs with the words “footprint of the American chicken” back in 1968. They thought it was hilarious.

Tiger’s peace symbol is to show the officer (who had no idea what a peace symbol was) what was on the head scarf of one of his attackers.

Tiger is in interesting position. They know he dumped Bill’s body (which is a crime – you can’t, “I was just cleaning up the park.”) and should be suspected of the murder (although at the moment the police lack proof). The police know he is an assault and kidnapping victim, but if he reveals too many details of that he can be charged with burglary… (I don’t think they need to level an additional charge of trespassing, I think that is understood with the burglary charge.)

Just bat them extra-long lashes at a paper tiger, Lee…..shucks, he might be more cooperative……..

This pose of Pouch reminds me of Big Moose from Archie comics…“duh” and the singer Shaggy who is currently the commercial for a potato chip…“wasn’t me”. In panel four…Tiger Lily is going to serve up somebody. Might as well since he is at the bottom of the pile.

wHICH will end first, this tale or the pandemic? Get your bets down now. And thanks again Neil, for pointing out what we can read.

Got my first Covid vaccine dose today. Next one in 3 weeks.

While Lizz and Sam converse over coffee and Sam reveals that “Big Bellum” has a name, Stephan [as in Pastis; but i won’t go there: too much risk of PUNishment), Tracy and Lee question the other birds, Paul Pouch, who gives Tracy a transparently phony, “li’l ol’ innocent me” look, and tough guy Tiger Lilly, who hands Lee a sketch of the Peace Sign he saw on the back of the pink hoodie of the guy who had him slapped around and locked down in the root cellar. It may not be much, but is is something that could be helpful, eventually.

I’d almost say we have a 4-panel set of Good Guy-Bad Guy close-ups, except that that would require Sam in panel 1 to play the part of Bad Guy, which in no way fits him; so, instead, in panel 2 he flashes a picture of Stephan Bellum, making panels 1 and 2 an emphatic statement that SB fits the Bad Guy paradigm….

Looks like our boy is still happening.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CMnUhQohehJ/

Looks like Sam got a haircut.

I don’t know why these two men are being harassed and bullied by Tracy and associates. I can see by Pouch’s eyes that he’s only trying to help. Tiger Lilly, although socially challenged, seems to be a nice guy, and was only trying help Pouch get his balloon back. Although killing “Dollar Bill” and dumping him in the river could be seen by some as anti-social, I’m sure there was never any real malicious intent.

I thought Auntie Bellum was paying the freight for the commune. Joe & Mike should have wrapped this storyline up several weeks ago, while it was still interesting & coherent.