Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for May 23, 2021

Night of theatre approaches, anticipation rising

What happens at the Patterson is bound to be surprising.

Apt pupil is young Honeymoon. She’s learning of the Bard

Crystal a good friend to have. Tween years can be so hard.

Rikki incognito. Such a vision to behold

Orders up a private booth, so elegant and bold.

Caliban costume is blazing hot. Melds monster and man

Rikki notes all that she sees, begins to hatch a plan.

Kadaver on the sidelines. Expects to strike tomorrow

Drop chatty Charlie swift and clean. Cause his loved ones sorrow.

Rikki calls to clue him in. She’s at the dress rehearsal

A deadly gal with skills and means to deal a harsh reversal.

Wow, the Sunday coloring is way different than the daily. Unless Rikki has another disguise set.

Good morning™, all!

Well, it’s dress rehearsal night finally and Rikki has news for Abner, but the most notable thing is that her skin makeup and eye colour are the same as usual. I’m sure that the person who colorizes the black and white weekday strips had access to today’s strip, so I don’t understand why her skin and eyes were the wrong shade the last two days.

Neil Wick did repair work about 1 hour ago

That link didn’t work. I think this is it:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E15K3snXoAUm00E?format=jpg

Thanks for the fix. It worked when I test drove it but such as these things are…

Good morning™, hokey story plotters !

Looks like she knows something so hot she had to call the boss. How would she know there is a dress rehearsal going on at this moment and what special hallway did she wander down to see whatever it is she must have seen ie; Charlie, to get her on the phone so urgently ?

I thought it was a closed session. I know she isn’t calling just to say “I got the booth”.

At the Patterson House, do they use Patterson filters? (https://www.gocomics.com/dogeatdoug/2021/05/23)

I am starting to wonder if Charlie 21 is a plant. To lure Tracy to his doom?

It is not everyday that I get to see a custom made telephone. Wonder if those are imitation bones or were animal cadavers used.

If Rikki is calling Abner from behind some curtains, did she sneak into the section where the tickets were purchased? Unless she whispers, someone in the crew might get suspicious. Risky behavior will catch up with her.

“Man, this suit is hot”. Gosh, is the theater company trying to keep the costs down to the point that they cannot turn on the air conditioner?

Charlie 21 seems so grateful to attend a dress rehearsal, opening night won’t mean a lot to him.

Besides he can get Vitamin’s autograph, oh wait a minute….no programs available. Theater company might make an exception for him. Maybe they have some advance copies.

First there was the bat phone, now the bone phone….

Abner’s bone phone is pretty unique!, Dave1960!

Ringo Fonebone’s bone phones….A MAD device…

Don’t remember if it’s been mentioned, but…

Caliban is an anagram for cannibal, or more precisely canibal, as it was spelled in Hakluyt’s Voyages, which had been around for almost 30 years when The Tempest appeared.

Wait – they didn’t start ticket sales until the day of the dress rehearsal?

Wait – the actor who plays Caliban had never had a costume fitting until the dress rehearsal?

Wait – the actor who plays Caliban is still learning his lines at the dress rehearsal?

Or, conversely: Wait – the actor doesn’t realize the point of a dress rehearsal is to run through the play in normal order and thinks it’s okay to talk with a stage manager?

There would also be other people at the dress rehearsal to watch it, it isn’t done in a vacuum. A couple logic holes can be resolved by saying we aren’t seeing the dress rehearsal – it is scheduled to start in a half hour or so and we are watching preliminary fidgeting (and whining by the Caliban actor who always reminds everybody his costume is a pain – and he’s reading a copy of Dune and not the script). We might also imagine that Rikki has snuck into the theater to spy out the situation before Abner targets Charlie on opening night. But no ticket sales until the day of dress rehearsal still makes as much sense as a chicken with dentures and we’re left wondering where Honeymoon’s class trip to the play, or the girls painting their toenails works into the plot.

If Charlie 21 were to die AFTER giving grand jury testimony but before the trial does that mean everyone walks?

How did Rikki go from a hot blonde to a redhead with very pale skin?

Oops, her white skin is back and has red hair now………….or not?

“And they’re running three vintage Daffy Duck cartoons before the play! You’ve got to some SEE these! Oh, and Vitamin’s having conniptions about THAT.”

Rikki’s wig changed color and so did her skin tone.

Shucks…..changedher appearance slightly again….there must be switches on the disguise…….

I invite anyone trying to follow the twists of the plot to review the post I made yesterday, suggesting that Rikki might hear or see something about the plan to get Charlie in to attend the Dress Rehearsal and so phone Kadaver! Voilà!

It is not clear how Rikki got inside the Patterson (if she is inside as she phones Abner). But as the actors and crew mill about and get geared up for the dress rehearsal, which will begin later, she sees that Kadaver needs to get his cadaver over there pronto if he wants to scratch Charlie 21 (and maybe Tracy, too, as a personal perk).

And from what we’re seeing and hearing of whiny Caliban, it may come about that the actor will doff the costume for a moment’s respite from the heat, only to sustain Kadaver-ous “heat stroke,” such that Abner will don the costume to facilitate his revived hit opportunity!

The new movie an extra-terrestrial called Abner by mistake "ET phone bone!

The real fun of this strip is reading posts from folk who continually try to make sense of this endless, disconnected, almost stagnant tale. Keep it up fanboys.

seeing that phone now I want to watch Filmation’s Ghostbusters intro. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5jcJ6mtg7s

As to the access of the public to the theater during dress, local TV news crews could also be inside to get several minutes of video to use while promoting the show beforehand.

1-BUG MAN: Man Clip, this play is so boring! I’m glad Sugar Daddy is too blind to see me reading a book while he’s “performing.

CLIP BORED:* Yeah, but you miss a lot of your cues. BUG: That’s ok – he’s deaf too. He just assumes I said my lines.

2-DT: HA! You look like you’re about to hand out graduation diplomas! SUGAR DADDY: I WISH! I could meet my next wife that way.

3-CHARLIE: Should I take off my glasses – you know – to disguise my appearance.

SAM: You should take them off so you don’t have to see this train wreck of a show. I might have to gauge out my eyes to accomplish that.

4-_RING…RING. A.B.: DAM! That coffee and spicy burrito is seconds from coming into the station and the phone rings…

5-…MAKE IT FAST! RIKKI TIKI TAVI: Hi A.B. I’m at the playhouse! A.B.: FASCINATING! CLICK

RIKKI: You’ll never guess who’s…hello?

Drat Dick’s love for the arts. It now appears to have created a pickle for everyone.

I was thrilled this morning when I saw Rikki has been reading my posts! I recently commented on her mesmerizing, beautiful, hypnotizing and man killing orange eyes. I see she has changed them back from blue to orange! I just know she did that just for me. (my heart!) Rikki!, I’m crazy about sha baby!

It seems clear, from comments over the past few days, that the “artistic license” readers were willing to give to Joe & Mike (Mike especially) is starting to wear pretty thin.

BTW, some here not in touch with her on social media might like to know that margueritem celebrated her 74th birthday on Sunday and is looking good….