Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for May 31, 2021

WHOA!!

Good morning™, everyone!

Arguing with the Ten of Spades will get you nothing but a pistol whipping. Rikki’s protests will do her no good.

Good morning™, moll lackey beaters !™

I can just see the steam getting ready to erupt from Abner’s ears. You’re in the big league now so “shut it” and take it like man. Tracy’s chivalry is about to kick in.

Looks like Tracy can sit this one out.

Ok… I’m confused…

I thought that the Ace of Spsdes told Abner to give up tracking and hunting Tracy ( even paying a cancellation fee" ) to focus on killing Charlie21…

The 10 of Spades said the direct opposite…

Maybe the writer got things mixed up…

Ten pistol-whipping Rikki like that is a pretty violent image, especially for a strip like this. And Abner’s expression in panel two is so defeated and tired, it almost makes me feel sorry for him.

Never. Hit. The. Girl.

Now your gun has cooties and you have to throw it away.

Hitting a “lady”, not at all cool…!

He dead.

Rikki’s proven she’s a “Stand by your man!” type of gal!

From today’s strip, this story could go so many different ways, I’m on tenterhooks!

Tracy still has that dart in his shootin’ arm which could slow his “draw” or spoil his aim-

She may not be a lady, But neither Dick nor Abner is going to stand by to allow Rikki to be treated like that

Did that S..t just kill the sexy RIKKI ?

ENOUGH! Time for Abner to destroy that pathetic man in black thighs!

In the words of Helen Reddy, “That ain’t no way to treat a lady.”

Are we to assume the arrow is just stuck in the jacket like Sam’s hat? If so, DT would have a weapon he could use on someone.

In the words of one of the Jaegermonsters from Phil Foglio’s “Girl Genius”, “Vell, mebbe ve keel you too, schmot guy!”

Wounded, or, not, seeing a woman-even Ricki, being hit by a man, brings out Tracy’s chivalrous side. Besides, he can nab, the 10, and, Abner as well.

1-TEN: You’ve got 5 seconds to say your prayers because in 5 seconds the giant chandelier comes crashing down on the Phantom of the Opera and the noise will cover the bang bangs.

2-RIKKI: WHAT? So now Sugar Daddy is doing The Tempest Meets The Hunchback Of Notre Dame Meets The Phantom Of The Opera ??? WHAT A MORON! A.B.: Now dear, let’s not…

3-TEN: OOOOH! You’re so mouthy! I can’t wait 5 seconds! SMACK

DT: Hmmm. My sharp detective senses are telling me that something’s wrong here. Better pull my weapon. Wow. Sure is light. And invisible! Yikes! What was on this arrow?!?!?

CRASH! of the chandelier TEN: I MISSED MY CUE!

He just struck the girl Abner loves and took his gun out of line from a trained killer. Tracy is the least of 10’s problems

Oh..oh Rikki, Abner’s true love is zapped. How badly is she hurt…or dead? Kadaver will be enraged. Meantime Tracy observes?

Just let them sort it out, Dick, and then pick up the pieces.

That’s it, creep: You just hit a woman, and Tracy won’t stand for that, even if he’s going to shoot her later.

World’s tiniest compound bow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sh3aBzV9rbo

Looks like Dicko grew an arm dart since yesterday. Could be the angle, more likely another mistake like Playhhouse

Oh, oh, Ace of Spades you have done it…. hit Abner’s lady.

Is that a cane I see in Abner’s hand? He’s going to bring down on Ace of Spades head. Guy will probably see stars and hear little birdies.

Rikki is going to have a swollen cheek and one heck of a headache when she comes up for air.

I get the impression nobody is whispering. Maybe Vitamin, other actors and the technicians went on a lunch break.

“You broke your contract, Kadaver”! Hmm…has the check cleared already or does Abner get his fee via direct deposit.

Hitting Abner’s moll is a mistake, maybe a grave mistake.

Uh-oh! Pistol whipping Rikki right in front of Abner is a VERY bad idea, Ten!

I just wanted to let my fellow Dick Tracy fans know that I have submitted a letter to the Chicago Tribune Editorial board requesting that they retain the Dick Tracy strip (and a couple of others) as a pre-emptive move to keep their new owners (Alden) from dropping him. Before I cause a panic, nobody has even mentioned that this could or would happen. I just read another letter in today’s Tribune requesting other strips and content be retained, so I wanted to make sure DT got equal representation. If anyone wants to do so as well, just submit a letter to <letters@chicagotribune .com or visit their website and go to “contact us.” I’ve loved and followed this strip since I was in the 6th grade and I want to be able to enjoy it for years to come. Peace, my friends.

I still remember the day the NY Daily News dropped the Tracy strip from its print edition. Good luck with the Trip!

So, the Apparatus cancelled the Tracy contract, because they were afraid it would bring the heat down on them, but they thought killing the state’s star witness against them wouldn’t? & if they were so worried about Kadaver killing Tracy, why didn’t they just bump him off instead of following him around (nothing suspicious about that!) & figure out some other way to silence Charlie 21 one way or the other. (Like maybe calling in a distant relative from Sicily). Maybe, after the Aquarius epic, Mike just wanted to tell a short, simple story featuring another Kadaver-Tracy confrontation, using a witness protection job as the story’s hook, but somewhere the wires got crossed.

Ten of Spades pistol-whips Rikki!

Tracy stands by.

I have a feeling as of this is something up with which Abner will not put!

Rikki was a little too outspoken, feisty, and protective of Abner, and look what it got her from the not-too-bright, hot-headed Ten of Spades. —Despite his overall weakened condition, Kadaver will retaliate. Who, Ten or Abner, will kill whom? Ten of Spades holds a gun, but at such close range, Abner’s cane could be just as effective a weapon.

Tracy stands by….

With that action, 10’s days with the Apparatus are numbered. But will his new address be the County Jail or the cemetery?