Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for November 11, 2021

Good morning™, everyone!

So, not the wrong deli, just the wrong place outside of the deli. I’m not so sure that she’ll find a “luxury apartment.” As for “no cops around,” it looks like Sam is just finishing his lunch. She should have come a few minutes later. The picture on the wall behind Sam makes it look like this deli has been here for generations and didn’t just suddenly pop up yesterday.

Little does he know! LOL

Usually, to the side of the store front is a smaller door that leads to the stairs.

But I forgot. Mike needs a plot device.

Ace isn’t the driver. I really didn’t think he would be, but if it were Ace, I’d have been a bit angry.

So much wrong with today’s strip, but since others have already mentioned them I’ll just sign off! Cheers!!!

Good morning™, dine and dashers !

Not that Sam is but it looks like he is pushing time constraints. Driving to your lunch spot can be a big time suck. There are no cops around but he didn’t say anything about detectives.

Thought there’d be something about Veterans’ Day.

On a one way street? not going to make it convenient for a lot of people.

Hey, that’s not nice. Sam tries hard.

What is supposed to be a safe house for a wanted criminal… With one entrance – the front door on a public street. Granted, the Apparatus said they were setting her up to be killed, but if she’s got an ounce of sense she’ll smell problem with that bogus set-up.

I wonder if Sam will be a victim of his own bad timing and just miss Rose?

Don’t tell me she will walk in and we will get to see Sam in action without Tracy!! This could be interesting!

An apartment above a commercial establishment, without it’s own private entrance? Rose, if that doesn’t start ringing alarm bells inside your mind…Fortunately for you, and, unfortunately for the Apparatus’ plans, there IS a cop around, and, one who is very interested in seeing Briar Rose-alive.

I thought they were going to “Take Care” of her?

Sam will probably save her life

Very interesting!

1-APPARATUS CHAEUFFER: We’re here.

SUKIE: I KNOW THAT! Let me check my breath first pffft pfffft WHOA! You got a mint or something?

2-APPARATUS CHAEUFFER: What do I look like – an Uber driver? Beat it! And next time, ride in the back seat like a real limo rider.

SUKIE: OH YEAH? Well there won’t be a next time!

APPARATUS CHAEUFFER: What? So you know? SUKIE: Know what? APPARATUS CHAEUFFER: Oh. Nothing. Not important…

3-SAM: _Hmmmm. I’ve been here two hours. _ HEY MAHALO! Can I get a bean smoothie refill to go? RIPPPPPPP!

MAHALO: UGH. I advise against it, sir.

If the Apparatus just wanted to kill her, why go to all this? She was confined in their HQ, why not just poison her food, or shot her, no danger of anybody seeing her entering the deli and going up to the ‘luxurious’ apt? Like some cop named Sam. Unless something else, other than killing her, is their objective, it doesn’t make sense.

Yesterday there were several folks here who jumped all over Rose’s “Why are we stopping here?” – Oh, it’s bad writing, the writers have so many things going they can’t remember what they wrote ,etc., etc., etc. If they had just exercised a little patience, we see today that Rose’s question makes perfect sense.

A “safe house” whose only access is through the very exposed and therefore very unsafe front door? Sure… nothing suspicious about that, Ms. Rose.

The contrived happenstance of Sam being there is likely going to save her life, because this front entrance is shaping up to possibly be the method of Briar’s silencing by the Apparatus. Could we see a hit job disguised as a botched robbery attempt that claimed the life of an “innocent bystander”? Not while Sam just so happens to be there. Genius investigative work, Detective Catchem! And BTW… you’ve got mustard on your tie.

While I am enjoying the story overall, I’m still disappointed in the contrivances. For instance, the Roach’s recent appearance could have easily been the source of a tip for something going on around the deli at this particular date and time. Then this current sequence of strips would have been more satisfying as the result of actual detective work instead of sheer dumb luck.

oh the irony

Famous Last Words. Right up there with “The police never patrol this part of the freeway.”

And to all the veterans out there … thank you for your service to our country,.

Wouldn’t the apartments have separate entrances from the deli? Just asking.

We now know that Sam doesn’t keep kosher.

And so it goes.

What a fine coincidence this will turn out to be. By golly, there is a cop on the premises! Sam, though, may be too busy noshing to notice—although red-headed and green-garbed handsome villainess Briar Rose would be hard to miss. Is she about to exchange Apparatus detention for Tracyville jail? Or will she surprise and overwhelm unfortunate Sam Catchem?

Stay tuned/’tooned….

The Apparatus sure is cheap if she can only get to her apartment by walking through the deli. If this is a combination of residential and commercial building. A door would created for the resident. I just do not see this deli being open 24 hours.

Being that other than Chief Patton and Tracy, Rose was never shown talking to anybody else. Chance are she may not even recognize Sam. What can she do? Her ride has already left.

To paraphrase that line used in the movie by Humphrey Bogart….of all the deli’s in the world, Apparatus picked this one. Being “economical” I suppose…next time they’ll splurge.

This place looks great. I’ll have a Reuben on rye.

Poor Rose,Already home sick for the Waldorf Storia.