Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for March 07, 2023

“Archie wanted you to know he thinks you’re an idiot. Bye.”

Good morning™, everyone!

I suppose that Cramer had to show up sooner or later, though not exactly a good friend of Archie and Nero.

The think that the famous “20th Century Limited” train that ran from New York to Chicago was mentioned in this strip before. Yes, this is more evidence that Tracy’s city is analogous to Chicago.

“Yes, he was seen on [a] west-bound train.” That seems to be missing a word.

Good morning™, inter-agency callers !

Dick’s making some real progress now !  Will the story be up to speed for vengeful ?  We shall see. LOL !

Cramer puts a lot of (chicken) stock in Top Cop, Tracy. He is obviously not aware of Tracy’s collar record as of late. Taking down Krypto was a rare good showing for the old boy.

“Inspector, this is Tracy. I suspect Archie Goodwin murdered his boss Nero Wolfe & is trying to pin it on Basil St. John.”

The (young) lady in panel 1 seems to have a hairstyle and hat that looks more late 1940s than 50s or 60s.

“WILL I SEE YOU TONIGHT…..ON A WEST BOUND TRAIN?”

a long distance call, that dates it

Wolfe has quite a sinister Sidney Greenstreet-ish look in panel 1….

Not only is Wolfe leaving his house, HE’S GETTING ON A TRAIN !

Dick Tracy is in an alternate universe. A United States with only six original colonies and ten states.

Lionel T. Cramer, Inspector, NYPD Homicide North (or, another geographic point.) Wolfe’s favorite frenemy.

Since this story is set well in the past, what long-gone characters would you like to see turn up?

We see that Nero has the cloak so…who has the dagger???

Wolfe’s overcoat seems very “Sherlock Holmes” to me.

This call from Tracy to Inspector Cramer must be the equivalent of a background check.

I think the Feds or some Police Dept has Nero

1-WOLFE: How embarrassing! Slapped in public! My Train Station pickup line – HEY BABY HAVE YOU EVER PULLED A TRAIN – has never failed so spectacularly before. Oh. Here’ comes another chick and another chance to score…

2-MEANWHILE, back at the ranch ARCHIE: My hand has spasmed such that I can’t seem to let go of my hat. Sometimes that happens at the urinal. HOO BOY IS THAT EMBARRASING!

DT: I can imagine. But that reminds me – I gotta pee like a Russian race horse. Or is it a rushing race horse? Whatever – back in a sec…

3-MEANWHILE, back at a DIFFERENT ranch KRAMER: DON’T LOOK AT ME, JERRY, I’M HIDEOUS!

Dare we hope that AVENGER’S absence from the Comment board means that he is diligently at work on the next chapter of THE CURTAIN FALLS (I hope he doesn’t mind me giving the story an excellent name)

Now we are up to the present in the arc with the remaining mystery being where Nero is. Stay tuned until tomorrow when we find out what Tracy expects to get from (or give to) Cramer at the NYPD.

MOVIE QUOTE—

“Let go,you,or I’ll poke your eye out!”

Moe Howard to “Cyclops Monster”—-THE THREE STOOGES MEET HERCULES—1962

Ah,the old days when traveling by train was the only way to travel. These days,anything outside of Amtrak Boston-Washington DC is way behind schedule.

I’ve only read one Nero Wolfe book in my life,so I’m crawling along here. Gideon Fell,the unmade bed detective,is a favorite

Are we sure Wolfe went to NeoChicago? Maybe he was on a midnight train to Georgia.

Nero Wolfe meets Gravel Gertie(who used to work in a greenhouse and knows about flowers).

Wait till Tracy meets AxeCop.

Brenda Starr is here taken as being a reporter in Tracyville, and here also then must be Basil St. John and the rare black orchids. That’s how we, and Archie Goodwin, know where Nero Wolfe was going on that westbound train.

Tracy wants some privacy for his phone conversation with Inspector Cramer in the NYC Homicide Division; maybe he is aware of occasional friction between Wolfe-Goodwin and the NYPD, or maybe he has reason to want to keep Archie out of the loop for the time being?

What we still don’t know is, who has “kidnapped” or captured Nero Wolfe, and why. Does Wolfe have any known enemies in Tracyville (Chicago)?…

Best to Phantomfire. I hope you are well even though you are gone.

I said he would be missed…

he IS… :(