Did Tommy not do the twelve-step thing where he apologized to everyone, or did he just not bother to apologize to Dawn
Post Content
Dick Tracy, 5/17/26
Look, when the Russians launched a huge drone attack against a prison on U.S. soil, I was willing to give it a pass — I mean, who could’ve predicted such a thing? But a second massive drone attack, two months later, against the Neo-Chicago electrical grid? I’m beginning to suspect that whoever the “drone guy” is over at the FBI may not be the best fit for the job.
Mary Worth, 5/17/26
Wow, who knew that Tommy was being held back by his old haircut? Specifically, his long hair was blocking his psionic receivers and preventing him from hearing the thoughts of others. Now that he knows what’s in everyone else’s thought balloons, he’ll be unbeatable! He’ll get that meth lab yet!
37 replies to “Did Tommy not do the twelve-step thing where he apologized to everyone, or did he just not bother to apologize to Dawn”
Mary Worth:
“Why the dismissive scowl, Dawn? — you know, you’re a loser in your own right!”
Wrecks Moregone:
“Did I miss something when I was down the hall?”
Yes, because things are always happening at breakneck speed at the Glenwood Café.
Mary Worth:
“I’ve made something of myself, thanks to Mary Worth’s suggestion that I learn things, Dawn. She advocated that I immerse myself in trying to understand the fundamental motivation behind Communist China’s current leader and the critical aspects of his governing personality, what with the summit between the U.S. and China having recently concluded!”
“Xi whiz, Tommy! — that’s a great idea Mary had!”
MW: Dawn, seeing a guy with 90s Backstreet Boys hair: “Oh my god, he looks like a drug dealer!!!”
Mary Worth:
“The Tommy Beedie I know wouldn’t apologize for his actions — he must be on drugs or something!”
Wary Morth:
“Why did she leave me?”
Just scroll back a few days’ worth of strips and remind yourself, Tommy-boy. She TOLD you.
FC-“Who’s coming to visit, Mommy?” Social services.
MW-What’s the step in AA where you make amends?
Slylock Fox-As Count Weirdly is dragged off to jail. “Well, Slylock, how do you explain my green skin?”
MW: “Nido Quiben” really sounds like an alias someone creates for themselves by mixing up the letters in their real name…kind of like “Kelrast.”
Wrecks Moregone:
Next week: Moustache is offered a job as assistant dishwasher. He accepts, and then attempts to blackmail Doug about the thousands of health code violations at the Glenwood Café. He does this by marching into Doug’s office and shouting his kompromat at the top of his voice. Doug listens to him, makes some calls, and arranges for Moustache to have a private meeting with Mr Jimmy Hoffa.
MW: Tommy was lucky to find a barbershop that also does facial cosmetic surgery.
Luann: Wait just a goldanged minute! Bernice has to read a book on “How to Be Dull”? I figured she could watch the Master of Dull, Luann DeGroot, for tips.
Dick Tracy:
“We’ve experienced a power failure…! — of course, that hasn’t prevented me from using the electrical system here to announce over the loudspeaker that ‘We’ve experienced a power failure…!’ “
Wary Morth:
Dusk’s summer romance will be with Tommy ??!????!?
That’s a level of desperation even Wilbur would shake his head at.
@Baja Gaijin:
She’s trying to figure out how to be duller than the other characters. These days it’s a challenge.
Mary Worth: “Change brings opportunity” is not exactly an original thought, so I’m not sure why they needed to go to a university president like Nido Qubein for that three-word quote. On the other hand, he’s a former board member of the La-Z-Boy Corporation, so I bet all the pluggers who read Mary Worth have been waiting for it to mention him for years.
Dick Tracy: Are we sure the drone attack is really the problem here? Given that this major urban intersection has no traffic lights, I’m pretty sure that traffic chaos is an everyday thing.
RMMD: Forget about Mae Mae, who the heck is Hector that one post on his social media page triggers dozens of calls? That is not the follower-ship of a fry cook in a diner.
@Ken:
Hector is a formerly famous…..um…..lightweight boxer?…..who stepped away from the sport birdie he got traumatic brain injury and then began slumming as a cook? Maybe? And Doug is an ex-astronaut or something like that too?
@Ukranazi Stepan:
Before, not birdie
“Dawn — go away, I’m no good for you.”
— Tommy, channeling Frankie Valli
“Already there, Tommy.”
Hmmm…Dawn seemed on the fence about Tommy’s new ‘do in the third to last panel,,,hoping that he was still an outlaw drug dealer. But the apology killed it. Tommy, one thing you should have learned in your reckless days, women love a bad boy.
MW: Change brings opportunity. Change brings Tommy the opportunity to join the Weston family. Change has a sick sense of humor.
DT Well, looks like the Neo-Chicago police managed to keep their Drone Prime Directive – observe but never interfere. It’s better to allow the Bad Guys to cause chaos than to stoop to their level by using police-owned drones as countermeasures, or even the RF jammers / laser auto-detect-and-shoot systems that are literally advertised on the internet
H&L Trixie is in for one rude awakening when she’s taught that farm animals do more than just make cute sounds, and just what it is that makes it onto her plate
Mary Worth:
“Drink, Tommy, only with thine eyes…”
— Ben Jonson, “Song: to Celia” (adapted)
“You want me to put the bottle up against my cornea, Ben?”
Dennis the Menace: Looks like Dennis is about to get his school closed down for COVID again — menacing indeed!
Hi and Lois: “For a kid who lives in the suburbs, I sure know my farm animals,” Trixie thinks. “And since I sit in bright sunlight in short sleeves all day, I also have a farmer’s tan!”
Shoe: “You have to lower your cortisol if you want to see less anxiety.” “Actually, doctor, it’s the other way around — it’s reducing anxiety that lowers cortisol.” “What the hell do you want from me, I’m a bird!” “So what?” “So, I flew south to the Caribbean for medical school!”
@TK: I think Tommy’s chances recovered when he walked away, judging by Dawn’s eyeline in the last panel.
@Ukranazi Stepan: But yeah, hooking up Tommy and Dawn is just… not going to work. Which is fine, since as semi-regulars they’re subject to the reset button. Only one-shot characters like Harv Hart or Keith Hillend can escape.
@25 Ken: Dawn is totally ogling Tommy’s ass.
Blondie: If you can’t take advantage of a generous Memorial Day sale price on lug nuts, what’s the point of even going on living?
JP: “Can I ask you a question, Dad? Is the Ruy Lopez really the only possible opening move? Or did you just tell me that when I was six so you could win every game?”
Phantom: ”It’s a bit….gloomy, isn’t it? I was thinking of something more like a Craftsman bungalow, with wide verandas. I could put a hibachi out there.”
RMMD: “Let me make some calls — hello, Uber? Get me the fuck out of here.”
SFx: Banana oil! Weirdly is green because he’s a Martian.
BF: thanks to the author for remember nding us that the M-Sat. strips are repeats
A&J: Past need not be prologue, but sometimes it is.
JP: Past need not be prologue, but it must be earned. And earned again.
MW: Past need not be prologue, but hot is hot.
@CanuckDownSouth: On DT – Oh come on, you think the Neo-Chicago PD has the budget to buy such sophisticated things that could enable them to help people? They blow it all on fedoras, trenchcoats, bow ties and of course bullets. Lots and *lots* of bullets.
@Ken: On MW – We really should have seen this coming. Two characters that already exist that the creator has no real ideas on how to further develop? Why not make them a couple! This won’t be just a summer romance. I predict we’ll be hearing wedding bells by Labor Day, and then these two will be shuffled off to… somewhere that isn’t Charterstone… and thus the deck is cleared with one empty condo for the next Keith Bellend/Aldo Kelrast to move into and Wilbur is free to fill his condo with as many fish (living and or dead) as he pleases!
S4th: No, Mrs. Neighbor Lady. The correct response is ‘Honey, call our realtor and get this house on the market NOW! I’m calling every hotel in town until I find a vacancy. We can be out of this place by tonight!’
JP: Yes, Ms. Ex-Jailbird. The answer to your question is ‘yes’ and given how you’ve spent your afternoon, he has damn good reason to. I note you haven’t actually told him what happened!
RMMD: Hector makes his call and the kitchen is soon full of his relatives happily singing and cooking up a storm. Lonnie makes a call of his own. ‘The Administration pays rewards for informing, doesn’t it?’
@Pozzo: When I searched him his Wikipedia article indicated I had already clicked on it and I was like “Oh no, some BS,” but it turns out that he is president of High Point University which I clicked in not because of BS but because they upset Wisconsin in March Madness. And there we go! Though if he also was a test subject for malaria preventatives, as a Quinine Bod, that could work too.
They gonna remind us what Tommy did to Dawn? Herb-and-Jamaal-ass apology.
@Activist:
#28. JP: should read, “but trust must be earned. And earned again.”
DT — Wow. in Neo-Chicago, public transportation appears to be quite non-racially diverse!
MW: Dawn thinks; “I can’t believe I shared a needle with that guy.”
FC: These reruns are old enough that it wouldn’t be out of the question for Thel to send Jeffy to the corner store for a pack of cigarettes. —in case you’re wondering why Thel no longer has a word balloon.
@Ukulele Ike:
Is the Ruy Lopez really the only possible opening…?
“The Scotch defense!? You monster!!“
Dawn seems to think that all drug dealers look like Owen Wilson. Wow.