Comment Array Available?

I'm still using 5.7, I hope I'm not alone here. Anyways -- is there a comment array. I can't believe that there is nothing (as far as I know) like the $node variable that will allow me to output in a FOReach loop so I can customize the layout. I'll try to explain the reason I need this . . .

So, I've got tabbed nodes. The tabs where created by Views by adding "$node/$node-type/tab-name" to the url of the page, then ticking "Provide Menu" and "Provide Tab". Anyhow -- so I've got my tabs which drill down by using the node id as the argument and a simple "Node: Published" filter. A VERY effective way to make REAL tabs -- NOT JavaScript tabs. SO---...

I now have to layout my content by writing something like this in my node.tpl.php file...

<?PHP
     SWITCH ( arg(2) ) {
     case 'tab-name':
     PRINT $node->content['field_name'];
     break;
     }
?>

This works great -- I've been able to pull off wonders with this formula -- but comments are SIMPLY out of the question.

I see now way that I can output my comments -- unless someone could show me how -- or an example of a database query that's done with a drupal syntax. This way I could use the information I already have such as node-id and find the comments myself in the database and output them. Could someone help me do this -- or is there an easier way? Examples though --- I need an example -- that's key here.