Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for June 11, 2013

Well, well, Diet FINALLY meets Mysta, I see.

Don’t like that sideways glance that Sail is giving in panel one.

Great art! That “wait’ll he sees this!” look (complete with arched eyebrow) Sail is giving us in panel 1, and Smith’s recation in panel 2 are terrific (of course, so is Mysta, all blue eyes and innocent)! And in the panel 2 background, the shilouette of the Space Coupe! Beautifully done, Joe!

MM/Mysta and Diet Smith are surrounded by a bunch of crafty individuals! And, poor Sparkle, is who knows where!

Good morning all…

I have waited for this day for SO many years. I never imagined I would ever see Moon Maid in the strip again. Staton’s done such a wonderful job with her so far. She is beautiful.

I agree Staton’s art is great today, even though the colorist did his best to ruin it by giving Mysta green hair again. Grr.

Mysta looking all cutesy pie today, saying “Poppa.” Wonder if Poppa will resist?

“Pretty Poison”

HEY GOCOMICS! Put me at the top of your list when you begin selling Joe Staton’s DICK TRACY artwork. I wish they would start with some Moon Maid prints! I have purchased other comic strip art from gocomics and looking forward to some of Joe Staton’s work!

Don’t be so surprised, Diet. You had a clue this might happen. Who did you expect? Barberella?

fredville asked late yesterday why the volume of comments seems to be down, given how many have said they love the Moon Maid story. Here are my thoughts on that:1) The number of daily comments is not necessarily indicative of how much the fans are enjoying the story. Yesterday’s strip was mostly summary information, necessary to the narrative flow but not likely to produce a high volume of “oh wow” comments. It seems to me the most important consideration is that overall, most people (not all but most) do seem to be loving this story, its pacing, the new information we’re getting every day, the art, etc. The plot continues to thicken and the Mysta-ry deepens, and I expect there will be some exciting installments and bigger post counts in days ahead.2) The trolls have generally been quiet during the last month, plus a few of our most prolific posters were banned shortly before this story began, and that’s reduced the numbers some. There’s definitely less bluster and brawling on the gocomics comment pages than there used to be, and that’s not a bad thing IMO.3) Last year during May 11-June 10, we were preparing for the Mr. Crime finale and averaging about 33 posts per day. During the same dates this year, all since the Moon Maid saga commenced, we’ve averaged about 53 comments per day. It adds up to a 57% increase in the volume of comments over a year ago, a pretty steep jump.4) The fact that it’s summer vacation time probably pulls the numbers down a bit, since more people are away from their computers.5) I notice the comment numbers are down since the Sparkle Zap, and I wonder if Mysta fans are depressed by that turn of events. There seems to be more pessimism these days about where this is all headed; e.g., that Mysta is probably evil and will ultimately be killed off. I know I’ve felt that way at times, even though ultimately I don’t believe it’s true.6) Finally (and I know some shy away from admitting this, but it’s true), Mysta creates a buzz whenever she rocks it out, and there hasn’t been much of that going on lately, for whatever reason. Mysta is the star of the show and has lots of visual appeal, and the fact that we’re seeing relatively little of her in her moon costume doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. For what it’s worth.

Really great art today! Love the expressions on every character’s face, in both panels. But I think what we are watching is nothing but a set-up of Sail’s plot against Diet, whatever its details turn out to be. Stellaluna in panel 2 looks particularly innocent, while Clone-Moon Maid behaves just as programmed to do, not veering off into one of her temperamental outbursts (zapping petty purse-snatchers, destroying her cemetery monument, hurting Sparkle Tracy, or the like).

Awww! But what do they all want. And what will happen when he has to tell them that the Moon is deserted? Good morning, VB!

The expressions all around are telling…Stellaluna looks gushing and innocent, MM/Mysta looks serene—as this was the foremost thing on her mind.; Diet looks like he’s about to agree to anything if MM/Mysta passes whatever test he can give her. Sail looks exceedingly devious here. And Retik? He looks like he’s still half asleep…

And its hard to believe that less than 24 hours have passed since MM/Mysta zapped Sparkle, met Honeymoon and narrowly avoided Junior. She’s REALLY composed after all that.

Howdy gang! I know Joe Staton and Mike Curtis first four months are available in an ebook, but I’d love TMS to eventually collect all of the Staton/Curtis dailies and Sundays into a nice physical hardcover! Kepping the dailies black and white, of course.

Great faces all around. A big cigar for a big man: Diet’s stogie is the size of a Space Coupe!

Willy007: Methinks we are seeing her in her moon costume today – but all that is shown is from the bust up.

I do not know why anyone would still think this Mysta is a clone or any other kind of fake – the only fakes in the room are Sail and Ghote!

While her temperamental outbursts, destroying the monument and especially zapping her closest friend, Sparkle, were disappointing events, nevertheless, I agree with Captain Kiddeo, that this is the way the original Mysta was.

All that remains is for Mike and Joe to tell us, how she survived the bomb and where was she all these years.

While Retik and Stellaluna may be innocent, I’m not ruling out that Mysta has been held hostage or prisoner by Sail and Ghote ever since the blast!

I also don’t believe that Sail or Ghote ever had any intentions of sending Mysta back to the moon – with or without Honey or Junior.

At this point, it looks like Mysta, Retik, and Stellaluna are all disposable pawns for whatever it is that Sail and Ghote are really after.

By the by, on that now lost note: Did it ever strike anyone that “Mysta Tracy” may have sounded like Mr. Tracy in the hood?

For the clone lovers out there: Perhaps Sparkle is about to meet her demise (perish the thought). And if Mysta is a clone (which most of us don’t believe), perhaps Sparkle, too, can be cloned – finally putting Mysta and Sparkle on equal footing!

From the Stephen Pastis reject file: Just call them the Clonin’ Sisters!

Ken in Ohio: I think Willie007 meant star of the current story arc, not that she is replacing Dick Tracy. And Sparkle’s disappearance will be good enough excuse to bring him back in. Of course, Sail and Ghote are about to do something that will “sho ’nuff” bring back the man in the fedora in a hurry!

Again, way too much smoking in this strip.

Good morning VB! I thought we might be going on a trip to Oz last night.

Here’s my take on things — I’m willing to bet Diet will explain to Sail/Ghote that Moon Valley has been deserted and is no longer capable of sustaining life. Not believing DS, these two will use Moon Maid as a “gun” and force a Space Coupe flight. By then, we should know the intentions of these two, and Tracy will be soon on the scene.

And then, there’s the fertilizer truck — I don’t think any harm will come to Sparkle, but I can’t see this being good for her marriage, or the relationships, in general between the Plentys and Tracys.

Just my .02 for the day…

I’m sure Diet had prepared himself to see Moon Maid. The look of shock on his face tells us he wasn’t prepared to see her looking like this. Exactly like the original! He must have been expecting someone in a clever disguise, but not “Mysta.” Crikey!

They must have quickly coached her "memories ".

Interesting that Junior called her “Moon Maid,” and Diet blurts out “Mysta!”

comparing sail to retik, and then to that muscle goon the other day.. seems to me these guys all look SIMILAR to eachother… perhaps they are all clones of eachother? maybe sail was the “first test subject” to try the cloning process on and retik and frankenstein are the results/failed attempts? of course either ray ro willy.. or both.. will point out how impossible this is and remind me and everyone else how stupid i am, but hey… i’m willing to take the risk

of course THIS comment is sure to get someone’s tail feathers all ruffled… but to ME this story is dragging along,

an interesting “subplot” was started with sparkle, but then abandoned for a few days while time was wasted with moon maid lite’s trip to smith industries…then back to sparkle again as she passes out in the back of the pick-up truck not aware (nor is moon maid lite) that the threatening note had blown away.

which calls into question the stability/sanity of moon maid lite… apparently she IS stupid enough to leave a threatening note on the prone body of sparkle… pretty much what is referred to now as “a terroristic threat”…. and even frickin SIGNS the thing “Mysta Tracy”…. no question there who wrote it or levied the threat.

and on top of everything else… junior and honeymoon are.. when last seen… still on the front porch/driveway of his house and doing NOTHING about the whole situation… no mention from honeymoon to her father that she got strands of hair (tho she might use them for herself and her crimestoppers club).

the last thing junior did was alert tracy to the whole thing.. but that was LAST WEEK and still no reply or action from tracy or the mcu/s team.

yeh, i’d feel REAL safe in that town! the city’s most famous/lead detective gets a SOLID LEAD from his own son as to the location of the subject of an ongoing investigation, and they DON’T act on it at all?

i’m not a die hard moon maid fan like some others here are, and i thought it was a novel idea to try and bring her back.. but so far, this story has WAAAAY too many dangling plotlines and i can just FEEL another “rushed ending” coming up.

ya know.. i think that from now on, we should refer to the rushed endings as “SWEATBOX ENDINGS” cause that was ANOTHER story that was interesting and focused on the “lesser members” of the team but unfortunately got cut short due to TMS’ restrictions and perhaps the initial subject matter of the story… tho mike had clarified MONTHS earlier that the pedophile storyline had indeed been scrapped by HIM AND JOE and not by TMS… some readers INSISTED that the sweatbox story was a truncated version of it. I’ll stand by the “not enough time to properly wrap it up” theory and that since sweatbox was killed, we’ll NEVER know the entire story’s potential

tsull2121: I like it! Sweatbox Endings! You’re on to something there!

For what it’s worth, my interest in Mysta is the question, what becomes of those mistakenly declared dead. Of course, that question evaporates the moment Mysta turns out to be a clone or any other kind of fake – and I do include a clone to be a fake.

But I think I share Mysta foes’ concerns that the story of how she returns from the not-so-dead might end up being even more convoluted than the existence of Moon people!

That artwork is so very good. I like the expressions.

The second panel especially is great. Moon Maid looking like a cutie pie, flanked by her moon groupies. Diet stunned to see Mysta again after all these years. Sail looking pleased and suspicious. The silhouette of the Space Coupe lurking in the background. Something big is going to happen soon.

i just checked the pic i have of moon maid original recipe’s funeral, and sparkle is most definitely there… i just didnt know they were “best friends”

I thought mike would have Smith say “Great Caesar’s Ghost”! :)

“yet she remembers diet smith and calls him POPPA SMITH which is what honeymoon calls him. did moon maid original recipe EVER refer to diet by that name?”

I don’t know, but since Honeymoon calls him “Poppa” she may just be channeling her daughter. Which is interesting because I don’t recall Diet’s nickname coming up at their brief meeting. How exactly does Mysta know to call Diet “Poppa”? Good question!

Love today’s strip. The look of shock on Diet’s face is great! It was easy for him to be cynical before, but what’s he going to do now that a real live person who looks just like Mysta is staring him in the face? Who is this beautiful woman?

morrow, turn in your Magpie Membership Card before it get’s ugly! LOL!!!

so… here’s something out of left field for ya all… does anyone know WHEN junior changed from his “pineapple head” look to the more mature fletcher rendition.. and was any mention made of it in the strip by the other characters? just wondering

cpalmeresq said, about 21 hours ago(Over at Farty & Duds)

@avenger09

Miss you over at DT, buddy! Come home soon!

“Who says you can’t go homethere’s only one place they call you one of their ownJust a hometown boy born a rolling stonewho says you cant go home”

.

Been busy at work & others projects CP, thanks for caring! I feel like crying!!!!!!!

This is slightly off topic, but I had found this article on possible future human evolution.Aside from the lack of antennae, I found the later generations of Terrestrial humans to be strikingly similar to Gould’s Moon peoplehttp://memolition.com/2013/06/11/how-the-humans-will-look-like-in-100000-years-4-pictures/

I don’t recall MM ever calling Diet Smith “Poppa.” She has telepathic powers so perhaps she IS channeling Honeymoon.

Can anyone think of any other girlfriend Moon Maid ever had? If not, Sparkle was MM’s best friend by default.

This particular story line seems to move extremely slow for the team of Staton and Curtis. I’m not really complaining as many didn’t really seem fleshed out at all. I agree with the notes on facial expressions. So Mysta has to be real or a brainwashed clone or imposter. No clone would have Mysta’s memories. I haven’t heard an explanation from Ghote/Sail on that matter.

Moon Maid did have a bunch of girlfriends back on the moon. They attended her wedding to Junior, but I don’t think we ever knew any of their names. On Earth, MM was closer to Lizz than Sparkle. Lizz was there when Mysta made her very first appearance, and those two were often seen together over the years.

…………..ok, do the math…….we have most everyone saying now that Moon Maid’s for real, yet at the same time Dr. Sail is bad and up to something. WHY ON EARTH, if he indeed WAS able to bring Moon Maid back from the dead via ANY method, would he HAVE to indulge in crime of any sort ???????????Obviously, he’d be hailed as a genius, and his discovery of how to do this worth an absolute fortune……why would he bother scheming?

I’m going to have to agree with the earlier posters the only answer that makes sense, really, is that that Moon Maid 2013 is a different girl – perhaps dropped off here instead by her request when the rest abandoned the moon colony – and surgically made a double of the real deal.

What really doesn’t make sense, though, is why people like me sometimes post our comments this late in the day, where hardly anyone will end up reading them, lol (yeah, I know you did yesterday though willy…thanxxx)