Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for December 22, 2012

Good morning all…

Nice family scene, and it confirms what we thought.-————————————————————

Oh yeah – Mornin’ all!

Good morning, VistaBill and Nightshade09. Yup, panel 2 is final confirmation . . . we’re headed to the moon!!

I see it’s starting to snow at Junior’s place. I hope they don’t get the snow we just got here in Wisconsin. 15 inches where I live near the Wisconsin Dells.

Question posted yesterday by fhofmann: “Did all moon women dress like [Moon Maid]? If so, did they ever explain why?”Mysta wears little clothing because she doesn’t need it and too many clothes make her physically uncomfortable. Moon people can change their body temperatures at will. They don’t need protection from the elements. In fact, they are stimulated by extreme cold, and they dislike heat. So clothes just get in the way. The fact that Mysta has a comely figure makes this arrangement pleasing for everyone. Like any beautiful woman, she loves to show off her assets, so that’s part of it, too. But there is a physiological reason that accounts for why Mysta (and all moon women) wear as little clothing as possible. You can see what I’m talking about by reading the following panels from early 1964:

yumpinyiminey asked yesterday, “This is why I asked a few days ago why Mrs. Chin Chillar dressed like a moon woman? Was she from the moon? I can’t seem to find a sure answer about that. I would like to know because I have read that she is going to make a comeback next year during the Moon Maid story.”Mrs. Chin Chillar (aka Notta Fallar) is not a moon woman, but she did work for some time on the moon, right up until she and her husband began their caper by stealing a space coupe. No doubt her fashion tastes and choices were related to living and working in a place where the women all dress and look like Playboy bunnies. Notta dressed that way to fit in. Plus she explained in the story that her clothes were also part of an escapist fantasy to dress like women of the 1890’s (corset, upswept hair, etc.). Most importantly, she had the body needed to make it all work.

Sorry for the long posts. I was going to add them to yesterday’s comments, but it was so late in the day that I thought they might be missed by fhofmann and yumpinyiminey. Plus I knew you were all dying to know more about moon physiology and fashion sense. :)

So, it is A Trip to the Moon after all (with apologies to Jules)! And thanks to Willy007 for finding and posting those explanatory strips about moon physiology and fashion. Well, okay; I’ll have to accept this. I just hope Diet Smith’s old coupe is still spaceworthy….

Wonderful strip today.

Morning all. We’ve all been waiting for some answers, and now it’s clear they’re on the way. Also, RIP Lee Dorman, Iron Butterfly. He was 70.

They all need to go inside and sit by the fire. (Hopefully there is a fireplace!) Roast Chestnuts, drink Egg Nog, and listen to Frank Sinatra sing “Fly Me To The Moon.”

Let’s hope Joe and Jewel are as good with secrets as Honeymoon. This night moon flight is on the QT and to be hush-hush. The excitement builds, thanks to Team Tracy.

Tess’s expression is a really precious work of art. Kudos to Joe Staton and the art team.

I hope we get to actually see Tracy and Honeymoon’s secret trip.

I am so in love with this strip. I can’t wait to see what comes next.

Great family scenes today. I can’t tell you how excited I am about this moon trip. It’s Christmas Eve, and I’m six again.

Am I the only one who thinks this moon stuff is stupid? Let me know when real stories come back. Wow!

I’m glad to find out Moon Maid is uncomfortable in clothes! we’d make a nice pair…… I’ll leave it at that!

I am looking forward { I hope !!! } to a good old fashioned Chester Gould Christmas Day strip. My prayers are with the parents of the little children. Peace to all !

My apologies to all you readers who love Moon Maid and the whole moon/air car story conceit. I whole heartedly support your right to love all that … but for me? … this is when the Dick Tracy strip jumped the shark. -Joe and Mike are the best at what they do and I remain a fan of their Dick Tracy

From what I recall, Mr. & Mrs. Chin Chillar were both born on this planet & not the moon (even though they worked there for Diet Smith). The “Mrs.” (aka Notta Fallar) also had 2 brothers on Earth, including Purdy Fallar (with no horns on his head). The other brother was deceased.

I’m in Z’, too. Love the strip as it is, Moon or no Moon. But how come you can see the moon whwn it’s snowing?

Greetings, Detectives!For those who seem to dislike the Moon period, I’m guessing that Mike and Joe are probably trying to explain that period in the strip and how it REALLY fits in to the otherwise gritty-crime theme that’s run throughout since the 1930s. The explanation so far is that the “Moon Period” was, in Gould’s thinking, the logical extension of the technological advances the strip had been pushing for a couple of decades. Of course, that whole era started to look silly when Armstrong and friends paid their visit in 1969, which is why MM and her folks were downplayed in the 1970s, and she was ultimately “killed off.” That whole phase may seem trite and unbelievable by today’s standards, but by the reactions in these posts for several weeks now, it’s obvious Gould created a greatly beloved character in Moon Maid and now she’s being brought back.

Overall, in spite of this being a different Moon Maid that Mike and Joe are portraying, the new “21st Century MM Redux” storyline hasn’t even begun to disappoint, and the mystery is worthy of anything that’s been presented in the strip in its 80-plus years. And as anxious as I am to find out what’s really going on with this Moon Maid, it’ll be a sad day when the storyline is finally resolved, no matter how satisfying it ends up.

Good comment. I like the tie-in.

I’ll say one thing DICK TRACY’S “scifi era” was NEVER AS BAD as the one BATMAN when through from the mid-1950’s to the “New Look” era of 1964!

Neither are we, Gweedo. Went to their web site and saw his old pics. Wow. He was found in his car, on his way to a heart doctor appointment. I’m feeling Innagodda-da-sadness.

In “Rock Star” years, 70 is ancient. You can read an article on it HERE

so cool

Yeah, Notta got the moon woman style right. Too bad she couldn’t back it up with some moon woman power. Seriously, she was so sweet and accommodating to PIggy, and he treated her like dirt. I remember wanting to deck him myself. Notta may have been the only Tracy villain ever that I actually rooted for.

I was thinking of some of the greats, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison and Janis Joplin and many others who’s candle burnt out way too soon. These 3 never even made it to 30.

Very nice strip today. Expecting some excitement tomorrow!

Its ALWAYS a good day to see Joe Tracy and Junior in the same pane! :)

Fantastic graphics and coloring. :-)