Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for September 30, 2013

Well . . .

We assume Dr. Ghote was killed?

The space coupe is awesome. I hope this isn’t the last time we see it in use. Meanwhile, how does Diet plan to “help” Mysta?

What help will Diet offer? Stay tuned!

Things are really going down quickly now.

I don’t think Mumbles is so bad a shot that he missed Dr. Ghote from about 4 feet away. So yes, I’m going to take a wild guess and say he’s dead.

……and, where is Mumbles? And Doubleup? And the body????

He can take her safely away from the fire fight for one thing.

Sparkle consoling the Mystery Mysta……she’s got class.

Well, regarding Mumbles, it very well could have been the thugs from the Apparatus?

Regarding Diet Smith, I wonder why the sense of urgency to get to Mysta so quickly?

Could it be that Dr. Ghote developed a conscience (off-screen) and confided in Diet Smith some plot hatched by the apparatus to commandeer the Space Coupe and raid Moon Valley, using Moon Maid as a hostage to get at the vast store of precious gems that were in abundance there? Was this all an interstellar robbery and hostage plan?

I can only imagine what Diet Smith must know…

ANTICIPATION!!!

Should be VERY interesting watching how this plays out.

Yeah. I know. I couldn’t sleep. I guess I’ll read Dick Tracy…and you know what? I’m not at all disappointed.

Oh, By the way, In Vitamin Flintheart’s earlier stage appearance , expressing woe that friends will depart I hope Diet Smith will still be with us and not get caught in the crossfire.

I have a theory about Mysta’s true identity, based on observations that go all the way back to the beginning of her story. I’ve compared evidence presented in the strip with comments Mike Curtis has made in the Dick Tracy Yahoo group, and I have growing confidence that the theory is correct, especially after seeing today’s strip. Since not everyone wants to read Mike’s comments, I’ve argued my hypothesis in the Yahoo group. You can click the link below if you’d like to read it.Mysta’s True Identity?

Good morning fellow DT fans…

“Dick Tracy, Space Detective” YUK.. the faster MM2 and the Space Coupe are gone, the better!

Sparkle is comforting Mysta. Looks like they had that heart to heart talk.

man-o-man this is fast becoming a train wreck!

The colorist at Comics Kingdom did more than the coloring today. He also altered Moonmaid’s costume. Compare to today’s Dick Tracy here at GoComics.

For what it is worth — I want to profusely thank the guys who write this strip. They’re amazing. I love Dick Tracy, and I can tell they do as well.

sorry jpuzzle, panel three sunday clearly shows the space coupe ON THE GROUND Now, how they explain THAT ONE is a good question

And, I guess this give some credence to SDM’s steadfast analysis (oh, how I hate to admit that!). You, too, Tim!

Just for fun, look at the first panel, upper right corner (next to the narrative box) – the lightning is shaped just likes Tracy’s famous nose profile. I’m guessing Joe did not do that on purpose. But, it made me smile.Reminds me of Walt Disney’s Zorro – the lightning forming a “Z” as Zorro rode out of the night.

I could read the link but I wanted to join the group and emailed the moderator and it was bounced back.

I think Willy 007 has it right on the money…….but I’m really in awe of 1) how much effort Joe & Mike go to to keep continuity over decades, and2) HOW MUCH TIME all you DT diehards must spend uncovering all of this back story!Cheers,Blunebottle

Also, what about the DNA? In order for that to work, she’d need to be wearing a wig of the original Moon Maid’s hair, which seems unlikely, considering what happened to the original Moon Maid.

Where’s Double-Up and Nellie. They resemble the Frankenstein Monster and the Little Girl in the story too much. I’m worried…

GAH!!!(wishes he could say something without spoiling it)

Haven’t read the Big Theory which everyone seems to agree upon. I figure I’ve lasted this long, I want to see where Mike and Joe take this story.-———————————————As for the Space Coupe landing and taking off again — that’s exactly what it did.It landed and Dr. Ghote got out, and Diet Smith heard a gunshot, Smith probably thought, “Well, this isn’t a good place to get out. I think I’ll get closer to the farmhouse.”I’m sure some of you were hoping he’d hop out right after Ghote, and say, “Hey did you hear a gunshot?” and then Mumbles would shoot him, too.

Thanks to all for the kind feedback. Some good questions have been raised, and rather than respond here (since some may not want to hear what I would say) I’ve composed a reply on the Yahoo group:Response to feedback regarding “Mysta’s true identity?”

willy, my mom had pointed out to me once years ago that psychologically, the act of “cradling” ones legs within their arms like that is indicative of insecurity… by holding the legs close and wrapping the arms tightly around them its psychologically substituting (i guess, for lack of a better term) the security and safety of a mother/parent’s arms.

i’m NOT saying your theory isnt right or COULDNT be possible… out of everything thrown at the wall here in recent months its the one that COULD make the most sense.. however, if the simple act of moon maid lite and mindy ermine being in the same position is what the big clue is, then its a pretty lame one.

to analyze a little deeper… in the strip you provided.. mindy had just lost the moon maid look alike contest and was depressed (to the point of tears) yet i didnt see posie ermine around anywhere (maybe i didnt look close enough.. tho i did see the “word balloons” so maybe he was looking on from a distance). the pose in and of itself is a deep psychological one, born, i think, from a lack of parental love and like i said before, the sense of security. mindy had thought, in her own mind, that there was no WAY she was going to lose, and she was secure in that thought… when she was dealt the “crushing blow” of actually losing, it shattered her confidence and sense of security in the fact that she would win… which would very much lead to her assuming that pose while crying over the loss (how many times in different situations have any of us seen young kids.. whether it be on a baseball field or wherever.. after they have lost, assume that position? it gives them a feeling of security that they had lost at that moment.. think of it as building an outer wall. the legs drawn tight and held close by the arms prevents anyone from “getting too close” and makes them feel protected.

moon maid lite’s predicament is similar… she was confident in the fact that she knew how to use her abilities without harming anyone, and when she was faced with the reality, by junior, that she was on the verge of killing someone.. it broke her emotionally, leading her to assume the same position… “building her walls of protection”. She realised that she was not in control, for the SECOND time since her “recreation” and that showed her what her loss was. she lost control on two occasions, once causing anguish and pain to someone moon maid original recipe cared about (junior) was friends with (sparkle) and her own daughter. that would be more than enough to emotionally destroy her and send her on that path of wanting to “protect herself” by wrapping her legs with her arms.

just some thoughts, thats all

there has been no foreshadowing or backstory to the Mindy/Glenna theory. ***********************Really! After Willy went to the trouble of making a second site for his theory in an attempt to prevent it from being a spoiler it’s very inconsiderate of people to bring the details of it up here.

I was expecting someone else to point this out; it seems like the Storm of the Century has now become “one of the worst storms in a decade”.

Concerning the DNA sample, Honeymoon used her own hairbrush. The sample was contaminated and actually could contain genetic material from anyone who lived in the house.

My deepest apologies for referencing Willy007 theory details in a previous post (now deleted).

However cleverly & well researched & presented it was, I feel that it’s way off the mark. Just my opinion which is why I dissected it in the deleted post.

I know what you mean, Sweet Betty… a “friend” posted a FB spoiler on the season finale of Downton Abbey and I was ready to “spoil” him!

So sorry, my Mysta-motions got the best of me. :(

EGADS!I’ve just realized you’re all wrong!Mysta is really Putty Puss, hypnotized, with transplanted DNA and a built in taser!

Since it’s pretty much “out there” that willy007 believes he knows who Mysta is….The surprise comments are from tsull2121: While you continue to call Mysta “moon maid lite,” your comments about the DNA “exact match” and about psychological reasons for Mysta’s behavior, if they did discredit Willy007’s theory, would only swing the pendulum back toward Mysta being the “original recipe”!.Having separated posters into two camps, Mysta fans and Mysta foes, I would say that Willy007’s theory is more likely to please the Mysta foes than fans. A Moon Maid imposter is not where most Moon Maid fans wanted this story to go..At least, it’s not where I wanted it to go..And for those who haven’t read Willy007’s comments, I think I’m safe sharing this line from Mike Curtis, when asked about cloning: “It’s worse than that!”

There is a wide spectrum of possibilities for who and what Mysta is. “Imposter,” to me, implies that the woman is knowingly impersonating Mysta, seeking to deceive others. I don’t detect any attempt on Mysta’s part to dissemble. She regrets and has apologized for her one transgression. She believes she is Mysta and her personality resonates more strongly of Mysta’s the longer she is in the strip. We don’t know exactly what Ghote and Sail have done to her. Ghote once described his contributes as “grunt work.” Yet he bragged to Smith that his breakthrough was so advanced as to make cloning look like something out of The Flintstones. We don’t know what Ghote told Smith, or how much of it was true.While the exact nature of her identity and the doctors’ work is still a mystery, it certainly feels like the character is back. I’m loving this story and have faith it will continue to satisfy, even if it doesn’t go exactly where I might have most wished. Thanks for the thoughtful theorizing, Willy007.

Perhaps better said, an imposter who has simply – and completely – forgotten who she had once been…

First, I’m sorry the discussion about my theory has spilled out into this forum. That was not my intent, and that is why I made all of my arguments on a separate website, so as not to antagonize those of you who didn’t want to hear them. I can see now it would have been wise to encourage people not to comment here, but to email me or restrict comments to the Yahoo group. So again, my apologies to those who did not want to hear any of this (especially to Sweet Betty).Second, my hypothesis may be entirely wrong. To be honest, I’m hoping that it is! I have had my own strong preference all along regarding Mysta’s identity, and what I am suggesting is nothing close to it. Indeed, I was initially saddened by it.Third, despite initial regret over the possibility of my theory being true, after mulling things over today, I have now concluded that if I am right, it means Mysta is not only an extremely interesting character, but also much more tragic, sympathetic, and compelling than I had thought possible. And that makes me very happy, because it means she will be a character most of us will want to root for going forward, once the dust settles. Finally, despite all the discussion that has spilled out into this forum, I’m going to resist the thought of adding to it, and would rather direct everyone to reading yet another post I just left in the Yahoo group that explains why I think Mysta is such a sympathetic and compelling character — if my theory is true:Reply to Ray Toler’s post

“However you didn’t address her powers. The horns would have had to be implanted. And how about the DNA test? That too was ignored in your analysis.”See the two additional links I posted above where I address the DNA question at some length, as well as the question about her powers, though to a lesser extent.