Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for July 07, 2018

Ceasing to roam. Feels so good to be home

Moon Compound is opening soon.

Space Coupe right here triggers memories dear

A birth betwixt the earth and moon.

Confusion may reign. Yet far from insane

Late Moon Maid’s life-force in her blood

Works something like magic, erasing the tragic

Whose memories are these that flood

Like a river of life diminishing strife

As changes continue apace

Space Coupe so near stirs remembrances dear

Of childbirth in outer space.

Yet no child has she, despite her mind’s plea

Imoto Chan is her dear friend.

Some thoughts best repressed. She’s bemused not depressed

None know what’s around the next bend.

Good morning™, special tourists!

So, Mysta considers Honeymoon’s birth mother to be her “predecessor”? Is this as ominous as it sounds? Also, are the daughters of the enemies now friends?

Good morning™, special tour guides !

Mysta has become well adjusted since becoming alive (for the second time).

Am I interpreting this wrong? Crystal’s mother is Mindy Ermine?

She said children instead of daughter so she is referring to more than one individual.

I am a little lost!

Today’s strip is undoubtedly confusing unless you know the history of some important 1960s characters. 1. Honeymoon is the daughter of the original Moon Maid, of whom Mysta was cloned. 2. Thus Moon Maid, who later died, was Mysta’s “predecessor.” 3. Crystal is the daughter of Ugly Christine, a villainess who has also died. 4. Ugly Christine’s criminal gang was the enemy of Moon Maid. 5. Thus Moon Maid and Ugly Christine were enemies back in the day, but now their daughters, whom Mysta has just given a tour, are friends. 6. Mysta is celebrating the irony.

Predecessor??? Mindy’s hatred for Moon Maid certainly hasn’t left her. What a cold, disrespectful way to refer to Honeymoon’s mom.

A lovely and delightful 2nd panel of Mysta. The art was very enjoyable.

Sorry for not saying much the last couple of months. Dealing with mother’s illness, and passing has been a drain.

Honeymoon and Mysta are two of the best characters in the strip. Naturally, Mysta is intimately aware of the miraculous changes wrought by having Moon Maid’s DNA coursing through her veins. She has become the best friend and mentor Honey could have. Both are changing. They bring an exciting vitality to a strip that had long been in decline until Team Tracy resurrected it in 2011. Diet Smith Industries is a fascinating element of the strip. A place for science, research, experimentation and innovation, it is the perfect place for Mysta, Retik and Stellaluna. Crystal seemingly wants no part of her Uncle and late mother’s life of crime. She may be tempted to bad acts down the road, which makes her a more interesting friend than Annie, whose character is beyond reproach. Wonderful art again today.

Not that it doesn’t look good on her, but I wonder why Mysta would want to dress like an ahem “exotic dancer” all the time?

Also, since I took a decades long break from this strip, I have no idea of the current origins of Mysta and Honeymoon. It’s really confusing.

Uh, Diet? That’s not the reason she’s looking all pleased. You might want to keep an eye on the girl…

SHE IS NOT YOUR PREDECESSOR YOU MISH MASH OF A GENETIC EXPERIMENT!!!!

Much like photocopies, the more copies you make, the less like the original they are.. and YOU Mindy Ermine.. are most definitely NOT Moon Maid!

I hope that this creature ends up rapidly degenerating and reverting to her true form

Now there’s a thought!

I’m afraid Joe & Mike are heading down the same winding path of other pop culture storytellers, like Chris Carter & the X Files, getting so lost in their own mythology they never see the light of day again.

Mysta is looking good today, and thoughtful. It helps that she has Diet Smith as a foil, looking very much the Captain of Industry. But not much is actually happening, that I can see, to advance the story in any way; rather, this is just adding texture and depth….