Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for August 27, 2013

I’m guessing she doesn’t .

Thank the moon gods, MM.

Wait, why didn’t MM recognize Sparkle when she was on the farm? Or did their paths not cross?

Good morning, all! I think Sparkle did not see who knocked her out, anyway, and the treathening note was blown away…unless someone picks it up. If truth came out, things are going to get awkward! And as for Moon Maid’s identity, I think she’s an organic AI construct with an implanted memory pattern built around a genetic matrix. But anyway, I like the story, my compliments to Mike and Joe and all at DT staff for a great work!

Sparkle doesn’t remember it now, but that doesn’t mean she won’t have a flashback in the future. Anything can happen in the world of Dick Tracy. (And I hope they keep it this way.)

in the 3rd panel MM IS JUST TOO CUTE!

So, MM is telling what she knows, but not to the point that she would incriminate herself. She even wants people to believe that she didn’t recognize Sparkle. I guess that’s the only way she can maintain her innocence. I don’t expect Sparkle to remember anything, but that is unpredictable.

So I guess Jr. & Sparkle are getting “reacquainted” with each other off-screen?

MemoTo: Clone-Moon MaidFrom: (Disembodied Voice)Message:The weed of crime bears bitter fruit!Crime does not pay!The Shadow knows!……………………………….Tell the Truth now,or become so tangled in your lies that you will go down no matter who or what you really are. It’s not nice to fool the MCU!

I think Tracy is suspicious…..

I expect someone is picking up that note MM2 wrote just about now….

Good morning all…

a great comic strip today and every day!

MM’s remark, “So that’s who Gertie really was” should set off warning bells for DT and crew, because they know that MM and Sparkle knew each other, and were even friends.

remember the other day when i said this moon maid lite is a lying deceitful duplicitous self-serving character.. well there ya go.. today she proves it in SPADES by lying right in the face fo tracy and the MCU… claiming not to know who “gertie” was or what happened to her.

wait til they find out about the assault! and i wonder how long it will take them to inquire about her vandalizing the tombstone of the REAL moon maid!

“Excuse me Miss FMM, what part of, “she’s lost her memory” don’t you understand?”>Excuse me, but what part of “Sparkle is fine now” don’t you understand?

The problem with this Moon Maid is that either she is the original Mysta from the sixties and seventies, or she is an imposter. Whether she is aware that she is an imposter is about as uncertain as whether she is an imposter..But her continued missteps, especially those surrounding the Sparkle Zap, are very damaging. I wouldn’t go quite as far as tsull2121 has, but if Mysta doesn’t mend her ways, and soon, perhaps Timmy is the one who is spot on….I can forgive just about everything she has done, but the Sparkle Zap was over-the-top and uncalled for. Still, I don’t see where a clone, artificial intelligence unit, or any other kind of recreation with “memory implants” would have wanted to harm Sparkle. But a genuine Moon Maid, not knowing that she is no longer Junior’s wife, jealous of what she perceived as an affair between Junior and Sparkle, might have..Yesterday, I called this “explainable, but not excusable.”.A possible explanation for her omissions today might be that, admission of what she did to Sparkle may well derail any efforts to get Tracy on the trail of Hy Pressure. Admitting to what Mysta now calls an “ambush” would immediately draw attention away from Hy Pressure and toward herself – totally negating her efforts to get Tracy to help the Wheatons..Again, explainable, but not excusable..Another possible explanation, especially if this is the real Moon Maid, are the “bugs” we now believe Sail implanted in her. However, it is not very likely that these instruments were in use at the time of the Sparkle Zap, nor is it likely that they are in use at this time..And now, game time!.For many of us, we wanted to see the return of the original Moon Maid. Others simply wanted her to go away. For the time being, from the looks of it, neither of us is getting our wish..So, the game: What to do with a fake Moon Maid?.Here’s my entry. Assuming that, as a fellow “Lunarian” (as some of you have called the moon people), a relationship may strike up between Mysta and Honeymoon. Even if this Moon Maid is not her real mother, they are still both “Lunarian.”.Perhaps this Mysta will become a sort of Doctor Smith to Honeymoon’s Will Robinson..All we need now is a Robby the Robot running around, yelling “Danger, Danger, Danger,” whenever Mysta comes to visit Honeymoon..Or, did I just get Lost in Space all over again?

“But her continued missteps, especially those surrounding the Sparkle Zap, are very damaging”There are no “continued missteps” that I see. Mysta made one emotionally driven mistake, she gave Sparkle a jolt for marrying Junior. Understandable, if regrettable. None of the criminals she zapped on the street were reported to suffer from amnesia, or any other lasting effects. The damage was clearly unintentional.Mysta came to the MCU to report to Tracy that Wheaton is in danger. She now knows that Sparkle is fine and has regained her memory. Her focus is properly on seeing to it that Tracy understands that the Wheatons need his help. This is admirable. She is concerned for others, even in the face of having lost everything dear to her in the aftermath of the attempt on her life. Her compassion outweighs her minor misstep.I continue to believe this is the “real” Mysta. She and Honeymoon are related. Whatever the exact nature of her recovery, and however it may have been aided by her Lunarian physiology and/or advancements in medical procedures, she is behaving like Mysta, not an imposter with plastic surgery. That she is being used by Sail’s superiors seems obvious now, even as their identity and agenda remain unknown to readers. I see her as a very sympathetic and tragic character. Such characters are often found in high caliber stories such as this.

Have you noticed how everyone who “hates Moon Maid and wish she’d go away,” are reading this story, anyway?^^I can’t speak for all the MM “haters” but, I don’t hate MM, I hate the baggage she brings to the strip; namely, Moon colonies, The “Space Coupe”, The flying garbage cans, MM acting like a Cop/Playboy BunnyDT should be about Police work, not Moon people who’ve never existed, in the first place. To clarify my first sentence, as a character, in a comic strip, I don’t hate MM, but, she doesn’t belong in a Police “Dramedy”, like DT.

I like the little shoulder peek in panel three. Great work by Staton showing Mysta’s anxiety, and like someone said, it’s just a cute panel.

P.S. to cheapskate0: Trolls exaggerate and say outlandish things for shock value, to get people riled up and call attention to themselves. I doubt they believe even half the stuff they say. (In timmy’s case, what motivates him seems to be an irrational contempt for Mysta, or for Mike Curtis and his fans, or both.) I hope one day that you’ll see this, because it makes me cringe to watch someone as intelligent as you are grant timmy’s comments a credibility they don’t deserve, especially in your near-daily suggestions that his perspective represents large numbers of thoughtful people. I’ve never seen anyone serve up the over-the-top arrogance timmy is becoming famous for, and you only hurt your own credibility when you pretend otherwise.

Thanks, Pequod77, for the continued “faith,” if that is a word that can be used regarding a comic strip character, that this Mysta is still the “real deal,” again, another concept that is difficult to apply to a comic strip character. I share that “faith” and continue to hope that one, this is the “real” Mysta and, two, somehow, these apparent misdeeds will ultimately be explained and forgiven..I think it was Still Da Man! who first suggested that Mike is painted into the corner; I think he is also one of the first to suggest that whatever the outcome, the majority of us will be disappointed. Yes, Neil Wick, I would hope that is not the case here, but it is becoming difficult for some of us to tell….Thanks, too, to Willy007 for his comments, too. I think tsull2121 is good in that he embodies the strength of emotions Mysta can evoke. As for the quality of his comments, I have often felt he is sort of “channeling” a very jealous and hurt Sparkle who is fighting tooth and nail to keep the husband she thinks she’s losing to an “old flame” or “fling”!.Whenever I see his comments, I look at his postage stamp and remember – whether this is his intent or not, this appears to be who he is and what he’s about!.If I were writing a novel about jealousy and adultery, his comments would seem to be the kind of dialogue I’d expect between the antagonists..Last, and certainly least: I intentionally got Robby the Robot wrong; I was trying to have a little fun as a release of tension. (What? Reading Dick Tracy can cause an anxiety and tension? Isn’t that what suspense is?) Most of all, thanks to the explosion of pictures of the two robots; they are priceless!.

Oh, yes. And thanks to RightWingMoron, your comments help put it all in perspective. She does need to come forward, the sooner the better. For whatever reason, the Sparkle Zap has become the biggest stumbling block this character has to overcome – both with readers and the characters.

Okay, tsull2121: Remember Darth Vader? What was the one thing he did toward what was then episode 3, currently episode 6? He saved his own son from the Emperor, that’s it! Yet, he was celebrated as a hero, equal to Yoda and Obe-Won thereafter! (It was the end of the movie) Can one good deed outweigh a history of villainy? But, in fiction, it has happened…

And for some real comic relief – this week, Stephan Pastis is examining, in his own weird way, the problems of always telling the truth!

tsull2121 (and others): No argument here. Sans the Sparkle Zap, it would have been easy to integrate Mysta back into the storyline. Many, besides myself, have said that all Mysta has done, to this point, is understandable and forgivable, except the Sparkle Zap..This will haunt Mysta for the rest of her stay in Dick Tracy..Assuming she’s allowed to stay.

Well Hung Hippie: As I said earlier, understandable (explainable I think were my words), but still inexcusable.

MM did say, “I had to try hard not to use my full powers.” I’m sure she didn’t intentionally cause amnesia. I see it as partially an accident. She meant it more as a warning than as any intentional harm.