Ms. Tree - Heroine Withrawal (The FIfth Ms. Tree Graphic Novel)

I can never get enough of Ms. Tree.  Ever since I picked up that first issue of Ms. Tree's Thrilling Detective Adventures (which I still love that title, even though I'm aware Ms. Tree's creators do not - for me, it gave the book a pulp feel, which I think fit the character nicely), I've been hooked, and I was devastated when the series eventually ended after years at Eclipse, then Aardvark-Vanheim, then Renegade Press, and finally DC Comics.  So, when Titan announced it would be collecting and reprinting the entire run, I was super-excited - sure, I had all the individual issues; but now I would have easy access to reading the stories again and again and again without having to dig through my comic boxes, unseal the bags, and pull out issue after issue to read them.  Even though the collections are not telling the stories in order (they reprinted the ten DC issues first, then went back to the beginning to start with the Eclipse issues, before moving on to the AV and Renegade issues - and even those have been told somewhat out of order, collecting them by story relevance and not chronologically), I have absolutely loved curling up in my recliner and walking down memory lane with Ms. Tree, Dan, Effie, and the rest of the gang...

Ms. Tree: Heroine Withdrawal collects issues 18-27 and 29-31 (with the title having officially switched fully to Renegade Press by issue 19).  These are some of my favorite issues, as they deal with Ms. Tree's final confrontation with Dominic Muerta and the aftermath - as well as a two-part story that dealt with the topical issue of abortion.  This is some of Max Allan Collins' best writing in the series, as they give the readers a real sense of why Ms. Tree is who she is and why the world (well, her fictional world, anyway) needs a Ms. Tree in it.  It's also extremely character driving, as most of the series is anyway - but these issues in particular give readers a greater understanding of not just Ms. Tree, but also many of the supporting characters.  Plus, we get our introduction to Dominique Muerta (gotta love Collins' play on names in this series), who turns out to be a wonderful frenemy for our favorite gun-toting crime-fighter!

"Muerta Means Death," the four-issue story that runs through issues 18, 19, 20, and 21, provides readers with a very satisfying conclusion to Ms. Tree's vendetta against the man who had her husband killed.  The title has a double meaning, since the word "muerta" is actually the Spanish word for "dead," and at the same time, it refers to the fact that Dominic Muerta is a killer, and if you cross him, you die.  I suppose it could also have a third meaning, since in the story, we learn Muerta has cancer and is on his death bed - and when Dan Green comes back to work (with a hook in place of the hand he lost in the explosion set by Muerta's men in a previous story), he's all set to take revenge on Muerta.  It all gets confusing when Dan goes to Muerta's house prepared to kill him - and when Ms. Tree and the police get there, they find Dan just waking up in the same room where Muerta and his nurse are both dead!  Dan swears he did not do it, and Ms. Tree sets about proving his innocence.  The story takes a few surprising twists, with the final one giving Ms. Tree the satisfaction she has been seeking - definitely a great read, and for astute readers (who have become accustomed to Collins' playing with names), Muerta's attorney, Dimitri A. Dopler, should give you a huge clue as to one of the biggest secrets in this story!

Following this big payoff, Collins gives readers a few shorter stories - the first being "Right to Die," which addresses the issue of abortion and readers find out that Ms. Tree had an abortion when she was younger, an act she regrets now that Mike Tree is dead, and the only child she could have had with him is gone.  The story addresses the issue without straying into preaching which side of the issue is "right" - instead, the story focuses on how various people deal with abortion and the doctors who perform the procedures.  It has a sad ending, and let's just say there are no real winners in this one - especially for Ms. Tree, as her actions in this story have serious repercussions...

Leading into the next two-parter, "Prisoner Cell Block Hell," in which Ms. Tree does time in a women's prison (with all the standard stereotypes you'd expect to see), and Ms. Tree has to face someone coming after her - after all, as the saying goes, the past always has a way of catching back up to you.  After unveiling some very corrupt prison guards, Ms. Tree then gets transferred to a psychiatric facility in the two-part "Heroine Withdrawal."  For those who remember the very first Ms. Tree story in her own comic (after her origin in Eclipse Magazine), Ms. Tree has a reason to be wary of psychiatrists - and for good reason!.  Only this time around, she manages to reveal the unscrupulous actions of a nurse and orderly, as well as a high-powered politician! And she makes a new friend who may or may not have been taken by aliens (let's just say Collins leaves it up to the reader to decide at the end of the story...)

This collection concludes with the three-issue tale, "The Other Cheek," which introduces us to a newly reformed Ms. Tree who has completed her psychiatric care and has decided to walk away from all of the violence, not even carrying a gun any more.  This, of course, forces all of those who work with her - including Effie! - to step up their game, because when it comes to Ms. Tree, danger is never far away. It's not until her stepson, Mike (named after his father), is kidnapped that Ms. Tree realizes she has no choice, and she throws off the new persona and steps back into the shoes she was made to fill - that of a female vigilante who fights for justice, and always wins!  One thing I thought was a great choice for Beatty in this story (and I don't know if it was his idea, or if Collins told him to do it), but I loved the fact that "reformed" Ms. Tree dressed so much differently - even wearing flower-print dresses!  But when she goes back to her old self to rescue Mike, she once again dons that blue overcoat that give her such distinctive style!  It makes for a nice visual aid to her change in character back and forth.

With only one more collection go to complete the reproduction of the entire run of Ms. Tree, I hope the sales on these collections have been such that Collins and Beatty will consider telling some more stories.  With all of the controversies in the news today, they would literally have a plethora of topics to pick from to create some great tales!  And who knows?  Maybe they could even age the characters, so that Mike (her stepson) could be old enough to work along side her - what a story that would be!  Any way you say it, we definitely need MORE MS. TREE!!!!!!

10 old-fashioned dynamite bombs out of 10 for some truly dynamite story-telling, masterful twists and surprises, and some of the best artwork you will ever see in a comic!  What more could you want?

Ms. Tree - Deadline (The Fourth Ms. Tree Graphic Novel)

Re-reading all of these Ms. Tree stories has reminded me just how much I truly enjoyed this series. I followed the book from the beginning at Eclipse, through its change in publishers to Aardvark-Vanaheim, then to Renegade Press, and finally to DC Comics, where her final stories were published (those were reprinted in the first two volumes of this graphic novel series from Titan).  I love the character, I love the art, I love the writing, I love the supporting cast, I love the stories - I love literally everything about this series (other than the fact that we are not getting any new stories!).  This collection of stories definitely reminded me of just how unafraid Collins and Beatty were to tackle some very adult, very topical subjects - such as child molesters, the porn industry, beauty pageant scandals, vigilante justice, and so much more.  While the style was very noir in a lot of ways, the stories were definitely dark and ripped straight from the headlines in many cases.  I think that's part of what I love about the character and the series - it was fictional, but it gave readers a true sense of justice that we many times don't get to see in the real world.

Ms. Tree: Deadline begins the stories from the Aardvark-Vanaheim run, but also throws in a couple of tales from the Renegade Press run (for reasons explained below).  Now one must realize that when I was first introduced to the character of Ms. Tree, it was in the first issue of Eclipse Comics' Ms. Tree's Thrilling Detective Adventures, which was a full-color comic featuring not only Ms. Tree, but also the Mike Mist Minute Mysteries and back-up stories of The Scythe (along with Frank Miller's detective pin-up centerfolds).  I had never read Ms. Tree's run in the Eclipse Magazine, which told of her marriage to Mike Tree, his murder, and her take-over of the detective agency.  Those chapter were in black-and-white, and since I missed that era, I was solely used to seeing Ms. Tree in full color.  Thus, when Collins and Beatty took the character over to Aardvark-Vanaheim, and the title switched from full color to what Collins called "duo-tone" (basically black and white with one extra color thrown in to highlight certain elements of the panels), it was a bit jarring for me.  However, that first issue published by Aardvark-Vanaheim (which was actually issue 10 of the ongoing series) was the perfect beginning to this new era for Ms. Tree.

Issue 10 begins the eight-part "Deadline" story, which was the perfect way to introduce readers to this new look to the series.  Not only was the first chapter aptly titled "Black and White and Red All Over" (a cute dig at the fact the book was not printed in black and white, with the first issues using red as the duotone color), but it also deals with a newspaper columnist who is intent on telling Ms. Tree's story - and ultimately snags her cooperation when he reveals the latest victim of the singles slasher was a witness ready to testify against Dominic Muerta!  (And, of course, anyone familiar with Ms. Tree knows the Muerta family is her life-long sworn enemy!)  The story takes Ms. Tree into an investigation into the singles slasher, to determine if the last victim's death was merely a copycat killing, or if there was another connection between him and the other victims.  The first two issues used red in the duotone process, but the third issue switched to blue, before returning to red for issue 13, containing the final two chapters of the "Deadline" tale.  Collins writes a fantastic murder mystery, and you have to really look close to pick up on the clues that lead to the identity of the killer (which is something I enjoy about Ms. Tree - not only do you get the written mystery, but you get the visual clues provided by Beatty's art that help lead you to the solution!).

Issues 14 and 15 tell the story of Lt. Rafe Valer's sister in "Skin Deep."  This one, although short (lasting only two issues, with four chapters), was a bit unique, in that we had Rafe coming to Ms. Tree for help, knowing full well her methods for getting things done - and perhaps, after all, that IS why he chose to go to her.  This tale somewhat mirrors the scandal that followed Vanessa Williams, who was crowned Miss America for 1984, when nude photos of her were released without her permission.  In Ms. Tree's story, Veronica Valer is being blackmailed with photos she had allowed a former boyfriend to take.  Needless to say, the ex-boyfriend turns up dead, and Ms. Tree has to not only find the killer, but track down those photos before Veronica's life is ruined forever.  These two issues also feature the first appearance of Harry Rynd, the publisher of King Leer men's magazine (who makes a few more appearances in the series).  These issues came out in December 1984 and January 1985, not long after the Williams' scandal broke, so even though the story is clearly taken from that real life situation, Collins weaves it into a wickedly good murder mystery.

The next two issues hit a bit closer to home for Ms. Tree, with the first "Runaway" story.  Ms. Tree is asked to track down a girl who ran away from home four years prior, but she turns it down, believing the trail is long cold.  But when her adopted son, Mike, runs away, she finds herself teaming up with a social worker, Glenn Harwood to try and find him (and also find the person who has been murdering young boys in the area).  The story is definitely one of the darker ones of Ms. Tree's career, dealing not only with runaway teens and the sometimes horrific consequences of those actions, but also with pedophilia, a topic few people really want to address.  But Collins and Beatty hold nothing back, which makes for a chilling read (and a loud cheer when Ms. Tree gives the rapist/killer the justice he deserves!).

Instead of continuing the stories sequentially, this collection jumps ahead to issues 32 through 34, which contains the six-chapter sequel to "Runaway," aptly titled "Runaway II."  In this sequel, a father asks Ms. Tree to help him find the person who killed his daughter - a runaway who turned to a life in porn.  It makes sense this story is collected her, as it sees the return of both Glenn Harwood (who is trying to convince a runaway-turned-pornstar to give up that life) and Harry Rynd of King Leer (who is actually helping the runaway-turned-pornstar start her own film company).  While not quite as dark as the first "Runaway" story, it does delve into the filthier side of the porn industry, including underage girls, drugs, and mob connections (let's remember, this is Ms. Tree, so the Muerta connections are never really that far away...).  These issues were originally published in 1986, which year also saw the release of the final report on the Attorney General's Commission on Pornography, which was allegedly researched and written for the purpose of determining "the nature, extent, and impact on society of pornography in the United States" and to recommend ways to contain the spread of pornography, "consistent with constitutional guarantees." (Attorney General's Commission on Pornography).  Thus, Collins and Beatty once again managed to tackle some very topical and timely issues with Ms. Tree

The final comic story reprinted in this collection is a two-chapter Mike Mist/Ms. Tree crossover titled "Death, Danger, and Diamonds."  Mist calls in Ms. Tree to help him track down the con-men who killed a woman he loved after she turned on them.  The case takes them to Hawaii, where they pose as a troubled married couple in order to trick the con-men (and their new female companion) into revealing themselves so Mist and Ms. Tree can take them down (and, of course, Ms. Tree doesn't just take them down, she takes them out!).  It's always fun to see these two characters interact, as Collins gives them a natural rapport that makes you smile as you read their banter.  This story is strictly black and white, having originally been published as a 3-D take in Ms. Tree 3-D (1985), and later reprinted without the 3-D in The Files of Ms. Tree, Volume 3 (1986).

I'm thoroughly enjoying re-reading these stories, and the only sad thing about it is that I know eventually all the Ms. Tree comics will be reprinted, and that will be the end.  I really, REALLY wish Collins and Beatty would get back together and put out some new Ms. Tree fare, as this character is just too great to fade into comic obscurity...

RATING:  10 unidentified bodies in the morgue out of 10 for continuing to share these classic tales of Ms. Tree with longtime fans and a new generation of readers who will, hopefully, keep her alive for a long time to come!

Ms. Tree - The Cold Dish (The Third Ms. Tree Graphic Novel)

It felt SO good to sit down and read this third collection of Ms. Tree stories from Titan Comics.  For those who haven't read my prior posts (about Ms. Tree collected editions Volumes 1 and 2), I have been a fan of this series since way back in the early 1980s when I walked into my local comic store in Louisville, Kentucky (The Great Escape, a fantastic store which, by the way, is still there on Bardstown Road!) and saw that cover to Ms. Tree's Thrilling Detective Adventures no. 1, with the title character standing with her back against a wall, wearing that iconic blue trench coat shooting at an unseen assailant.  Being a fan of crime/mystery novels and being a fan of female-led comics, this was a no brainer.  I picked up that first issue, despite its $1.00 cover price (DC and Marvel comics, which had pretty much been my only source of comics up until that point, were still only 60 cents per issue back then), and I was quickly hooked.  The story by Max Allan Collins quickly drew me in ... the character, particularly Ms. Michael Tree herself, were not your standard superhero fare that I was used to at that point ... and the art by Terry Beatty - well, all I can is WOW!  This book literally had it all!  (NOTE - I had not realized at the time that Ms. Tree had starred in a six-part serialized story in Eclipse Comics, a magazine size anthology comic published by Eclipse - it wasn't until years later that I was able to finally track those issues down and read that "origin" story.)

Anyway, Ms. Tree: The Cold Dish collects that initial six-part story (reprinted here in its original black-and-white format), as well as the first two stories told in Eclipse's ongoing series, which came out in issues one through eight, and a special Ms. Tree/Mike Mist cross-over story from issue nine (which happened to be the last issue published by Eclipse Comics before the series switched publishers).  For those who don't know, Mike Mist was a Collin/Beatty creation that was a one-page strip in each issue of Ms. Tree with a murder for Mist to solve (and the reader had the opportunity to figure it out before turning the comic upside down to read the solution at the bottom of the last panel of each story).  Those first issues also featured a back-up story of a character called "The Scythe," as well as centerfold pin-up pages drawn by Frank Miller (one of which, in issue four, happened to be my very own favorite female sleuth, Nancy Drew!).  And I'm probably one of the very people in the world who actually liked that Ms. Tree's Thrilling Detective Adventures title to the comic - I know that Collins hated the name - but by issue four, the title became simply Ms. Tree, which lasted until the end of the series, and on into the DC Comics series (which issues were reprinted in the first two volumes of the Titan collection).  

All that aside, re-reading these stories brought back so many good memories for me.  Memories of rushing to The Great Escape each week, hoping the next issue came out.  The excitement I felt when I saw a new issue on the shelf.  The anxiety I felt when I finished reading that issue and knew I would have to wait a whole 'nother month before the next issue came out (and, well, let's face it - with independent comics back then, a "monthly" schedule was not always monthly!).  And the absolute thrill I felt when one story finished and a new one began!

"I, for an Eye" tells the story of how Ms. Michael Friday met detective Michael Tree, became his secretary, then his partner, and then his wife.  And how, on their honeymoon, Mr. Michael Tree was murdered.  And how Ms. Michael Tree (simply Ms. Tree now, an obvious play on the word "mystery") took over her husband's detective agency and set about hunting down her husband's killer.  There is a clear difference in the art style here than in the ongoing monthly title that came out after - not sure if it's black-and-white versus color, or if it's because Beatty was getting his feet wet with the characters in the Eclipse magazine serial, or some other reason.  Ms. Tree still basically looks the same, but a number of the other characters resemble Dick Tracy-style characters.  It's also in this six-parter that readers meet Anne Tree, Mike's first wife, as well as Mike, Jr. (his son by his first wife); we are introduced to Dan Green and Roger Freemont, the licensed investigators in the detective agency; we meet Effie, the secretary who fills Ms. Tree's position; and we get the notion that there are mob dealings at work behind the scenes...

"Death Do Us Part" is the seven-part story that appeared in the first three issues of Ms. Tree's Thrilling Detective Adventures (yes, I'm going to say that as many times as I can, since this is the only chance I'll get!).  Mike Tree is dead, his killer has been caught, and Ms. Tree is now having to deal with the aftermath.  Coping with the loss of a loved one is never easy, particularly when it's your husband and you lose him in such a brutal way on your wedding night.  So, Ms. Tree is seeing a psychiatrist, who recommends a vacation to get away from it all.  The only problem is, the vacation setting resembles an on-going dream she has been having - and when a young couple are gunned down on Ms. Tree's first night at the mountain getaway, it seems she is back in the thick of things.  It's in this story we meet Sgt. Rafe Valer, a trusted friend of Ms. Tree's deceased husband; we also learn more about Dominic Muerta, the mob boss who may have had a connection to her husband's death.  The art here is definitely more refined, as Beatty is beginning to get into the groove with all of the characters, but I'll be honest - one of the best things I love about these early issues is the lettering.  The lettering is exact, almost typewriter-like, and reading it makes me feel like I'm reading a novel, only with the pictures attached.  I loved this back when I first picked up the comic, and I still love it today.  I think it gave Ms. Tree something distinct that other comics did not have, and I was sad to see the book go with more traditional lettering with issue five. 

 

"The Cold Dish" is a ten-part story that ran from issue four through issue eight of Ms. Tree (yes, the "Thrilling Detective Adventures got dropped after issue three), and was by far probably the biggest story of Ms. Tree's long list of adventures, as it had so many life-altering events that occurred within it.  Anne Tree was killed - Mike Jr. went to live with Ms. Tree - Mr. Bryan Hand, a specially trained tutor enters the picture to teach and protect Mike Jr. - Ms. Tree confronts Dominic Muerta for the first time, igniting the feud that fuels many a story in this series - the offices of Ms. Tree's detective agency are blown to bits - Dan Green suffers some life-changing injuries - I mean, the list goes on and on.  The story picks up literally right after the end of "Death Do Us Part," as the police chief is none-too-pleased that Ms. Tree is walking away scott-free after having killed several people ("They killed each other" is her story).  And as always, there is no rest for the weary, because before you know it, Anne Tree asks Ms. Tree to take Mike Jr. if something should happen to her - which it quickly does. This starts a feud with Anne's parents, who believe Mike Jr. should be with them.  Meanwhile, Ms. Tree believes someone wanted Anne dead, and she soon discovers why - Anne had information on corruption with the police force, connections to the Muerta mob family, that she was going to turn over to the state attorney.  The violence is definitely upped in this story, which is the longest Ms. Tree story at this point.  The art remains consistently beautiful, and other than the change in lettering style, I am still in awe of this book!

"Murder at Mohawk" is a self-contained, one-issue story where Ms. Tree teams up with Mike Mist to solve a murder that has ties to an old bank robbery from some years back.  Mist is there to act as bodyguard to a writer researching the story.  Ms. Tree is there to get some peace and rest after the events of the past few months.  But when a supposed suicide turns out to be murder, the two detectives team-up to figure out just who killed the man and how that connects to the famous crime that occurred at the hotel some thirty years prior.  It is a true Agatha Christie-style mystery, with all of the suspects front and center, each with their own story to tell and each with a reason to kill the man.  This story was fun, because it was the first time (at least, in this comic) that we see Mike Mist spending more than just a few panels and one page to solve a murder!  Sadly, this was also the last issue published by Eclipse Comics, as well as the last full-color issue of Ms. Tree until the comic was picked up by DC Comics some years later.

The collection is rounded off with two short prose stories:  "Red Light," which originally appeared in The Files of Ms. Tree, Volume One, and "The Little Woman," which originally appeared in The Files of Ms. Tree, Volume Two.  These volumes were printed back in the '80s by Aardvark-Vanheim Press and Renegade Press, respectively, and collected the same stories reprinted in this Titan collection, only they were reprinted in black-and-white in those collections.  

This volume of stories is probably my favorite of all of them, simply because it was my first introduction to Ms. Tree back in the 1980s, and it began my love of independent comics in general (it is because of this comic that I tried DNAgents, Somerset Holmes, Elementals, Jon Sable, Freelance, and so many more indy comics back in the day!).  But more than that, the story and the art worked so seamlessly together that I felt like I was not only reading, but I was "seeing" a crime detective novel come to life right in front of me.  I still keep hoping and praying that one of these days Collins and Beatty will team up for more Ms. Tree thrilling detective adventures, because Ms. Tree deserves more stories!

RATING:  10 sand-plugged gun barrels out of 10 for creating the perfect female detective and telling some of the absolute best stories out there in any market!

Ms. Tree - Skeleton in the Closet (The Second Ms. Tree Graphic Novel)

Oh, how I miss Ms. Tree.  Michael Tree was probably the first hard-broiled, female detective that I ever "met," and when I first picked up issue 1 of Ms. Tree's Thrilling Detective Adventures at the Great Escape back in the early 1980s, I immediately fell in love with her.  The art by Terry Beatty was so beautifully rendered, and the writing by Max Allan Collins was exceptional, drawing you into the story and making you really feel for the characters, as if you were actually right there with them.  The stories usually had a dark twist to them, and the in most cases, it was the most unexpected, least likely characters who turned out to be the villains behind whatever crime Ms. Tree happened to be investigating.  (And yes, I'm not ashamed to admit - it took me a bit before I caught onto the pun of her name - Ms. Tree = "mystery.")  In any event, when her original series from Eclipse, then Aarvark-Vanheim, then Renegade Press ended with issue 50, I was extremely disappointed.  Then, DC Comics picked it up, and it returned to full color stories!  But sadly, that only lasted 10 issues before it was also cancelled back in 1993.  Now, though, over 25 years later, Ms. Tree is finally back on the scene thanks to Titan Comics and their "Hard Case Crime" line of graphic novels, and I am getting the chance to re-read those wonderful stories and re-acquaint myself with the world of Ms. Tree.

Skeleton in the Closet is the second volume in this series of collected tales, and it not only features the rest of the DC Comics stories, but it features one of the earlier Renegade Press tales that ties directly into an issue of the DC run.  While the first collection published by Titan featured an over-arching storyline involving Ms. Tree, the Muertas, and Ms. Tree's pregnancy, the stories in this second collection are not necessarily connected (other than the two Roger-centric tales), but are nonetheless some great reads.  And, in true Ms.Tree-style, the stories feature some "pulled-from-the-headlines" tales.

"The Devil's Punchbowl" takes Ms. Tree to a little town called Bloomington to find a young girl that seems to have been murdered by a Satanic cult.   As always is with Ms. Tree's stories, not everything is as it seems.  There are more secrets in Bloomington than just the cult, and while the God-fearing town hates the cult's presence, it's not necessarily the cult leader who is the most dangerous person there!

The next two stories, "Skeleton in the Closet" and "Cry Rape" both focus on Ms. Tree's stepson, Mike.  In the first story, Mike's homophobia takes the forefront, as his memories of a past story when he was kidnapped and forced to watch his friend sodomized and murdered come back to haunt him, triggering an anger in him that he did not know still existed.  But who killed the publishers of "The Blade," a gay magazine known for outing people?  In the second story, Mike is accused of raping a girl on campus, but he has no memory of the night.  Did he actually do it, or is someone setting him up?  Ms. Tree is on the case!

"Horror Hotel" was actually my favorite story in this collection.  It is an off-beat tale, not your typical Ms. Tree fare!  Ms. Tree is invited to spend the weekend in an old, supposedly haunted mansion, along with a parapsychologist, two mediums, and a man of the cloth to perform an exorcism, if necessary.  What Ms. Tree doesn't know is that the press will also be present - the same rag that tagged her with the "Female Mike Hammer" line.  But when the parapsychologist turns up dead ... and then Mr. Wicker, who organizes the event, is killed ... is it the ghosts that haunt the house, or is the monster someone more of the human variety?  There are plenty of twists in this little mystery, making it a really great read!

The final two stories are connected - "Roger's Story" from the Renegade Press days (and republished here in its original duo-tone format), followed up by by "To Live and Die in Vietnam," takes a look into Roger's past when he served with Dan Green's brother in Vietnam.  Roger made it back, but the rest of his troop - including Dan's brother, were left behind, presumed dead.  But the past always has a way of coming back to haunt everyone in Ms. Tree's vicinity, and Roger (and Dan) are no different.  In "Roger's Story," an old flame returns for Roger's help, but the secret she is hiding could get them both killed.  "To Live and Die in Vietnam" follows up on the anger Dan harbors against Roger for leaving his brother behind, but a trip to Vietnam to uncover the truth about his brother's death leads to more than just a few surprises.

There is also a short prose story at the end of the collection, "Louise," which finds Ms. Tree tracking down a missing child who was abducted by her abusive father.  Of course, she quickly learns that the truth is all a matter of perspective, and she does what she has to do to protect the child in a way only Ms. Tree can!

This second volume of the Ms. Tree collections finishes off the DC issues, and volume three will begin collecting the original run of Ms. Tree.  I am really looking forward to future volumes and the opportunity to re-read this amazing run of stories.  Max Allan Collins is a phenomenal mystery writer, his stories always providing just the right twist to keep you guessing.  And Terry Beatty's art, while in some ways very simplistic, fits perfectly with Ms. Tree to create a unique style that no one could ever duplicate.  That is why, despite how disappointed I am that we've had no new Ms. Tree comics for decades, I am happy that no other writer or artist has taken over and continued the series.  Ms. Tree would just never been the same without Collins and Beatty at the helm.

RATING:  10 late night exorcisms out of 10 for reminding the world just how magnificent Ms. Tree really is!

The Big Hoax - a Hard Case Crime Comic

Titan Comics has been putting out some really great stories under the "Hard Case Crimes" banner.  Normandy Gold and Peepland are two previous mini-series that I have read and thoroughly enjoyed. So, when I came across this hardcover graphic novel in a recent Previews, I decided to give it a shot. I enjoyed the others I have bought, so thought this premise sounded good as well.  I have never heard of the writer (Carlos Trilllo) or the artist (Roberto Mandrafina), but sometimes that works in the creators' favor, as I come into it without absolutely no preconceived ideas about any prior work they may have done.  And so it is that I finally picked up The Big Hoax to read it.

At 124-pages of story and art, The Big Hoax definitely has plenty of room to flesh out a good, hard-hitting story.  What I did not realize, until I reached the end of the graphic novel and read the bios for the author and artist is that Carlos Trillo died 10 years ago (back in 2011).  This, of course, made me wonder when this story was actually written.  The information I found online surprised me - Trillo was a rather prolific comic writer from Argentina, and he worked on a number of projects from 1963 until the late '90s or early 2000s.  From what I could find, The Big Hoax was originally published around 1996 as La gran patraña.  So, as it turns out, this graphic novel is not just a reprint, but it is also translated from Spanish to English (by Zeljko Medic).  But, that's okay - because that information gave me a new perspective on the story.

You see, when I first read the story in its entirety, I found it a bit odd.  Several characters break the fourth wall repeatedly, talking directly to the reader about not only the story itself, but about the main characters in the story.  There is also quite a bit of female nudity - and I mean FULL female nudity - which I didn't necessarily find off-putting, but I thought it to be somewhat biased that the reader is treated to numerous panels of female bodies, while the males remained carefully hidden/shadowed/discreet.  This fear of showing male nudity, while showcasing and praising female nudity, is an age-old argument, and my philosophy is - either show both or show neither.  But, considering this was originally written nearly 20 years ago, and in another country entirely, made me realize that I can't judge this based on today's viewpoints.  So, I took another crack at the tale.

The story is about a young woman who seeks out the help of alcoholic, ex-cop Donald Reynoso to help her.  You see, she is Melinda Centurion, otherwise known to the people of La Colonia as "The Intact Virgin."  But her life is a lie, a fictional tale created by the self-proclaimed talent, Milton Bates, at the request of the governor of La Colonia.  It seems the people have been churning out children left and right, all of whom are fodder for the guerillas who want to take over the province.  The governor convinces Bates to come up with a story that will encourage the women to remain chaste and lower the number of children being born, thus lowering the number of guerillas that his army has to fight.  Thus, "The Intact Virgin" was born!  (In reality, she is extremely loose of morals, sleeping with her uncle and pretty much any other man along the way!)  Now, though, her life is in danger, as someone has discovered that Melinda is sleeping with Donnie's own brother, who happens to be the Minister of the Interior for La Colonia.  If the people find out that Melinda is, indeed, not a virgin, then her uncle's plan will fall apart, and both she and Donnie's brother will be killed.  Not one to turn down a woman in need, Donnie agrees to help - but little does he realize that the hoax perpetrated on the people is but one of many hoaxes that will come into play before this whole drama is over!

Trillo creates a filthy world of crooked politicians, deadly assassins, seedy bars, filthy whore houses, and protagonists who are anything but good and innocent.  And with the second go-around at reading the book, I found that the interruptions by Milton Bates, Tropico (the owner and singer of El Rey Mago), and Mama Geremga (who runs the local brothel) to actually be a unique way of providing readers with backstory to the characters, and it added some flavor to such a dark tale.  And Mandrafina's art may be overexaggerated in parts (particularly with regard to the characters of color), I did find that he has an amazing talent when it comes to his characters' expressions - on page 38, for example, the looks on Melinda's and Donnie's faces tell the reader exactly what the character is feeling without any words necessary.  And the analogy set forth by Trillo and Mandrafina on pages 62-63 provides readers with an excellent foreshadowing of what is to come for one of the characters.

Certainly, The Big Hoax is not a story that I would typically read under normal circumstances; however, I am ultimately glad I picked it up, as it reminds me that great storytelling in comics is not limited to just the United States - there are some amazing creators and fantastic works from all around the world!

RATING:  8 men-eating women from Guyana out of 10 for reminding me that a really great story does not necessarily have to have a happy ending.

Ms. Tree - One Mean Mother (The First Ms. Tree Graphic Novel)

I first "met" Ms. Tree in 1982 while browsing comics at The Great Escape, the only comic store in Louisville, Kentucky of which I was aware as a 13-year old budding comic fan. Already a fan of female detectives (having grown up on Nancy Drew), and having an insatiable appetite for new comics, particularly the direct-market comics that I had only recently discovered, I could not pass up this amazing new title that showed a dark-haired women in a blue trenchcoat getting shot at.  From the very first page, I was hooked.  Absolutely LOVED Terry Beatty's art style, and for odd reasons I can't explain, I loved the lettering in the book - done exactly like a typewriter rather than the standard lettering by hand that all other comics used.  It gave the book a very hard case, gritty feel to it, and it definitely worked.  (Sadly, that lettering changed after the first few issues, and it joined the rest of the comic world with regular hand lettering.)  I was unaware that there had been a previous story serialized in the magazine, Eclipse Comics, and I later tracked those issues down.

Anyway, Ms. Tree always stuck with me, and I with her, from her transition from Eclipse Comics (her original publisher) to Aardvark-Vanaheim, and later to Renegade Press.  When Renegade cancelled the series with issue 50, I was disheartened, but later thrilled when I learned that DC Comics was picking up the series as a quarterly title with more pages!  Unfortunately, that only lasted 10 issues, and in 1993, Ms. Tree appeared to have left the world forever...

In 2007, her creator Max Allan Collins brought Ms. Tree back with a novelized version of Ms. Tree's first story (although it is not an exactly copy of the comic story) under the Hard Case Crime label of books. I'm not sure how well that did, but no further novels were published, so I'm guessing it did not do so well.

Flash-forward to 2019, and Titan Comics, which publishes a number of creator-owned works, as well as licensed products such as Doctor Who, Tank Girl, and others, finally picked up the mantel and published the first collection of Ms. Tree stories in comic form in over 25 years!  Interestingly enough, rather than start at the beginning with the Eclipse Comics' stories, Collins decided to start off with the DC Comics' stories (as Collins puts it, he wanted to lead off with his best stories).  One Mean Mother gives readers a look into the gritty world of Ms. Tree after she has been at this for years - her husband gone, his son now her own after his mother was killed, her vendetta against Dominic Muerta seemingly over since he was dead, and her private investigation business flourishing. But, of course, nothing ever stays calm for long in the world of Ms. Tree...

This first collection features the stories from Ms. Tree Quarterly #1, #4, #7, #8, and #9.  The introduction by Collins indicates that the remaining five stories from the DC Comics' run will be included in the second collection, along with a key story from the Renegade Press run that helps with the flow of continuity for those tales.  I find this to be a bit odd, since the Ms. Tree stories have always been sequential - while each multi-part story (in the pre-DC years) and each issue (in the DC years) held a complete story in and of itself, there were always subplots that continued within the book from issue to issue, and elements of one story definitely had repercussions in future stories.  However, Collins has proven his strength as a writer with this series over the years, so I trust his judgment.

The first story, "Gift of Death," features the return of Dominique Muerta, the sister of mafia crime lord Dominic Muerta, the man who orchestrated the death of Ms. Tree's husband all those years ago.  The story is rooted in Ms. Tree's history, and in a twist of fate, when Dominique is murdered, it is up to Ms. Tree to find out who killed her.  It's the second story, thought, "Drop Dead Handsome," that really sets the overall theme for this collection - in this story, Ms. Tree comes face-to-face with a man from her past - an old high school sweetheart that she thought was long-gone history.  He shows an interest in her once again, and it is clear that his wife has some emotional issues.  William Powers tells Ms. Tree his marriage is all but over, and she sleeps with him - only to be confronted by his wife, who pulls a gun on them both.  Protecting herself, Ms. Tree shoots and kills the woman.  Of course, every story has its twists and turns, and Ms. Tree soon finds that William Powers is not everything he pretends to be. 

The next story, "The Family Way," drops the most unexpected bombshell that Ms. Tree readers would ever see.  She faces a case that is very personal, as her son Mike's girlfriend has been kidnapped.  It happens that his girlfriend is the daughter of the late Dominique Muerta!  But that doesn't stop Ms. Tree from doing what must be done, and after facing down the madman behind the kidnapping, she discovers something in the very last panel that I have no doubt stunned readers when it was first published. "Why, Ms. Tree," said the doctor, "surely you knew...you're at least three months' pregnant..."

Wow, talk about a major, life-changing cliffhanger!  That was issue 7 from the DC run, and this collection features the remaining two issues, 8 and 9 - "Maternity Leave," in which a very pregnant Ms. Tree must try and determine who is out to kill her, and "One Mean Mother," in which Ms. Tree has to track down the man that shot her sister and kidnapped her child. Even pregnant and then a mother, Ms. Tree never changes in her true character - she still protects the innocent, she still has no problem making criminals pay, and she will always do whatever is necessary for the sake of her family (both literal and figurative).

It was such a joy to re-read these stories, and while I remember so much of the earlier runs of Ms. Tree being topical (pornography, rape, child abuse, etc.), the more personal stories of this collection still have the Ms. Tree feel to them - and they certainly have the violence and vengeance in full spades!  I'm honestly surprised that over the years we have never seen a movie or television series based on this character, as these stories definitely feel cinematic in nature.  Who knows, maybe with these collections coming out, someone will pick up on it!

Now if we can just figure out a way to get Collins and Beatty to work on some new Ms. Tree stories...

RATING:  10 class reunion themed parties out of 10 for bringing Ms. Tree back into the comic world and giving new readers an opportunity to enjoy this amazing work of writing and art!

Amber Blake - an IDW mini-series

Me and my fascination with female-led comic book tales. I've always been drawn to comics that have strong female leads.  Wonder Woman. Birds of Prey. Batgirl. Supergirl. She-Hulk. Ms. Marvel (now Captain Marvel). Ms. Tree. Squirrel Girl. Power Girl. Huntress. Countless others. So, it should come as now surprise that when I saw the first IDW solicits for a new mini-series called Amber Blake, I was going to give it a try.  The fact that it has art by the magnificently talented Butch Guice, well that was simply icing on the cake.  And the cover for that first issue, with that determined young woman, all in black, carrying that gun - that pretty much solidified the deal.

What I did not expect was that the comic is not your standard comic-size; rather, it is magazine size (which means larger comic panels inside, with greater detail and more story!). What I also did not expect was a story about a young girl abandoned by her mother at an orphanage who is then taken away to study at one of the world's most prestigious schools - only to learn that the school is a smoke-screen for a man who takes advantage of his position - - and his students!

It's part spy story, part mystery story, part adventure story, part self-discovery story, part romance story - but overall, it's one heck of a great story! I enjoyed every minute of every issue. I am thankful that the writer, Jade Lagardere, did not feel the need to drag Amber's "origin" out for 6 to 12 issues to fill trade paperbacks; instead, readers get a direct, less-than-one-issue origin tale that gives readers everything they need to know about Amber, about the school, about the villain she will be chasing throughout this four-issue series, and leaves plenty of mystery to be discovered along the way (the readers learn more about Amber's past as she does throughout the adventure).

As in real life, not everyone is who they seem to be in this series, and Lagardere manages to pull some really good punches in the last two issues, surprising even me with a couple of very good soap opera moments and reveals (and no, I'm not going to say what they are, as it will spoil your reading of the story).  Suffice to say, it is definitely worth it for the story alone; however, the art by Butch Guice is absolutely magnificent. The man knows how to draw, that's for sure. Some amazingly detailed backgrounds, some beautifully rendered expressions, and some unbelievable movement from panel to panel. The only drawback (and it doesn't detract from the enjoyment of the books too much) is the coloring. There are some panels, which are meant to be night time scenes, but they are colored with so much dark blue and black that it is difficult to tell what exactly is going on in the scene.  But, I've seen some movies with the same problem, where the night scenes are so dark, it's impossible to see anything at all on the screen - so, as I said, it didn't take me out of the story, and I just kept going, because I HAD to know what was going to happen next!

This book has a very cinematic feel to it, and I sure hope Lagardere and Guice have plans for more future Amber Blake stories, because I would definitely get them!!

RATING:  10 unexpected returns from the dead out of 10 for a freaking great story, superb art, and a wonderfully satisfying read!

Normandy Gold - a Hard Case Crime Comic

Titan Comics seems to be have a big hit on their hands with its "Hard Case Crime" line of titles.  I gave it a shot with the Peepland mini-series, which turned out to be really good, so I took a chance with a second mini-series, and I have to say - I was just as impressed with this one.

Set in the '70s exploitation style of writing and art, Normany Gold is not only the title of the book, but it is the name of the title character.  Normandy is a small town sheriff who heads to Washington, D.C. to find her missing sister.  When her sister turns up dead, murdered, Normandy takes it upon herself to search for her sister's killer, even if that means going undercover as an escort for Washington's most respected (and used) madame.  She quickly finds out that Washington is filled with a lot of secrets, and that a lot of high-powered men will do pretty much anything to keep those secrets hidden - even if it means killing!

Writers Megan Abbott and Alison Gaylin provide a really great murder mystery with a tough-as-nails protagonist who will do anything to get the job done. They manage to give the reader the feel for the '70s, with the macho men who are sexist pigs to the end, strong-willed women who are still trying to gain that equal footing, and the government wheelers-and-dealers who seem to live conscience-free and throw money wherever it is needed to maintain their power.  Despite her tough exterior, Normandy is a character the reader will not necessarily identify with, but you will definitely feel for her and will be rooting for her to catch the killer, despite the things she has to do in order to get there.  And believe me, some of it is NOT pretty!

Steve Scott's art is absolutely gorgeous.  The people are real, the clothing and backgrounds are time-period appropriate, and each page flows so smoothly, it comes across nearly cinematic.  The expressions he captures on the characters' faces are spot on, and about the only complaint I actually have is the fact that there are a number of scenes with full female nudity, yet with every scene where a man is nude, Scott conveniently finds a way to "shelter" the reader from actually seeing any full frontal male.  It's the double standard that seems rampant in our society - yet, I can be forgiving, since the comic is told in a '70s style, and let's face it - back then, female nudity in these type of films and/or books was the norm, and seeing a man naked was simply not done.  So, I suppose, it actually keeps the book on par for its intended goal.

I will say that Abbott and Gaylin kept me guessing through most of the story as to who the murderer would turn out to be - and when the ultimate reveal is made, it does come as a bit of a surprise.  But, it makes sense, and like with any good exploitation film (is that an oxy-moron) from that era, the ending is anything but happy or tidy; rather, it resolves the mystery, but it leaves the characters in a state of limbo (as well as the reader, who has to wonder, just what happens to these characters next?).

I do hope that Titan Comics continues to publish more of these type of crime noir stories, as they are not your typical continuity-heavy, super-hero comic tales, but rather, they are stories with a lot of meat and really make you think.

9 poison-filled syringes out of 10 for taking us back in time and reminding us that even 40 years ago, women could be tougher-than-tough when they needed to be!

Peepland - a Hard Case Crime Comic

And they lived happily ever after...NOT!

Christa Faust is no stranger to hard-hitting stories. When I first saw Peepland advertised in the Titans Comics section of Previews, I immediately recognize Faust, as she had authored several horror books that I have read (including a Friday the 13th novel, a Nightmare on Elm Street novel, and the movie novelization of Final Destination 3). Thus, I not only knew she was a great writer, but I knew she wasn't afraid to tell a killer story!

Published under the "Hard Case Crime" imprint, Peepland tells the story of New York City at the end of 1986 - back when Times Square was still filled with dirty bookstores, porn-film theaters, and live peepshows.  It's the underbelly of New York and the people who lived and worked there.  Faust takes us not just into the adult-side of things, but also into these girls' homes and their regular lives filed with heartache and misery.

Roxy, one of the performers, is the main characters - and her story begins when a regular customer bursts into her booth, hides a video tape on the inside of the cushioned chair, and tells Roxy to leave it there until he comes back for it.  Which, naturally, he never does, because he is killed by two goons who push him in front of an oncoming subway.  Roxy knows something is up, so she takes the tape and passes it on to her fellow co-worker and friend, Aiesha, to hide for her.  It goes without saying that this tape holds something very important - something worth killing for - and soon enough, Roxy and her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Nick, discovery what that something is - a murder, caught on tape!

While there's never any mystery as to who the killer is, the stakes are high in this roller coaster ride of a tale, with unexpected twists every time you turn around.  No one is exactly who they seem, and some people will do just about anything to cover-up the truth of the murder.  And when Aiesha's son, Lorenzo, is accused of the crime, Aiesha's girlfriend convinces her brothers to pull off a high-stakes robbery to get enough money for Aiesha to hire a lawyer to save her son.  Of course, there's also the witness to the crime, who comes forward to tell what she knows and ask the police for protection - problem is, the detective she asks happens to be on the payroll of the one man who wants this murder covered-up - at any cost!

Faust pulls absolutely no punches with this story, and there are several unexpected and rather heart-breaking deaths throughout the tale.  Just when you start to feel for these characters, when you think you know who will survive, who will not, BAM!  Faust gives readers a hard core, hard crime story that will leave you breathless, yet wanting for more.

And Andrea Camerini's art is so perfectly fitting for the story - the characters are harrowed and flawed, the backgrounds are dirty and shadowed, and you can literally feel the Times Square grit as the story flows from panel to panel.  Kudos to Titan Comics for selecting the perfectly fitted artist for this tale.

This is one story that I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND to anyone who enjoys a good noir detective / murder mystery tale - it's gripping, it's fast-paced, it's engaging, and it will keep you hoping then dash them all  up until that very last panel.  Because, just like real life, there is no happy ending in the world of Peepland.

RATING:  10 live nude peep shows out of 10 for giving readers a crime noir story that kicks you in the gut, but leaves you 100% satisfied.