Yesterday, Sweet Betty said, “I seem to recall MM dressing in more earth-like clothing over her years as Junior’s wife. I know there are those here who have this info at their fingertips; can you clear this up?”This is partly in answer to Sweet Betty’s question, partly to address some other questions about Moon Maid’s clothes, and partly for the sake of those who haven’t seen these files before. For those who have seen them, I’ve updated them with new scenes.We had a discussion about Mysta’s attire a few months ago, and similar questions were raised about why she hasn’t been wearing Earth clothes, and whether Staton’s portrayal is an accurate representation of her legacy. I proceeded to do some research, skimming through the years Moon Maid was a regular or semiregular in the strip (1963-1973). I culled out panels that were representative of her overall appearance during each of those years. (There was nothing for 1971, however).As you will see in the graphic linked below, Mysta’s moon costume did evolve somewhat over the years (the pics are listed chronologically). On the other hand, the basic look Gould gave her when she was first introduced in 1964 never really went away. Most of the changes that took place during the Space Era were variations on a theme, as Ray Toler has pointed out. Apart from the brief appearance of the “minus” skirt during the 1969 Painted Lady/Hy Jacky story (which immediately went away), the only significant change to Moon Maid’s basic moon costume was in 1973, the last year she had a significant role in the strip. I did include a pic of the maternity smock Moon Maid wore when she was expecting Honeymoon.Mysta wearing Moon fashionsIn this next file, I’ve included panels showing Mysta in Earth fashions, featuring her wedding gown and the dress she wore on her first date with Junior (both from 1964), a nightgown she wore briefly in 1965, and the black dress she wore on the day she died in 1978.Mysta wearing Earth fashionsThe above confirms that Mysta did occasionally wear Earth fashions, but considering she had a 14-year run in the strip, wearing Earth clothes was the relatively rare exception. In fact, after Honeymoon was born in September 1965, Moon Maid was thereafter almost never seen wearing anything except her familiar bustier until 1973. Even when she did wear Earth attire, she tended to accessorize it with moon fashions; e.g., wore her thigh-high boots with her wedding gown and maternity smock, and even the black dress she wore on the day the car exploded was reminiscent of moon attire (bare shoulders and back).As you can see in the first graphic, the moon costume Staton has given Mysta is virtually an exact match with the outfit she wore from 1967 through early 1969, nearly two years of the strip (the same years when DT circulation peaked). Whatever people may think of her costume, it is certainly representative of her look during the Space Era and of moon women in general (they all dressed like this). And just as it was typical of Moon Maid to wear moon fashions during the 1960s whether at work or at home or fighting crime, it shouldn’t be considered strange or uncharacteristic that she is constantly wearing them now. It’s her look, the look we constantly saw during her original run, and the look we would surely expect to see in her return. As Tarry Plaguer pointed out on this comments page a few months ago:“The Moon Maid everyone is familiar with, is the one dressed in the sexy “Playboy bunny suit”. I am sure that almost all news footage ever taken of her, had her dressed that way. In the public eye, she isn’t Moon Maid unless she looks the part. Sort of like any super hero from any comic that isn’t in costume.”Besides answering Sweet Betty’s question, my main intent has been to respond to the complaint that Mysta’s attire is not accurate or typical of what we should expect Moon Maid to be wearing. Based on the evidence, I believe it certainly is. Hopefully the visual evidence I’ve provided will be helpful in resolving the current discussion.
Yesterday, Sweet Betty said, “I seem to recall MM dressing in more earth-like clothing over her years as Junior’s wife. I know there are those here who have this info at their fingertips; can you clear this up?”This is partly in answer to Sweet Betty’s question, partly to address some other questions about Moon Maid’s clothes, and partly for the sake of those who haven’t seen these files before. For those who have seen them, I’ve updated them with new scenes.We had a discussion about Mysta’s attire a few months ago, and similar questions were raised about why she hasn’t been wearing Earth clothes, and whether Staton’s portrayal is an accurate representation of her legacy. I proceeded to do some research, skimming through the years Moon Maid was a regular or semiregular in the strip (1963-1973). I culled out panels that were representative of her overall appearance during each of those years. (There was nothing for 1971, however).As you will see in the graphic linked below, Mysta’s moon costume did evolve somewhat over the years (the pics are listed chronologically). On the other hand, the basic look Gould gave her when she was first introduced in 1964 never really went away. Most of the changes that took place during the Space Era were variations on a theme, as Ray Toler has pointed out. Apart from the brief appearance of the “minus” skirt during the 1969 Painted Lady/Hy Jacky story (which immediately went away), the only significant change to Moon Maid’s basic moon costume was in 1973, the last year she had a significant role in the strip. I did include a pic of the maternity smock Moon Maid wore when she was expecting Honeymoon.Mysta wearing Moon fashionsIn this next file, I’ve included panels showing Mysta in Earth fashions, featuring her wedding gown and the dress she wore on her first date with Junior (both from 1964), a nightgown she wore briefly in 1965, and the black dress she wore on the day she died in 1978.Mysta wearing Earth fashionsThe above confirms that Mysta did occasionally wear Earth fashions, but considering she had a 14-year run in the strip, wearing Earth clothes was the relatively rare exception. In fact, after Honeymoon was born in September 1965, Moon Maid was thereafter almost never seen wearing anything except her familiar bustier until 1973. Even when she did wear Earth attire, she tended to accessorize it with moon fashions; e.g., wore her thigh-high boots with her wedding gown and maternity smock, and even the black dress she wore on the day the car exploded was reminiscent of moon attire (bare shoulders and back).As you can see in the first graphic, the moon costume Staton has given Mysta is virtually an exact match with the outfit she wore from 1967 through early 1969, nearly two years of the strip (the same years when DT circulation peaked). Whatever people may think of her costume, it is certainly representative of her look during the Space Era and of moon women in general (they all dressed like this). And just as it was typical of Moon Maid to wear moon fashions during the 1960s whether at work or at home or fighting crime, it shouldn’t be considered strange or uncharacteristic that she is constantly wearing them now. It’s her look, the look we constantly saw during her original run, and the look we would surely expect to see in her return. As Tarry Plaguer pointed out on this comments page a few months ago:“The Moon Maid everyone is familiar with, is the one dressed in the sexy “Playboy bunny suit”. I am sure that almost all news footage ever taken of her, had her dressed that way. In the public eye, she isn’t Moon Maid unless she looks the part. Sort of like any super hero from any comic that isn’t in costume.”Besides answering Sweet Betty’s question, my main intent has been to respond to the complaint that Mysta’s attire is not accurate or typical of what we should expect Moon Maid to be wearing. Based on the evidence, I believe it certainly is. Hopefully the visual evidence I’ve provided will be helpful in resolving the current discussion.