Ms. Tree #1 - One Mean Mother

(July 2019)

From the Pen of Max Allan Collins (Table of Contents: 1) (Expand) /

promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page (report information)

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 2)

credits, title page / 3 pages (report information)

Letters

typeset

Begin Here: An Introduction (Table of Contents: 3)

foreword, introduction, preface, afterword / 1 page (report information)

Script

Max Allan Collins (credited)

Letters

typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text

We are not beginning at the beginning.

Indexer Notes

Recaps the publication history; Collins' decision not to reprint the series in chronological order; and why he chose to lead off with this group of stories.

Gift of Death (Table of Contents: 4)

Ms. Tree / comic story / 48 pages (report information)

Script

Max Allan Collins (credited)

Pencils

Terry Beatty (credited)

Inks

Terry Beatty (credited)

Colors

Tom Ziuko (credited)

Letters

Gary Kato (credited)

Job Number

G-5237

First Line of Dialogue or Text

I was sleeping.

Genre

crime; detective-mystery

Characters

Ms. Tree; Dominique Muerta; Rafe Valler; Mike Tree Jr.; Lisa Muerta; Effie; Dan Green; Roger Freemont; Donnie Muerta; Barney Phillips

Synopsis

Dominique Muerta tries to make peace with Ms. Tree because her daughter Lisa has been dating Tree's stepson Mike Jr. Ms. Tree rejects the offer, but then Dominique is killed. Lisa hires Ms. Tree to find the killer. Ms. Tree takes the head of security job Dominique had offered her, to the surprise and consternation of Dominique's nephew, "Don Donnie," the new head of Muerta Enterprises. Tree determines Donnie is ultimately responsible for his aunt's death, but didn't explicitly order it. The killer confesses to her, but is killed by another of Donnie's men, whom she kills in turn.

Reprints

• from Ms. Tree Quarterly (DC, 1990 series) #1 (Summer 1990)

Drop Dead Handsome (Table of Contents: 5)

Ms. Tree / comic story / 48 pages (report information)

Script

Max Allan Collins (credited)

Pencils

Terry Beatty (credited)

Inks

Terry Beatty (credited)

Colors

Tom Ziuko (credited)

Letters

Gary Kato (credited)

Job Number

G-5240

First Line of Dialogue or Text

There was a time when I was very good at this.

Genre

detective-mystery

Characters

Ms. Tree; Effie; William Powers; Melodie Powers; Linda DeCamp; Donnie Muerta; Rafe Valler; Roger Freemont; Dan Green

Synopsis

Ms. Tree runs into a high school sweetheart, William "Billy" Powers, who is now an unhappily married wealthy real estate tycoon. He is on the verge of divorce, and is having business problems. When his wife bursts in on them wielding a gun, Ms. Tree kills her in self-defense. As she investigates, however, she realizes Powers staged the whole scenario with the intent of having Tree kill his wife. She confronts him, and he claims he has fallen in love with her for real. He is then shot and killed by his executive assistant, who helped him with his scheme because she thought he loved her.

Reprints

• from Ms. Tree Quarterly (DC, 1990 series) #4 (Summer 1991)

The Family Way (Table of Contents: 6)

Ms. Tree / comic story / 48 pages (report information)

Script

Max Allan Collins (credited)

Pencils

Terry Beatty (credited)

Inks

Terry Beatty (credited)

Colors

Eric Kachelhofer (credited)

Letters

Gary Kato (credited)

Job Number

G-6967

Genre

detective-mystery

Characters

Ms. Tree; Mike Tree Jr.; Lisa Muerta; Frankie "The Loon" Muerta (dies); Don Donnie Muerta; Jenny Starr; Mrs. Starr

Synopsis

"Uncle" Frankie Muerta kidnaps Lisa Muerta in order to force cousin Donnie to offer him a leadership position in the Muerta organization. Donnie wants him out of the way, but because he's family, doesn't want it traced to him. He hires Ms. Tree, knowing her stepson is dating Lisa. She finds Frankie and rescues Lisa, but then has to be saved by Mike Jr. Afterwards, a doctor checking her out at the hospital reveals to her that she's three months pregnant.

Reprints

• from Ms. Tree Quarterly (DC, 1990 series) #7 (Spring 1992)

Maternity Leave (Table of Contents: 7)

Ms. Tree / comic story / 48 pages (report information)

Script

Max Allan Collins (credited)

Pencils

Terry Beatty (credited)

Inks

Terry Beatty (credited)

Colors

Eric Kachelhofer (credited)

Letters

Gary Kato (credited)

Genre

detective-mystery

Characters

Ms. Tree; Effie; Roger Freemont; Dan Green; William Powers Jr. (in flashback); Mike Tree Jr.; Don Donnie Muerta; Frankie the Loon (in flashback); William Powers Sr.; Vin (dies); Melodie Tree (introduction); Melodie Powers (in flashback)

Synopsis

Ms. Tree goes through the last few weeks of pregnancy. Members of the Powers family want to make sure her child is never born. To no avail, and Melodie Tree is born.

Reprints

• from Ms. Tree Quarterly (DC, 1990 series) #8 (Summer 1992)

One Mean Mother (Table of Contents: 8)

Ms. Tree / comic story / 56 pages (report information)

Script

Max Allan Collins (credited)

Pencils

Terry Beatty (credited)

Inks

Gary Kato (credited)

Colors

Eric Kachelhofer (credited)

Letters

Gary Kato (credited)

Genre

detective-mystery

Characters

Ms. Tree; Melodie Tree; Mike Tree Jr.; Angie; Dan Green; Roger Freemont; Effie; Lt. Valer; Bryan Hand; Don Donnie; Stuart Symons; Jean-Claude (dies); Helga; Hans (dies); William Powers Sr. (dies)

Synopsis

Melodie, Ms. Tree's infant baby, is abducted. She and her friends track the child down, taking care of everyone who stands in the way.

Reprints

• from Ms. Tree Special (DC, 1992 series) #9 ([July] 1992)

Ms. Tree (Almost) on Film (Table of Contents: 9)

text article / 1 page (report information)

Script

Max Allan Collins (credited)

Letters

typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text

In the thirty-seven years since her first appearance Ms. Tree has attracted considerable Hollywood attention.

Indexer Notes

Recap of efforts to adapt Ms. Tree to film.

Inconvenience Store (Table of Contents: 10)

text story / 10 pages (report information)

Script

Max Allan Collins (credited)

Letters

typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text

My pregnancy was pretty much uneventful, with the exception of the hostage situation.

Genre

detective-mystery

Indexer Notes

From 1994. Possibly a reprint but source not indicated, and not in the GCD by that title. Basis for the film Real Time: Siege at Lucas Street Market (2001).

Ms. Tree: Creator Bios (Table of Contents: 11)

text article / 1 page (report information)

Script

?

Letters

typeset

Genre

biography

Indexer Notes

Biographies of Max Allan Collins and Terry Beatty.

Ms. Tree Graphic Novels (Table of Contents: 12) (Expand) /

Ms. Tree / promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page (report information)

She's about to be a mom but she's already one mean mother! (Table of Contents: 13) (Expand) /

Ms. Tree / promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page (report information)