Ms. Tree
| Ms. Tree | |
|---|---|
Ms. Tree
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| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Eclipse Comics, Aardvark-Vanaheim, Renegade Press, DC Comics, Hard Case Crime |
| First appearance | "I, for an Eye" (1981, Eclipse Magazine, Eclipse Comics) |
| Created by |
Max Allan Collins Terry Beatty |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Michael Tree |
| Team affiliations | Tree Investigations Inc. |
| Abilities | Use of handbag and handgun as weapons |
Ms. Tree was a comic book series and character co-created by writer Max Allan Collins and the series' artist Terry Beatty. In addition to its obvious play on the word "mystery", Ms. Tree was also the name of the series' main character.
The title character is Michael Tree, a female private detective who takes over her husband's investigation business when he is murdered. In her first case, she captures the murderer and discovers his link to the Muerta organized crime family.
Ms. Tree's dead husband was named Michael Tree, the joke being that after the marriage they had the same name. (The female main character's real first name actually is Michael; when friends want to irritate her they deliberately mispronounce it as "Michelle." Michael Tree hates being called Michelle.) Series creator/writer Max Allan Collins makes no secret of the fact that Ms. Tree was inspired by Velda, Mike Hammer's secretary, a stacked, gun carrying, six-foot tall brunette and Mike's lover, who was almost as tough as he was. The basic premise of Ms. Tree was, "What if Velda and Mike Hammer eventually got married, and on their honeymoon he was murdered?"
Throughout the series, in addition to isolated cases that often touch on social issues of the day, Ms. Tree's vendetta against the Muerta family is a major plot thread. Her methods often include deadly violence which she uses with little hesitation. In contrast to genre conventions, she faces serious consequences throughout the series for these violent actions including arrest, imprisonment, commitment to a mental hospital, and involuntary medication.
In another genre divergence, the male Michael Tree's son, Mike (of course), inadvertently falls in love with the daughter of the Muerta matron. The female Michael disapproves of this arrangement but respects her stepson's decision while observing with amusement the Muerta matron's futile attempts to discourage it. To Ms. Tree's shock, when the relationship grows enough to make marriage probable, the Muerta family decides Mike's stepmother is now family and initiates a reconciliation with her while going legit.
In addition, Michael is impregnated by an old flame who is manipulating her to kill his wife. She decides to keep the baby, creating a unique series of adventures of this homicidal PI fighting off criminals even while dealing with a full term pregnancy while the mob family she hates moves to protect her in their own way.
In 2007, Hard Case Crime published Deadly Beloved, the first novel about Ms. Tree and the character's first appearance in 14 years. The book was written by Max Allan Collins, with a painted cover by Ms. Tree co-creator Terry Beatty.
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