Fri Feb 8, 2008 7:07PM11 comments ›
Fri Feb 8, 2008 — by Mike Gold
'Ms. Tree' Headed to TV?
Novel out, and maybe a TV movie coming
First, the disclaimer. I've known Ms. Tree's Max Allan Collins and Terry Beatty since we were all pups down on the farm, I've done some research consulting on Max's Heller series, and I was the editor of Ms. Tree Quarterly. More to the point, there's this scene at the end of a story where Tree goes back to the scene of the crime strictly to murder the bad guys; that final page was dedicated to me and I'm proud of it. Make what you will of that.
Well, it turns out Our Gal Friday (that's a joke, but you've got to read Ms. Tree to get it) may be headed to the small screen. In an interview with Comics2Film, Collins disclosed the Oxygen Network has "gone beyond an option (and paid) the purchase price." They've assigned two screenwriters to the write the first movie, both women, and it's being regarded as a pilot for further movies and possibly a teevee series.
Obviously, things have been held up a bit by the WGA strike, but Collins took his original treatment and turned it into Deadly Beloved, a paperback novel published last December by Hard Case Crime. Cooler still (since Collins is the author of about a million mystery novels, including the aforementioned Heller boos, and teevee/movie tie-ins, including many of the C.S.I. books) the cover was painted by Ms. Tree artist Terry Beatty.
Considering other Hard Case covers have been provided by the likes of all-time paperback mystery master painter Robert McGinnis and Marvel Zombie cover king Arthur Suydam, Terry's in some pretty heady company.
It's a solid read. Quite frankly, too many comics novelizations make me wonder why I didn't spend my time reading reprints of the stuff instead. Collins wasn't intimidated by the assignment (well, Max isn't intimidated by much of anything, really) and he brought his comics creation to the prose pages with all the gusto that one associates with his Quarry and Heller work. Even if you've never read the Ms. Tree comic book – and you should – you'll enjoy Deadly Beloved.
In other words, Ms. Tree will blow your brains out.
Jump to comments (11) 
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Comments (11)
Tom Fitzpatrick (10:29 PM on Fri Feb 8, 2008)
Isn't Ms. Tree Mysteries reprints headed to IDW for the 80's Retro tpb collections?
Correct me if I'm wrong.
Mike Gold (8:44 AM on Sat Feb 9, 2008)
i heard that some time ago. I'll check.
Mike Gold (10:44 AM on Sat Feb 9, 2008)
I checked with Mr. Collins, and he could not confirm any IDW deal. However, he did say that there was a deal pending to reprint the Ms. Tree Quarterly stories (that, ahem, I edited) in trade paperback. Nothing signed yet.
Tom Fitzpatrick (2:08 PM on Sat Feb 9, 2008)
Is there anything that YOU haven't edited?
Marilee J. Layman (3:38 PM on Sat Feb 9, 2008)
The part of his article that has "boos" instead of "books"?
(I'm not volunteering. I have enough things to do.)
Mike Gold (3:44 PM on Sat Feb 9, 2008)
People can't edit their own stuff. That's why we've got Rick Marshall. Sadly, Rick's in Albany today (nope, I didn't say which Albany) and we're all on our own.
Mike Gold (3:43 PM on Sat Feb 9, 2008)
Hmmmm... You mean, anything worth reading?
Yep. Lots and lots of stuff. Let's start with The Spirit. And Blazing Combat. And the entire EC line. Carl Barks. Rudolph Dirks. Winsor McCay. There's some cave paintings...
Andrew Collins (11:41 AM on Sat Feb 9, 2008)
I read and was absolutely blown away by "Dearly Beloved." I stumbled across it by accident at a bookstore and my eyes went huge when I saw it was a new Ms. Tree story by Max, having been a fan of the comic and Max's for years.
I'm really happy for Max and Terry's success and am hoping the TV movie/series works out. I'm also hoping it helps spur a publisher into reprinting the series from its beginnings in the old Eclipse magazine. Though just hearing that the Quarterly stories are getting a reprint is good too (and congrats to you too on that one, Mike!)
Andrew Collins (4:21 PM on Sat Feb 9, 2008)
D'oh...I meant "Deadly Beloved"
M. Sean McManus (1:23 PM on Sat Feb 9, 2008)
I forgot all about Ms.Tree! I have to go back and find some now. All I remember from the comics was I had an issue in 3D!
Matt Mako (3:50 PM on Wed Feb 13, 2008)
Ahhh Ms. Tree Quarterly --
I fondly remember them from the back issue bins.
I cannot recall how I became interested in Max-Allan Collins, but there is nothing like being able to buy a pile of good comic books, lock yourself away in a room, and just read.
And the Ms. Tree Quarterly fit my Halloween comic rule - most of them had a story that could be followed from beginning to end, and giving them out to Trick - or - treaters would not frustrate the kids. And it fit the category of Girl comics.