Mysta of the Moon - Chapter 12

This chapter of Mysta from Planet Comics #46 (January 1947) continues themes of revenge and reprisal similar to the previous two installments. Rather than help humankind progress, Mysta is forced to deal with unintended fallout of her guidance, benevolent though it may be. In this tale a scientist is on trial for dabbling in forbidden knowledge with Mysta serving as an expert witness for the prosecution. Although dangerous, the scientist Vitor is free to act on his plans to experiment with a mysterious force known as Damp Light, which can mutate insects into giant monsters.

That Vitor has not had his research confiscated or destroyed reveals much about the politics of the Mysta-verse society. Vitor is either connected, wealthy or both. Someone somewhere has a use for giant rampaging bugs and it is probably the military-industrial complex or a group poised to take over human space. Even if Vitor was not a danger before his trial he certainly became one later as his anger at having his research curtailed leads him to use his resources and family members to attempt an assassination on Mysta.

The hit fails with the aid of Mysta's robot and assistant Bron. It is interesting to note that the body form of the robot has become less humanoid the more Bron has involved himself in Mysta's affairs. Previously the robot was quite man-like and had defined musculature whereas it is now mechanical and primitive-looking by Mysta's scientific standards. The robot is still as deadly as before though at this point Bron and the robot have largely interchangeable roles.

While there is nothing romantic implied happening between Bron and Mysta it is also telling that she still refers to her assistant as Bron and not by his true name. The real Bron was murdered and an impostor was sent in his place to betray Mysta. That she has not revealed to the public that the plot had failed I think falls in line with my theory that Mysta is not as benevolent at heart as she appears and takes steps to maintain a positive image. Letting the people (and family) of Bron's home world know he was replaced would be bad news. Mysta is certainly a heroine to the general public for helping rebuild human society but perhaps is less so to the politicians and industrialists she interferes with. 

Michael May of Michael May's Adventure Blog sees the Mysta character as being less negatively affected by her power than I do. While we both agree that she truly cares for humanity I question if her inhuman intelligence and years of isolation lets her relate to people as more than dangerous, squabbling  animals. Perhaps Bron is being allowed to stick around as a sort of reminder of her humanity.