Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for March 05, 2009

ridenslide65 says: “I just have a creepy feeling this one is going to take weeks to just get going”

What’s new ?? That’s the Locher idea of building “suspense” ;) … let’s drag out developments as long as you can. It’s really not building suspense, it simply fans up a heat of “irritation”. In a way it becomes a revealing picture of how to “dance” on the same tile for several weeks. I call it the “build up” period, (block by building block), cosmetics, before anything of real substance takes place. It’s the Kilian writing style. Locher must have accidentally been “injected” with that slow-poke virus along the way. Little “creative” brain power needed, using that approach.

A bye product is to to DELAY any “crime” and stall off meaningful “action”. for several weeks during that phase. The Angelorious story is a very good example: Dec. 11th Story START. Feb. 11th Crime … at 9 weeks! Mar. 01st Angelorious dies! Mar. 02nd Story END 11.5 weeks! 78% Story build-up … 22% crime and action. The process needs to be reversed.

The excitement really began with the crime and the chase (too short) That’s the “classic”, glacial writing style of Kilian. He killed the “CHASE” sequence. In contrast, Gould’s CRIME was often within a few days and no later than THREE weeks. Result, no wasted time on LONG (often ‘boring’) build up, and Chet “triggered” ACTION almost from the “get-go” and for most of the story! It makes a world of difference in enjoyment for readers!

The truly sad thing, is, that Locher has been exposed to both styles for years. It points directly at his exceptionally “poor” judgement and lack of “know-how” to “immitate” the style of the “weakest” of the 4 former writers to work the strip.

But then, Locher’s history of “change” has never produced meaningful success, and his 50 newspapers seem to SHOUT: “never change a “winning” game Dicky, always change a loosing one”!

Then “Slide you note some of those (current) niggling little changes, clothing on Dick now glasses on Gertie all during the SAME ‘phone call ;). It’s these little (I’ll kindly call) “slips”, that continue to convince our pal that Dick Locher is indeed a genious ;)