Roberto,
In a 1994 Interview, Locher sitting on his then “inheritance” (from Max Collins) of 350 newspaper (the considerably more “expensive” Collins gone, lower cost Kilian was in) admitted he was “rich from the strip but not as rich as Gould had been ,,, it had to do with circulation” he said
Under his guidance, in a flurry of naive over-confidence he introduced big changes, new faces, new personalities. Removed the hat serving to alter the image of Tracy the main character. Kilian dropped Gould’s well honed “Chase sequences”, introduced what he called “serious themes”. Traditional villains (like Flattop, Shaky etc) he said would HAVE to take a “back seat”, they would “trivialize” the SERIOUSNES of his presentation. He got carried away - he must have thought he was writing an Editorial for the Chicago Tribune anf forgot it was just a comic strip to entertain people. Senior partner Locher seemed to agree.
In short order, the “sheet” hit the fan, this was a brand new concept of Dick Tracy, most readers didn’t it and they started losing Papers including the GIANT circulation N.Y. Daily News. Reality had struck ! Locher;s Dick Tracy “richness” had dissapeared, just like his Police at the Circus !
Eleven years later when Kilian died they were down to just FIFTY newspapers. An 86% rejection ! The great euphoria, the experiments and changes were all a GIANT FLOP !
Thereafter, Locher did the writing and the art, but STUCK doggedly and mightily to ALL those failed policies and techniques. A man who thought the whole World was WRONG and HE, Dick Locher was right ! A wise man would have turned back (?)
What can I say ? You CAN help a man who has made a wrong turn and wants better. You CAN’T help someone who is determined, stubornly, to continue doing the same NONSENSE and would rather go down in FLAMES (the whole world in wrong) as HE is right !
Roberto, In a 1994 Interview, Locher sitting on his then “inheritance” (from Max Collins) of 350 newspaper (the considerably more “expensive” Collins gone, lower cost Kilian was in) admitted he was “rich from the strip but not as rich as Gould had been ,,, it had to do with circulation” he said
Under his guidance, in a flurry of naive over-confidence he introduced big changes, new faces, new personalities. Removed the hat serving to alter the image of Tracy the main character. Kilian dropped Gould’s well honed “Chase sequences”, introduced what he called “serious themes”. Traditional villains (like Flattop, Shaky etc) he said would HAVE to take a “back seat”, they would “trivialize” the SERIOUSNES of his presentation. He got carried away - he must have thought he was writing an Editorial for the Chicago Tribune anf forgot it was just a comic strip to entertain people. Senior partner Locher seemed to agree.
In short order, the “sheet” hit the fan, this was a brand new concept of Dick Tracy, most readers didn’t it and they started losing Papers including the GIANT circulation N.Y. Daily News. Reality had struck ! Locher;s Dick Tracy “richness” had dissapeared, just like his Police at the Circus !
Eleven years later when Kilian died they were down to just FIFTY newspapers. An 86% rejection ! The great euphoria, the experiments and changes were all a GIANT FLOP !
Thereafter, Locher did the writing and the art, but STUCK doggedly and mightily to ALL those failed policies and techniques. A man who thought the whole World was WRONG and HE, Dick Locher was right ! A wise man would have turned back (?)
What can I say ? You CAN help a man who has made a wrong turn and wants better. You CAN’T help someone who is determined, stubornly, to continue doing the same NONSENSE and would rather go down in FLAMES (the whole world in wrong) as HE is right !
His Dick Tracy world is close to Ashes !