Not quite NVash ! Locher succeeded Rick Fletcher as artist when the latter died in mid March 1983, but Max Collins was the writer at that time.
Max and Rick had taken over when Chet Gould retired at the end of 1977
In early 1993 Collins was terminated by TMS, and (after one story solo) Mike Kilian came in as the new writer.
The Locher/Kilian partnership lasted about 12 years. until Kilian died in late 2005.During this partnership circulation fell from 350 newspapers to only a slender 50 today. An 86% decrease
It was at that point that Dick Locher the Artist also assumed the role of Writer, under what we heard was a 5 year contract. That should expire in early January 2011. The “quality” of plot lines in the strip and (more recently), the art have deteriorated significanty since that event.
Patton’s retirement and Lizz’s appointment as Chief were Locher decisions back in February 2007.
http://www.gocomics.com/dicktracy/2007/02/11/
http://www.gocomics.com/dicktracy/2007/02/15/
The latter strip shows the final panel with Patton. Many readers think that Locher treated the Patton character shabbily. Not even the semblance of a farewell party and we havn’t heard of Pat Patton since.
It’s worth noting that back in 1969 (when Tracy was thought blind) Sam Cathem was appointed Chief Detective and again in 1982/83 when Collins had Patton missing and Tracy had resigned Sam was appinted Acting Chief of Police !
Locher would in 2007 create a Lt.Teevo as a replacement - a communications expert, but in practice - little more than a ‘verbal message man. And the novelty soon wore thin.The creation was a flop !
And it only served to break up the Major Crime Squad and leave readers with a “lone wolf” detective !
Not quite NVash ! Locher succeeded Rick Fletcher as artist when the latter died in mid March 1983, but Max Collins was the writer at that time.
Max and Rick had taken over when Chet Gould retired at the end of 1977
In early 1993 Collins was terminated by TMS, and (after one story solo) Mike Kilian came in as the new writer.
The Locher/Kilian partnership lasted about 12 years. until Kilian died in late 2005.During this partnership circulation fell from 350 newspapers to only a slender 50 today. An 86% decrease
It was at that point that Dick Locher the Artist also assumed the role of Writer, under what we heard was a 5 year contract. That should expire in early January 2011. The “quality” of plot lines in the strip and (more recently), the art have deteriorated significanty since that event.
Patton’s retirement and Lizz’s appointment as Chief were Locher decisions back in February 2007.
http://www.gocomics.com/dicktracy/2007/02/11/
http://www.gocomics.com/dicktracy/2007/02/15/
The latter strip shows the final panel with Patton. Many readers think that Locher treated the Patton character shabbily. Not even the semblance of a farewell party and we havn’t heard of Pat Patton since.
It’s worth noting that back in 1969 (when Tracy was thought blind) Sam Cathem was appointed Chief Detective and again in 1982/83 when Collins had Patton missing and Tracy had resigned Sam was appinted Acting Chief of Police !
Locher would in 2007 create a Lt.Teevo as a replacement - a communications expert, but in practice - little more than a ‘verbal message man. And the novelty soon wore thin.The creation was a flop !
And it only served to break up the Major Crime Squad and leave readers with a “lone wolf” detective !