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Tweak says, "Make it so."

peur_evol (peur_evol) wrote in scans_daily,
@ 2009-04-28 22:33:00

Entry tags:

publisher: harvey comics

IT'S A DOG'S LIFE...

Dollar the dog, an extremely rare breed of dollarmation, was Richie Rich's faithful companion, although not from the very beginning. While the earliest Richie stories centered upon young Mr. Rich's interactions with the other neighborhood kids (Freckles, Pee-Wee, Gloria, etc.), eventually the series had a much larger supporting cast with Richie's aunts, uncles, cousins, pets, neighbors, servants, and many other recurring characters; too many to name from memory.
While the majority of characters would appear only as needed(usually for a two-page gag), Dollar appeared more frequently than was absolutely necessary; sometimes you'll see him in stories where he doesn't play a prominent role at all. This short story, however, was specifically written for him:

from RICHIE RICH & DOLLAR THE DOG #23, June 1982

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	crinosg 2009-04-29 12:39 am UTC (link)
	Ah the eternal struggle between dogs and robots. Also: What kind of decadent bastard is Richie Rich that he has to commission a robot to pick up pins for his bowling game. I mean a robot maid I can understand, but a robot pin setter? I wonder how many families in Darfur could be fed on the money Richie blew out his ass to build that damn thing. (Reply to this) (Thread)

There Are No Starving Poor People In The Richie Rich Reality...

peur_evol
2009-04-29 03:04 am UTC (link)

His family has more money, businesses, property, homes, jewels, and treasures than all the Rockefellers and European aristocracy combined. One might suspect that money has tainted the Rich family, but such is not the case. The Riches are warm, friendly, courageous, humorous, intelligent, and exciting – not at all conniving or greedy. A happy family, the Riches care for each other and give generously to others. Undoubtedly, Richie's parents are more understanding and compassionate than Audrey's, Lotta's, or Dot's, perhaps because money enables them to be. The implied statement of the series is that the more money one has, the less one has to worry. The less one worries about money, the more one can concentrate on the important things – human relationships. Again, the Harvey scenario contradicts the stereotype: the Rich family is not greedy, aloof, or uncaring, just rich.

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	Re: There Are No Starving Poor People In The Richie Rich Reality... icon_uk 2009-04-29 04:01 am UTC (link)
	Do we ever find out HOW they got rich? What is the source of their income? (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	Re: There Are No Starving Poor People In The Richie Rich Reality... crinosg 2009-04-29 08:58 am UTC (link)
	According to Wikipedia, Richie's dad is an Industrialist. But it doesn't go into any greater detail than that. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	Re: There Are No Starving Poor People In The Richie Rich Reality... besamim 2009-04-29 05:11 pm UTC (link)
	The "no-prize" answer to that question has to be the one Mr. Rich gives Richie in a (fortunately non-canonical) ad: "As a young boy, I sold Grit!" (Reply to this) (Parent)

	Re: There Are No Starving Poor People In The Richie Rich Reality... crinosg 2009-04-29 08:56 am UTC (link)
	Richie Rich: Serious Business. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	lookingforsigns 2009-04-29 10:45 am UTC (link)
	I'm amused at how an automatic pin setter is a fanciful robotic device here. Lol past. (Reply to this)

psychop_rex
2009-04-30 03:22 am UTC (link)

While I'll grant you that the pin-setter is being kind of a jerk, it's actually perfectly justified in everything it says and does here - Dollar IS playing terribly, he IS cheating, especially with the 'barbell bowling' trick, and he IS causing damage to the bowling alley, hence the robot is only doing its job by blocking his shot. Even when it hurls him out of the way, it's only doing its job - Dollar IS in the way, and moreover, he's just cheated. Yet he still wins the game. I ask you, is this fair? Moral of the story - you can cheat like mad, provided you do it humorously.
OK, so I'm probably overreacting. But still, it's odd in a story like this to have an ANTAGONIST who is playing fair, and a protagonist who is cheating.

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