The Collector (1982 story)

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**"The Collector"** was a [[Richie Rich[] story published by Harvey Comics in 1982. This story was later adapted into an animated version on the Season 3 premiere of the Hanna-Barbera produced *Richie Rich* series.

## Plots

### Comic book version

Richie and Cadbury are abducted by an evil villain named the Collector, who shrinks the victims to doll size and are held in his hideout, which is a castle.

### Animated version

The animated version differs from the comic book version in some ways in that the characters are increased. Rather, this is where Richie and Gloria are contacted by a friend of theirs who believes his father, who is a famous baseball player known as "Fastball" Fernandez, has been kidnapped. This is confirmed by a news report about Fernandez' disapperance, and the only lead the authorities have is that it seems to be connected to prominent people. The newscast get cut live when the newscaster himself gets abducted on the air! The next to be adducted is Professor Keenbean, who wonders who is trespassing in his lab, only to get hit with a ray gun that causes him to shrink. Richie's parents are in their bedroom packing for a vacation. There is a knock at the door and Mr. Rich opens it, figuring it is Cadbury. The same man who kidnapped Professor Keenbean uses his ray gun to shrink Mr. Rich. Mrs. Rich gasps in horror, only to be shrunk then herself! Richie and Gloria trace the abductions to an isolated jungle island with a mansion. The jungle is unlike anything they have ever seen, in that there are tiny dangers such as a six-inch lion. Making their way to the castle, RIchie, Gloria and Dollar find Richie's parents, as well as Fastball Fernandez, Professor Keenbean, and others in labeled glasses such as "World's Greatest Baseball Player" for Fastball Fernandez. Richie wonders if there is someone with a shrinking fetish, but then villian introduces himself saying that it not quite it. A man dressed like a debonair hunter appears and says "They call me the Collector". At one time his interests were like many into collecting, such as butterflies, coins and stamps. He was able to acquire all these, but having a complete collection of conventional items drove him insane as there were nothing left to collect. Then he realized he could collect something no other collector could boast of: living things! He uses the shrink ray on Dollar then entraps him in a glass, saying he now has the world's only Dalmation with $ markings. The Collector then does the same to Richie to have the World's Wealthiest Family (a set with his parents), then Gloria (The World's Prettiest Little Girl). Everyone is then trapped in glasses and considers it hopeless, but Gloria notes something, since she shrunk her voice got higher. One of the captives is a lady known as the "World's Greatest Opera Singer" and she uses her now super-soprano to break the glasses. The Collector returns and sees his captives are free, then figures he will cover his tracks by using the ray again to shrink everyone "down to nothing!" This is foiled by Fastball Fernandez, who grabs an olive and uses his fastball to aim at the Collector, who misfires the ray into a mirror and backfires on him. The now-shrunken villian is then imprisoned in a dome used to keep meals warm, and Richie remarks "Now he will never collect anything again, except a prison sentence".

The episode ends with Fastball Fernadez's son seeing everyone still small and wonders how he can save his father and everybody else. Professor Keenbean says that is no problem, there is a setting on the ray gun that reverses the shrinking and then point it at them. The boy does so, and everyone is restored to their proper height, with the exception of Richie's father, who was out of range. Mr. Rich says the ray missed him and if it could be done again. Before doing so, Mrs. Rich asks for one moment to literally hold her husband. She tells Richie "I have always wanted your dad in the palm of my hand!"

## Publication history

* *Richie Rich Fortunes* #61 (March 1982)

## Trivia

* This story is not to be confused with a 1978 story of the same name, which dealt with a crook posing as a tax collector, and would be republished in 1982.