Is this really the face of a madman?

Time passes, and Tess continues on with her story about Dr. Noll, who is apparently not only a scientist, but also an entrepreneur.  I guess it makes sense.  I mean, if he's going to be built up as a mad scientist, or crazy loner scientist, then I guess the whole teamwork thing is out and by making Tess and her friends do all of the real work he doesn't have to leave the house except for the occasional trip to the chemical warehouse, or the grocery store, or the lab coat and beaker store, or the park to the feed the ducks.  I tell you this though, if I had to work with a mad scientist type, he'd be the one.  Look at him.  He just looks so happy mixing those two chemicals (which could actually just be the powder and hot water needed for hot chocolate, but we'll stick with the chemical angle for now).  In the process of telling her story, it would seem that all of Tess's arm waving has caused the need to discard the vest she was wearing in the previous strip.  (If Dick was looking to escape, that would have been the time, when her head was covered and her arms otherwise occupied.  Alas, he missed his one and only chance of escape.)

Meanwhile, while Tess continues on with her story of a possible future perfume company, the CIA have been talking with Diet Smith, and I guess now the Chief, about some old employee who apparently caused a massive explosion at his last job.  Gee, wonder who that could be.

We went a little crazy on the Fourth of July.

Free from the strict dress code of the police station, Dick has taken off his jacket and tie, and even unbuttoned the top button of his shirt.  Now he's ready to have Tess regale him with the tale of her brief encounter with Professor Noll (or Dr. Noll as Dick is now calling him, which I suppose is just about the same thing, sort of).  Unfortunately, Tess and the other neighborhood woman that made up the group (who also seems to be her dark-haired doppelganger) were a little tipsy when they paid their visit to the good doctor (or whoever they think was the good doctor.  That side view doesn't seem like the same guy mixing chemicals from the previous strip.  It also looks like he isn't answering the door at all and is in fact hanging a picture of two women in a snowstorm, but that could just be me.).  Taking advantage of her preoccupation with telling the story, Dick tries to sneak out of the strip, only to be noticed moments before he could disappear, forcing him to poke his head back in to let Tess know that he's still sort of paying attention.  (You almost made it, Dick.  You were so close.  Why did you turn back?  Why?)

The gang's all here.

So the mystery man is named Joe.  It would have been nice to have known that before now, but I guess better late than never.  Despite the fact that there's a good chance that Salty and Sour have never seen Joe before, and despite the fact that they're both probably armed, Mark, armed with a single shot gun that might or might not be loaded, and backed up by two unarmed civilians (one of whom seems to be having a case of the vapors or some sort of medical problem that has yet to be revealed) who haven't exactly proven themselves to be capable of taking care of themselves, has just taken care of the rest of his pursuers.  Now he faces the problem of what to do about the two hatted ones and their green shirted accomplice (especially since the last panel looks more like Mark is holding Shelly and Pop at gunpoint rather than pointing the gun to keep Salty, Sour, and Joe in check).  Perhaps he'll make them repair the swamp buggy and then take them to the authorities, or maybe Rabbit (and possibly Peter) are hiding just off-panel, waiting for the right moment to step out of the dying foliage and turn the tables on Mark.  (If I were them, I'd make sure that I knew where Andy was since he's proved time and time again that he's more than capable of saving the day on his own.)  

Unsettling.

First he's dead.  Now he's alive.  You know what this means, don't you?  Andy is a zombie (or at least he's playing one in this comic).  Once again, Mark needs Andy to help him save the day as he leaps out of the bushes to tackle one of his enemies.  (Okay, maybe leap out of the bushes is the wrong term since it looks more like he was shot out of a cannon, one probably constructed out of the remains of the swamp buggy, put together during a musical montage of carrying things and hands doing various tasks a la The A-Team.)  That is some tackle Mark has there.  It not only knocked the gun from the guy's hand, but it also knocked the hat from his head and caused it to hang suspended in the air for a few moments.  The tiny bugs flying around the swamp are even getting in on the action by yelling "Surprise!" just before Mark takes the guy out.  (Looks like things might be wrapping themselves up after all.)
With an additional awkward kick, Mark takes care of one of his kidnappers (who we only know is one of his kidnappers because the narration bar tells us he is, not because we've actually seen him on the boat or anywhere near Mark, unless Mark has been on the run for longer than I thought and old Salty has grown himself a beard).  Now that Mark is firmly in control, it's time to start taking care of his pursuers, and that means gathering them all together.  While Mr. Beard might not have been willing to comply with Mark's demands initially, it only took a giant Andy to begin devouring him to change his mind.  (Who knew that Saint Bernards could grow like that.  Maybe he's been exposed to gamma radiation and is now like the Hulk.)  Now all that's left is to wait for Salty and Sour to show up, and once they're taken care of, Mark can go Rabbit hunting.

Well, well, well. Look who's back.

If it isn't Dr. Otter and Faline Adler (I am wondering what Sherlock Hooves is up to, but maybe he'll show up later).  I trust that the investigation is going well, or at least I'd trust that the investigation was going well if it didn't look like you two were still examining the same fallen tree that you were looking at the last time you appeared.  Still, perhaps it's all a ruse.  You're using the tree as a way to get close enough to Mark and Shelly to hear what they know, add it to the information that you've already collected, and finally solve the case (even though I think that we can all agree that The Case Of The Missing Swamp Water was pretty much solved when Shelly confessed that it was her company that was taking the water away).

And Shelly, dear, sweet Shelly (who may or may not be a pod person).  You really don't know anyone who would do such a thing?  What about certain people that you work with who have a tendency to kick defenseless plants and try to break into your office/apartment?  You know, jealousy can do strange things to a person's mind.  (Or is it that you're trying to protect him because if he's captured, Peter will reveal your true identities to Mark to get some time shaved off of his sentence?)

It speaks!

Despite not having a visible mouth, and showing no capacity for speech in the past, the Jack Eldrod Ball has finally broken its silence.  (Unlike certain giant robots, the Ball has a grasp of all letters of the alphabet and therefore doesn't drop any in its communications.)  After years of following Mark around, perhaps it felt that it was time to finally begin to reveal the extent of its knowledge and its many secrets (or maybe this was just a fluke and it's been trying to conceal the fact that it could talk for years because the moment it starts it can no longer be viewed as the silent partner of this comic strip).  We will have to wait and see whether it will continue to speak, or whether it will fall silent once more, hoping that Mark, Pop, and Shelly will forget this outburst and not expect any more from it in the future.

Getting back to the comic, it turns out that Mark didn't need Pop and Shelly after all.  In fact, it appears as though they're the ones who need him.  Good thing Pop chose to drive his swamp buggy, otherwise Mark might have thought that someone else was in trouble and might not have investigated the abandoned vehicle (that, or he might have just decided to steal it to get back to the cabin).  His appearance seems to have also caused the Quail attack to be called off (who knew those little guys were so bloodthirsty), though with Salty and Sour still prowling the swamp, this potentially dangerous situation is far from over.

I'm sure that will help.

Yes, if only people would realize that so many of the world's problems could be solved by cookies, there would be no war and everyone would live in a rainbow world of happiness, sunshine, and cuddly puppies.  (But alas, the world is not like that, so good luck with those cookies, Tess.)  Tess, still trying to cope with her T-Rex arms, has called in the Fabulous Flying Kitchen Fairies to assist her in the delivery of cookies and other aspects of her everyday life, though I'm not sure what else they're able to do besides hovering on either side of her, holding up plates of random food.  (I don't know about you, but those are the weirdest cookies I've ever seen.  In fact, if I hadn't been told that they were cookies, I'd think that they were mashed potatoes or JELL-O.)  

Ah, but wait, this could be interesting.  I think we've just been introduced to the mysterious Professor Noll, who apparently is a mad scientist complete with a dark laboratory filled with hanging wires and strange chemicals.  I just have to say that that last frame reminds me of the Choose Your Own Adventure book, The Green Slime (which just so happens to be one of my favorite CYOA books).  I can't wait to see where this story goes (and I'm hoping that Professor Noll isn't just going to have a bit part or random appearance because if there's slime to be made, I want to be there when it happens, and when it all goes horribly wrong).

A tale of woe and quail.

It would appear that Pop and Shelly's great swamp adventure has reached its expected end with the Victorian swampmobile breaking down beside a broken down tree.  They did everything they could to get the old girl running again, including calling in the invisible mechanics, but it seems that their only hope of finding Mark is destined to become just another rusted relic to be consumed by the swamp (if the swamp ever gets wet again).  The Quail have been monitoring the ill-fated expedition from the beginning, and are now flying off to tell their superiors what has happened.  I fear that one of the quail isn't going to get very far as the poor thing is about to fly into the painted background as evidenced by its close proximity to its own shadow appearing mysteriously in the sky.  (It sort of reminds me of The Wizard Of Oz where it looks like Dorothy and Toto are going to run into the background as they leave Munchkinland.)  

Poor Pop.  Encountering failure after failure seems to have taken a toll on the guy and he just can't take it any more.  I think he's about ready to give up, relegating himself to spend the rest of his days wallowing in self-pity beside the rusting remains of his vehicle and a couple of dead trees.  One can only hope that the amnesia he suffered shortly after his first attempt to find Mark will reappear before he's eaten by an alligator and he'll think that he just stopped for a short rest.

Shelly, on the other hand, refuses to give up just yet.  After all, she's still probably feeling pretty guilty about this mess and this is really only her first attempt to find Mark, so she's still running on a fairly positive attitude.  She also seems to have somehow gotten her brain to start working again as she suggests that instead of running off into the swamp unarmed, alone, and without a real plan, that they contact the rangers, who probably know a lot more about the swamp than they do.  (They also may be able to take down a few wanted posters from the walls of the station if they can apprehend Salty, Sour, and Rabbit.)

Overcoming adversity.

After what felt like an eternity, the robot story has been wrapped up and it would seem that we're finally moving on, though a series of mysterious panels showing Diet talking on the phone with Tess are still wandering around in my mind, trying to make sense of themselves.  I wonder if Tess was calling him about her condition, since her T-Rex arms seem to have stabilized but not reversed, as has been the experience of other characters.  Could she have been calling about getting help for her condition only to be turned down?  We'll have to wait and see.  For the moment we should just be grateful that the poor woman was finally able to pull herself out of bed and get dressed.

In other news, it seems that Dick's (or Tess's) obsession with coffee cups is taking its toll on the Tracy household as the door in panel one seems to have some sort of mug handle on it.  Panel two points to more troubling obsessiveness as Tracy seems to lose track of what he's saying the moment he sees that coffee cup perched precariously on some molding.  (I must admit that even I am impressed by whatever is in that mug as it seems to be able to spell out letters  with steam.)

The third panel brings in the possibility of a new character: the mysterious Professor Noll (could his name perhaps be G. K. Noll?).  We'll have to wait and see whether this mention leads to an actual character, or if it's merely a name mentioned in passing never to be heard from or seen (Lt. Teevo, I'm looking at you).  Panel three also gives the first glimpse of what our intrepid detective looks like when he actually lets his hair down (and I must say that I think I prefer the slicked back detective look to the wolf man look).  One can only wonder if this is but another throw away strip, or the beginning of some new case.  (One can also wonder if we're ever going to see that work of art Dab Stract gave them, but I think we all know the answer to that.)

What does that thing run on?

That is some vehicle Pop has there.  It looks like it's part tractor, part old-timey automobile, and part monster truck.  (I take it that he and Shelly won't be using the element of surprise in their hunt for Mark.)  Meanwhile, Salty and Sour have discovered that Mark is gone (and Sour seems to have decided to change his shirt.  Maybe he wanted to be a lime.  Personally, I'm waiting for the limon shirt to make an appearance).  The genius of their little conversation is that it still makes sense even if you only use the bold letters.  (Idiot gone!  What?  See, you don't need all of those unnecessary filler words when three will do.  When times are tough, you have to always be looking for ways to cut back.)  And in another turn of events indicating that no one in this strip really has any idea what's going on, I think that Mark has just run into Sneaky (or his cousin Crafty) and is now moving through the swamp alone.  One has to wonder where Andy and the Jack Elrod Ball have wandered off to (and why the Ball is now with Salty and Sour), and why getting Mark out of the swamp suddenly turned into getting Mark out of the country.  Is he that great of a threat?  Just what can one unarmed man, who's more likely to deal the forces of evil a blow with his fist than with a gun, do?  (Should someone have called in the Marines, the Army, or the Coast Guard?)

The shopper's dilemma.

Too many groceries to carry.

Too few to really justify using a cart.

What gave you that idea?

I'm just wondering what it was about that boat that made Mark assume that Salty and Sour were smugglers.  Did he find a Smuggler's Manifesto?  Did he find crates of exotic animals or drugs below deck (even though it would seem that he spent all of his time above deck)?  Did he find a super villain with an eye patch?  These are but a few questions we will have to leave unanswered for now.    

In order to prevent Mark and Andy from getting lost in the swamp, the Great White Heron has offered its services, leading them back to the safety of Pop and Pamela's cabin, where Sue has suddenly appeared, and feeling guilty, offered to help Pop find the missing nature expert.  (Yeah, this should turn out well.  The guy who forgot he was looking for Mark pairs up with the woman whose only strategy for escaping an alligator was to dance.  I think they'll end up needing Mark and Andy's help before this is all over.) 

It would also seem that not content to settle for merely relying on the humans and animals that inhabit the swamp, the Jack Elrod Ball has called in the insects, from the mighty dragonfly to the tiny flea on a dog's knee to the invisible gnats hovering in the air by a cabin, these tiny helpers surely must know something about what's going on.  They truly are the most heroic members of this story as they're even willing to put their lives in great danger since so many are viewed as a food source for of the Avians.

And as a final thought, if Mark was so worried about Salty and Sour getting away, why didn't he tie them up before he left, disable the boat, or have one or more of the animals stand guard?  It's what I would have done.

It is what it is, but still...

Bad news you stumble upon is worse than bad news told to your face.

He's super and fabulous.

And he's doing it all without opposable thumbs.  What a dog that Andy is.  Truly remarkable.  

That Andy is able to so easily loosen Salty's knot is either saying something fantastic about Andy or something bad about Salty's knot tying abilities.  (I'll leave answering that up to you.)  Unfortunately, it would appear that the concept of a dog untying knots has thrown the whole comic out of sorts, casting Mark out of the relatively safe confines of the boat in the swamp to this strange limbo where ominous shadows creeping in at the corners are held at bay by the great big spotlight in the sky.  

This leaves me to wonder what will happen when Andy finally does free Mark.  When the rope falls away will Mark cease to exist or find himself perpetually falling through limbo because he so rashly discarded the one object still anchoring him to the comic dimension he had made his home in for all of these long years?  

All aboard.

With help from the renegade Great Blue Herons (who may or may not be in league with the Great White Herons), Andy was able to track down Mark and the boat belonging to Salty and Sour.  Yup, it's really easy to sneak aboard unnoticed when there are only two people on the boat, and those two people both decide to take a nap at the same time.  (I'm guessing this is their first kidnapping.)  I was also under the impression that old Salty was supposed to get rid of Mark, not just sail for an indeterminate distance and then stop, set up a gangplank, and wait for Rabbit.  (Salty, Salty, Salty.  I'm not sure that Rabbit will give you the money if you don't do what he wanted you to do, i.e., get rid of Mark.)

And while Mark seems to be happy to see Andy (and to a lesser extent, the Jack Elrod ball, which has done more about both the fighting ring and the disappearing wetland than all of the other characters combined), unless he has a knife or steel jaws or acid drool, I think Mark's still in pretty much the same position he was in before Andy arrived (though now, at least, he does have some company).

So much to cut.

So much to write.

He lives!

With the demise of Braces (did you really think that he was going to survive?) and the arrest of his minions (who really should have gotten him out of there before he had the chance to be electrocuted), the story seemed to have been wrapping itself up, but it would appear that there's still a little more left to tell.  After kicking off Magnum's head (which I guess wasn't electrified) Tracy thought that that was the end of his robotic adventures, but no, it turns out that TRAZE-R is still alive.  (One would think that he would then take the time to point out that he wasn't the one to destroy Magnum, as everyone seems to think, but that it was little Buzz who did it, but I guess since Buzz isn't around to get angry or point this out, he's going to let it slide and take all the glory.  Nice, TRAZE-R.  Real nice.)

Now all that's left to do is winch TRAZE-R back into his trailer and take him to the shop to get repaired (at least until the department gets the estimate and decides that they just don't have the money in the budget to repair him, and that he's actually worth more being sold for scrap).  I do find it a little unsettling that the winch appears to be connected to Tracy's forehead.  I'm also wondering how those broken wheels and axles are going to make it up that steep incline and into the trailer.  (I think it'd be easier to get a crane or skid steer and lift him up with that, but that's just me.)

And as a side note, I do like that it looks like Tracy is now wearing spats (and that he might also be a scarecrow).

I just want to know why.

Why did they cut Sam The Eagle's song from "The Muppet Christmas Carol"?  It's a nice song.  So what if it didn't necessarily advance the plot.  It's still fun and really, how many songs has this poor guy been given to sing over the course of this career?

And for that matter, why did they cut the song by Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker?  Why would they deprive people of listening to Beaker sing?  It's a good, fun song too.  Is it because Bunsen wears glasses but has no eyes?

I can't help it if it's true.

(http://xkcd.com comic 231)

( http://xkcd.com comic 251)

Movie Moments XVI: But he's so cute!

This moment is brought to you by "The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring."  It is one of several moments from the trilogy, and I believe marks the first appearance of the mysterious narrator in my head who plays such a vital role at the very end.  This moment occurs shortly after Frodo has been stabbed on Weathertop and Aragorn has determined there isn't anything he can do, so it's up to Arwen to take Frodo to Rivendell where he can get the help he needs.  What kicks off the moment is when Aragorn basically says that if nothing is done, Frodo will become a wraith, his words later supported by the poor guy's rapid decline throughout the chase.

Oh Frodo, I know that I'm supposed to be scared for you.  I know that I'm suppose to think that you becoming a Ringwraith is a bad thing.  I do.  It's just, whenever that part happens, thanks to my friend Jen, I hear the voice of the narrator in my head saying, "And the littlest Ringwraith toddled off to Mordor."  Then I laugh because I picture the line of nine Ringwraiths and at the very end, a tenth, miniature wraith on a miniature horse, who is always lagging behind because he can't keep up very well, what with the stubby little legs of both horse and rider.  I am truly sorry.  

(No I'm not.)

Splinters of the Empire.

Taking a cue from Rex Morgan, Pop has decided that he doesn't want to go looking for Mark until he's had a good meal.  Actually, it looks more like he worked himself into such a state, that after forgetting to eat, he forgot that he was supposed to be looking for Mark.  I'd be suspicious of him.  He could be a pod person who, after disposing of the real Pop, forgot that he was supposed to be out looking for Mark (though why any self-respecting alien would choose Pop, I have no idea).  Never fear though, for Andy is still on the trail.  Where Sneaky has gone off to, I have no idea, but he hasn't been pulling his weight lately, so maybe he's stepping aside for the professionals to take over.  Of course, seeing as how the only professional now seems to be a big dog, if I were Mark, I'd be worried.

Meanwhile, the cabin in the swamp is having quite the conversation with a Great Blue Heron, who it would seem, is on Mark's side and has been summoned by the Jack Elrod ball to help Andy.  Could it be that there was a disagreement among the Great Blue Herons as to whether or not they should join the Avians, or did the discord begin after the Avians seeming lack of concern for the state of the swamp?  We'll just have to wait and see if the Herons have indeed divided, or if this is but another plot of the Avians to get closer to Mark, assuring his destruction.

The pottery that sort of grows.

I had a Chia hippopotamus.

He had Chia pattern baldness.

It was just too much power for one reindeer.

After watching "Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer" last night, I have come to this conclusion:

Comet is a jerk.  

I think that baseball cap and whistle went to his head.  I think the other little reindeer would probably have let Rudolph at least hang around, but he was the one who said he couldn't play any more reindeer games with them.  Jerk.

(I guess he changed at the end, but I don't remember him apologizing.  He had a pretty distinctive voice and I don't remember hearing it.  Of course, that could have had something to do with the fact that the guy who did Comet's voice was also the voice of Donner.)

Oh well.  I still love the movie.

(And I still like Comet and the other reindeer.)

Hindsight is 20/20.

The Avians continue to keep a close eye on their human pawns, making sure that Salty and Sour carry out the mission Rabbit has charged them with.  It seems that for now the Avians are tolerating the presence of the Jack Elrod ball, allowing it to tag along and monitor the situation from afar, but as a warning they've sent the fiendish Woodpecker Twins, Destroyers of Homes, who won't hesitate to pop the ball should it become too meddlesome.  By now Mark has realized the error of his ways.  He knows that he shouldn't have gone out alone and should have instead instituted the buddy system.  (Did the Sneaky incident teach you nothing, Mark?)  One can only wonder what horrors await him now.

But don't lose hope yet.  The cavalry is coming!  With Pop, Andy, Sneaky, and a coordinated swarm of bugs able to spell out words in the air (complete with punctuation), Mark won't be in danger for long.  (Unless they get distracted, or get in trouble, or get lost, or run into Rabbit, or walk into a trap.  Then all bets are off.)

What's the point?

The point is that there is no point, and if there was a point, it would be pointless.

He's going to smell like hot dogs!

Let this be a lesson to us all: if you're working with a giant robot, stealing old movies from a vault, and that robot has a few movies that he wants to take that you don't, just humor him and take the movies.  It's much safer than having to take the chance that said robot survives an explosion and still has enough power to electrocute you (or at least give you a good zap).

Does this mean that for Braces, his time in this comic is over, or that his braces are now fused together so he can't talk?  I'm not going to make any predictions or get my hopes up.  (I'm still reeling after the unfortunate demise of poor Buzz.)  Still, on the plus side, the residual electricity seems to have reversed the aging process in Roma (even if it did bring her forehead to life and grant it the gift of speech).

You dog.

It would appear that the Great Blue Heron wasn't going off to inform his superiors about Rabbit's capture of Mark.  Instead, he had to find a witness to the capture so that when he does stand before his superiors to deliver the news of Mark's capture they'll actually believe him.  (What can I say?  Just as the Galactic Empire wasn't built on sunshine, rainbows, and puppies, the Avian Empire was not built on trust, cooperation, and taking the fall for your own mistakes.)

So this is Rabbit's plan?  He's going to put Mark on a boat, manned by a guy named Salty (who seems to be carrying the back of a chair around), and sail him out of the swamp?  At least, I think that he's going to sail him out of everyone's hair and not just sail him out to shark infested waters and throw him overboard.  I hope that Rabbit realizes that Mark will just come back, be it on the boat, or riding on the back of a turtle or a shark.  I'm not sure that I'd peg all of my hopes for getting rid of a foe on a guy named Salty, but I suppose if my name was Rabbit, it might make perfect sense.  (And who's the guy in the shirt lifting the cement block?  Lemon?  Sour?  Lifty?)

And yet, through it all, through everything that has happened, and is threatening to happen, I'm still not convinced that there's any great danger here.  For all of the guns and dangerous looking characters, I think I would feel that Mark was in actual danger if it didn't look like he was just shrugging and saying, "Aw shucks," or taking a leisurely stroll, throughout this entire strip.

Let's try this again.

Those Avians are a tricky lot and Mark should know better than to turn his back on them and assume that just because some of the members of the Empire are hitting the gym that they all are.  Without Andy to watch his back, Mark falls prey to the majesty of the Great Blue Heron (clearly one of the more higher ranking Avians), who just happened to appear in the swamp at the exact same moment that Rabbit appeared with his club/gun.
And now it all becomes clear.  Rabbit is merely a pawn of the Avians, who over the years have amassed a great wealth that is more than capable of paying for whatever ne'erdowell, rapscallion, or hooligan necessary to make their dream of world domination come true.  With the Mark problem seemingly wrapping itself up, the Great Blue Heron takes off to alert the others.  These events all lead me to ask this question: is Peter working on his own, or is he merely a representative of the Avian Empire, working to further their goals in the hopes of being spared after the great uprising, and perhaps even being given some sort of position of power after they take over?

Buzz, we hardly knew ye.

There's really no use denying it.  Buzz is gone.  Panel four is pretty conclusive that the little guy blew himself apart for the good of humanity (and it's also conclusive that he wasn't filled with bees).  I'll always remember those seven days that he was a part of the comic.  He should be given a memorial medal for his service (but we all know that he won't.  This is going to be just like the Chewbacca fiasco from the end of "Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope" all over again.).  At least he went out with a dignified KA-THOOM.

With all of the robots out of commission, Braces and Tracy finally meet (and we also finally learn that the Mysterious Lady of Evil is named Roma, which makes the whole potting shed hideout make a lot more sense.  It only took how many weeks to learn who she was?).  It would seem that Braces might have also grown attached to old Magnum since he wants the remains, but somehow I doubt it.  I think that he just wants to make sure that the police can't pick apart the robot's brain and find out all of Braces' secrets.  

Finally able to face his foe, things start to look bad for Tracy since he and Mr. Police Hat appear to have forgotten their guns (though why Roma would bring a Derringer to a gun fight I'm not sure), but just when you think this story might be winding itself down amid a hail of gunfire, it turns out that Magnum survived the explosion and that Brace's Braces might be highly magnetic (which make his last words an unfortunate pun).  Quick, someone call an orthodontist!