SYNOPSIS
Computers were becoming part of
everyday life, from the checkout counter and the automatic bank teller to
home-video games, and
Automan tried to make them
part of television fantasy as well.
Walter
Nebbish - er, Nebicher - was a mousy police computer expert who liked to develop computer
games in his spare time. One day, he really blew his circuits: a computer
creation called "Automan" jumped right off the screen and started
Walter on a career as an international crime fighter.
Since
Walter had programmed in everything that Automan knew, this handsome superhero
in his sparkling uniform was really Walter's alter ego, but able to do all
the things that Walter couldn't. He could walk through walls, make objects
appear and disappear, and make beautiful women swoon (Automan's broad smile
showed more teeth than an Osmond brother!).
Automan also
had lots of friends; practically any computer he ran into would
help him out, which was a handy for commandeering elevators and causing
security systems to keep their bells quiet. If Walter and his creation got
into serious trouble while on a case, Walter could even merge into Automan for a
time and evade flying bullets!
As if Automan were not enough,
there was also Cursor - the little glowing dot that normally moves around a
computer screen to show you where you are. This Cursor followed Automan and Walter, and on their command, would outline a
super-fast getaway
car or even a tank (which would then miraculously materialize, ready for use).
There were, of course, problems.
Automan used so much energy that lights
tended to dim around him. He faded away entirely at daybreak, when the city's
electrical consumption began to rise, often leaving Walter in some dangerous
predicament.
The there was Walter's
grumpy, old-fashioned boss, Capt. Boyd, who thought that all the computers were
worthless, to say nothing of the people who ran them. Neither he nor Walter's
protector on the force, Lt. Curtis, knew about Automan, but Curtis knew
that somehow Walter was able to crack cases and he shamelessly used
Walter's leads to further his own career.
