“Toons never die naturally. They simply become unpopular.”
This was a bit of a wildcard pick for me, but it turned out to be exactly what I was looking for. The best satires don’t just poke fun at a genre; they fully embody it, proving to be just as good as—if not better than—the very subject of their ridicule.
Who Censored Roger Rabbit? is the first book in a series I didn’t even know existed. Like most people, my familiarity with the titular rabbit came from seeing Robert Zemeckis’ film adaptation, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, in theaters back in the late eighties. I was thrilled to find that the novel is not only an incredible satire of hardboiled crime fiction, but it also stands shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the best classic noir stories I’ve ever read.
As a fun side note, I was highly entertained to learn that author Gary K. Wolf is not only still with us, but he has fully embraced internet culture, actively sharing memorabilia from his extensive career of writing truly bizarre, schlocky science fiction novels and further Roger Rabbit sequels (which I now cannot wait to read). Also, the man apparently collects carousel horses of all things? Paging Dr. Caulfield.
“Roger was as nervous as a rabbit at a greyhound convention.”
This is a truly fantastic book, and it’s wild to me that more people aren’t actively talking about it all these years later. Perhaps the most fascinating thing about it is just how drastically different the film is from the source material. In reality, the movie only borrowed a handful of character names and the basic premise, leaving the rest behind.
The book is much more heavily focused on the grit of the newspaper comic strip industry. In this world, these strips—along with the physical speech bubbles the characters manifest when they speak—are actually photographed rather than drawn. It is a highly unique, gritty, bizarre, and incredibly fun concept. It has absolutely everything.
“The room was so quiet you could hear a cartoon mouse tiptoe.”
In this cynical, noir version of Hollywood, toons and humans live side-by-side. Private eye Eddie Valiant is hired by the famous toon star Roger Rabbit—and that is where the film comparisons abruptly end.
Very shortly after hiring Valiant, Roger is murdered. It turns out that Valiant was actually hired by one of Roger’s “doppels” (or doppelgängers). In this universe, cartoon characters can manifest these physical clones to do their dangerous stunt work—like getting flattened by falling pianos—but these doppels have a strict expiration date before they vanish into thin air. Roger created this particular doppel right before his death to track down his killer.
Valiant is forced to solve the murder before Roger’s remaining doppel disintegrates. Through his gritty investigation, Valiant uncovers corrupt comic-strip crime syndicates, bitter rival toon stars, an organized crime web involving humans and cartoons alike, magical objects (which become one of the book’s coolest plot threads), political maneuvering, and a massive inheritance scheme. This scheme involves everyone, especially Jessica Rabbit—who, in a stark contrast to her movie counterpart, is a blonde, highly intelligent, sarcastic, and ruthlessly calculating businesswoman.
“The only thing crazier than a Toon is two Toons trying to outsmart each other.”
This book isn’t just a fun, nostalgic romp; it is exceptionally well-written and genuinely funny throughout. From Valiant’s recurring exasperation with the absurdity of toon physics to his brilliant treatment of cartoon nonsense as actual, viable forensic evidence, the book is clever and hilarious while still taking its mystery completely seriously.
Wolf’s writing is absolutely rife with highly quotable, mind-bending one-liners that inject serious wit into a narrative that plays its ridiculous premise entirely straight. I absolutely loved this send-up of Hollywood greed, celebrity culture, noir fiction, and the blurry lines between fantasy and reality. I can’t wait to dive into the rest of the series.
Eat your heart out, Chandler.
Garrett Zecker 