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Roger Rabbit #3
Who Wacked Roger Rabbit?
Hard-boiled gumshoe Eddie Valiant lands a plum job as Gary Cooper's bodyguard while Coop scouts locations for his next movie—a screwball comedy titled Hi, Toon! But Eddie's dream job quickly turns into a nightmare. The film's being shot in Toontown, and Coop's co-star turns out to be none other than Roger Rabbit.
Eddie's a big fan of Coop. Of Roger? Not so much.
Now a sinister hoodlum is threatening to murder Coop if the movie gets made. Before long, Eddie, Coop, Roger, and the ever-glamorous Jessica Rabbit are embroiled in a mystery that could destroy Toontown. When Roger bites off more Toonish trouble than Eddie can swallow, the answer to the question Who Wacked Roger Rabbit? suddenly becomes no laughing matter.
Eddie's a big fan of Coop. Of Roger? Not so much.
Now a sinister hoodlum is threatening to murder Coop if the movie gets made. Before long, Eddie, Coop, Roger, and the ever-glamorous Jessica Rabbit are embroiled in a mystery that could destroy Toontown. When Roger bites off more Toonish trouble than Eddie can swallow, the answer to the question Who Wacked Roger Rabbit? suddenly becomes no laughing matter.
318 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 28, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
August 17, 2018
Wolf has left the film noir analogy on american postwar racism and segregation behind. Instead he is going for an abundance of puns. It is in no way as good as the first book, but I do like puns.
March 2, 2018
Took a while to finish this one. The consistency of these novels is weird. Novel to novel the overall characters are the same. But they are like actors on a tv series. That forgets the relationship trees between the seasons. Wacked references both Plugged and the movie but forgets half the characters that were plot pivotal. And for some reason the innuendos in this one get far less subtle and just become crude. I think I'll do my childhood a favor and just forget these novels and stick with movie canon.
June 8, 2022
My husband told me about his moms cooking growing up. His mom would get a recipe from a friend and make it as written the first time. The meal was great and everyone was happy. Next time, some corners were cut and things omitted; the meal was less pleasing then before. Fast forward and the meal had some how devolved to throwing ingredients in a bowl and microwaving it, and then wondering why no one wants to eat it.
That is what this book is. It is a microwaved bowl of crap that you are supposed to think is a delicious lasagna, but in fact it’s mystery substance that has separated and then reconstituted to something whole unappealing. The first book was amazing and I enjoyed it so much. The second book was pretty meh but I forgave it knowing it was a reboot after the movie. Having no idea that this third book was also a reboot, I jumped in. I couldn’t even finish it because all the spark and magic had sizzled out. The characters were only the same in name only. It’s like a bad fan fiction novel. Hated it.
That is what this book is. It is a microwaved bowl of crap that you are supposed to think is a delicious lasagna, but in fact it’s mystery substance that has separated and then reconstituted to something whole unappealing. The first book was amazing and I enjoyed it so much. The second book was pretty meh but I forgave it knowing it was a reboot after the movie. Having no idea that this third book was also a reboot, I jumped in. I couldn’t even finish it because all the spark and magic had sizzled out. The characters were only the same in name only. It’s like a bad fan fiction novel. Hated it.
August 3, 2021
I haven't seen much or know much about the toon characters included in the book but I loved this weird crime novel, heavily infused with sillyness and humour. Don't think it's a book for everyone by any means but I thought it was a fun and engaging book to listen too. Think its the best way to indulge in this book is to listen to it. The silly movie style, comes more alive this way then if I had read it physical. Even though I loved it I'm not sure if I recommended it to everyone. While it deals heavily in crime and investigation its also very ridiculous and borderline insane but it's a great deal of fun
August 29, 2022
Toontastic ride through the zaney side of toons, with Valient getting silly you can almost see what he may have been originally.
March 2, 2016
This one felt...off.
It's like the author forgot establishing facts about the characters from the previous book (I'll give a pass on the first one since it's vastly different and technically "all a dream" in the prior books).
For a book entirely taking place in Toontown, was surprisingly boring.
It's like the author forgot establishing facts about the characters from the previous book (I'll give a pass on the first one since it's vastly different and technically "all a dream" in the prior books).
For a book entirely taking place in Toontown, was surprisingly boring.
May 15, 2022
The first two books were a great send up of noir style writing and yes the puns ran fast and furious. Still they weren't high writing or even reads that are worthy of high praise. Yet, the were fun and good distractions that I didn't have to think too hard about as I read them. That is what made them worthy in my mind of keeping on with what was going on.
This version, it seems like as someone else said; seems to have forgotten about the second book, Who P-P-P-Plugged Roger Rabbit? and the world building that was done there. Its as if, as I mentioned in my review of the second book, the author has a few main characters (Eddie, Roger, Jessica) and tries to plug them in all the time doing their normal bit and routines with each version of a story he is creating.
This time the story is about Eddie having to protect Gary Cooper, who is reduced to a monosyllabic rich actor who is trying to help some nobody director that Cooper is supposedly friends back when they were both struggling to make it big in Hollywood. They want to make some method acting movie that is basically a buddy cop style movie with Cooper going to ToonTown with Roger Rabbit. However, Cooper has been threatened by someone that he will be killed. Eddie needs to protect Cooper. Roger and Jessica offer up the usual in these styles of novels, one with the hi jinks and the other with the steamy erotica.
The puns in this book are worst than normal, between a bad guy named after a type of smoked meat to some of the business names and the street names in ToonTown. They aren't even DadJoke level groaner puns. They are just dead flat jokes that after the first chapter become irritating.
This story is even harder to work through and really seems like the author just wasn't in it as much as the first two books. Almost as if even to write this it became a chore to write. So he started to just recycle old jokes and all manner of trope like writing that was already used twice before. Almost like a room full of TV writers who on a series that is well loved, but gone on far too long; begun to just push the boundaries of smart writing that attracted you to the series and punishes the viewer with dumbing down the characters, resorting to stereotypes, and completely forgetting development arcs that were used previously.
I would only recommend this if you wanted to complete the series, but again they were smarter and felt a little better than what I am experienced now.
This version, it seems like as someone else said; seems to have forgotten about the second book, Who P-P-P-Plugged Roger Rabbit? and the world building that was done there. Its as if, as I mentioned in my review of the second book, the author has a few main characters (Eddie, Roger, Jessica) and tries to plug them in all the time doing their normal bit and routines with each version of a story he is creating.
This time the story is about Eddie having to protect Gary Cooper, who is reduced to a monosyllabic rich actor who is trying to help some nobody director that Cooper is supposedly friends back when they were both struggling to make it big in Hollywood. They want to make some method acting movie that is basically a buddy cop style movie with Cooper going to ToonTown with Roger Rabbit. However, Cooper has been threatened by someone that he will be killed. Eddie needs to protect Cooper. Roger and Jessica offer up the usual in these styles of novels, one with the hi jinks and the other with the steamy erotica.
The puns in this book are worst than normal, between a bad guy named after a type of smoked meat to some of the business names and the street names in ToonTown. They aren't even DadJoke level groaner puns. They are just dead flat jokes that after the first chapter become irritating.
This story is even harder to work through and really seems like the author just wasn't in it as much as the first two books. Almost as if even to write this it became a chore to write. So he started to just recycle old jokes and all manner of trope like writing that was already used twice before. Almost like a room full of TV writers who on a series that is well loved, but gone on far too long; begun to just push the boundaries of smart writing that attracted you to the series and punishes the viewer with dumbing down the characters, resorting to stereotypes, and completely forgetting development arcs that were used previously.
I would only recommend this if you wanted to complete the series, but again they were smarter and felt a little better than what I am experienced now.
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May 14, 2024Huh. What author Gary K Wolf doesn’t seem to understand is how vital visual gags are to classic cartoons- see: a Looney Tunes novel would never work. There’s a reason there’s never been a novelization of Koko The Clown, or Felix the Cat*. And despite my distaste for the original novel Who Censored Roger Rabbit , it still worked on its own - pulling more from comics than film, a sturdier pace and tone- but it seems the universal acclaim (and everlasting legacy) for Bob Zemeckis’ adaptation really only clouded what Wolf perceives his character Roger Rabbit to be. Leaning away from hardboiled detective novels, inspired by pulp mysteries, and trying to emulate a great piece of animation.
I actually didn’t have a problem with the narrative wiggling the last one Who P-P-Plugged Roger Rabbit had, it makes for a hell of a story outside the novel that Wolf liked the screen adaptation more than his own work, but for the third entry it feels like Wolf is just pitching more ideas to Touchstone. When Wolf writes David O’ Selznick or Gary Cooper, they feel so plastic. I read a review that said these characters feel more like actors than people, and I totally agree. Gary Wolf doesn’t have a solid understanding of what this world is because he’s oscillating from his own creation and the far superior, lived-in world from the 1988 film adaptation. Boris Johnson’s Cakeist comments come to mind, “My policy on cake is pro having it and pro eating it."
Maybe a Disney+ show, Wolf? Please? This writing style actually makes far more sense as a screenplay. So stripped down- dare I say, minimalist!
*if there are and I just overlooked them, please let me know. I’d drop everything and pick it up immediately.
I actually didn’t have a problem with the narrative wiggling the last one Who P-P-Plugged Roger Rabbit had, it makes for a hell of a story outside the novel that Wolf liked the screen adaptation more than his own work, but for the third entry it feels like Wolf is just pitching more ideas to Touchstone. When Wolf writes David O’ Selznick or Gary Cooper, they feel so plastic. I read a review that said these characters feel more like actors than people, and I totally agree. Gary Wolf doesn’t have a solid understanding of what this world is because he’s oscillating from his own creation and the far superior, lived-in world from the 1988 film adaptation. Boris Johnson’s Cakeist comments come to mind, “My policy on cake is pro having it and pro eating it."
Maybe a Disney+ show, Wolf? Please? This writing style actually makes far more sense as a screenplay. So stripped down- dare I say, minimalist!
*if there are and I just overlooked them, please let me know. I’d drop everything and pick it up immediately.
September 4, 2019
Gary Cooper as a wild one?
This is the third in Wolf’s trilogy of Roger Rabbit stories. It opens with Eddie getting an assignment as Gary Cooper’s bodyguard. It is during the filming of “Hi, Toon.” Of course Cooper’s costar is Roger.
I love the idea of Cooper walking around dressed as Brando trying this new style of “method acting.” What a great concept.
No more spoilers. The writing was better than the second story. Eddie still talks like a hard-boiled gumshoe, like a Daschell Hammet or Mickey Spillane type. And the story stays in the timeframe of mid-1950s. Something his earlier works were less disciplined with. Nicely done Sir. A fun read.
This story came out after the film as Eddie went from an out-of-shape thin guy to a pot bellied PI also a mention of Benny the cab and Dip that leads me to this conclusion.
All 3 stories were fun satires of the gritty noir style pulp fiction. All 3 stories do a fine job of taking us to a world where toons coexist with humans. If you’ve only seen the movie this is a different universe. Each story stands on it’s own so read them in any order.
This is the third in Wolf’s trilogy of Roger Rabbit stories. It opens with Eddie getting an assignment as Gary Cooper’s bodyguard. It is during the filming of “Hi, Toon.” Of course Cooper’s costar is Roger.
I love the idea of Cooper walking around dressed as Brando trying this new style of “method acting.” What a great concept.
No more spoilers. The writing was better than the second story. Eddie still talks like a hard-boiled gumshoe, like a Daschell Hammet or Mickey Spillane type. And the story stays in the timeframe of mid-1950s. Something his earlier works were less disciplined with. Nicely done Sir. A fun read.
This story came out after the film as Eddie went from an out-of-shape thin guy to a pot bellied PI also a mention of Benny the cab and Dip that leads me to this conclusion.
All 3 stories were fun satires of the gritty noir style pulp fiction. All 3 stories do a fine job of taking us to a world where toons coexist with humans. If you’ve only seen the movie this is a different universe. Each story stands on it’s own so read them in any order.
January 24, 2018
Well I was drawn to these series after the movie, the first book was great the third not that much.
The author's imagination has gotten crazier and that is the best part of this book, who would have thought money laundering meant washing black money so that they turn to white money?
The word bubbles have got their own personality and while the world building stands great it is the story that is lacking.
The thin plot line,5the transparent characters and the forced world building does not make a fine read.
Read this book if you want to see the stretch of human imagination but not if you want a great story.
The author's imagination has gotten crazier and that is the best part of this book, who would have thought money laundering meant washing black money so that they turn to white money?
The word bubbles have got their own personality and while the world building stands great it is the story that is lacking.
The thin plot line,5the transparent characters and the forced world building does not make a fine read.
Read this book if you want to see the stretch of human imagination but not if you want a great story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 28, 2024
An enjoyable read in the world of Roger Rabbit and Toon Town with a touch of Hollywood. Though this series has been fun and enjoyable, this book is not quite as strong as the previous books in my opinion. These books are all a nice escape from reality and full of corny humor and references to old Hollywood. It does feel like something is missing and I’m not sure what it is. But if you’re a fan of the characters and the noir style and the zany humor these books have, you more than likely will still enjoy it. I will still read it again because it was fun and I did enjoy it.
August 30, 2021
Apparently there are several books in the Roger Rabbit series. I'm going to need to hunt down the one between the original and this one to see how it explains the rabbit's resurrection as well as a handful of other references this books makes. Overall it's not bad, but it does meander quite a bit at times. Still, it's worth a read if you want some absurdist noir.
March 21, 2023
Another good book in the Roger Rabbit series. The author must have incredible fun playing with famous people and making them part of his novels. Here, it’s Gary Cooper. The author may also try to get a world record by inventing the most number of toon puns. He certainly excels himself in this book. Jessica makes her usual appearance, this time the most saucy so far.
July 18, 2023
The weakest book of the series so far. Eddie and Roger end up involved in murder in Toontown with Gary Cooper along for the ride. The plot was a bit thin for the length of the book. Continuity with the previous books is ignored. It's like each part of the series takes place in a parallel universe.
May 7, 2023
I get why the movie necessitated the second book having to reset the canon a bit. But I have no idea why Wolf feels the need to do it again here. It’s still pretty good, but it’s hard to feel connected to the characters as their adventures continue. And miss me with that tedious extended finale.
July 3, 2023
More exciting adventures!
More fun with Eddie, Roger and Jessica in Toontown!
This time Gary Cooper (yup, that one) joins the mystery. Full of references to Golden Age of movies that made me smile & even laugh out loud!
More fun with Eddie, Roger and Jessica in Toontown!
This time Gary Cooper (yup, that one) joins the mystery. Full of references to Golden Age of movies that made me smile & even laugh out loud!
January 24, 2018
Different story than the movie that is based on it, but still a good story.
April 23, 2019
It's a goofy book and a light read.
October 29, 2020
Meh. The movie is much more enjoyable.
July 14, 2022
Eddie Valiant is thirsty af for Jessica Rabbit in this book, holy moley!
December 5, 2022
By far the best of the three, in my opinion. At least I really enjoyed this one the most.
August 25, 2023
Another Looney Tunes Sam Spade entry. Unfortunately the pacing is the weakest of the three so far. Having Gary Cooper was weird, but a good set up for the final joke.
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March 26, 2024the author gets hornier with every book.
March 5, 2016
I didn't get into this one like the others. Possibly because I'm not very familiar with Gary Cooper, but I also felt like there wasn't as much going on. Particularly in comparison to the previous book. It's important to keep in mind while reading any of the Roger Rabbit books that anti-continuity abounds, but the quality, voice, and tone were usually consistent. This one... not so much.
As usual, Eddie Valient becomes involved in a case that he'd rather not touch, mostly because lots of money is a strong lure. He is hired on to protect Gary Cooper, who has received threatening messages. Roger Rabbit is almost only peripherally involved, with the most direct link being that he suggested Eddie and he's co-starring in Cooper's current film, Hi! Toon.
Most of the book is spent in Toon Town, and Wolf's world-building of such a zany, surreal place is as good as ever. That part at least felt, if not the same, then not at all disappointing. I particularly liked the method of money laundering in Toon Town, which actually has its own kind of logic.
While they go about Toon Town visiting possible filming locations, they run afoul of Willy Prosciutto, a pig who has Toon Town in his pocket and a whole slew of nasty deeds under his belt. He was plenty menacing, and he doesn't just threaten without carrying out anything that does lasting damage. Leave it to Gary K Wolf to create a memorable villain who is literally a cartoon pig.
Personally, I have always liked the fact that Wolf's stories have toons based in newspapers and comic books. They speak in speech bubbles and rather than being drawn, are photographed and filmed. Some speak aloud, while others get along silently with bubbles only. The science of how the bubbles work and what they are comprised of is not always consistent from book to book, but I'm fairly sure that they are consistent from page to page in a single book.
All in all, I think the series just peaked with the previous one. Who Wacked Roger Rabbit? is definitely worth the purchase, but I would almost suggest reading it after Who Censored... and before Who P-P-P-Plugged...
As usual, Eddie Valient becomes involved in a case that he'd rather not touch, mostly because lots of money is a strong lure. He is hired on to protect Gary Cooper, who has received threatening messages. Roger Rabbit is almost only peripherally involved, with the most direct link being that he suggested Eddie and he's co-starring in Cooper's current film, Hi! Toon.
Most of the book is spent in Toon Town, and Wolf's world-building of such a zany, surreal place is as good as ever. That part at least felt, if not the same, then not at all disappointing. I particularly liked the method of money laundering in Toon Town, which actually has its own kind of logic.
While they go about Toon Town visiting possible filming locations, they run afoul of Willy Prosciutto, a pig who has Toon Town in his pocket and a whole slew of nasty deeds under his belt. He was plenty menacing, and he doesn't just threaten without carrying out anything that does lasting damage. Leave it to Gary K Wolf to create a memorable villain who is literally a cartoon pig.
Personally, I have always liked the fact that Wolf's stories have toons based in newspapers and comic books. They speak in speech bubbles and rather than being drawn, are photographed and filmed. Some speak aloud, while others get along silently with bubbles only. The science of how the bubbles work and what they are comprised of is not always consistent from book to book, but I'm fairly sure that they are consistent from page to page in a single book.
All in all, I think the series just peaked with the previous one. Who Wacked Roger Rabbit? is definitely worth the purchase, but I would almost suggest reading it after Who Censored... and before Who P-P-P-Plugged...
March 26, 2016
When you're going to write a book using a previously released movie for characters and setting, you better get those things right. In this novel, this is where the author fails.
The first, and most annoying thing, is the dialogue balloons. Now I have seen the movie "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" several times. Not once do I recall characters talking and their words appearing in balloons over their heads. This was so divergent from the movie it threw me completely off. Mind you, the author used the balloons as an integral part of his plot, so maybe he felt the need to alter things. My advice is, if you're going to be completely different, then don't bother using anything the same. Call it something else. Rename the characters. Have it occur in Toonieville, not Toontown. Whatever it takes not to draw a comparison to the movie.
The characters didn't quite live up to the way I remembered them either. Jessica Rabbit is a cheating wife, Roger Rabbit has too many moments of lucidity where he is smart, and Eddie Valiant is a cold blooded killer. Not in any way I recalled the movie.
These alterations made the book almost impossible to enjoy. I see Roger Rabbit in the title, I have expectations to be met. Pure and simple. You fail to meet those expectations, you fail altogether. I don't care what else happens in the book.
There are other problems, such as editing. Entire paragraphs repeated, a score of other problems, and this with the publishers "Editor's Top Pick" emblazoned on the cover.
I will give the author some credit for trying to write a novel incorporating cartoon characters with real ones, but only some.
If you enjoyed the movie "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" this book is not for you. If you never saw the movie, you might give it a chance.
The first, and most annoying thing, is the dialogue balloons. Now I have seen the movie "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" several times. Not once do I recall characters talking and their words appearing in balloons over their heads. This was so divergent from the movie it threw me completely off. Mind you, the author used the balloons as an integral part of his plot, so maybe he felt the need to alter things. My advice is, if you're going to be completely different, then don't bother using anything the same. Call it something else. Rename the characters. Have it occur in Toonieville, not Toontown. Whatever it takes not to draw a comparison to the movie.
The characters didn't quite live up to the way I remembered them either. Jessica Rabbit is a cheating wife, Roger Rabbit has too many moments of lucidity where he is smart, and Eddie Valiant is a cold blooded killer. Not in any way I recalled the movie.
These alterations made the book almost impossible to enjoy. I see Roger Rabbit in the title, I have expectations to be met. Pure and simple. You fail to meet those expectations, you fail altogether. I don't care what else happens in the book.
There are other problems, such as editing. Entire paragraphs repeated, a score of other problems, and this with the publishers "Editor's Top Pick" emblazoned on the cover.
I will give the author some credit for trying to write a novel incorporating cartoon characters with real ones, but only some.
If you enjoyed the movie "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" this book is not for you. If you never saw the movie, you might give it a chance.
July 6, 2014
Loved the movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit. This is the first Roger Rabbit book I've read by Mr. Wolf and won't be the last. Fun, goofy read. I enjoyed it.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews