Product Description: A behind-the-scenes mocumentary of the animation industry. Through a series of never-before-seen interviews and rare photos, documentary-maker Rich Koslowski reveals the horrifying true story behind the Cartoon industry and our most celebrated cartoon actors-the story that Hollywood doesn't want you to see!
Hollywood Babylon Meets Toonville Three Fingers is a tell all book behind the scenes of the golden age of toons. It parodies the old golden age of films with the hype, glitz, and glamour, with the slimy underbelly finally exposed. It reminds me of a take off on Kenneth Anger's Hollywood Babylon, that reported many of the scandals (whether real or not) of old Hollywood.
It is a subtle book in several places in that it hints at a lot of dark misdeeds in the past that are never brought out; such as a Daffy Duck character that by the time the book is out is just a drooling wreck. Many toon characters are shown in this way, as boozed out wrecks of their former selves, riddled with drugs, age and excess. Porky Pig, Foghorn Leghorn, Bugs Bunny, Speedy Gonzales, Mickey Mouse, and Pluto all get the same treatment.
The man story revolves around the character of Ricky Rat and his rise to fame. The toons of Three Fingers are a second class species, ignored and despised by Human society, until Dizzy Walters discovers a toon and makes him into a star. It is tried with others toons, to no avail. Then other toons think they have discovered the secret of Ricky's success, and a terrible ritual is born for the toons.
The book is filled with many clever takes on classic photos and movie posters, and adds in toon characters. As in many books of these kinds, there is as much going on behind the scenes as is shown, and you have to use your imagination to fill in the gaps. Overall I found it an enjoyable read, and recommend it to all.
Interesting idea, somehow only partially works... I have to disagree with a previous reviewer that there is no parallel in modern Hollywood for the "Ritual" as outlined in the book...has the reviewer no clue about the number of actors that have plastic surgery done, to nearly every part of their bodies...from adding "Double-D" silcone breast implants to having things nipped, tucked and otherwise cut/altered? (Not to mention the almost obsessive time spent dieting and working out to achieve near anorexic thin-ness!) We often overlook the fact that such surgery is, in fact mutilation of the natural state of the body. And that such obsessive desperation to remain thin exhibits clearly the paranoia that lead the toons to the ritual in the first place...!
Unfortunately, I do however have to agree that, "When all is said and done, Three Fingers is a comic that never achieves its full potential. By the time you're halfway through the book, you've pretty much read everything that Koslowski has to offer and the second half is simply more of the same, but with no real development or plot to keep it fresh." However, as a Disney fan I was entertained by the large number of photos of Mr. Disney and the studios that were imitated here. The author clearly knows his animation history, as a starting point. It's just too bad that there wasn't more humor to sustain the joke.
Disappointing... The concept behind Three Fingers is that we are watching a "documentary" about cartoon superstar Rickey Rat (think Mickey Mouse, but with a foul mouth and an endless supply of liquor and cigarettes) and the cartoon industry. Many familiar faces show up, including Portly Pig, Freidrich Von Katze, and Sly Vester the Cat. It's a great idea and Koslowski has a lot of fun with documentary 'interviews' of these classic cartoon characters, now old and bitter, discussing the golden years of their movie careers.
Top Shelf has done a wonderful job with this book; it looks great and is priced very reasonably. And Koslowski, to his credit, does a magnificent job of making it all feel 'real.' So, you might wonder, what's my problem? Why only two stars? Well, I'll tell ya... As I was reading Three Fingers, I kept waiting for the moment when I would start enjoying it. I mean, I liked the premise and I thought it was put together nicely, so I was just waiting for that magical thing to happen where you become absorbed in the book/comic you're reading and all is well in the world. But it didn't happen.
I think the main problem with Three Fingers is that Koslowski takes a hell of a long time to build up the mystery of "the ritual." I mean, page after page is spent telling us about this rumored "ritual." Characters hint at it, deny it, offer conspiracy theories about it... but when we finally learn what the ritual is, it doesn't really make any sense. I mean, yes... technically it makes sense. But, up until that point in the story, Koslowski is parodying a documentary about show business. Parallels between the cartoon stars and real-life stars give the whole thing a feeling of authenticity that makes the funny parts funny and the sad parts downright tragic. For example, we see how the cartoon characters were discriminated against and how that affected their Hollywood opportunities. But, the "ritual" has no real-life counterpart. Even within the logic of the book, it makes no sense. What would Hollywood producers have to gain by perpetuating the myth that has led to the Ritual? It is a horrible thing, yes, but who gains from it? Nobody. So, why would Hollywood producers create a "cover-up" for it? Are we supposed to believe that someone, at some point, deliberately began this thing or is it truly supposed to be something that began out of a ridiculous superstition? If it was created, who would have created it and for what possible reason? If it was the result of a silly superstition, then why are the Hollywood Producers denying its existance and then forcing the cartoons to adhere to it?
The whole thing just doesn't make much sense, ultimately, and since it's the only plot we've got, that's a problem. In fact, the sense I got when reading Three Fingers was that Koslowski got this great idea for a book but then realized halfway through that he didn't have a story to tell. So, he threw in this "ritual" thing. But it doesn't work.
A similar flaw occurs when we are briefly introduced to Rickey Ratz' second wife, a human. At first, we are told that they were very much in love but that it didn't last because the world wasn't ready for a "mixed" couple. Okay, that's an interesting idea to play around with... but it gets dropped right there and is never picked up again. Once again, it feels as though Koslowski threw in a neat idea but then never developed it or figured out how it would fit in within the larger story.
When all is said and done, Three Fingers is a comic that never achieves its full potential. By the time you're halfway through the book, you've pretty much read everything that Koslowski has to offer and the second half is simply more of the same, but with no real development or plot to keep it fresh. I wish that I could recommend Three Fingers, but I can't.
An Interesting Spin on "Roger Rabbit" Territory... The basic premise of "three fingers" is fairly simple: A "Behind The Music" type documentary about a Walt Disney-esque man, in a world where cartoons aren't drawings, but opressed minorities. The Mickey Mouse of this story is Ricky Rat, who becomes the first 'toon star. Ricky has a secret to his success, though, and other 'toons suffered in their attempts to replicate his rise to fame....
Creator Rich Koslowski (The Three Geeks) does a great job of keeping a documentary feel to the book; The lush art perfectly captures that newsreel look you'd expect. The problem for me lay with the books mysterious "Ritual": The revelation of just WHAT the ritual is turns out to be a big letdown. (Koslowski manages to mine a truly chilling moment from "The Ritual", though- The interview with the Daffy Duck character...) It was fun to match up the characters in the book with their real-life Warner Bros. and Disney counterparts.
Three Fingers isn't a masterpiece; It is a fun read, though, and deserves a wider audience among Graphic Novel fans.
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