1981’s Who Censored Roger Rabbit? is the book that inspired the film Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, and while it offers a different take on the concept, it is a fun read and worth seeking out.
Artwork above by Faiz Kamarul Baharin.
What Is It?
In a world where toons and humans live together, the toon Roger Rabbit seeks out the services of the human private detective Eddie K. Valiant to determine why the DeGreasy Brothers have failed to honor a promise they made to give Roger his own contract, and also why his wife, Jessica Rabbit, left him for Rocco DeGreasy. Roger is working as a second banana to Baby Herman in a comic strip, but he claims that there are offers out there to make him a star on his own and that Rocco Degreasy is blocking that. After some convincing, Valiant agrees to take the case, but Roger suffers from a misfortunate accident that opens up all sorts of questions about the motives of all involved as well as the ownership of a mysterious tea kettle everyone wants to possess. Valiant finds himself deep in a mystery that he originally wanted to have nothing to do with, but he keeps digging in and searching for answers to do the right thing for his client.
Author: Gary K. Wolf
Originally Published: 1981
Legacy:
This lesser known book gives the original appearance of Roger Rabbit before he become Box Office gold with the 1988 film, and it proceeds in a very different direction. But it offers a delightful piece of satire with plenty of nostalgia and it is worth seeking out.
A Closer Look:
The characters of Roger Rabbit, Jessica Rabbit, Eddie Valiant and more are best known from the 1988 Disney/Amblin film, but they got their start in novel form in the early ’80s in a story that was very different from the popular film that mixed live-action with animation. Roger is not quite as dopy of a character and we actually find he has a rather sinister edge to him later in the book. Eddie is not the toon-hating alcoholic of the film, though he is not particularly thrilled about working with toons. And Jessica Rabbit is a much more self-centered character, similar to how she is initially played in the movie until we find that she really loves Roger.
Another major difference between the book and the film is the toons. These are mostly comic strip and comic book characters with only a few mentions of animated characters like Bugs Bunny and Mickey Mouse. The comic strips these toons star in are produced by photographing the characters, and the original pictures are considered works of art that are valuable. The toons are also not indestructible, but they can produce doppelgangers of themselves for dangerous stunts (and that proves to be an important point in the book).
The book is narrated by Eddie Valiant in the hard-boiled detective style, and that’s one of the things that makes it so delightful. It is obviously a spoof on detective stories while bringing in plenty of fantasy elements from the toon characters. I also seem to detect a commentary on who owns original artwork and characters which would be in line with challenges that people like Jack Kirby, Steve Gerber, and Steve Ditko were bringing against the comic book industry at that time. But that is not the major focus, and it is possible I am just reading that into the story.
Basically, Who Censored Roger Rabbit? is just a fun little book that offers an interesting premise along with some witty dialogue, and name-dropping of well-known comic strip characters. If you are looking for it to follow the storyline of the film, you will be disappointed. But the original take on the concept is quite enjoyable in its own right, offering plenty of laughs, and the book is certainly worth seeking out.
The Story Continues:
The best-known continuation of Gary K. Wolf’s original concept was the 1988 film that took plenty of liberties with the source material and brings in many more characters from animation. Wolf then wrote another Roger Rabbit book with 1991’s Who P-P-P-Plugged Roger Rabbit? That one follows more closely with the film, though it is not considered a direct sequel. It mentions the events of Who Censored Roger Rabbit?, but as a dream had by Jessica. That was followed in 2013 by Who Wacked Roger Rabbit? which takes place in the same continuity as Who P-P-P-Plugged Roger Rabbit? And then in 2022, Jessica Rabbit: XERIOUS Business came out which acts as an origin story for Jessica.
Should It Be Rebooted?
I would love to see a television or film adaptation of Who Censored Roger Rabbit? that is more faithful to the original story. Perhaps it could be approached as an Eddie Valiant story that adapts the 1988 book and then continues on with more adventures of that character. But since the Mouse House has its paws on the property, they probably would put a stop to any alternate version of the tale moving forward. Gary K. Wolf probably owns the rights to the original book, but when Disney and Amblin acquired the rights for their film, they may have put restrictions on what he could do with the characters going forward. The fact that the sequels he has written are in the continuity of the film reinforces that, so any other version is unlikely to go forward.
Comments on the Audiobook:
The audiobook version of Who Censored Roger Rabbit? is narrated by L.J. Ganser, and he does an excellent job with the material. He definitely has the hard-boiled detective patter worked out perfectly, and he gives a Jimmy Stewart inflection to the voice of Roger Rabbit (certainly suggesting a Harvey connection). That is very different from what the film did, and that is fine because it distances itself from that adaptation. Ganser does a great job with the voices of the other characters as well, delivering less of a narration and more of a full-on performance. His voice work takes a great book and makes it even better, delivering a very enjoyable listen.
Interesting Facts:
There are only two lines in the book that are similar to ones used in the film. Baby Herman tells Valiant “I’ve got a 36-year-old lust and a 3-year-old dinky”, though in the film the age is 50 years old. Also, Jessica Rabbit tells Eddie “I’m not bad, Mr. Valiant. I’m just drawn that way”.
According to Wolf, it was while watching Saturday morning cartoons for research purposes that he got the inspiration for the book:
It was during the commercials. I saw Tony the Tiger and the Trix Rabbit, and Cap’n Crunch, cartoon characters, talking to real people. And nobody seemed to think that was odd. I thought, ‘What a great idea for a novel. A place where Toons lived side by side with humans.’ I wove that into a mystery, and bingo, I had my book.
He had a hard time selling the book at first, and it took two years and over one hundred rejections before a publisher agreed to pick it up.
Where Can you Read It?
The book is available in paperback format, though it is a bit pricey at $20. The eBook version is definitely more affordable and the audiobook is available through Audible.com.
