Three Fingers [Paperback]

Rich Koslowski (Author, Artist)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2002

Through a series of never-before-seen interviews and rare photos, documentary-maker Rich Koslowski reveals the horrifying true story behind the Cartoon industry--the story that Hollywood doesn't want you to see. Told in the same style as a Ken Burns documentary, with interviews of toon stars today as well as historical file footage of the early years, this work of fiction will forever change the way you think of those beloved characters in the white gloves.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Unlike Koslowski's Eisner-nominated Geeksville series, this work takes a more realistically drawn, documentary-style approach to its story of an alternate world where cartoons exist alongside humans, albeit as second-class citizens. Mimicking a television expos‚'s hyperbolic format, Koslowski alternates confessional head shots of interviewees with "archival" stills that narrate the history of toons in film. Koslowski began in animation, and its influence is visible in his ability to capture finely shifting facial expressions and in his preoccupation with animated cartoons. Dizzy Walters, a visionary figure strangely reminiscent of Walt Disney, has founded an entertainment empire on the charisma of his formerly down-and-out toon prot‚g‚, Ricky Rat. But lurking beneath this rag-to-riches story are rumors of a nasty "ritual," a surgical enhancement many toons are desperate to have done hence the book's title with the implicit demand of studio executives. The pressure has driven Ricky to depression and a bad cigarette habit. The ensuing mockumentary offers testimony from Ricky's peers on the vile practice: toons such as Buggy Bunny and Sly Vester Jr. sound off on the "ritual," and celebrities come out strongly against it. Koslowski even suggests the ritual could be behind many of the notorious assassinations and deaths during the 1960s and '70s. Disappointingly, though, the ritual itself turns out to be a letdown. It's a clever tool, but is essentially a passing joke that lacks literary payoff or power. By the book's end, the earlier chapters' tension and inventiveness have petered out. Still, much like a good TV show, when it works, the audience really does want to stay tuned
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Roger Rabbit meets Behind the Music in this graphic novel that uses interviews and historical "photos" to reveal the sordid truth behind the rise of anthropomorphic animal stars in Hollywood's golden age. The focal character is Rickey Rat, whom filmmaker Dizzy Walters discovered in a seedy nightclub in the segregated part of Columbus, Ohio, known as Toonsville. Rickey's rise to fame should have opened the door to other toon stars, but for some reason audiences resisted those who tried to follow in his footprints. Desperate to emulate his success, toon actors even began copying the birth defect that left him with only three fingers by means of a surgical mutilation that came to be known as "the ritual." The premise is clever, and Koslowski executes it skillfully, placing the toon characters in a world quite recognizable as our own. Even if there isn't much here beyond that premise, it is great fun to see stars like "Buggy Bunny," "Portly Pig," and "Dapper Duck" blow the lid off Toonsville in this comic a clef. Gordon Flagg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Top Shelf Productions (July 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1891830317
• ISBN-13: 978-1891830310
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,147,743 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting idea, somehow only partially works..., March 3, 2003

By 

kb6 "kb6" (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Three Fingers (Paperback)

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.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An Interesting Spin on "Roger Rabbit" Territory..., February 12, 2003

By 

Daniel V. Reilly (Upstate New York, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Three Fingers (Paperback)

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.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing..., February 25, 2003

By 

GLBT (Illinois) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Three Fingers (Paperback)

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.