Who Censored Roger Rabbit?

[Brandon Pierce]

I've heard from a lot of people that the original novel is very different from the Touchstone movie, almost as if they are two different stories. I was just wondering from those who have read the book how much is different?

[Kaner]

Very different. Only Roger, Jessica, Valiant, and Baby Herman are in both the book and movie and Roger is dead. Don't worry this happens at the begining of the book and the plot revolves around solving his murder.

-JerkBox

[Borg4of3]

A few more changes:
-Instead of cartoons, they're comic strip characters and, whenever the Toons talked, the word bubbles would pop above their heads, and be as solid as they are.
-Like JerkBox said, Roger is dead, but still present thru the story thanks to a book-only Toon ability. But his murder is only one mystery that Valiant has to solve.
-The relationship between all the mutual characters is very different (cept Baby Herman and Roger, IIRC).

It really is very, very hard to tell you what's different without giving away big spoilers because, aside from the mutual characters, like JerkBox said, the stories are extremely different. Still, both stories are ver well done in their own way. I'm glad to say had the priviledge of reading it recently (after questing for it for years :p), and I definately recommend the book if you can find it.

[wrenchien]

any ideas what the 2nd book's about?

[CookieS]

"Who Censored Roger Rabbit? (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0345303253/qid=1088325291/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-1306171-5820938?v=glance&s=books)" (1981)
This was the first book and is VERY different from "Who Framed".

"Who P-P-P Plugged Roger Rabbit?: A Hare-Raising Mystery (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/067940094X/qid=1088324523/sr=1-3/ref=sr_1_3/102-1306171-5820938?v=glance&s=books)" (1991)
Now keep in mind this "sequel" came out right after the movie in 1989, so Gary K. Wolf like totally jacks with continuty (just like Lost World did with Jurassic Park). Here is a quikie summary from Amazon:

"Wolf's second Toontown mystery is short on inspiration, long on feeble puns and sure to disappoint lovers of Who Framed Roger Rabbitstet no question mark/rl , the animated cartoon adapted from his Who Censored Roger Rabbit? Wolf's frantic prose fails to capture the comic spirit, including the repeal of the laws of physics, that makes animated cartoons so surprising and funny. The plot, such as it is, has addlepated Roger hiring hard-boiled PI Eddie Valiant to investigate a scandal-sheet story pairing impossibly curvaceous Jessica Rabbit with Clark Gable, one of Roger's rivals for the role of Rhett in Selznick's planned musical comedy, Gone with the Wind . Eddie soon suspects Jessica of playing more than pat-a-cakes with Clark. Complications include murder, theft and corruption, but in the end who cares who p-p-p-plugged Rabbit?"

So there you have it, the "plot" to the second movie...if there ever was going to be one. The reviews on Amazon all call it a weak book, and after 10 years between story lines, what a disappointment. CLARK GABLE?! I mean I get the whole Looney Tunes joke, but this is nuts. For starters, Roger should technically be "dead" since he wasn't alive in the original (he died before the story began in the first book). When Touchtone Pictures wanted to make the movie, I think they saw it pointless to have the main character not even in the film, so they added him in as Eddie's sidekick. Second, the sequel is is kind of what happened in "Who Framed".....Eddie and Roger working as partners on a case, with a possible Jessica "double agent" plot.

[BlackoutCreature]

Didnt someone on these boards once say that the second book was actually a sequel to the movie, and that the first book was written off in the second book as a bad dream of Jessica's?

[Brandon Pierce]

Didnt someone on these boards once say that the second book was actually a sequel to the movie, and that the first book was written off in the second book as a bad dream of Jessica's?Well, I wouldn't know. But, i'd really like to read the original "Who Censored?" novel. It sounds quiet interesting. I wish I could find it in book stores.

[Borg4of3]

The books are, to my knowledge, out of print and not being released anymore. I looked up Froogle and found this batch of used copies (http://www.alibris.com/search/search.cfm?S=R&qisbn=0345303253&qsort=p&siteID=S7faCN9gQJ0-RJnuxzHaznBdViL3dqqNyQ), and this Amazon used list (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/offer-listing/0345303253//002-9523430-9441657?condition=all). I was only slightly surprised to find some copies being sold for over $100 too. Mine was found in a military library, so libraries are another option. Good luck!

[John Pannozzi]

The first book can be bought second-hand at:

http://half.ebay.com/cat/buy/prod.cgi?cpid=3027830&domain_id=1856&meta_id=1

http://half.ebay.com/cat/buy/prod.cgi?cpid=3088572&domain_id=1856&meta_id=1

http://half.ebay.com/cat/buy/prod.cgi?cpid=1078964189&domain_id=1856&meta_id=1

The second book can be bought second-hand at:

http://half.ebay.com/cat/buy/prod.cgi?cpid=3300233&domain_id=1856&meta_id=1