"The Grate Escape" "Fashion Victim" "I Was a Stool Pigeon"
Writer: Earl Kress; Frank Strom Artists: David Alvarez(p), Mike DeCarlo(i), Dave Tanguay(c) Publisher: DC
Plot: A trio of shorts featuring Rocky and Mugsy.
Most Warner Brothers cartoon fans will remember Rocky and Mugsy as the hapless thugs who Bugs tortures after tricking them into a stove.
"Would I throw in a lighted match, if my pal Rocky was in there?"
"Ohhhh, you might rabbit. You might."
Earl Kress makes their rematch memorable. Bugs is in top form: digging tunnels, defying the laws of physics, disguising himself and of course givin' da' hoods da' treatment.
Artist David Alvarez eschews Chuck Jones softness and understatement. He molds his Bugs into a zany figure more in the style of Bob Clampett. Since Bugs is more the instigator in the story, the choice in design dulls the edge of the seeming mean trials he puts Rocky and Mugsy through. His plans no matter the end damage always seem playful rather than malicious.
David Alvarez renders just as well Chuck Jones characters. He keeps Cleo precious and makes full use of Marc Anthony's status as most expressive cartoon bulldog.
When I first saw the blurb for Looney Tunes in the Previews, I really found the battle against Rocky and Mugsy by Marc Anthony and Cleopatra to curious to pass up. I'm surprised at how well Frank Strom managed to make the interaction work. Rocky is rotten enough to kill a kitty cat who wasn't even paying attention. Naturally, Marc Anthony will intervene to save Cleo--rather amusingly mistaken as usual for a male cat. An extremely funny exercise.
The final cartoon also by Frank Strom beautifully combines Rocky and Mugsy with Sylvester's lifelong goal of a Tweety Sandwich. Sylvester really isn't a villain. He's after all a cat. Cats eat birds. Rocky and Mugsy must beat Sylvester to the bird who is the key witness protected by efficient, honest cops who might want to think about transferring to Gotham City; apparently they're needed there. Perhaps, the most ludicrous thing about the story is how indifferent they are to the exact nature of the threat to the witness. Nefarious human or cat, they're simply there to be shot, smacked or swatted.
Mr. Alvarez enjoys the expression of traditional cartoon violence in this story. His comic timing couldn't be better, especially when it seems in the finale that nothing will impede Sylvester's progress.
