Looney Tunes: August 1999
Cover
Bugs Bunny has just posted a truly huge poster of his head on the side of a brick building. Underneath, Daffy, who has just posted a smaller yet still bigger than life poster of his own, exclaims, "You're Dethpicable!" upon seeing he's been outdone yet again.
Credits
Synopsis
Elmer hunts Bugs with a heat seeking missile, but Bugs laughs it right off as he's placed a heat source near Elmer. Bugs then poses as a representative of the Committee Against Cartoon Violence. Supposed before and after photos show a remarkable negative change in a youth exposed to cartoon violence. Elmer doesn't believe it until Bugs, disguised as a child, clobbers him. Bugs also shows Elmer a devastating headline, the U.N. declaring Fudd a menace.
Reading is suggested as an alternative to hunting, but an offered book doesn't leave much to the imagination. As reading doesn't work out, sport is next suggested though the football is actually a beehive. The, presumably non-violent, bees send Elmer over a cliff. Bugs places a mattress to ease the landing but it merely trades one blow for another. One last attempt to set a good example for kids has Elmer trying his hand at smoking prevention, but he just ends up the victim of an exploding cigar. He's just about to give up nonviolence when he's told he's been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Elmer falls for it, but Daffy storms into the picture claiming greater nonviolence. Bugs agrees and both Daffy and Elmer are given prizes, though Daffy complains about his until he realizes it's no prize at all but a bomb. After the explosion we see a larger view showing that the set the cartoon was being filmed on. Bugs informs everyone that they actually did win an award for the cartoon, but the group they get it from is rather unusual... and Elmer notices something alarming about the award.
Did You Notice...
Page 3: The International Liar claims Elmer Fudd is linked not only to crime, war, and juvenile delinquency, but also to bad elevator music.- Page 4: William "Refrigerator" Perry played for the Chicago Bears from 1984 to 1993, then played for the Philadelphia Eagles before leaving the NFL. The nickname comes from his large size, once estimated at 350 pounds.
- Page 10: In the final panel appear, besides the featured characters of this story, Witch Hazel, Gossamer, the abominable snowman, Taz, two of the production crew, and the deranged looking guy who appeared in the 'after' picture on page 2.
Technical Nits
Page 5: Wouldn't Fudd be seeking anti-gravity?- On page five, Elmer addresses the readers, knowing this is a comic book story, yet on page ten movie or TV cameras are shown, so it's not supposed to be a comic book story from Elmer's perspective. (Though he couldn't say 'viewers' and not reveal a bit of the end surprise, could he?)
Credits
Synopsis
Wile E. Coyote has his latest scheme all drawn out. He'll use a trampoline to bounce to the top of a cliff and catch Road Runner off guard. When he tries it the trampoline works as planned and he does get to the top of the cliff. Unfortunately for him his timing is exactly wrong as he ends up in front of a rocket. A daredevil is, or was, attempting a canyon jump. Instead he parachutes safely down as Wile E. gets rocketed to the bottom of the canyon.
Did You Notice...
- Page 2: The rocket even makes a 'meep meep' sound as Road Runner would have.
Technical Nits
Credits
Synopsis
Sylvester Jr wants a baby brother so he'll have a playmate. Sylvester suggests himself, but doesn't share Junior's interests. Unsatisfied, Sylvester Junior makes a wish when he sees a shooting star. Just as he does, a joey escapes from both its mother and a city zoo truck. News of the escape has Sylvester thinking of the reward money and how he could use it to satisfy Junior's desire.
Distracted by the shooting star, the joey crashes into the cat's door. Both cats see this as the answer to their wishes. As Sylvester Junior tries to teach the kangaroo the ways of cats, Sylvester tries to capture him. When Sylvester tries to simply bag him, a lesson in swiping sends the cat flying. A lesson in mousing ends up with Sylvester getting the worst of it, as he prevents Junior from eating his special radio controlled explosive mouse. Catching birds is no better as while a net does fall on the kangaroo, Beaky Buzzard falls on Sylvester.
Sylvester tries again, with a cage. This time he runs into the joey's mother and winds up in the cage himself. Junior realizes what Sylvester knew all along, that the joey isn't his brother. The two kangaroos trucked back to the zoo as Junior waves goodbye, Sylvester still in his own trap.
Did You Notice...
- This is story is rather unusual in that for once Sylvester actually knows he's up against a kangaroo rather some sort of giant mouse.
- Sylvester Junior's interest in painting styles, such as impressionism, might be inspired by the decidedly abstract (though not impressionist) paintings in the house. These show up on page 1 and 4.
- Page 1: Moronic Pursuit, like Trivial Pursuit, seems to come in themed editions in an attempt to keep the idea seeming fresh.
- Page 2: Thin Mints are a popular variety of cookies sold by the Girl Scouts. It seems the Cat Scouts have a similarly popular item: Thin Catnips.
- Page 7: Sylvester desires Microsoft shares.
Technical Nits
- Sylvester and Sylvester Junior's foot pads aren't colored in.
- Page 1: The fence around the yard isn't shown, yet it is present through the rest of the story.
- Page 7: The phase of the moon has changed to a late crescent, suggesting early morning, rather than the early crescent of evening shown on earlier pages.
- Page 8: Just where did the cage bottom in the third panel come from?
Credits
Synopsis
Sam Sheepdog is punching Ralph Wolf when the lunchtime whistle sounds. Sam, Ralph, and a sheep settle down to what looks to be a relaxing lunch, but Ralph's lunch turns out to be a sheep and for that he gets clobbered. Sam isn't impressed with Ralph's explanation of things.
Did You Notice...
- The sheep has a lunch box, even though in Sam and Ralph stories sheep are always grazing.
Technical Nits
- Ralph Wolf is miscolored. Ralph's eyes should be white, not yellow and his nose should be red, not black. Yellow eyes and a black nose are features not of Ralph Wolf, but of Wile E. Coyote.
Credits
Synopsis
Bugs, in his dressing room, is talking on the phone when Daffy bursts in. The duck starts taking measurements to find out if Bugs's room is bigger than his own. It is, but by what should be an insignificant amount. Daffy wants things changed and Bugs agrees. Bugs even suggests trading dressing rooms as his is too big and distracting.
Daffy senses he's being set up and refuses the offer. He now desires a smaller space so he can concentrate. Daffy has been set up, and gets a much smaller space indeed.
Did You Notice...
- Page 1: Bugs' carrot rests in a notched dish that looks rather like an ash tray. In the classic cartoons the carrot was sometimes treated like a cigar or cigarette.
Technical Nits
- Page 1: Daffy has a rewinding measuring tape in the third panel, but just a tape measure in the fifth panel.
- Page 2: Bugs' foot pads aren't colored in the last panel.
Credits
Synopsis
Leonard Molten and Taz co-host Movie Minute and review the film Armageddon Outta Here. Mr. Molten considers the film a poor excuse of a movie, but Taz considers an actress's performance in the picture to be outstanding. Molten disagrees in no uncertain terms. Taz, angered, devours Molten before he can announce the film they'll review next week.
Did You Notice...
- Leonard Malten is a movie critic, in fact his reviews are a standard part of the Internet Movie DataBase. Leonard Malten is also considered one of the great experts on animation. His book Of Mice and Magic is one of the best-known single book surveys on animation. Leonard Malten's review of Armageddon was only slightly less negative than that given here.
- Armageddon was a 1998 film about an oil drilling crew sent to plant a nuclear bomb deep inside an asteroid in an attempt to prevent disaster on earth.
- The actors Bruce Killus, Liv Taylor, and Benny Fleck are from the actual film stars Bruce Willis, Liv Tyler, and Ben Affleck. The name Liv Taylor also puns Liz Taylor.
- Meet Joe Black is another 1998 film, about the personification of Death visiting the Earth
Technical Nits
- The credits for this story were not printed. The writers have been confirmed, the rest are assumed.
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Last update 17 December 2003