The
latest issue of Looney Tunes begins
with a Road Runner story entitle “Mixed Signals.” Of the Looney Tunes
characters, the Road Runner has less appeal to me than others. As a child on
Saturday morning, when a Road Runner cartoon came on, that usually when I went
to the kitchen for more Cap’n Crunch.
The
Coyote/Road Runner concept relies heavily on sight gags, and much of what I
enjoy about the Warner Bros. stable of cartoons is also the verbal exchanges
among its speaking characters: Bugs and Daffy, Daffy and Porky, Porky and
Sylvester. However, this particular story does benefit from the uncommon cameos
from Elmer Fudd as a delivery man (FuddEx?) and Yosemite Sam as an overzealous
traffic cop.
The second
entry is “Cars and Bars,” a Duck Twacy adventure featuring Daffy and Porky, on
the trail of counterfeit spark plugs. It’s not terribly different in tone from
Daffy’s foray as Duck Dodgers, complete with Porky as his unwilling and more
reliable sidekick.
Finally, we
have “Flee ‘Em in the Museum,” as Bugs’ underground travel mode leads him into
the caveman exhibit of the Natural History Museum. Hmmm… cartoon cavemen.
Wherever might we find models for such an idea? Thankfully, DC Comics has
another corporate sibling to draw from. Elmer Fudd is the comedic foil as an
overzealous security guard. Oh, and the title? Yes, it may have a certain Three
Stooges ring to it (Disorder in the
Court, Commotion on the Ocean, etc), but that’s recognized within the
story.
Rating:
8/10