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Three Fingers
Through a series of never-before-seen interviews and rare photos, documentary-maker Rich Koslowski reveals the horrifying true story behind the Cartoon industry and our most celebrated cartoon actors - the story that Hollywood doesn't want you to see.. Told in the style of a Ken Burns documentary, with interviews of 'toon stars today as well as historical "file footage" of the "early years," you will forever rethink those beloved characters in the white gloves.
144 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
May 10, 2016
Rich Koslowski’s Three Fingers is an alternate history of movie toons – characters like Mickey Mouse, Porky Pig, etc. all with their names changed of course – from the Golden Age of Hollywood presented as a documentary/talking heads-style comic. And it suuuuuuuuuuuuucks!
This is the book: familiar toon character – say, Foghorn Leghorn or Bugs Bunny – looks very aged and is usually hooked up to an iron lung or has a handler nearby because they’re so frail. They talk about how shitty the movie business is. Repeat for nearly 150 pages!
The alternate history goes that Dizzy Walters (Walt Disney) “met” Rickey Rat (Mickey Mouse) and the two made hit movies together. Other toons followed and tried to make it in the movie business with varying success. Stupidly believing the secret to Rickey’s success was his three fingers(!), toons underwent a surgical procedure “the Ritual” to cut off any extra fingers they had.
It’s such a garbage comic. Spotting the famous cartoon parody gets old real quick and the book has nothing to offer beyond that – even the concept of toons as real actors/people isn’t original, it’s just a rip-off of Who Framed Roger Rabbit? And what’s the point Koslowski’s making – that Hollywood is a fake, depressing place where people change their names, appearances and values to make it? Who’s this news to??
Three Fingers is a one-note story with the bare bones of some bad ideas tossed into it. The overall effect is unpleasant for unpleasantness’ sake. Horribly boring, give Three Fingers the finger.
This is the book: familiar toon character – say, Foghorn Leghorn or Bugs Bunny – looks very aged and is usually hooked up to an iron lung or has a handler nearby because they’re so frail. They talk about how shitty the movie business is. Repeat for nearly 150 pages!
The alternate history goes that Dizzy Walters (Walt Disney) “met” Rickey Rat (Mickey Mouse) and the two made hit movies together. Other toons followed and tried to make it in the movie business with varying success. Stupidly believing the secret to Rickey’s success was his three fingers(!), toons underwent a surgical procedure “the Ritual” to cut off any extra fingers they had.
It’s such a garbage comic. Spotting the famous cartoon parody gets old real quick and the book has nothing to offer beyond that – even the concept of toons as real actors/people isn’t original, it’s just a rip-off of Who Framed Roger Rabbit? And what’s the point Koslowski’s making – that Hollywood is a fake, depressing place where people change their names, appearances and values to make it? Who’s this news to??
Three Fingers is a one-note story with the bare bones of some bad ideas tossed into it. The overall effect is unpleasant for unpleasantness’ sake. Horribly boring, give Three Fingers the finger.
August 2, 2022
Πέρυσι τον Μάιο διάβασα και πραγματικά απόλαυσα το εξαιρετικό "The King", και επιτέλους διάβασα και το έτερο κόμικ του Ριτς Κοσλόφσκι που κυκλοφορεί στα ελληνικά, το "Τρία δάχτυλα", που αγόρασα μόλις χθες. Το λοιπόν, πρόκειται για ένα ιδιαίτερο και διαφορετικό από τα συνηθισμένα κόμικ, σε στιλ ντοκιμαντέρ, με μαύρο χιούμορ και αρκετή τρέλα, που σε κάνει να πιστεύεις ότι τα καρτούν ήταν/είναι πραγματικές υπάρξεις όπως οι ηθοποιοί-άνθρωποι, που έπεσαν θύματα εκμετάλλευσης από τα μεγάλα στούντιο του Χόλιγουντ. Πολύ ωραίο κόμικ, τέλειο σχέδιο, εξαιρετικά αφηγηματικά τρικ, σίγουρα το απόλαυσα, αν και βέβαια δεν νομίζω ότι είναι για όλα τα γούστα. Ούτε καν! Τέσσερα αστεράκια λοιπόν (πανεύκολα κιόλας), δεν μπορώ να του βάλω πέντε, μιας και όπως και να το κάνουμε δεν φτάνει το καταπληκτικό (για μένα τουλάχιστον) "The King". Όσον αφορά την ελληνική έκδοση, είναι πραγματικά πολύ ωραία και ιδιαίτερα προσεγμένη.
June 27, 2025
Trochę creepy historia o bohaterach animacji z sugestywnie puszczanym okiem w kierunku przemysłu filmowego Hollywood i jego mrocznych sekretów. Pomysł całkiem sympatyczny, choć realizacja biedna, bo sposób prowadzenia fabuły jest dosyć ograniczony. Z jednej strony luźne ilustracje z tekstem - bez sekwencyjności, z drugiej - statyczne kadry pokazujące wywiady z fikcyjnymi (choć zawsze jednoznacznie nawiązującymi do znanych bohaterów kreskówek) postaciami. Dostajemy więc albo quasi-komiks albo gadające głowy. Całość z dosyć dobrym wyczuciem retro stylistyki, ale zbyt nudne formalnie, by porwać.
Komiks lata temu dostał nagrodę Ignatz, co dowodzi jak bardzo ten rodzaj sztuki w ostatnim czasie ewoluował. Obstawiam, że dziś nie miałby szans
Komiks lata temu dostał nagrodę Ignatz, co dowodzi jak bardzo ten rodzaj sztuki w ostatnim czasie ewoluował. Obstawiam, że dziś nie miałby szans
January 12, 2011
Perfect send-up of both the formulaic documentary-style structure of "True Hollywood Stories" type shows and the family-oriented image of Walt Disney. The manufactured conspiracies and drama of these shows is unveiled through its use of "eyewitness photographs", usually nothing more than a a blurry image with a vague reflection of the subject they are trying to cover.
I can't imagine this book would have been published in the 80s, when the Disney monolith was at is family-image zenith, and they went to all extremes to portray that image. Corporations seem to have embraced our ironic culture's focus on negative publicity, that a little self-humor and acceptance of negative criticism can go a long way; Disney itself seems to have promoted the image that its not just the family friendly atmosphere of Mickey Mouse but is about "diversifying its interests". In fact, Mickey Mouse is almost nowhere to be seen anymore when talking about Disney. Now, with a new corporate ethos where any publicity is good publicity, this book is allowed to be published, although it certainly didn't thrive.
Still, we do need great satire, and Rick Koslowski delivers great satire in this form.
The cover art and title can be taken two ways as well, from the standpoint of the fourth digit that most cartoons seem to lack, to the possibility that it stands for three fingers of scotch, when two fingers is usually what is ordered.
Anyway, thank you Rick Koslowski. I will now seek out more of your work, not just for the content, but for your impeccable artistry and illustrations as well, in particular the illustrations of Carhorn Armwhistle. Thank you.
I can't imagine this book would have been published in the 80s, when the Disney monolith was at is family-image zenith, and they went to all extremes to portray that image. Corporations seem to have embraced our ironic culture's focus on negative publicity, that a little self-humor and acceptance of negative criticism can go a long way; Disney itself seems to have promoted the image that its not just the family friendly atmosphere of Mickey Mouse but is about "diversifying its interests". In fact, Mickey Mouse is almost nowhere to be seen anymore when talking about Disney. Now, with a new corporate ethos where any publicity is good publicity, this book is allowed to be published, although it certainly didn't thrive.
Still, we do need great satire, and Rick Koslowski delivers great satire in this form.
The cover art and title can be taken two ways as well, from the standpoint of the fourth digit that most cartoons seem to lack, to the possibility that it stands for three fingers of scotch, when two fingers is usually what is ordered.
Anyway, thank you Rick Koslowski. I will now seek out more of your work, not just for the content, but for your impeccable artistry and illustrations as well, in particular the illustrations of Carhorn Armwhistle. Thank you.
May 5, 2016
One of the weirdest books I've ever read, and I've read The Sugar Frosted Nutsack. Definitely worth reading. It's the best graphic novel mockumentary send-up of a Who Framed Roger Rabbit-style parallel universe Hollywood history/Disney Warner Bros. spoof/Cronenberg-style body horror novel I've ever read.
October 30, 2022
A powerful, compact commentary on the studio system, the Silver Age of Hollywood, and the rags-to-riches myth on which the USA is built. Belzac said that 'behind every great fortune is a crime', and Mr. Koslowski discusses this in a brilliant, cynical way. There are even moments of genuine pathos as the comic encourages us to empathise with thinly-veiled versions of familiar cartoon legends. Highly recommended.
November 16, 2018
The art is technically very good (although straight-forward and repetitive). The dialog is well done, each character has a distinctive style (although derivative of the figures they're modeled on). The story is quite thin, the entire book could have been cut by a third or more. It was amusing.
October 6, 2020
A mocumentary comic about the early days of animation in which toons are real people. Ricky Rat is the first and, for a long time, only successful toon star. There's something nefarious teased, which is finally revealed to be the superstition that his success is due to the fact that he only has three fingers. When other toons get popular, they also have three fingers, and there's a controversy over whether or not they had their fourth finger surgically removed.
I'm impressed with the art. Some of it is hand drawn, some of it is manipulated photos. Looking close, I can't tell what's digital versus what's done with gray markers. In the acknowledgements, the author thanks someone for helping with the "computer crap", which made me laugh.
I was underwhelmed by the story. There isn't much beyond the concept. But, to be fair, that's how I feel about most documentaries.
I'm impressed with the art. Some of it is hand drawn, some of it is manipulated photos. Looking close, I can't tell what's digital versus what's done with gray markers. In the acknowledgements, the author thanks someone for helping with the "computer crap", which made me laugh.
I was underwhelmed by the story. There isn't much beyond the concept. But, to be fair, that's how I feel about most documentaries.
September 27, 2024
No, no… This is not a comic for kids featuring Mickey Mouse. It’s a serious crime comic with a tendency toward a documentary style. Dark, depressing, and thought-provoking. You shouldn’t approach this story as just a variation on the history of characters we know from animated films. Instead, consider what we are capable of in order to keep up with changes, to fit in. How much of ourselves we’re willing to sacrifice… and others. And will it bring us success in a few years or leave us as burned-out wrecks?
The story presented in this comic is, in fact, still relevant today. Just turn on the TV or scroll through the countless places on the internet now used to pump mind-numbing content straight into our brains – without any anesthesia...
The story presented in this comic is, in fact, still relevant today. Just turn on the TV or scroll through the countless places on the internet now used to pump mind-numbing content straight into our brains – without any anesthesia...
May 24, 2022
"Dogs don't have thumbs."
A bit too over-the-top, but there's something here. The concept is really good, and while the execution is a little lacking it's still sticking with me. Spent all day just turning this book over in my mind.
A bit too over-the-top, but there's something here. The concept is really good, and while the execution is a little lacking it's still sticking with me. Spent all day just turning this book over in my mind.
March 8, 2019
Three-and-a-half. Really enjoyable and grotesque artwork is abound here, but I found the story to be a bit repetitive and the satire to be a bit on the nose.
November 1, 2019
An interesting oddity, but not as good as I was hoping.
November 27, 2021
Fun and thought provoking.
November 9, 2022
Ωραίο αλλά απλό και μικρό!
May 30, 2023
A very clever conception and the paneling gives the feeling of a proper documentary but there's also an over-the-top element that doesn't work too well for me.
November 21, 2023
A darkly comic and horrific takedown of Hollywood exploitation and superstition told through the lens of cartoon stars. The documentary structure has this begging to be turned into a movie.
December 29, 2023
Ενδιαφέρουσα σύλληψη, αλλά η εκτέλεση κουράζει από κάποιο σημείο και μετά.
January 20, 2024
Dałabym 4/5, bo historia spoko i nieźle opowiedziana, ale odejmuję jedną gwiazdkę za fatalne tłumaczenie. „Minister Baptystów z Missouri“„adwokatka praw“... i takich kwiatków jest więcej.
February 8, 2024
Fun in theory but not so fun in execution.
September 5, 2024
Upsetting and did not think it was about body horror. Very funny premise
May 16, 2024
Utterly Bleak! It's 21st century. Not sure how many know the story of Mickey Mouse, a fictional character that stole not just the kids but adult's hearts too. Now take this Dreamy story of a fictional character, construct a world where these fictional characters and humans live alongside, including the racism, bigotry, prejudices, blasphemies, etc. from the real world. Narrate this artificially engineered realistic fiction story on striking black and white sketches. What you have? THREE FINGERS! Ever wondered why the most famous cartoon characters always had three fingers? Well, that's one reason to read this book now isn't it?
An intriguing and suspenseful element called 'The Ritual' engulfed me in the second of this graphic novel. It left me wondering about the symbolism it stood for in our reality. Plastic surgeries? Devil or Satan worship? Hollywood is full of malevolent mysteries! Hope this novel doesn't affect watching and enjoying your favorite cartoons anymore.
An intriguing and suspenseful element called 'The Ritual' engulfed me in the second of this graphic novel. It left me wondering about the symbolism it stood for in our reality. Plastic surgeries? Devil or Satan worship? Hollywood is full of malevolent mysteries! Hope this novel doesn't affect watching and enjoying your favorite cartoons anymore.
August 3, 2016
A darkly humored alternate-history mockumentary dramedy of the "golden age" of Hollywood and its cartoon stars, this was a really good read.
The closet thing the book has to a main character would be Rickey Rat and Dizzy Walters due to having the most impact on the events of the book. Rickey is the most sympathetic character for what the book holds in its later pages.
The conspiracy, described in the book as Walter's rival studios, was to "replicate" the lightning-in-the-bottle success of Rickey which is pretty horrifying reveal. The bigger reveal though would be the what evidence leads to Dizzy and his studio being in on the ground floor of the conspiracy in a chilling manner. The deaths of historical/postmortem conspiracy figures such as MLK, JFK and Marilyn Monroe and how they figure into the conspiracy was a great nod, as was the famous camera footage of Bigfoot from 1967, nicely repurposed here too.
The cameos of ersatz Looney Tunes characters were interesting as they're the ones who are shown to have suffered the most in the story and along with the Hollywood system and the people in with the conspiracy, the ersatz Bug Bunny character who profited the most out of the corrupt system to the detriment of his fellow co-stars (the treatment of this world's Daffy Duck can give one shudders). Another WB character gets a cameo in the final page of the book with a harsh reminder that the world keeps on spinning and that the efforts to curb the conspiracy went unsuccessful.
The only negative criticisms I can give is that artwork, while beautiful in its photorealsim and grittiness, can be often copy-pasted in most of its interviews and that the story could've been a bit longer with its sights set on the other eras of animation but overall its a really great story.
The closet thing the book has to a main character would be Rickey Rat and Dizzy Walters due to having the most impact on the events of the book. Rickey is the most sympathetic character for what the book holds in its later pages.
The conspiracy, described in the book as Walter's rival studios, was to "replicate" the lightning-in-the-bottle success of Rickey which is pretty horrifying reveal. The bigger reveal though would be the what evidence leads to Dizzy and his studio being in on the ground floor of the conspiracy in a chilling manner. The deaths of historical/postmortem conspiracy figures such as MLK, JFK and Marilyn Monroe and how they figure into the conspiracy was a great nod, as was the famous camera footage of Bigfoot from 1967, nicely repurposed here too.
The cameos of ersatz Looney Tunes characters were interesting as they're the ones who are shown to have suffered the most in the story and along with the Hollywood system and the people in with the conspiracy, the ersatz Bug Bunny character who profited the most out of the corrupt system to the detriment of his fellow co-stars (the treatment of this world's Daffy Duck can give one shudders). Another WB character gets a cameo in the final page of the book with a harsh reminder that the world keeps on spinning and that the efforts to curb the conspiracy went unsuccessful.
The only negative criticisms I can give is that artwork, while beautiful in its photorealsim and grittiness, can be often copy-pasted in most of its interviews and that the story could've been a bit longer with its sights set on the other eras of animation but overall its a really great story.
May 29, 2014
If you're fairly new to the world of graphic novels, and your knowledge of comics begins and ends with Batman, Superman, and Spider-Man; then Three Fingers will surprise and delight you.
If, on the other hand, you're an avid comic book reader, and you know that graphic novels can span a broad range of subject matter and artistic styles... Three Fingers will likely still surprise and delight you.
Rich Koslowski brings his considerable skill as an artist and writer to this quirky tale of 'Toon-dom. Written like a docu-(or mocku-)mentary, the story follows the meteoric rise of Dizzy Walters and Rickey the Rat, the first director and actor to break into the controversial world of cartoons. What makes Rickey and Dizzy so successful in their quest? Is it raw talent, pure charisma? Or is it something much darker?
Darkly humorous and totally unique, this tale puts a twist on the cartoon characters we grew up loving- from Mickey and Minnie Mouse to Porky Pig, Bugs Bunny, and more. It's a story almost any adult can enjoy- unless, of course, you managed to make it through childhood without ever tuning into Saturday morning cartoons.
Three Fingers is worth picking up whether you're new to graphic novels or a longtime fan. The medium compliments the subject matter nicely, and the plot will hook even those who are totally unfamiliar with comics.
Overall, a quick, fun (and funny) read!
If, on the other hand, you're an avid comic book reader, and you know that graphic novels can span a broad range of subject matter and artistic styles... Three Fingers will likely still surprise and delight you.
Rich Koslowski brings his considerable skill as an artist and writer to this quirky tale of 'Toon-dom. Written like a docu-(or mocku-)mentary, the story follows the meteoric rise of Dizzy Walters and Rickey the Rat, the first director and actor to break into the controversial world of cartoons. What makes Rickey and Dizzy so successful in their quest? Is it raw talent, pure charisma? Or is it something much darker?
Darkly humorous and totally unique, this tale puts a twist on the cartoon characters we grew up loving- from Mickey and Minnie Mouse to Porky Pig, Bugs Bunny, and more. It's a story almost any adult can enjoy- unless, of course, you managed to make it through childhood without ever tuning into Saturday morning cartoons.
Three Fingers is worth picking up whether you're new to graphic novels or a longtime fan. The medium compliments the subject matter nicely, and the plot will hook even those who are totally unfamiliar with comics.
Overall, a quick, fun (and funny) read!
February 9, 2008
As I have said before, I'm not one to do graphic novels here mainly because it feels like cheating. I can put one of those away in an afternoon, so it's a good way of padding the list. For that reason, I'll only mention them here if they're something I really think y'all should read.
This is definitely one that you should all read.
We all grew up watching cartoons - Mickey, Donald, Bugs and all them - and we all loved them. Some cartoons made it big, and some did not. But they all had one thing in common, whether you realized it or not.
Question: why did they all have three fingers?
Question: why did so many of them wear gloves?
Koslowski has explored these questions - and more - in a dark fashion. Moody black and white sketches that echo the real world. Of course, the names are changed to protect people from lawyers, but they're all there.
The book reads like a kind of "Behind the Movies" documentary, with historical narration over clips of "interviews" with the friends and foes of famed Toon filmmaker Dizzy Walters and his star actor, Ricky Rat. They talk about his rise to fame, and the horrors that came with it. The desperation, the sacrifices.... The Ritual.
Definitely give this one a look.
This is definitely one that you should all read.
We all grew up watching cartoons - Mickey, Donald, Bugs and all them - and we all loved them. Some cartoons made it big, and some did not. But they all had one thing in common, whether you realized it or not.
Question: why did they all have three fingers?
Question: why did so many of them wear gloves?
Koslowski has explored these questions - and more - in a dark fashion. Moody black and white sketches that echo the real world. Of course, the names are changed to protect people from lawyers, but they're all there.
The book reads like a kind of "Behind the Movies" documentary, with historical narration over clips of "interviews" with the friends and foes of famed Toon filmmaker Dizzy Walters and his star actor, Ricky Rat. They talk about his rise to fame, and the horrors that came with it. The desperation, the sacrifices.... The Ritual.
Definitely give this one a look.
January 20, 2012
The cover and overall plotline hooked me... "Did you ever wonder why cartoon stars only had 3 fingers?"
Definitely enjoyed Rich Koslowski's dark & twisted 'Hollywood Story to Success' parody. Pretty cool. Many people would get the Toons he's bringing the life, but carefully not infringing on copyrighted material...like 'Ricky Rat', 'Buggy Bunny', 'Dapper Duck'. Especially like how we intertwined the story with actual historical events / coverups like JFK, Martin Luther King Jr, Marilyn Monroe, and just in general how the Hollywood scene is a crazy, pressured environment. Quick read. You can finish it in an hour or two.
Definitely enjoyed Rich Koslowski's dark & twisted 'Hollywood Story to Success' parody. Pretty cool. Many people would get the Toons he's bringing the life, but carefully not infringing on copyrighted material...like 'Ricky Rat', 'Buggy Bunny', 'Dapper Duck'. Especially like how we intertwined the story with actual historical events / coverups like JFK, Martin Luther King Jr, Marilyn Monroe, and just in general how the Hollywood scene is a crazy, pressured environment. Quick read. You can finish it in an hour or two.
March 24, 2012
This comic book makes you wonder why and if all cartoon characters you love have three fingers?
Written and drawn as a documentary this comic book introduces something new to the genre. This specific way of telling a story as short interviews, fragments of newspaper articles and 'real' pictures makes it really interesting and gives it a feel of a story based on true events.
It is a parody of animation and cartoon industry - even though all the names and titles are changed you can easily guess which production studio, film, producer, director or character the author has in mind.
All in all its a comic book worth reading and especially by all cartoon fans.
Written and drawn as a documentary this comic book introduces something new to the genre. This specific way of telling a story as short interviews, fragments of newspaper articles and 'real' pictures makes it really interesting and gives it a feel of a story based on true events.
It is a parody of animation and cartoon industry - even though all the names and titles are changed you can easily guess which production studio, film, producer, director or character the author has in mind.
All in all its a comic book worth reading and especially by all cartoon fans.
November 23, 2012
Great idea of course: what's behind the three fingers of animated cartoon characters? The story is bent to a historical chronology and mirrors the work of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse. But ultimately, it's all a bit shallow, although the delivery -- the layout, format, pitch -- is superb. It was one helluva surprize when the book ended... It ran out of puff and just stopped.
So I'm disappointed.
So I'm disappointed.
April 14, 2012
The central premise - that the characters in cartoon films are real (and exist in our own world in an oppressed underclass called 'Toons') is so clearly derived from "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" that I find it hard to credit Koslowski for the three fingered theme which is genuinely original. It's a shame because it is beautifully drawn and could be a great comic. Oh well...
May 1, 2013
Amazingly well done. I kind of wish the text boxes hadn't overlapped with the images as much as they did -- it seemed like a deliberate stylistic choice I couldn't figure out a reason for -- but elsewise it was just brilliant. Such intelligent slow-creeping horror spun out of childhood cartoons.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews