The Ruff and Reddy Show

Hanna-Barbera Beyond

by Howard Chaykin, Mac Rey (Illustrator)

There's no business like show business. And these two misfits have no business being anywhere near it.

Back in the day, they were the toast of Tinseltown. Ruff, a whip-smart cat, and Reddy, his dimwitted but lovable dog sidekick, had the biggest animated series on TV. Then the show ended, and so did their ride on the gravy train of fame and fortune. Now Reddy washes up in a local grocery store for a living, while Ruff is just...washed up.

But one hard-charging agent with stars (and dollar signs) in her eyes is out to change all that. With her help, Ruff and Reddy are about to mount a full-scale assault on the entertainment industry, determined to get back to the top by any means necessary. Game shows, crime dramas, sitcom pilots, reality TV, even (ugh) the convention this cat-and-dog act will get their paws on it all.

But when the pressures and temptations of fame lead to breakdowns and betrayals, can this odd couple stay together? Or will their biggest fan become their worst enemy?

Lights, camera, it's The Ruff and Reddy Show , a scathingly hilarious showbiz satire starring the classic Hanna-Barbera comedy team from comics legend Howard Chaykin and artist Mac Rey. Collects the six-issue miniseries.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Graphic Novels Comics, Humor

168 pages, Paperback

First published June 19, 2018

About the author

Howard Victor Chaykin is an American comic book artist and writer. Chaykin's influences include his one-time employer and mentor, Gil Kane, and the mid-20th century illustrators Robert Fawcett and Al Parker.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was written to be a satire of Hollywood culture about a Martin and Lewis type comedy team who is trying to make a comeback. But to me, it just fell completely flat and was an absolute slog to get through. Everyone in the book is an egomaniacal asshole with zero redeeming qualities. In the future, DC should stick with Mark Russell when they look to write their satires using Hanna-Barbera characters. Mac Rey's art was interesting though.

[Richard Guion · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed reading the collected "The Ruff and Reddy Show" by Howard Chaykin and Mac Rey. I have no attachment whatsoever to the old cartoons, were it not for Chaykin's name, I never would have read it. The story has numerous callbacks to faded pop culture of yesteryear. Ruff and Ready were standup comedians, a la Martin/Lewis, who became movie stars and then broke apart. Lots of great in-joke references to the 50s/60s/70s etc. I can read this several times and still get more references. Then Ruff N Reddy come together in the modern era, down on their luck & bankrupt, to revive their careers, led by agents who can manipulate any kind of social media scandal into career resuscitation. Chaykin only draws the covers and the prologue, but the artist who worked on the six issues with him is Mac Rey, and his work is pretty stunning as you can see her. It's like Blacksad mixed with Chaykin's storytelling. A great combination.

[Shaun Winters · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I went into this with an open mind, this fell flat for me. It was supposed to be a satirical look at the Hollywood business machine. It just felt a bit too much and not done in a way that resonated particularly well with me. When I thought I was getting comfortable with the series, it would throw out something that would make me cringe. I did finish this, but this will be my only reading of this particular series.

[Owen Townend · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting if half-developed critique of showbiz and comedy double acts.

Using a lesser-known Hanna Barbera cartoon to lampoon the fickle and duplicitous nature of the entertainment industry is a lateral move, though I felt more pages were required to set the proper tone. The sardonic humour could get away with leaving the punchline unsaid but the plot progression couldn't, no matter how hard Chaykin tried. I found that time sometimes moved too quickly between pages, requiring the reader to work out from slight context clues that Ruff and Reddy were at a different stage of their career than in the last panel.

As for the characters, I didn't really warm to either the catty Ruff or the dogged Reddy, even as the former struggled to recover his money from a 'Fonzi Scheme' and the latter dealt with a substance abuse problem. Suffice to say, these characteristics seem a million miles from what I assume the original animated cat and dog were like.

I much preferred the rise and fall of their careers and what this said about the talk show circuit, TV crime drama trends, celebrity turns on the stage and the dirty tricks that agents play to keep their clients relevant and united, albeit reluctantly.

Reynolds and Rey's illustration was consistently engaging and televisual, making the best of Chaykin's often light-touch storytelling. While something tells me that the humour wouldn't be improved by more clarity, the plot's momentum would.

I'm afraid I found The Ruff and Reddy Show more rough than ready, but still applaud what was attempted here. Stories about the grime behind a glitzy industry are always fascinating, especially when they recontextualise childhood heroes. As such I recommend The Ruff and Reddy Show to readers who can remember the original cartoon and find comedy double acts having difficult relationships behind the scenes fascinating.

[Guilherme Smee · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ykes! Fujam desse quadrinho, ele não faz sentido nenhum na maior parte do tempo. É Howard Chaykin fazendo suas críticas sociais que só ele entende. Ao mesmo tempo que ele acaba usando como referências inúmeras que os brasileiros médios, como eu, não vão entender direito porque a história em quadrinhos se baseia em se referir a programas antigos da televisão americana. Além disso se perde na tradução uma enormidade de piadas feitas com a junção entre humanos e animais daquele mundo. Piadas bem ruins diga-se de passagem e olha que eu entendo bem de fazer piadas beeeem ruins. Quando a piada é ruim e ainda se perde na tradução é bem complicado. Você chega no fim deste quadrinho se perguntando ou porque comprou essa joça ou porque ela foi trazida aqui para o Brasil. O que atrai bastante na HQ é o desenho de Mac Ray que, graças aos céus, não é o de Chaikyn e suas colorizações com padrões bizarros. Os desenhos de Mac Ray lembram bastante desenhos animados porque eles dispensam o contorno, dando um efeito legal para a história. Mas sabem que não existe arte que salve um roteiro ruim, embira um roteiro bom salva uma arte ruim. Mantenham-se longe de Jambo e Ruivão para seu próprio bem e segurança!

[Keen Reader · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars!

“It’s the internet that keeps everything alive…but it’s pop culture conventions that give the fans a once in a lifetime opportunity…to spend an obscene amount of money for autographed pictures of has-beens.”

First of all I have to say I had no idea that this was based on an actual TV series of the same name. I am not American and had never heard of it before. I was a fan of Chaykin’s “American Flagg” series, particularly in its early stages. This takes a little while to warm up and get out of the traps, but once it finds it rhythm it’s actually quite an enjoyable yarn.

It lampoons Hollywood and all of the BS that goes with it, but the actual humour is thin on the ground, though this has its moments here and there. I really don’t like this kind of art work at all, it has a real hammy and crass feel about it which makes it hard to love.

[Ondřej Halíř · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tohle bylo velký špatný, námět se přitom jeví skvěle. Vyhaslé komické hvězdy se snaží udělat svůj comeback ve světě kdy zvířata zase jsou jako my a žijí spolu s lidmi. Bohužel to celé u mě nějak nesepnulo, problém asi tkví v tom že je to celé satira na dnešní Americký šoubiznys který je mi prakticky někde v dáli. Proto se na hodně narážkách nechytám a sarkastický humor taky po dvou sešitech už omrzí. Nehledě na to že děj nesmyslně skáče z různých období a prakticky i ten děj je o ničem a netáhne vás kupředu a je vám spolu s postavami jedno.

Byli sice chvíle kdy se to zvedlo na tři stránky ale pak zase konec, k tomu připočtěte dost divnou kresbu a blbost je na světě. Zatím nejhorší komiks podle animáku Hana Barbery :(

[Eric Novello]

tradução.

[Norman Cook · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a world where "celimates," animated characters, live in the same world as humans (much like Who Framed Roger Rabbit). Celimates are generally treated as second-class citizens, which here is used as a metaphor for any repressed minority in society. This aspect is done well in this book. Ruff and Reddy are manipulated and generally treated badly offstage. The book's subtitle lays it out: this is a cautionary tale.

Having been a TV producer, Howard Chaykin has undoubtedly filled this book with accurate details, showing the often brutal behind-the-scenes drama that goes into the making of our favorite TV shows. The problem is that it turns out everybody is a jerk. Egotism, substance abuse, poor financial planning, etc., are some of the obstacles that face the Hollywood crowd. Thus, none of the protagonists in this book are particularly likable. Without someone to root for, the story is less effective.

The artwork by Mac Rey is a modern, cartoony style that works well. Chaykin and Rey often intercut TV screen images, magazine covers, and other non-linear representations to heighten the exposition. This book is part narrative, part documentary.

Note: I read this as individual comic book issues.

[Cameron Christopher · Rating 1 out of 5]

Skip it. It’s written like a 12-year-old writing a porn parody without swear words or sex, drawn lazily, and the last issue feels like everybody gave up or ran out of steam. There are other great HB/DC comics that aren’t cheap, cheap ripoffs of Bojack Horseman. Skip it.

[Dan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Holy God, that was a chore to read.

[Ronald Koltnow · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be published by DC Comics on 19 June.
As a lad, I loved the Ruff and Reddy Show. I never thought about their private lives, basically because they were carton characters. In Howard Chaykin's re-imagining, R & R are Celimates, animated celebrities who interact with humans in a world not unlike Gary Wolf's WHO CENSORED ROGER RABBIT? They do not get along, have myriad bad habits (I will not mention Reddy's addiction), and are maneuvering their way through a come-back. This is a rags to riches to gutter and beyond show-biz yarn that is a send up of celebrity culture that maintains a nostalgia for the innocence of the past. Having read Jerry Lewis's bio about his years with Dino, I found much that was familiar. However, Dino and Jerry were not brawling, foul-mouthed misanthropes. PS. Never trust a an agent.

[Jaime Guzman · Rating 2 out of 5]

DC's retconning of classic Hanna-Barbera cartoon characters gives us "The Ruff and Reddy Show".
Ruff and Reddy are depicted as a classic comedy duo that try to make a comeback. Ruff is no longer the smart aleck cat but a pretentious a-hole and Reddy is no longer the lovable good-natured oaf but a down on his luck drunk. An agent sees potential of bringing back these stars from yesterday and developing them into a media cash cow.
The story depicts Hollywood Fame at it's ugliest and the characters are smarmy and unlikable. I gave the book two stars because the art work good with a unique art style.
I've really enjoyed a lot of DC's updated depictions of Hanna-Barbera's cartoon characters but this one was terribly disappointing. Pass this one up.

[Jean-Pierre Vidrine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eight times out of ten, heavy handed snark will turn me off. But, occasionally, a story has that certain something to pull off fitting into those other two times. This comic is almost too surreal for words, with a cast of obscure characters delivering a commentary on practically every facet of television old and new. The commentary is, throughout, so over the top that it is fittingly . . . well, cartoonish.
The art of both Wil Quintana and Mac Rey would be perfect for animation, which serves the story well while not softening the satire. In fact, it makes the harsh statements all the more biting.

[Diogo Muller · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is, uh... very uneven, to be nice. There are some good ideas here, and even some parts were I really thought the plot was picking up, but then something changed, or something was dragged too long or dropped too soon, and everything fell apart. There are some valid (if now well done) social criticisms here, but most of it ends up being invalidated by the story itself. And then, there was the ending. While there was some build up before, the last chapter really feels rushed, and the ending is... well, weird.

Easily one of the weakest books in this Hanna-Barbera/DC revival.

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I was entertained by THE RUFF AND REDDY SHOW a little too much. Yes, it was a rather vulgar take on a 1950s cartoon show, and re-imagines '50s TV in a way that the censors never would have approved of, (wait until you finally figure out the dog's "addiction") but it added a lot of nuance to the idea of celebrity and the passage of time. I liked the character design and the ideas, as well as the prickly personalities.

[Jenny Clark · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, this one was a bit disappointing... The plot was not very engaging, nor where the characters and the art was not my favorite at all. I did not really see any humor in it either. I know parts were meant to be, but they just fell flat.

[Meharvan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible story, terrible art. This is a failure on every level.

[Zach · Rating 3 out of 5]

The absolute chaos of showbusiness. Basically Network and Where the Truth Lies through the Hanna-Barberra lens

[John Wright · Rating 1 out of 5]

The writing and references are nearly inscrutable, but the story is so boring and cliche you want even try to make sense of them.

[Alex Sarll]

Continuing DC's inexplicable but often entertaining Hanna-Barbera line, the cat/dog odd couple (of whose original version I have no memory whatsoever) are reinvented as scabrous has-been celebrities on the comeback trail in a world where living cartoons, or 'celimates', exist alongside humans. So essentially Chaykin's own Satellite Sam meets Roger Rabbit, plus a few decades. Which sounds brilliant, doesn't it? And yet, it only intermittently works as well as it ought. For every chuckle, like the exec stepping down after "a series of new accusations of harassment from everyone he's ever met, known, and passed on the street, as well as all their relatives, friends and casual acquaintances", there's a fairly feeble poke at the hot TV of the moment, as Ruff and Reddy try to get gigs on thinly disguised clones of Westworld, Stranger Things, South Park* and so forth. It doesn't help that, while the book clearly isn't suitable for children, the imprint means they're still obliged to bleep out obscenity - and given the foul-mouthed vibe this shares with other showbiz backstage fare such as Entourage, that sometimes results in pages which feel like half the dialogue is ****. Plus, Chaykin only supplies art for the prologue and the covers, and Mac Rey's visuals for the rest of it, recalling that iffy period of CGI animation in the nineties, are a little flat to convey the requisite enormity and incongruity.

*And the very fact that it is South Park in with the zeitgeisty shows, rather than eg Rick and Morty, indicates part of the problem here - as against Chaykin's best work, it just doesn't feel like he's paying close enough attention to this stuff to properly skewer it.