T.K. Wade -- Author

Monday, June 8, 2026

Stay Tooned, Folks! [Short Story Review]

[I spoil the main points of this story.]

"Stay Tooned, Folks!" is a short story written by Gary K. Wolf. It was published as part of a collection in 2012. (I don't actually know when the story was originally released.)

Holy crap! What even was this?!

It took me a little time to figure out what was even going on. Sometimes Gary's stories can just drop you right into a situation, and it's all hands on deck! You have to figure out where you are real fast and then deal with whatever consequences he has forced upon you. It took me several sessions of reading this before I realized the fascinating horror, if you can call it a horror, that was this story.

Indeed, it may not be a horror. It may just be weird.

The story takes place in the same universe as "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?". As far as I can tell, there is a very serious human actor named Tadbitty who has a show that is floundering. The director of the show begins inviting toons into the studio in order to change the show's format into more of a goofy comedy affair. The problem is that Tadbitty doesn't really fit into the theme of the new show and is set to be fired/canceled... or... something.

Actually, I had to double take when I got to this part. It appeared, and I am not joking here, that Tadbitty was expected to commit suicide if he ever got canceled. I don't know if this was arranged as a part of his contract or something, but the director literally hands him a gun and tells him to do the deed over a trashcan so as not make a mess. What the actual hell?!

Tadbitty is thankfully offered an alternative to killing himself. He is told that he can be a part of the new show's format if he goes to a place called "Toon You," which converts humans into toons... at least partially. In order to save his own life/career, Tadbitty agrees to do this.

The plan works... but at what cost? Tadbitty's dry and dull personality suddenly shifts into something more psychotic. He is more like a clown now, and even had a very large red nose. He revels in cartoon violence and even enjoys hurting other toons for his own amusement. Roger Rabbit even encourages his behavior, calling it all fun!

Imagine going through a process that turns you into a mad toon to the point where your entire personality changes. I am not sure if this story is intended as a horror, but it sure sometimes felt like one. I was really shocked by it, but I suppose it was no less disturbing than some of the scenes found in the movie. Remember Judge Doom? Yeah? You know what I'm talking about!

Yeah, I actually do recommend this story, but I feel like it's going to strike different people in different ways. For me, it sent shivers down my spine. I cannot even imagine what it would have been like for Tadbitty. And I still cannot believe the forced suicidal implications. What even was that?

This blog was written on May 21, 2026.

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Wednesday, June 3, 2026

Here's Lookin' at You, Babs! [Short Story Review]

"Here's Lookin' at You, Babs!" is a short story written by Gary K. Wolf. It was published as part of a collection in 2012. (I don't actually know when the story was originally released.)

This was a treat. Plain and simple, this whole story is Barbera Walters interviewing Roger Rabbit. It is done how most celebrity interviews are conducted, starting off with a complete introduction of the arrival and meeting. This is then followed by a transcript of the actual interview. The whole thing is witty as hell. Even the parts before Roger shows up is comically written.

If you are a fan of Roger Rabbit in any capacity, then this is a great little gem. It really reminds you what made that character so endearing. He is entirely a toon and is fully knowledgeable about what being a toon is all about. Being he is one of the sillier ones, he does a good job at giving his opinion in his own goofy way. I totally recommend this one.

The story is brief, so I want to keep the review brief as well. I will, however, leave you with my two favorite parts of the whole interview:

Barbera Walters: How old are you?

Roger Rabbit: That's one of two questions you never ask a Toon.

Barbera Walters: What's the other one?

Roger Rabbit: What's the other one.

-----

Barbera Walters: How do you feel about sex in the cinema?

Roger Rabbit: Personally, I prefer popcorn.

This blog was written on May 13, 2026.

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Monday, June 1, 2026

A River Runs Through Toontown [Short Story Review]

"A River Runs Through Toontown" is a short story written by Gary K. Wolf. It was published as part of a collection in 2012. (I don't actually know when the story was originally released.)

Fun fact! Gary K. Wolf is the sole creator of the characters Roger Rabbit and Jessica Rabbit. He wrote the book that the movie "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" was (extremely loosely) based on. As it turns out, the guy also did a lot of weird scifi stories as well, which is why I looked into his stuff. I was wondering when the concept of Toontown was going to show up in his short stories.

The problem with this story, however, is that it is not super great. It barely has any plot at all. It is about a four-minute read. It sounds like it is taking place on a movie set inside of Toontown, populated by a flurry of famous and ancient men. I'm not quite sure why these men are in the story, but they are. None of them are toons.

Roger and Jessica float down a nearby river and just randomly show up. When they talk, they do it silently through talk bubbles, which is how it was handled in the first book. You had to read everything that toons said. Past this, there is not a whole lot to say about this story. It is over almost as quick as it starts.

Still, this is the very first Roger Rabbit short story, and it is sooooo short that it makes recommending it rather easy. There is not much of a commitment issue here. Just read it and form your own opinion. And besides, how can you go wrong with anything involving Jessica Rabbit?

This blog was written on May 11, 2026.

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Wednesday, May 27, 2026

Doctor Rivet and Supercon Sal [Short Story Review]

"Doctor Rivet and Supercon Sal" is a lengthy short science fiction story written by Gary K. Wolf. It was published as part of a collection in 2012. (I don't actually know when the story was originally released.)

This story is very silly! It involves a con artist who has sex with robots and a women who runs a fake cult who are both taken advantage of by a corrupt drug-runner in outer space. They are basically picked up and pitted against each other... until they realize what is happening. They team up and attempt to get revenge on the drug-runner.

It gets way more complicated than that. In fact, I often had a little trouble trying to keep track of exactly what was happening. This story has a whole lot of things all happening in one fairly brief story. You got some espionage, some breakneck gun battles, and some extremely close calls. All the while, the characters--all the characters--never lose their calm demeanors.

There is even a walking, talking robotic kitchenette that acts as a double spy in the story. By that point, my head was spinning. A kitchenette?! The robotic personification of a place where you cook food?!

Obviously, a lot of this is tongue-in-cheek. It's a comedy. I mean... the male lead likes to hump robots for crying out loud. Not even humanoid ones. Yes, it's that bad.

I actually enjoyed reading this story! I recommend it too. It's just a silly fun read that will kill a couple of hours. Sometimes scifi doesn't have to be serious all of the time.

This blog was written on May 9, 2026.

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Tuesday, May 26, 2026

The Bridge Builder [Short Story Review]

"The Bridge Builder" is a short story written by Gary K. Wolf. It was published as part of a collection in 2012. (I don't actually know when the story was originally released.)

What the heck is this story?! It feels like a complete departure from his other ones!

Anyways, the whole story is written from the first person perspective. The main character loves building bridges. That's obvious. He talks with a very unusual accent, and there is a lot in this story that is hard to understand because of it.

The main thrust of the story seems to be that he maybe likes building bridges too much. He seems to be doing it to the point where... like... parts of his body start falling off of him. And he doesn't care. He just keeps building them... and more parts fall off of him. What is even happening?

This one had me scratching my head. I have a feeling that there might be some sort of darker message happening here. It might be taking place in some radioactive wasteland... or... he might just really like building bridges too much! It was a really confusing read. Like I said, his dialect gave ma all sorts of problems.

I don't think I am going to recommend this one. It doesn't seem up to par with his other works, but that's just my opinion. You can easily do better.

This blog was written on April 20, 2026.

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Tuesday, May 19, 2026

Slammer [Short Story Review]

[I spoil the main points of the story.]

"Slammer" is a short story written by Gary K. Wolf. It was published as part of a collection in 2012. (I don't actually know when the story was originally released.)

A guy wakes up and he's in the place he doesn't recognize. It looks like a bad part of town, but what it really is is a city-sized prison. Basically, when you commit a crime, you just get tossed into a part of the city with all the other criminals. It still sort of functions, but committing crimes here are not really punished very harshly since everyone there is basically there for a similar reason.

The main problem in this story is that the main character doesn't belong there. He was mistakenly sent there and has to learn how to live in a place like that until he can find a police officer and explain the mistake. The only issue is that he seems to be having more success there than he did in the the more legal part of the city.

The concept of a city-sized prison has been done to death, but that's only because it's a fascinating idea. The most notable example was in the Batman series with Arkham City, which was that very idea. Just toss everyone in that one spot and let them rot. A neat idea, but it was also a breeding ground for the cities most ruthless individuals.

In real life, there's Australia. The whole damn continent was a prison. It still ended up being a proper country, though. Still funny if you think about it.

Another funny example happens sometimes in video games. Sometimes when cheaters are found in a multiplayer match, the mods will force them to play in servers that are filled with other cheaters. It basically levels the playing field for them since everyone is cheating now.

I did enjoy this story, and I do recommend it. It's cool to see how this idea has popped up here and there in all of its forms. Sometimes it's fiction and sometimes it's real. Crazy stuff.

This blog was written on April 20, 2026.

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Monday, May 18, 2026

Therapy [Short Story Review]

[I spoil the ending of the story.]

"Therapy" is a short science fiction story written by Gary K. Wolf. It was published as part of a collection in 2012. (I don't actually know when the story was originally released.)

This one was funny and short. The story itself is about a married couple that is having a vicious quarrel, while a robotic therapist attempts to help them with their problems. It's absurd, but I can tell that the author is predicting that something like this might happen. In a way, it already has.

There are AI therapy apps available today. Some of them even talk. The problem here is that there really is no way for this to work outside of a real human being who can personally relate to another human being. Robots should not be put in charge of such a thing.

The crazy part is that the elevator robot does a better job by just locking them in there until they make up. Hilarious and shockingly relevant. I recommend the story.

This blog was written on April 15, 2026.

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