Editorial Content for Ricky Rouse Has a Gun

RICKY ROUSE HAS A GUN is not what you're expecting. Whatever you think it is, you're wrong. Some might say it's a commentary on how China assimilates Western culture and adapts it to suit itself, which is somewhat true. Others may argue that it's the story of a down-and-out expat who's just trying to make good for his daughter. They wouldn't be wrong either.

But what RICKY ROUSE really is, when you get right down to it, is Die Hard in Disneyland. And it's awesome.

Jorg Tittel created something unique with RICKY ROUSE HAS A GUN. It's the story of Richard Rouse, a man who, after receiving a Dear John letter while deployed in Afghanistan, goes AWOL and starts wandering the world. After two years, he winds up in China and secures a job at Fengxian Amusement Park. Everything in the park is a knockoff version of a beloved piece of American pop culture --- there's Shrink the Ogre, the Caribbean Pirates, Bambo the deer, Ratman the caped crusader, and many more. As soon as the park's owner learns Rouse's name, he decides to make him the star character, and name that very same character after him: Ricky Rouse, the park's Mickey Mouse knockoff.

From there, RICKY ROUSE is really a joyride of stupidity. Rouse himself goes from one screw-up to the next as he tries to get his life in shape before his daughter and ex-wife come to visit him on Christmas. Of course, terrorists take over the park on Christmas Day, and Rick Rouse is forced to become a one-man kill squad to save the day. (The final reveal, of the terrorist leader’s identity, is particularly fantastic).

It may seem a dumb premise, but RICKY ROUSE manages all its pieces very well. The story flows, and watching a faux Mickey Mouse murder a whole slew of other characters is surprisingly entertaining. The Disney death match concept really never gets old.

If you have an aversion to violence or bad puns, you're probably going to want to skip RICKY ROUSE. There is quite a bit of bloodshed, and Rouse is your typical action hero --- he lays on the larks and lays them on thick. But as long as you don't mind groaning at a few really bad puns, you should be able to survive the story.

John Aggs' art is a good fit here. It has a typical comic book feel, although it isn't really anything amazing. But he does do a great job at drawing the knockoff characters in a way that makes them both familiar and distinct. Tittel and Aggs coming together on this project seems to have paid off.

The quality of the book itself, as an object, is also quite good. The novel seems much longer than it actually is due to the thick and high-quality pages it's printed on. The colors splash on the page, and the whole book feel good in your hand while reading it.

RICKY ROUSE HAS A GUN is not a particularly original story --- as mentioned, it reads like Die Hard in Disneyland. But it embraces that aspect of itself and changes it, much like the way the characters in the story are embraced and changed.

At the beginning of the book, Rouse tells the park owner, Mr. Hucheng, that Ricky Rouse is just a rip-off. Hucheng responds with a bit of a rant: "I tell you what is a rip-off! For Hollywood to make and remake the same movie ten times every year. Remake here, sequel there, like the public has amnesia. Charging five dollars more each time just for 3D. That is a rip-off. That is piracy. That is a crime. This is Ricky Rouse. Built on the past, designed for the future. A Chinese original. And don't let anyone tell you different."

Through its unoriginality, RICKY ROUSE manages to be something unique, and also incredibly fun to read. And don't let anyone tell you different.