Of Mice and Mayhem
Author: fish
Artist: fish
First released: On fish's website on January 3, 2003; at the Acorn Cafe in the evening (Eastern Standard Time) of January 12, 2003.
Title reference: A play on the title of John Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men.
Continuity: Work on a sequel was underway for a while, but then, according to author's words (written on July 29, 2008), "several movies came out that beat me to the punch on some very cool ideas -- so back to the drawing board. Gonna wait till the right plot reveals itself to me. Someday. There are MANY ideas -- the trick is crafting them into one cool story."
Some fan fiction writers based their stories on Of Mice and Mayhem, prominent examples being full-fledged unofficial sequels such as Gyrotank's Of Mice Beyond Mayhem [1] and Draco Lockhard's Ammunition for the Winter (both currently available in Russian only)
Length: 232 pages total: 2 cover pages + 229 story pages + 1 closing page
Rating: PG
The comic was the product of approximately three years work, much of which occurred in studios, at soundchecks and on the road. It is recognized as one of the greatest works ever produced by a member of the Rescue Ranger fandom, and stands in its own right as a masterfully constructed comic.
Contents
Synopsis
The story is set some time after the end of the series, in a time of relative peace... A peace which is suddenly shattered when a routine case goes terribly wrong...
(Spoilers follow - Highlight to read...) While on a case at Professor Nimnul's lab, Gadget is caught in a glass cage which the Rangers can't open. Unfortunately, special forces have been after Nimnul, too, and they take Gadget with them. First, the Rangers believe that she has been killed and try to go on without her. But as Chip finds out what really happened to her, the Rangers are dragged into a governmental conspiracy, and their involvement sends it out of control.
Important Characters
Canonical
The Rescue Rangers
Original
Awards
2003 Golden Acorn Awards (spoilers blanked): Best Online Comic, Best Original Costuming for bald Gadget, Best Portrait of a Ranger for Gadget, stuttering when recognizing Chip, Best Artwork, Best Use of a Recurring Series Character for Gadget, Best Characterization of the Rangers, Best Character Interaction for Chip and Gadget, Best Original Villain for Ferrante, Best Original Male Character for Ferrante (tie with Jareth's The Return of Winifred), Best Mystery Thriller, Best Romance, Best Drama, Best Action Adventure, Best Story, Best All-Time Artwork, Best All-Time Fanfic
With 16 awards, Of Mice and Mayhem is the fan creation which received the most Golden Acorn Awards in one year.
2004 Golden Acorn Awards: Best All-Time Artwork, Best All-Time Fanfic (tie with Michael Demcio's Rhyme and Reason)
2005 Golden Acorn Awards: Best All-Time Artwork, Best All-Time Fanfic (tie with Michael Demcio's Rhyme and Reason)
2006 Golden Acorn Awards: Best All-Time Artwork, Best All-Time Fanfic (tie with Michael Demcio's Rhyme and Reason)
2007 Golden Acorn Awards: Best All-Time Artwork, Best All-Time Fanfic
2007 Golden Gadget Awards: Best Fanfic by Foreign Author
Criticism
While the importance of the comic to the Rescue Ranger fan community cannot be overstated, the work has had its share of criticisms. Some have argued that the layout of the front cover of the comic was done in such a way as to more or less give away the ending of the story. Others have lamented the notable similarities between the plot of the comic and movies such as "The Manchurian Candidate" and "The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!"
External Links
Of Mice and Mayhem on fish's website, now defunct
Of Mice and Mayhem's launching thread at the Acorn Cafe
Mirror at the Russian CDRR Headquarters
Russian translation by the Russian CDRR Headquarters team
