WOLF, Gary K.

(1941-)

   US writer who began publishing sf with "Love Story" for Worlds of Tomorrow in 1970, and followed with several sharply SATIRICAL tales over the next few years; the best of them, like "Dr Rivet and Supercon Sal" (1976), are generally thought to scan US society with a sharper,cleaner vision than that attained in his longer work. Soon, however, he began to concentrate on novels, beginning with Killerbowl (1975), a briskly violent portrait of a world - rather similar to that of ROLLERBALL (1975) - in which games are used to sublimate more politically dangerouspassions (GAMES AND SPORTS). A Generation Removed (1977) depicts a NEAR FUTURE society in which the young have violently taken the reins ofpower and euthanasia of the middle-aged is common; here the analogy would be with LOGAN'S RUN (1976). The Resurrectionist (1979), which develops the MATTER-TRANSMISSION premise of "The Bridge Builder" (1974), again exposesa corrupt world to violent retribution. Who Censored Roger Rabbit? (1981), filmed by Walt Disney in conjunction with Steven SPIELBERG's Amblin Entertainment as Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) dir Robert Zemeckis, couldnot in retrospect compete with the extraordinary and moving animation techniques which made the film an instant classic. A sequel, Who P-P-Plugged Roger Rabbit? (1991), involves the same cast in anotheradventure, this time a quest of the truth behind a rumoured love affair between Clark Gable and Roger's girl. The film itself has been followed by 2 Roger Rabbit shorts, Tummy Trouble (1989) and Rollercoaster Rabbit(1990); work on a further feature is (1992) at drawing-board stage.

   JC