Time to review an obscure "weird" classic.
It took Scud a ten year-long hiatus to finally bring the story to an end!
Comic title: Scud: The Disposable Assassin - the Whole Shebang! Art by Rob Schrab & Jack Grey
Story by Rob Schrab & Dan Harmon
Published by Image Comics
From 1996-2008
Lineup SCUD
Format:Collects all the issues #1-24 and includes the one-shots Drywall: Unzipped and Black Octopus: Sexy Genius.
SCUD The Disposable Assassin is a Doug TenNapel-esque indie comics from writer & cartoonist Rob Schrab.
It is a black & white comic filled with pop culture references, jokes and action-filled scenes.
It was originally published through Fireman Press when it was launched in the 90s.
During its run some issues and miniseries based around other characters were spinoff-ed off Scud.
Born from rejection, after a difficult break-up of the author, it was finally "canceled" due to more rejection. In 1998, Scud was put on hold, and out of Rob Schrab's mind for quite a while.
Finally, after being tempted several times, Schrab finally went back to finish the story with the four additional final issues.
This "Whole Shebang" Omnibus-sized book collects the entire series, from start to finish as well as the one-shots. (but not all of them!)
There's also a fun introduction by Kate Freund, Rob's other half.
Anyways, what's the story about?
The story takes place in a world... well, nothing like ours!
In a sort of dystopian, yet cartoony future, people can buy robot assassins out of vending machines in the street!
The series follows one of those robots.
Scud is just another "Heart Breaker Series 1373" robot assassin.
After being set by a company to go after some random mutant creature that gets nicknamed "Jeff", Scud decides to take his destiny into his own hands and live his own life.
I mean after reading the label he has on his back in a mirror - which indicates how he will self-destruct once his mission is achieved.
By the way the world in which this story takes place is quite unique.
Clearly improvised issue after issue originally, it ends up being this very absurd yet complex gritty place unlike anything else you've ever seen!
Jeff for example has a plug for a head, and a squid belted on its stomach!
You may never expect what you will find page after page.
The story is a real page turner.
Scud doesn't want to die!
To survive his mission, Scud only wounds Jeff and places it in a Hospital on life support to allow himself to outlive his original job.
After that, Scud's adventures chronicles how decides to live as a freelance merc' in order to pay the debts he has to keep Jeff in a hospital.
The secondary characters Scud meets are one of the best aspects of the series and all equally interesting.
Along the way he meets Sussudio, a female bounty hunter that is originally after him as well, that is until she accepts being a "robotsexual" and falls for Scud.
And Drywall, a lil' "sentient" storage covered in zippers. Drywall sort of becomes Scud's sidekick. He is able to gather countless items inside his own "body".
He also meets a bunch of nerds, other Scud-bots, unicorns,..
His quest will take him against the SCUDCO, the company that was responsible for the various robot assassins.
He will also go against one of the most awesome characters I've ever seen in comics, Voodoo Ben Franklin! Don't mistake him for the good hearted founding father, this Ben Franklin is nothing like is namesake and pure evil!!
Oh and turns out Jeff is actually a whole lot more than Scud originally thought... (so that's why there were four of those eggs Jeff hatched from?....
Out-of-the-box thinking and storytelling.
It's action packed, unlike anything else really and super-funny, super-creative!
The artwork started out great already, but it really came from the 90s US comics indie scene. And it picked up so quickly and become so beautiful over the years! You can really see and enjoy the progression of someone's art style over the decades!
Over 800 pages of Scud - what's not to like!?
Rob Schrab started this story after an heartbreak (thus the insigna on Scud's torso) and really went with this crazy idea of his and had fun with it along the readers.
These days, Mr. Schrab has mostly his career in Hollywood that set him for life, but to many of his fans he's still mostly known for his magnus opus, Scud!
I'm glad he could come back on the series and bring the story to the closure he originally envisaged.
All the characters are so unique and creative! They all have a distinct voice and their own universe...
Some way mid-point the story seems to lose track of it's goal and there's some fillers... but that's also partly why Rob Schrab put Scud on hiatus.
The Whole Shebang collects the entire "saga" and then some - and yes, it deserves that term.
Overall, simply one of the most original, unique and greatest stories I've ever read!
Never has a story embraced so many genres before. Action, romance, science fictions.
The story has super assassin robots, mutants, the mafia, alien creatures, time travel, fantasy, etc.!!
I recommend any fan of good reads and fun comics a try.
This entire collection also makes a great gift if you ask me.
I'm just sad the spinoff around Scud's friend Tony Tastey weren't included.
It was called La Cosa Nostroid and was written by Community creator Dan Harmon. But then again, that also was left unfinished on a cliffhanger...
Perhaps avoid it if you really got a big revulsion for absurd. And I use that word lightly.
I wouldn't call this series that bizarre. It's light-cyberpunk and cartoony science fiction. Think Heavy Metal and the likes more.
I give it:
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