Review: The Scumbag #6
[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writer: Rick Remender
Artist: Bengal
Letters: Rus Wooton
Colors: Moreno Dinisio
Reviewed by: Carl Bryan
Summary
He calls it the Fortress of Ballitude. – Sam…one of Ernie’s “handlers”
The Scumbag #6- ““MOONFLOWER,” Part One
An army of deadly know-it-all devil hippies known as Moonflower plans to brainwash all of humanity with hyper piety! Ernie Ray doesn’t care until a hot cult escapee convinces him to help. Can he stop them and earn her love? Will he join the 238,000-mile-high club? Is hepatitis transmittable in space? All will be explored!
Positives
Bengal takes over the reins for Scumbag in this issue. His renderings are super clean and vibrant as they portray Ernie’s current environment in a lighter tone. Though not as much detail as Issue #1 (which can be read online if you are over 18), Bengal ‘s take on Ernie is not as graphic, but that is where the script of Rick Remender takes over.
It’s pretty sad that a character has to have an electronic interpretation device in order for the over-drugged and over-opinionated Scumbag to drop his knowledge.
Remender provides an interesting read on all things government, secret agents, political intrigue, and money as a primary motivator in today’s society. Ernie continues to reign and rant in his own philosophical way.
Positives 2.0
Rick Remender’s new adventure puts Ernie at a cross roads as we find out he has had further adventures in between our last issue encounter. He also has the constant ” Moonlighting”relationship with his sex robot Pam. She will not consummate their relationship even though he personally asked for her to be designed for him.
Introducing a new femme fatale in his life, Petal, who is key to this new spy adventure Ernie is recruited/asked/demanded to be on. The give and take between her and Pam is some high brow stuff in a comic named “Scumbag”.
Negatives
You get what you get with Ernie Ray. If you are picking this issue up, then make sure you get the preceding issues. When you drink from Ernie Ray’s story, it is because you have a taste for it. Toilets, drugs, orgies and somewhere along the line, there is saving the world.
Verdict
If you are into something really really different and you like uncomfortable clashes, this is your book. You’ll laugh and wince and roll your eyes. Get in on the ground floor of Scumbag! A Ernie Ray says ” You people don’t know how to party. You hate me because I do!” If you want to catch up, be on the lookout for the trade paperback Cocaine Finger. That tells you all you need to know right there!
