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Monday, December 1, 1997

'Scud' razes heroic stereotypes of comics

By Ernest Lee

Daily Bruin Contributor

A machine of mystery and intrigue. Cool, slick, dashing, audacious. Clint Eastwood and Jackie Chan. To sum it up, he is Scud, the disposable robot assassin.

The comic book titled "Scud: The Disposable Assassin" blows away the rules and assumptions of science fiction, fantasy and kung fu. With Scud entering its fourth year of publication, there are a total of 17 issues. Currently there is enough demand for the character to be considered for an animated movie, tentatively scheduled for direction under Oliver Stone.

For those wondering about what or, rather, who "Scud" is, artist Rob Schrab says he wanted to create a character of action, his own hero. Without a past to worry about, Scud isn't always out to exact revenge for the death of a mother, brother or dog. Schrab once lamented at a comic book store that he "wanted a hero and all (he) saw were big, buff men crying!" Scud is an assassin with no past that can be hired out of a street vending machine. Upon eradication of its target, Scud simply self-destructs, leaving without a future.

This poses an interesting question of how Scud lives on from issue to issue. This character's ability to die and come back to life makes the series unique. He isn't some mystical phoenix or a bald professor mutant with telepathic powers who saves the day. The blood, sweat and other bodily fluids from a great many characters help him survive (more clarity requires reading the comic).

The uniqueness of the character and freedom from the rules of the stereotypical comic realm provide Schrab with more elbow room than he could have possibly wanted. For example, there is a setting which creates a universe in which "Voltron"-like robots clash with monstrous zombie dinosaurs in a quasi-Chicago, mob-city setting. And that occurs in only two issues.

Adventurous and chaotic stories combined with slapstick humor reinvent genres and morph into new ones. Incorporation of all these elements provide a completely unpredictable story that borrow characters from one dimension to another.

The art that Schrab provides seems didactic for storyboard artists. The story doesn't allow the artist to fiddle with things such as small talk and extra panels for pose shots (that's for the cover to handle). The character flows through panels similar to the way a movie progresses. Superfluous cross-hatchings are taken out, rendering characters with a strong solid appearance.

Characters are original not only in design but in origin as well. None of the designs are even remotely reminiscent of any past comic book heroes. Ideas seemingly appear to have evolved from or are reminiscent of anime (Japanese animation), kung fu and classic monster movies, but the designs are primordial in origin. The action scenes have a mix of Shaolin kung fu and John Woo-style gun fight scenes, but mix this with comedy and you come up with something totally new.

Schrab aims for a simplistic design which works well. As a reader, you have to remind yourself that this robot assassin is state of the art. However, keeping this robot simple embodies Schrab's ironic humor. It seems illogical to create a bright yellow-clad character as a deadly assassin who stands out no matter how well-hidden he tries to appear. This comic element of color reminds the reader to disregard how an assassin is "supposed to look," to just accept the character doing what he does best.

Although some may have trouble adjusting to the illogical nature of how mechanisms work in the story (for example how Scud holds a pistol with an outstretched pinky finger), the comedic violence and slapstick nature lures us from our analytical mind set and into a larger-than-life realm of, say, filmmaker John Woo. I'm sure someone with a lot of time on his or her hands has counted the ludicrous number of bullets fired from the hand guns in a John Woo film (was it 40 or 42?), but it is quickly ignored. As with Woo's heroes, Scud fires a barrage of bullets and yet he never seems to run out until a convenient time. This illogical fallacy is buried by the melee of monsters and slapstick comedy.

Thankfully, with so much creative room, it will be some time before something reminiscent or repetitive of another comic book occurs in "Scud: The Disposable Assassin." Currently, two trade paperbacks allow readers unfamiliar to the world of Scud to catch up as well as third printings of individual issues for those who like the cover art. This series provides a great opportunity for readers to find an outlet from the typical spandex-clad, comic book muscle men.

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