Posted in: Comics, Comics Publishers, Image | Tagged: image comics, lewis larosa, rick remender, The Scumbag

4 Thoughts About The Scumbag #1

Published Sun, 08 Nov 2020 14:30:24 -0600

I read The Scumbag #1, a comic from Rick Remender (allegedly his biggest Image launch ever) and a rotating cast of pencillers. Lewis LaRosa, currently of Bad Idea fame, penciled the issue.

The Scumbag #1 cover. Credit: Image Comics

The Scumbag #1 is exactly as advertised. Rick Remender & Co. have a hoot creating a character that can be easily and quickly hated. That character is Ernie Ray Clementine. Ernie's a man who makes Reddit's Am I The Asshole subjects look like Prince Galahad. If we're going to use euphemisms, Ernie's a man out of time. If we're not going to use euphemisms, he's a relic of a bygone era, best left in that era, buried underneath rubble, unremarked upon.  But then there'd be no fun, and seeing Ernie through the six inches of bulletproof glass that is the fourth wall is still entertaining. In a memorable splash page from Lewis LaRosa and colorist Moreno Dinisio, Ernie takes enough heroin that he finally releases his diarrhea into a crowded city street.
By the way, The Scumbag isn't for kids unless you're fifteen and you're angling for a gross-out experience, in which case, get ready to enjoy 2 girls, 1 cup.
Future issues will feature different pencillers, so LaRosa's style isn't what a prospective reader will get in issue 2. Andrew Robinson does issue 2, for what it's worth. Eric Powell does issue 3, and Roland Boschi does issue 4.
I'm not Remender's lawyer, but I'm interested in how the contracts and payouts for The Scumbag are set up, given that unlike a lot of other Remender projects, this one is owned by Rick Remender exclusively.

A panel from The Scumbag #1. Credit: Image Comics

Ultimately, The Scumbag #1 is a solid comic that faithfully executes the premise. I can't see myself following along closely (as I don't want to catch anything from Ernie that's communicable), but the comic gave me a dark smile all the same.

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