Scumbag #7 // Review
Ernie Ray Clementine is going to the moon. He’s on a mission to get a mirror. It’s gonna be weird. He’s going to face problems only a total reprobate could handle, and he’s going to do it his own way because he’s the title character of the seventh issue of The Scumbag. Writer Rick Remender continues Ernie’s progressive development with the aid of artist Francesco Mobili and colorist Moreno Dinisio. The story continues to develop in a fun direction that lightly cascades over some social commentary with ample portions of comedy that reach for a cleverly unique exploration into strange sci-fi.
Ernie and his team have been sent to the moon to halt a group of bohemian neo-hippie terrorists led by the insidious Moonflower. He’ll stare down sinister leftist psychic supervillains like The Guilt, the Signaler, and Grimdark. Being largely apathetic, Ernie just might be the perfect foil to their psychic powers. Still, there’s a great deal of danger on the other side of the action as Ernie closes in on the powerful artifact known as the Anti-Verse Mirror. Will Ernie compromise when confronted by a compelling offer from the other side? Will the beauty of the girl named Petal have anything to do with his decision. And what about the orgy? All these questions and more are explored in another 24 pages with Ernie.
Remender is reaching a little too hard for the social satire in the seventh issue of the series. The opening three pages are a dialogue between two different villains that is positively philosophical. The action doesn’t really get interesting until the narrative returns to Ernie’s mission. Remender does a really sharp job of throwing conflicts at Ernie that he’s uniquely suited to handle. It’s cleverly indicative of the life of a guy who has somehow managed to survive the heavily drugged rock ’n’ roll metal life for decades. The guy’s just lucky. It’s kind of fun watching him get lucky in the worst ways.
Mobili is in his best form this issue in the action. This may have been the closest that Ernie’s been able to get to a traditional superhero fight sequence that he’s actually equipped to handle. Mobili handles the action brilliantly in an issue that manages a few moments of fantastic backgrounds as well. The color granted to Mobili’s art by Dinisio beautifully casts a variety of glows over the issue, from the serenity of a hippie moon base to the flaming Dio album cover that is Ernie’s vision of hell. Dinisio lends depth, sheen, and shadow to Mobili’s art that ably amplifies it.
There’s a stark contrast between the two different cults that Ernie’s run into. The gradual expansion of Ernie’s character development almost seems to be heading in the direction of greater structure. Ernie would hate that. Ernies wants nothing more than to be the master of his own destiny. He’s not doing a terribly good job of it, but the seventh issue of his series shows him with a satisfying sense of control. Clearly, the creative team has plans for him.
