"Danger Drink."

It's a robot rampage today, based on a struggle to find something to do with a Marvel Legends Danger figure that I had bought for $2.39. It did take a bit of thinking...
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Yet another book on the list of "Comics I'll Always Buy from the Quarter Bin."

Just like Crystar #6, the Heckler #1, the execrable Warlord #10 (second series)...among others; if I find a cheap copy of Scud the Disposable Assassin #9, well, it's coming home with me.

Cover by Rob Schrab, who also did the interior art and the script with Dan Harmon.



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Year End: Favorites of 2010!

I don't typically do a "Best of" action figure for the year, just my year-end count and totals. Partially it's because I don't buy every single figure, or even enough for an accurate sampling; but also because many of my purchases are based on character. And I always figure the best figure of the year was probably a bit more upscale; like the new Star Wars AT-AT or something from Hot Toys.

Not the case here, although I do think all four of these were purchased at full price: first up, Marvel Legends Valkyrie. She was originally planned for the Hulk/Fin Fang Foom wave back in 2008, tooled and ready, then bumped from the lineup. Marvel Universe then became the spotlight line, so she would have to wait until this year for release; and I'm hoping for a resurgence of Marvel Legends, especially when it comes to new characters. (Moreover, Val is going to be in a ton of homemade strips, both here and at Poe's!)

Not unlike Valkyrie, Shocker Toys Scud was teased long, long ago, but we finally have him this year. Getting a figure you never thought would get a toy is one thing, but getting a good figure as well? Well worth the wait. Although I sometimes get the feeling that as a company, Shocker sometimes bites off more than they can chew; I'm pulling for them, I like the idea of more independent comic figures. Their handicaps? Getting the figures on the shelves, and character selection. (Shocker made probably the best figure Shadowhawk is ever gonna have, but I don't care about the character.)

Negative Man is not only a character and a figure I personally dig; but he's there as a representative of DC Universe Classics. Again, it's a line I usually cherry-pick based on characters--it would have to be a pretty stout discount to get me to buy a new Donna Troy figure--but that's pretty much what happened! Between markdowns, coupons, and eBay; DCUC surged the last three months of the year. Nine DCUC buys from January to September 2010, then nine in October, six in November, and eight in December. Along with some mainstays like the Martian Manhunter and Guy Gardner, DCUC delivered some characters I never thought I'd get on the shelf, like OMAC, Jemm, and Negative Man.

And Twitch? Twitch is just cool, you could probably pick him up for under eight bucks right now, and he can be whatever you want him to be. I started using him in Bastards of the Universe well before I saw Toy Story 3; and it's safe to say he's...different here. I always think of his style as a callback to old-school lines like Masters of the Universe and Sectaurs, too.

Those were my favorites, what were yours?
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More Danger at Articulated Discussion!

The full strip is up at Articulated Discussion, but I ended up with an extra page afterwards! Check out the rest there: it's robots drinking abusively, what more do you want?
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"Three franks a job? In this economy?"

Click to enlarge!

After the end of the Prisoner bit last week, I usually try to break up the Nightcrawler/Deadpool/Falcon strips a little; but I'm behind since I'm waiting on a few figures. Then, over the weekend I found a figure I've been waiting for since, um...2006? Shocker Toys Scud figure. Hell, I didn't even look at the price on that one, just grabbed him and made for the register, since I'd never seen one at retail before. (While long awaited, apparently they just hit mass retail the last couple of weeks. Might have to consider that Maxx figure, though.)

Check out Scud's review from OAFE.net to get some of the history on him; and my two cents? Buy him. Now. I've been buying a lot of clearance lately, so it was a bit of a shock to pay full price for a figure, but well worth it. Of course, you should buy the collected Scud as well, so chop-chop! Put your tax refund to that right now!



Ooh, taxes. Better look into that tonight...

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Arrrrroooo, from the mooooon!

Over at Comics Oughta Be Fun, Bully's got Arrrooo From You going, which is like an archive of classic comic book howls. See a werewolf, and you'll see an Arrrooo before too long.

See? Just a matter of time now. From Scud, the Disposable Assassin #11, "Neutron Dance: Dimension of Blood, part 2" Written by Mondy Carter and Rob Schrab, "produced" by Peter J. Alberts, "directed" by Rob Schrab.

This issue, in addition to the usual insanity, there's Scud with a werewolf's arm, a werewolf with Scud's arm that evolves into a black hole, the utter(ly unimportant) destruction of the planet Venus, and a spirited discussion about what kind of robot Scud is, as in, not a very good one.

Sweet Magilla Gorilla, I wish this book was on like issue #315 by now. But enough preamble, the AAAARRROOO!

It might not be appropriate for everyone (or little stuffed bulls sometimes!) and it may seem nonsensical to some; but I miss this book, and it's anything-goes feel. Scud has been collected now, and I might have to do another giveaway (after I mail out the last one...) of some dupes sometime. And thanks for reminding me of this one, Bully!

Tomorrow: who wanted Watchmen to be a movie even less than Alan Moore?
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Sometimes, being the World's Greatest Detective kinda sucks.


This isn't to suggest that Batman might prefer an earthier, more natural beauty--that's another issue--but that sometimes, Batman's powers of observation might show him more than he wants to know right now.

When I was a kid, I had a Batman record with "Challenge of the Catwoman." You can listen to it over at Power Records Plaza if you like, and I might see if I can dig it up for a scan later. What I recall most about this one--and I didn't have the attached comic, if there was one--is that Catwoman is disguised as a man, on a train, and Batman roots her out by walking through the car looking up. As everyone looks up at whatever Bats is staring at, he can easily spot Catwoman is the one "man" with no adam's apple. (Technically, I guess women have laryngeal prominence, but it's not as noticeable.)

So, it stands to reason someone with Batman's detective skills would be able to tell a lot about a person just by looking. Maybe too much. I wonder if Batman doesn't date so much because at a glance he can see so much of a potential girlfriend, he doesn't get the fun getting to know you phase. Of course, the background checks probably don't help, either.

Even though I'm still getting settled, and probably have other things I could be doing as far as making the place presentable, I read a pile of comics while watching Fringe, including La Cosa Nostroid, the mobster/giant robot spin-off from Scud the Disposable Assassin. One of my favorite bits, from the last issue...so far:

La Cosa Nostroid IX was the last published issue, the book disappearing from the racks just like Scud, back in 1998. Scud made it back to finish it's story, so maybe this one will someday as well--ten issues would make a pretty good little trade, and I know somebody's found this site searching for it.

Considering I've never seen the Godfather trilogy, Goodfellas, Mean Streets, or Casino; it's all the more impressive how much I liked this book, and the giant robots don't carry it that far, either. Written by Dan Harmon, illustrated by Edvis. Still hoping to see it in the Image solicits one of these days. Read more!

Cowboys never quit!

From Scud the Disposable Assassin #5, "Corvette Summer" Created, written, and illustrated by Rob Schrab.


Good advice there, particularly since I feel like I've been blogging in my sleep the last couple of days. Lot of home stuff to deal with this week, the last bits of the basement, and some other nonsense. It's all chores that need to be taken care of, but I could care less about, if that makes sense; so I don't want to let extraneous matters prevent me from doing what I actually care about, like play with the kids, exercise, crap out a post...

For those among you who never saw this book, or the game, be sad. Scud was the story of a robot, a disposable assassin, as you might have guessed. Purchased out of a vending machine to take out a lab full of monsters, mid-firefight Scud accidentally saw the warning label on his own back:

Scud Disposable Robot Assassin: Heartbreaker Series 1373

This Unit will Self-Destruct Upon Termination of Target

Realizing he was doomed if he killed his primary target (the monster Scud would later name Jeff, who only spoke in samples of videogames and TV shows) Scud instead shot it's arms and legs off, took it to a hospital, and had it put on life-support. Needing money to keep the monster alive, Scud sought work as a freelance hitman, which led to the Cyborg Mafia, giant linking robots stolen from the Yakuza, the zombies of Voodoo Ben Franklin, werewolves, the true reason for the Rapture, the Four Horsemen, and a lot of comedy.

So, I know I've complained about how Scud and Rob Schrab pretty much vanished off the face of comics, but I keep harping on it because it was a completely unpretentious comic that I really enjoyed. Of course, circa 1994 it was still more or less expected for a comic to come out on some kind of schedule: monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly...whenever the hell you feel like doing it. In that aspect, Schrab may have been a trailbreaker, but if he was still doing it, I'd be happy with an issue a year. After all, I don't give Evan Dorkin or Adrian Tomine any grief, and they make All-Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder seem timely. Read more!