“Yesterday’s” Comic> Scratch9 FCBD 2013

As long as they don’t start singing about memories.

Scratch9 Free Comic Book Day 2013

Hermes Press (2013)

Originally published as Scratch9 #1; Ape Entertainment (September, 2010)

“The Pet Project” part 1

WRITER/CREATOR: Rob W. Worley

ARTIST: Jason T. Kruse

COVER ARTIST: Armand Villavert, Jr

INTERIOR COLORS: Digikore Studios

COVER COLORIST: Joshua Buchanan

LETTERER: Bill Tortolini

LOGO DESIGN: Patrick Coyle

ORIGINAL COMIC EDITOR: Jason M. Burns

Scratch is the pet of a young girl named Penelope. One day she decides to give him a bath and a collar, both of which freak the cat out so much he runs farther from home than intended, and is picked up by a stray animal catcher. Except he’s been hired to find a test subject for Doctor Schrodinger, who needs a cat to experiment in soul transference to put himself into a new robot body rather than his old fogey body. (It makes something resembling sense in the story.) In the truck, Scratch makes friends with a dog named Marco, who escape the dog fighting ring, and Pollo, who did the same with a cockfighting ring. There’s also a squirrel named Squirrely, who’s rather crazy. Scratch is given to the doctor, who straps him in his Lifeforce Occupation Shifted Energy Receptacle. Something goes wrong, and the lab explodes, Schrodinger being transferred to the prototype android instead and Scratch able to summoning Garogga, his past life as a sabertooth tiger, to save him from robot grizzly bears. Scratch escapes but Garooga eventually disappears just as Scratch is surrounded by rats. Meanwhile Penelope sneaks out to find Scratch.

What they got right: Between Scratch’s friends and the doctor’s device name you can see the type of humor in this all-ages book. It’s meant to be a fun story and does it well. The art is really good, and it’s a good introduction to Scratch, Penelope, and all the craziness that is about to become part of their world.

What they got wrong: Then again, he had to try hard to get that “loser” name in there and I’m sure that went over most kids head.

What I think overall: This is a series I would like to check out further in the future. It’s a fun concept with good characters and an entertaining story.