Scratch (DC)

    (DC, 2004)
™ and © DC Comics, Inc.

Although he’s featured on the cover, Batman’s appearance in Scratch #1 is merely a two–page cameo, and he doesn’t even come in contact with the title character. This may disappoint disciples of The Dark Knight detective, but werewolf watchers and fans of freaks will be sufficiently entertained.

Scratch, created by the eccentric, fertile mind of writer/artist Sam Kieth, is a 600–pound lycanthrope who, in human form, is a mere teenager, giving the character an oddly Shazam–like appeal in terms of inner dialogue and overall boyishness. This is no Captain Whitebread yarn, however, as the denizens of this deranged tale consist of the following: dumb–as–dirt rednecks, a disfigured beauty, malformed children (thanks to radiation poisoning from a bomb test), and a pair of hunching, hulking, horrible creatures.

Fans of Kieth’s work on such oddball titles as The Maxx, Zero Girl, and Four Women may find Scratch to be a slight letdown. Though it is a weird tale, it’s a straightforward, easily accessible weird tale, written with mainstream masses in mind.

— Brett Weiss
Jump to issue:
  • 1
    #1
    Jul 2004
    Cover: $2.50
    W: Sam Kieth  ·  A: Sam Kieth
    5 copies from $2.12
  • 1/NS
    #1 Newsstand Edition
    Newsstand Edition with cover by Sam Kieth
    Jul 2004
    Cover: $2.50
    W: Sam Kieth  ·  A: Sam Kieth
    No copies available
  • 2
    #2
    Aug 2004
    Cover: $2.50
    W: Sam Kieth  ·  A: Sam Kieth
    6 copies from $1.70
  • 2/NS
    #2 Newsstand Edition
    Newsstand Edition with cover by Sam Kieth
    Aug 2004
    Cover: $2.50
    W: Sam Kieth  ·  A: Sam Kieth
    No copies available
  • 3
    #3
    Sep 2004
    Cover: $2.50
    W: Sam Kieth  ·  A: Sam Kieth
    7 copies from $1.91
  • 3/NS
    #3 Newsstand Edition
    Newsstand Edition with cover by Sam Kieth
    Sep 2004
    Cover: $2.50
    W: Sam Kieth  ·  A: Sam Kieth
    No copies available
  • 4
    #4
    Nov 2004
    Cover: $2.50
    W: Sam Kieth  ·  A: Sam Kieth
    4 copies from $3.00
  • 4/NS
    #4 Newsstand Edition
    Newsstand Edition with cover by Sam Kieth
    Nov 2004
    Cover: $2.50
    W: Sam Kieth  ·  A: Sam Kieth
    No copies available
  • 5
    #5
    Dec 2004
    Cover: $2.50
    W: Sam Kieth  ·  A: Sam Kieth
    2 copies from $3.50
  • 5/NS
    #5 Newsstand Edition
    Newsstand Edition with cover by Sam Kieth
    Dec 2004
    Cover: $2.50
    W: Sam Kieth  ·  A: Sam Kieth
    No copies available