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
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  • 1
    #1
    Jul 2004
    Cover: $2.50
    W: Sam Kieth  ·  A: Sam Kieth
    5 copies from $1.85
  • 2
    #2
    Aug 2004
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    W: Sam Kieth  ·  A: Sam Kieth
    6 copies from $1.64
  • 3
    #3
    Sep 2004
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    W: Sam Kieth  ·  A: Sam Kieth
    7 copies from $1.85
  • 4
    #4
    Nov 2004
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    W: Sam Kieth  ·  A: Sam Kieth
    4 copies from $2.47
  • 5
    #5
    Dec 2004
    Cover: $2.50
    W: Sam Kieth  ·  A: Sam Kieth
    2 copies from $3.50