Scud the Disposable Assassin..?

[radiator]

So, I'm a HUGE fan of the excellent sitcom Community (which has now topped Spaced as my favourite ever comedy series), and of its creator and showrunner Dan Harmon - who I think is an actual (often misunderstood, or at least frequently misquoted) genius.

Apparently he cut his teeth writing the Image comic series Scud the Disposable Assassin with his friend Rob Schrab (who also now works on Community and other Harmon projects).

So, has anyone here read any Scud? Is it any good? Frankly if it contains a fraction of the genius that Community does, I'm well up for buying the collected book right now.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Scud-Whole-Shebang-Disposable-Assassin/dp/1582406855/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1382791532&sr=8-1&keywords=scud+the+disposable+assassin

[CrazyFoxMachine]

Nice spot Radiator - anything with Harmon in it is on my list!

Another good Harmon resource to plunder if you're hungry is all of his contributions for the ridiculous Channel 101 -

http://www.channel101.com/talent/108

Can't wait for the new Community series with him back at the helm.

[radiator]

I believe he also wrote on the Robert Zemeckis/Image Movers animated film Monster House and also Kung Fu Panda, perhaps in an uncredited capacity. However he has been quite vocal in the past about his nightmarish experiences working on films - ie being given scenes that were already pre-vizzed by producers and execs and only being allowed to change them 'by 20%'.

His podcast, Harmontown is well worth a listen, though it's very much him unfiltered - not for the easily offended!

Can't wait for the new Community series with him back at the helm.

Me too - Jan 2nd 2014!!! I literally couldn't make it through more than two episodes of season 4. I kept trying, but found my mind would just start to wander. It felt like a bad tribute act. Annoying that they apparently trampled over several key storylines such as the fledgling Britta/Troy romance and the return of Jeff's father - a role Harmon stated he had originally hoped would be played by Bill Murray (a younger Murray being the original basis for the character of Jeff). Be interesting to see how they address it going forwards, I think Harmon already shot down the notion that it all took place in the Dreamatorium as too obvious.

In my experience people like to knock season 3, but while it wasn't quite up there with the near-perfect season 2, it was still ace, and substantially better than the good but slightly uneven season 1 imo.

In other Community-related projects, I also saw recently and thoroughly enjoyed The Way Way Back, co-written/directed by and starring Dean Pelton aka Jim Rash - someone else I hold in very high regard.

I'm also planning to check out The Kings of Summer, starring Alison Brie.

[Ancient Otter]

Thirty-three reviews on Amazon.com, thirty are five-star and three are four-star. I know not to put faith in reviews on Amazon but do you like those odds Radiator? Did you know there a computer game of it for the Sega Saturn as well?

[The Adventurer]

Scud is a lot of fun (and surprisingly tragic toward its conclusion). The complete collection is just a massive tome of sci-fi zaniness. It's a must read for a one interested in indie comics.

[radiator]

Cool, went ahead and ordered.

[gurnard]

Yeah used to love Scud. It was unfinished for a long time but they came back and wrote the ending then released it all as a phone book, as has been mentioned. If you like it a bit out there with quirky art and ideas then it is for you. I found it very entertaining.

[radiator]

Good to know, looking forward to it!

[James Stacey]

I didnt realise he was back on Community. This makes me very happy. Is Chevy Chase back too or is that bridge burned.

[radiator]

Chevy Chase is gone gone gone. As I say, I have never seen the majority of season 4, but I believe Pierce graduated at the end of the season and has left Greendale. Bit odd, as I thought he was only attending Greendale out of boredom anyway. Sad to see the back of him, really. He's famously difficult in person (and I've seen interviews with him where he comes across as such, stating openly that he hates sitcoms and doesn't care for or even watch Community), but I can't deny that he was always incredibly funny on the show, and the apparent animosity between him and Harmon didn't seem to have a negative effect on the show itself. I was just watching that episode the other day where he's with the escort and says "Honey, show them your French - say Cabernet Savignon". Just hilarious delivery.

Somewhat worryingly, Donald Glover who plays Troy has stepped down from his starring role in the series and will for season 5 be a recurring character rather than a regular, and will only appear in 5 out of the 13 planned episodes. Not sure how this is going to affect the shows dynamic.

[Fragminion]

Scud is a great read. One of the most quirky, imaginative and TOTALLY Wacked out Comic book series every written.

[radiator]

RE: Community, they also have some really top notch guest stars coming up for the this season, including Jonathon Banks (Mike from Breaking Bad), Nathan Fillion, Walton Goggins, Tim & Eric and the mighty John Oliver is also returning as Professor Duncan.

[radiator]

The book arrived this morning. Got to say, not a fan of the presentation so far. The cover design and interior artworks looks very ugly and 90s.

Hope the stories are good enough to get me over it.

[The Adventurer]

SCUD is a small press comic from the 90s. Artistically it starts out rather rough, but as time goes on it refines itself. That's part of the appeal of these kinds of small press cult classics. To see them evolve over time. Mark Oakley's Thieves & Kings, Joe Wright's Twilight X, Evan Dorken's Pirate Corp$/Hectic Planet, etc... its the rawness that makes them memorable.

Personally I think the collected edition is one of the more striking covers out there.

[Fragminion]

The fate of the Werewolf is a solid sale to me.