Scratch Comics
40 pages
The Wild West just got wilder! Inspired by classic movies of the 20th Century, Dinosaurs Vs. Cowboys is a fun action horror romp,...
43 pages
LAST ISSUE! This one's got it all!
Writer Laurence Alison and artist David Hitchcock have pulled out all the stops to bring...
36 pages
Conspiracies, secret criminal parties on yachts, hard boiled action, heroics and tragedy. This ones got it all in spades!
As...
36 pages
Dracula The Return: Cult of The White Worm
Dracula The Return: Cult of The White Worm issue #2
NSFW
696 views • Nov 30, 2024
After a hugely successful first issue, Dacre Stoker, the great grand nephew of Bram Stoker, along with co writer Chris McAuley...
36 pages
Claudia Christian's Dark Legacies
Claudia Christian's Dark Legacies Issue #2
419 views • Nov 30, 2024
Tough as nails investigator Jessica Steele returns in this action packed second issue, as her investigation into shadowy...
Coming soon from Scratch Comics:
ScratchComics
Yes the stories from Broken Pieces fit in between issue #2 and #3.
ScratchComics
I hope you enjoy them
31 pages
"The Axe Forgets"
The original tagline for Hedrek from writer Laurence Alison was "Columbo Meets the Wickerman"... with this...
31 pages
Claudia Christian's Dark Legacies
Claudia Christian's Dark Legacies #1
NSFW
1.4K views • Nov 22, 2024
Expanse Meets Bladerunner in this hard hitting Sci Fi action series from Babylon-5 actor Claudia Christian and a host of top...
ScratchComics
Really glad you enjoyed the bonus text story.
ScratchComics
You'll be glad to hear Jake Reeves makes his comic strip debut in the second issue. Thank you so much for the positive review.
40 pages
(FREE)
“Night of The Mummers” is the first book in a series of high quality comics that give us a view into the folk horror world of...
RapidFireReviews
Hedrek #1
Scratch Comic
Operation Mummer is an ongoing police investigation led by DS Hedrek Stern, for 18 months he has been following up on what at first seemed to be random pranks orchestrated by masked individuals up and down the length of the UK, the one thing that links them all in the calling card depicting the Greek God of satire and mockery, Momus. Things have escalated though and now turning more serious and violent,with blackmail, assaults and the murder of a prominent local councilor how had been threatened due to his link to deforestation of a town woods due to roadworks in the area. As the mystery deepens Hedrek gets pulled further and further in and becomes a target for the Mummer, what do they have in store for him, what secrets will be revealed and will Hedrek survive the Night of the Mummers….
_____Thoughts_____
This comic was a great read, so detailed and in depth. We get a great deal of information about the backstory and the characters involved. A lot of work has gone into crafting the Mummers in particular, both in their personas and their individual style. We don't get as much backstory of our main character but he is an easily likeable character to follow the story through as his dedication, almost obsession, with the case allows for a deep dive into all that is happening in the story, it would be very easy to overlook him given that flamboyants of the Mummers but he still stands out in all the crazy. There is a feel of procedural storytelling here where we get clue after clue given to the detective and he pieces it all together but we are shown the bigger picture as he has to wrestle with what he has in front of him with that last little piece of the puzzle missing. When he gets to see how it all threads together and what is really going on that is when it all kicks off, though that in itself leads to a bigger over arching mystery to the whole thing which will push the story on further as the issues continue. The storytelling is complex and well formed but offered up in such a way that the flow of it is easy to follow throughout, you will get caught up in the mystery rather than be overwhelmed by all the moving pieces. The artwork for the issue is as complex as the story, we go from the mundane of an interrogation room walls to monstrous body horror metamorphosis within a few panels. There are moments of psychedelic craziness that you could think might just come off the page and get you. The visuals for the Mummers are also great, from the Punch and Judy to a more traditional depiction of Father Christmas, though my personal favourite so far has to be little Johnny Jack, whose costume is covered in little sad-faced dolls that represent children that his character is trying to save.
I can't say much more about the story without giving too much away but will say that the main antagonists have an agenda that most people could get behind but maybe not to this degree. The last scenes do leave us with a few questions as to what is still really going on and I can't wait to see what comes next for Hedrek as there is definitely something much bigger going on behind the scenes here and this is just the tip of a very trippy iceberg. I would give this 9 out of 10 for both story and visuals, the concept has me hooked and I want to know more.
ScratchComics
Wow.. 9/10. We are honoured by your kind review. I hope you enjoy reading as the mystery unravels across the series to it's action packed conclusion.
48 pages
Dracula The Return: Cult of The White Worm
Dracula The Return: Cult of the White Worm #1
NSFW
2.2K views • Jul 24, 2023
Cult Of The White Worm is the first mini series in the official continuation of the classic novel DRACULA by Bram Stoker, brought...
RapidFireReviews
Dracula The Return #1 Cult of the White Worm
Scratch Comics
Dracula author Bram Stoker’s Great Grand Nephew, Dacre Stoker, has written a completely new story about the legendary vampire, delivering an official continuation of the classic horror novel in comic book form.
In this new 4 part mini series we get not one but three stories within the Stokerverse. In this premiere issue we get an introduction in the form of a look at the originator of the most well known and loved vampire tale. Followed by a look at the legend of Val Tepes Dracula and his deal with the devil. Next we get to the main event, the first instalment of the ongoing tale of the ‘Prince of this world’ Dracula. There are then two backup stories after in which we get the reveal of a 4th Bride and a glimpse of Dracula’s faithful manservant Renfield.
Thoughts….
As soon as I got to the first pages of the Cult of the White Worm I was instantly transported back to the early 90s when I watched the Dracula movie and I knew instantly the scene that had been illustrated in front of me. As I kept reading I was fully immersed into that story once more. Obviously, the original story is far more than the film was ever going to be able to portray on scene but I had not realised how demonic the story really was with some very eldritch creatures within the tale, creatures seemingly old and far more evil than Satan or the false God that Dracula calls his enemy.
And what an introduction, this was well worth the wait, I just wish we got more. This issue perfectly sets up the story to continue onwards. I was expecting more of a time to pass but I won’t say more as that gets into the realms of spoilers. The pacing of the story is spot on and you can feel the reverence for the original story as it all unfolds until those last few pages and while those that defeated him speak of their plans the last words ring in the air….He has returned…
Not only do we get this awesome story but two further stories. The first entitled In fear we trust is the story of a Dr Thomas and his strange treatments for phobias. This story was delightfully dark and macabre. I really liked the flow of this one and was impressed by just how poetic it was overall. The second story, A Mother's Love, is an introduction to the 4th Bride of Dracula and we see that she has continued the work of her master beneath the streets of London.
I have spoken about the writing but would be remiss of me to not mention the fantastic art. In the main story we are given some amazingly detailed panels filled with the eldritch horrors that Dracula communes with and within their realm I liked how things are distorted and change as the story continues. In fear we trust in a black and white tale, and this suits the story to a tea. The last story adds a red tinge to the black and white which is understandable when dealing with vampiric creatures.
This is a great first issue, sets things up nicely and goes beyond what it had to do to grip its readers. I think ongoing this will join with the original volume of Stokers work and become a different take on the literary great and ensure the myth of Dracula is eternal. I would give this 8 out of 10, great story that builds on the legendary work, a must read for any Dracula fan
ScratchComics
Thank you so much for this wonderful review. I'm so glad you enjoyed the first issue. I'm eager to hear your thoughts on issue #2.
ComprehendingDarkArtist 6 months ago
well drawn and funny
ScratchComics 6 months ago
@ComprehendingDarkArtist: thanks for the feedback. Glad you enjoyed some of the dark humour.