The SMITE corporation has the money, the power, and the enforcer bots that let it rule in New Verona. What can a couple of dogs do against it? Find out in Scrapper #1 from Image Comics.
SCRAPPER #1
Writer: Cliff Bleszinski and Alex de Campi
Artist: Sandy Jarrell
Letterer: Alex de Campi
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: July 19, 2023
Previously in Scrapper: In a dystopian future world, the corporation named SMITE is in control. Whatever else they are up to, they have little regard for the people. It becomes the job of individuals on the street to right what wrongs they can, and one of those individuals is the handsome and talented dog, Scrapper.
A CANINE HERO FOR THE PEOPLE
Scrapper #1 opens with a Bladerunner-esque establishing shot of a futuristic world full of neon, screens, and flying cars. Then someone calls the name, “Scrapper,” and we learn that our first two main characters are dogs. Tank is an older, one-eyed dog and Scrapper, who looks like he could be part Alsatian. They are going on patrol and Scrapper wants to check out a particular warehouse. It is a drug place, but SMITE, the over-arching corporation in the city of New Verona, has not slated it for redevelopment.
The two dogs pass an enforcer bot who is ordering two people to vacate the area, and we learn that in this city, property is more valuable than people. The enforcers under SMITE protect the property of the wealthy. Scrapper and Tank cannot fix everything. But when a young girl is snatched off the street by a car Scrapper recognizes from seeing it at the warehouse, he leaps into action. He bounds after the car, puts on a great show of snarling at the driver, and when it crashes into a video billboard, he grabs the young girl and leaps onto a nearby roof. In short order, he finds her family and reunites them.
But this is enough for one evening. They will tackle the warehouse the next day. Scrapper wonders if, in addition to the drugs, they are also doing something with kids. Tank warns him about trying to confront SMITE directly. He has managed to survive and fight as long as he has because he is stealthy.
Scrapper has a bit of mystery to his background. He wears a fancy collar, but he does not recall his original owners. He has been living a good life with Vito and Rosa, restaurant owners, who found him when he was a mere puppy. He is no ordinary dog. When Vito pets him, he changes color. But in the present, Scrapper is just going home for the night. When he gets to the restaurant, he finds the local rats in the midst of what appears to be a full-fledged heist with a block of cheese as the target. Rats are fiendishly clever in this future. Scrapper chases them away.
The next morning, Vito and Rosa receive the latest eviction notice for their restaurant, and Vito feeds Scrapper his morning ravioli. Then an enforcer bot smashes the door down and announces that it is seizing the property on behalf of SMITE. They must vacate it immediately. The bread timer rings; the enforcer bot unleashes a barrage of gunfire in that general direction, and everything gets chaotic!
BRINGING A WORLD TO LIFE
The art of Scrapper #1 is wonderful. The city of New Verona has a dazzling skyline of skyscrapers whose design defies gravity. But that is only a glittering façade that hides a grittier underbelly. As the story zooms in on the dogs, we see that at street level, nestled among the glowing giants, there are a lot of older buildings that look like they could have been built in our present. And as we zoom in further yet, we see the piles of trash and rubble and the signs of abandonment. We even get to see that not only do the rats thrive, so do the pigeons.
I love the dogs as characters too. These are not anthropomorphic dogs who walk on their hind legs; these dogs look like the real deal, with the added bonus that they are also trying hard to be good dogs. When Scrapper wants to look threatening, he bares his teeth and lets his hackles rise. He snatches people out of harm’s way, but he does not bite to attack. But when we see him parkour up the side of a building and do an athletic jump to reach the flying car, we start to wonder whether he is more than just a dog. Our suspicions are confirmed when we see him change color as a darned cute pup.
BOTTOM LINE: AN ETERNAL STRUGGLE
Scrapper #1 takes the theme of powerless citizens facing off against the faceless and powerful corporation and makes it immediately more engaging with dogs as characters. And perhaps learning more about Scrapper’s mysterious past will reveal what makes him different from other dogs.
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Scrapper #1
Dogs prowl at night trying to protect the people of New Verona.
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Writing8
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Art9
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Coloring8
By day, she’s a mild-mannered bureaucrat and Ms. Know-It-All. By night, she’s a dance teacher and RPG player (although admittedly not on the same nights). On the weekends, she may be found judging Magic, playing Guild Wars 2 (badly), or following other creative pursuits. Holy Lack of Copious Free Time, Batman! While she’s always wished she had teleportation as her superpower, she suspects that super-speed would be much more practical because then she’d have time to finish up those steampunk costumes she’s also working on.