Broken Frontier

The graphic novel Scorn has been kicking around for quite some time. Springing from the mind of writer David Hayes, the first issue has been re-released for the third time (if I’ve counted right) by eclectic indie publisher Creator’s Edge Press and available online through DriveThrueComics.com.

Scorn is a tale of crime and retribution played out in the form of the protagonist’s adolescent power fantasy, as he seeks revenge on a violent Latino street gang for the murder of his best friend. The key word here is adolescent.

We’ve all had those moments of anger, frustration, or even trauma when we’ve wished we could have done anything but the nothing we did. We’ve all felt impotent in the face of danger or tragedy or humiliation. We’ve all fantasized about how we would have done things differently, perhaps more courageously or intelligently, no matter how absurd the probability of actual success. We’ve all dreamed of vengeance, whether petty or justified and promised ourselves that next time things would be different.
 
These are some of the themes and emotions Hayes and his collaborators Kevin Moyers and Phillipp Neundorf explore in Scorn. The problem is the exploration remains confined to a superficial depth, rarely scratching the surface of the protagonist’s conflicting emotions. Instead Hayes and Moyers seem more concerned with their hero Michael’s actions and saving the girl than actually exploring his feelings of rage and impotence. Michael’s first assault plays out like a mad pre-teen’s revenge fantasy, as he performs feats of superhuman derring-do, raining bullets and death on his enemies from above, and even saving a damsel in distress in the process.

Then he gets laid. Sigh…

I really wanted to like this book. The first half features a gritty, down to earth plot with characters that are easy to relate to. Like I said earlier, we’ve all had feelings of anger, loss, and scorn. I just doubt that any of us would have had the level of success Michael enjoys on his first night out as a gun-toting vigilante. This kid jumps off a building for God’s sake and only suffers a messed up knee, while filling a bunch of gangstas with hot lead.

Phillipp Neundorf’s distinctive art style is a great match for the subject matter, for most of the story. Frustration and rage simmer beneath the surface of his rendering. His scratchy linework, although sometimes confusing, for the most part successfully captures the barely restrained emotions of the protagonist. His use of color to evoke emotion is brilliant, with a palette of warm reds, yellows, and oranges. This is a story full of passion and misplaced rage and Nuendorf’s color choices only reinforce the intensity of emotion present in the book.

Although it started off strong, Scorn lost me about halfway through, right around the time Michael jumped off that building amid a hail of gunfire. There just didn’t seem to be any consequences for his actions. Scorn is an adult story about adult emotions. Unfortunately, it never rises above the emotional maturity of its protagonist and gets bogged down in adolescent fantasies most of us grew out of years ago.