Mr. Scootles
A Review by Ron Fortier
Mr. Scootles
A Graphic Novel
Art & story by H.C. Noel
Black & white & color.
Alterna Comics
A forgotten cartoon character from the 1930s holds the key to the gateway between Earth and Hell. Go figure! And that's the center plot of H.C. Noel's absolutely zany comic saga that has a little bit of everything. It conjures up the wackiness of those classic Warner Bros. cartoon shorts, with Mr.Scootles, a black and white, cigar-smoking, bowtie wearing character that is just too much fun. Oh, and did I mention he carries around with him the disembodied soul of his demented artist/creator who committed suicide? Noel draws him looking like a totally strung out Walt Disney.
Once this cartoonist discovers he can chain arcane occult dark forces, he transfer them into the film reel with the Mr.Scootles cartoons. He then blows his brains out and sure enough the can becomes possessed and vanishes. It reappears some seventy years later on the campus of a college university, in the vaults of a film instructor who plans on using it to gain mastery of the world by unleashing hell's demons. Much to his ire, the film is swiped by one of his students, Jason, the hero of our little adventure. Poor Jason has no clue at what he's gotten a hold of until his best friend is fried to a crisp and his girlfriend becomes possessed by a sexy demoness assigned to guard the gates of Hell.
All the while Mr.Scootles, now conscious and self-aware, finds himself in Hell and battling a giant, very ugly, wild boar. Oh, what's a cartoon hero to do? And if all this wasn't enough to get you scratching your head, there's also a warrior angel who intervenes at the last possible moment. Will he save Jason and the world? Or will his celestial powers be too late? Don't look to this reviewer to spoil the fun here. Pick up a copy and find out for yourself.
This book isn't going to be for everyone. Noel's art is cartoonish, but sophisticated in that he still conveys a genuine drama with characters you quickly become invested with.
And there's enough black comedy to tickle your funny bone from page on to the end. I was also quite impressed with how the book suddenly shifts from black and white to full color during a very intense story highlight. It's a gimmick here that works to perfection. There are way too few writer/artists today with Noel's originality and zest for storytelling. MR.SCOOTLES is a winner hands down and hopefully there is lots more to come.
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Reviewer Bio
Ron Fortier (ron@comicrelated.com) / Writer, Creator and Imagineer
Ron Fortier has been a professional writer for over 25 years working on comic book projects such as The Hulk, Popeye, Rambo and Peter Pan, his two most popular comic series being The Green Hornet and The Terminator (with Alex Ross). With Ardath Mayhar he's penned two TSR fantasy novels, and in 2001 he had his first play produced. Ron is a constant supporter of the site, writes for it from time to time and shepards our forums. Learn more about Ron at Airship27.
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