Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Scratch 9 #1Scratch9 #1 of 4
Ape Entertainment KiZoic
Worley & Kruse

Scratch9 is an all ages comic book that manages to entertain and intrigue a reader of any age with a couple of sweet characters, some well timed humor and a nice gimmick to hook the reader in. The basic premise is a little girl has a cat named Scratch that gets out of the house one day and finds himself in the hands of a sinister scientist. He's turned into a cat that has nine personas to call on depending on the situation. It's a fast moving comic book that I found to be a refreshing read. One that I could read with my kids and get a reaction from or read alone and still get full entertainment value from. This is a good start to a mini series.

Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle ReviewsPenelope loves her cat Scratch. Within the first few panels of the two of them together the bond is obvious and special. Penelope attempts to give Scratch a bath and the playfulness of their relationship has Scratch take off and eventually race outside. He wanders off too far and manages to get himself lost. This, of course, after he causes countless instances of mayhem that are good for a variety of laughs. The complication comes because his collar is off due to the fact that he about to get into the bath when he split. Whoops.

Scratch is eventually caught by an animal control officer. Scratch makes fast friends with some of the other captured animals but his situation worsens when he is taken to the lab of Dr. Schrodinger. It's in the lab that Scratch goes from an ordinary house cat to something a little bit more.

The comic book is good for a variety of reasons, but primarily because of the characters. Scratch is a likable character. He has charm, wit and a sense of innocence mixed with curiosity that borders on adventuresome. Scratch is a lot of fun. Penelope is a cute, concerned sweetheart that probably pulls the book too much in the emotional direction. She just loves her cat so much and it shows in this book.

Besides the characters, the story is another big highlight. The concept and execution of the book may be simplistic, but it flows nicely with little side distractions along the way to keep it all very interesting. The gimmick is only as good as its use and it is done very well here.

The artwork lends itself to an all ages book. The villains look comically diabolical and the protagonists look fluffy and friendly. I can't say I'm a fan of the big white, pupil less eyes, but I get past it fairly easily. The art is creative and fun and that's what you need for all ages book.
Scratch9 hits the ground running. As the advertisement states it is Calvin and Hobbes meets Frankenstein. However, the comic book is so much more. Check it out. Read it with your kid. Have some fun with it because this is a good story with cool characters.

4 out of 5 Geek Goggles