Tim Truman's Scout

[Chad Anderson]

Recently got around to reading a 24-issue run of this '80s-era Eclipse comic. I enjoyed it well enough, but what really struck me was the sheer bang for your buck that each individual issue of this comic delivered. Just about every issue had a lead story, a backup (Fashion in Action, an unrelated strip, at first, then backups related to the main story as things went on), a pretty entertaining letters page (not to mention cat yronwode's Eclipse editorials each month), plus, later in the run, one-page comics written by Beau Smith. And to top it all off, one issue was in 3-D — not a special issue, just a normal issue of the comic — while another featured a flexi-disc meant to be played on your turntable while reading a certain section of the book.

Can't help but think that if more publishers tried this hard, no one would be able to "wait for the trade."

[Perry Holley]

Recently got around to reading a 24-issue run of this '80s-era Eclipse comic. I enjoyed it well enough, but what really struck me was the sheer bang for your buck that each individual issue of this comic delivered. Just about every issue had a lead story, a backup (Fashion in Action, an unrelated strip, at first, then backups related to the main story as things went on), a pretty entertaining letters page (not to mention cat yronwode's Eclipse editorials each month), plus, later in the run, one-page comics written by Beau Smith. And to top it all off, one issue was in 3-D — not a special issue, just a normal issue of the comic — while another featured a flexi-disc meant to be played on your turntable while reading a certain section of the book.

Can't help but think that if more publishers tried this hard, no one would be able to "wait for the trade."Actually, it was the 'Monday: The Eliminator' back-up strip that eventually tied into the main Scout continuity, not FIA.

But yeah, great series. The 'War Shaman' follow-up series rocked pretty hard, as well.

[Chad Anderson]

Actually, it was the 'Monday: The Eliminator' back-up strip that eventually tied into the main Scout continuity, not FIA.

But yeah, great series. The 'War Shaman' follow-up series rocked pretty hard, as well.

Bad writing on my part, I guess: I meant that they had Fashion in Action first, then later backups tied into Scout.

So the follow-up series is worth a look?

[Perry Holley]

Bad writing on my part, I guess: I meant that they had Fashion in Action first, then later backups tied into Scout.Ah, understood.

So the follow-up series is worth a look?Definately. Truman's art is even better in WS, in my opinion. The writing is less over the top than the first series, but still has plenty of action, and some fun moments.

As for the two mini-series that brindged the gap between vols. 1 and 2, Swords of Texas is okay, but nothing spectactular. New America, OTOH, is not only a damned fine story by John Ostrander, but really sets the stage for vol 2 in several important ways.

[The Wayner]

Count me as another who really enjoyed this series. Haven't read them since the 80s, but will need to rectify that... soon.

[hondobrode]

A lot of that stuff from the 80's was great. I knew it then and have gotten to appreciate it even more over the years. This series definitely qualifies as an extremely entertaining read. Ostrander was quite the writer, not only being fairly prolific, but very entertaining. Young Tim Truman was so energized and just knocking em out of the park.

It's a shame this series hasn't been collected.

Hello IDW ? They're working with that same team on Grimjack. Maybe it's possible.

[RawShark]

http://www.geocities.com/rawshark40/images/scout.gif

Scout and War Shaman ROCKED!!!
I even liked it better than Grimjack.
Wish Truman'd get back to doing some more.

I'm pretty sure they were compiled into trades quite a while ago.
I know I have a harcover of the "Four Monsters" story arc.

[TheHistorian]

Can't help but think that if more publishers tried this hard, no one would be able to "wait for the trade."

No one was really waiting for the trade back in the 80s, though.

I do get your point though. I was going back and forth on this recently, and in the end I decided that I'll continue to buy monthlies, and when the trade comes out with "new material", I'll ignore it. They can have my money once, that's all.

[Chad Anderson]

No one was really waiting for the trade back in the 80s, though.

True. Given the way publishers are in some ways de-emphasizing the monthlies these days, though, I was just struck by how Scout, with its 3-D issue, lively letters column and included flexi-disc, provided an experience that can't be duplicated in a trade without those elements. Don't get me wrong, I love trade paperbacks; I just feel like sometimes in their increasing prominence, folks forget that individual issues have their own unique pleasures, too.