SCAM is a heist series with superpowers. But it takes more than a flashy gimmick to get people’s attention. Joe Mulvey’s main series has all of the fun a reader can find in the Ocean’s franchise. Accompanying it is the SCAMthology, a series of one-shots that go into each of the characters. Because as fun as heists are, they’re only as good as a lovable crew.
Joe Mulvey’s SCAM
SCAM’s description is as follows: “X-Men meets Ocean’s Eleven”. With a tagline like that, it brings up a certain meme:
This comes from the Rick & Morty episode of One Crew Over the Crewcoo’s Morty. The episode is a means of parodying the heist sub-genre by mocking it’s formulaic nature. The most occurring tropes come in the form of backstabbing and multi-layered plans that practically happen at random. So to get around the cliches, the backstabbing starts at the beginning to set up the villain. In SCAM’s case a former teammate, Marcus Howce, frames crew leader Tru for all of his other crimes. So the crew’s out for payback by robbing Marcus’ casino all the while dealing with another villain, Crosswords.
Afterwards most of what happens in SCAM are twists and turns that don’t make a lot of sense. For one Tru’s ex-girlfriend, Joy, had his kid but there’s a twist near the end. Yet Joy’s reaction makes it seem like she never knew about it. Then there’s a subplot involving another group and their interest in the crew’s powers. To quote Rick and Morty “that doesn’t make things interesting, that makes’s it Ocean’s Twelve; by far the worst one”. This of course means this subplot is more of a distraction than anything. To top it all off, there’s an epilogue that serves as a sequel hook for Crosswords. However despite how random seeming the plot is, there’s a decently quirky cast that SCAMthology develops.
Mulvey’s 40
SCAMthology is an anthology where Mulvey gives his characters to other creators in order to broaden the SCAM world. Veterans like Amy Chu tell stories of heists that are simply fun to watch because the cast is so lively. Who needs to spend too much time getting a crew together when they’re all ready for more? During most of these stories, the readers witness what each crew member truly brings to the table.
Midas, the crew’s most down-to-earth member arguably displays the most layers of them all. Despite the fact his backstory is more or less an open book, he does a lot of heavy lifting while trying to keep his head down. In the right time and place, he could’ve been a superhero. Doubling the fact that Midas more or less shoulders the burdens of the crew, such as making poop disappear. Because with two jokers like Pint and Hack who like to put on shows, people like Midas and Doc have to keep everyone together.
The creators meanwhile each have their own place to shine. Even regular editors Steve Colle and Tyler James get their chance by writing their own romps; ironically involving the above jokers. Who says editors aren’t writers? Each artist brings something to the table in terms of storytelling. From Charles Paul Wilson III’s art shift in “A SCAM Fairy Tale” to the color contrast by Miguel Marques in “Fall of the Cherry Blossom”. Who in turn shares chemistry with artists like Kirk Manley and Daniel Picciotto. Somebody has to guide people through the story.
Is SCAM a-uh… Scam?
Heists are addictive because there’s a level of anticipation, intensity, and wonder. Just look at the Netflix show Money Heist as well as the video game Payday 2. But as the fanbase for the latter can attest, such formulaic means with predictable/nonsensical twists can get old. Heists are like magic tricks, once you know they’re coming they’re not fun anymore. Or worse they seem so random, it’s little more than an improv session. Before I say “your boos mean nothing”, we all know why heists make us cheer.
When you have such a cast with a decent chemistry, heists are just an extension of them. SCAMthology even makes the effort to have its first story be about character without context. Which is a great way to introduce them so that their motivations come later. The rest of the acts however depend on the times and places. The double cross at the start of the main story is actually pretty decent; it introduces a villain along with the protagonists. So influential that the epilogue and a Free Comic Day issue for a SCAM sequel uses it again. But hey if Mulvey can put together the right crew, he can steal people’s minds before they can get blown away.
SCAM’s main story gets a 7/10 for a good main plot and characters but falls short on the b-plot and third act. SCAMthology meanwhile gets an 8/10 for being a combination of fun times and character moments. Thanks for coming to the end and as always remember to look between the panels.