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Scarlet #4
Publisher: Icon
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Alex Maleev
Cover: Alex Maleev

“Scarlet pt. 4”: If you’re not reading Scarlet then your collection is seriously lacking. Bendis and Maleev are definitely helping prove that comics can be about more than the tights and capes, and provide just as much if not more entertainment. The previous issues have been quite impressive, and this one continues to expand on Scarlet’s story as her revolution begins to take shape and the masses have heard her cry.

It’s been three months since Scarlet started her crusade while making the Mayor along with the Police look like inept fools. Now the Feds are involved since she’s made the F.B.I.’s top 10 wanted list, and the agent assigned is hoping to catch her. He’s quickly shown the error of his thinking as Detective Going exposes that lies and corruption are at the bottom of this, and that the Police have been throwing up roadblocks to stall the investigation. She points out that they want Scarlet dead, not found and put on trial. All of this is taking place while a huge protest is beginning to form in support of Scarlet and her cause. So while the powers that be are stumbling around trying to decide what to do, Scarlet is on her way to speak to the people that have heard her cry and also see that the world is broken.

The writing is consistently fantastic in this story as you’re taken farther into Scarlet’s world. And whether you agree with her actions or not, you can’t help but feel her pain as she tries to cope with what’s happened to her. At her core she’s not some bad ass vigilante, but a hurt kid, which is made clear during the confrontation with her mother which is a pretty strong scene. Bendis also has a great cast of supporting characters that populate the story giving it the necessary depth and variety that enhance each issue. I also like the fact that the fourth wall is broken at times, but it isn’t over used nor does it break up the flow of the story.

Maleev gets so many props for providing great visuals that just go hand in hand with the writing. The sequence where Scarlet is waking up, turns and looks at the reader and we see her crying, is just a powerful page. I think some of the better pages from Maleev in this series require very little to no captions at all, as he’s a great visual story teller himself. Which shows that Bendis knows his partner and knows he doesn’t need to clutter up the pages with a lot of words, and just let the art speak for itself.

As you read you’ll question if Scarlet is a revolutionary. Is she just a vigilante? Or is she some nut job that needs to be put down? Regardless of the answer, I’d rather read Scarlet than watch half of the crap that passes for “drama” on television, as they can learn a thing or two from what Bendis and Maleev have brought to the masses. So I definitely suggest adding Scarlet to your collection and drop that crappy book on your pull list that you’ve been contemplating about for the past few months.

Till next time!

Infinite Speech
infinitespeech@comicattack.net