Reviews 

Book Of The Week: Scarlet #1

By | July 9th, 2010
Posted in Reviews | % Comments


Written by Brian Michael Bendis with art by Alex Maleev.

THE AWARD WINNING, BEST SELLING, POWERHOUSE CREATIVE TEAM BEHIND DAREDEVIL, HALO, AND THE AVENGERS UNLEASH THIR BOLDEST PROJECT YET! SCARLET! This is the comic experience of the year! The first creator owned series by one of the most successful teams in all of modern comics. Scarlet is the story of a woman pushed to the edge by all that is wrong with the world…A woman who decides to stand up and fight back…A woman who will not back down…A woman who discovers within herself the power to start a modern American revolution!! In the vein of Alias, Powers, and Jinx, Scarlet debuts a fascinating new comics character that, with every issue, reveals new things about herself against a completely original backdrop of intrigue and drama. Get in on the ground floor of the first creator owned series by Bendis since Powers, and the first creator owned series by Maleev…ever. (and, yes, the trademark obnoxious Bendis letter column will be here too).

So what did we at Multiversity think of Bendis’ and Maleev’s latest and hopefully greatest reunion? Find out after the jump!

Matt’s Thoughts: Man, do I love me some Bendis! He’s one of the few writers who will receive an automatic “no question’s asked” buy on a title from me, and him teaming up once again with Alex Maleev had me incredibly excited. I’m a huge Daredevil fan, and loved the recent collaboration on Spider-Woman. Plus, with the solicit promising something in the vein of his earliest work, count me in!

Of course, the question is – after the initial (admittedly) fanboy reaction, is the comic actually good? When I measure it against my rigid guidelines for what I look for in comics – and especially first issues – does it measure up and deliver the way I want and need it to? Not to bring this too much into the discussion, but it definitely is time to start becoming a more discerning reader and not just buy everything that’s out there. I need a good reason to follow the book.

Well, there are plenty of not just good, but in fact great reasons to follow this book.

Scarlet opens with a murder and ends with a loaded gun. In all honesty, I wish more comics I read could start as intense from the first issue. We’re introduced to this comic’s quirk as our narrator talks directly to us, and it’s most easily noticable with the changes in bubble stlye. Narrator’s interacting with the reader isn’t neccesarily new to Bendis’ style, but I do welcome it, especially with the final page. What’s great about this as a first issue, though, is it weaves the tale that draws the reader in and appropriately sets the tone. We get to see Scarlet throughout her entire life, from birth through all her significant moments. This is probably the greatest thing about the issue, because right off the bat we’re not only told why we should care about the character’s story, but we’re shown why in brief moments that play out in an interesting fashion. It’s through this sequence of events that I already feel attached to the character that I just met, and that’s a good way to start out a series.

With Bendis returning to his older writing stlye (i.e. no Avengers), I feel much more comfortable in the book already. I’ve always enjoyed Bendis’ major work at Marvel, but it’s his humble beginnings as a crime writer with female leads that I’ve always adored (well, that and Ultimate Spider-Man). Books like Alias and Daredevil on Marvel is what I usually judge his work by, and the first issue of Scarlet definitely feels to me like it could be close to that genre. His first issue of Alias certainly had a more stylized first issue with a unique sequence of paneling that played out further and further in the series. My hope is that Bendis utilizes a similar tool with the “moments” that this issue features. The issue featured strong writing throughout, especially as the narrator pushed the story along. While certain events happen a bit fast for my liking, it’s clear that our narrator is telling the story in bits and pieces, so I’m sure that there will be more along the line in regards to her “origin story,” so to speak.

Continued below

Alex Maleev’s art here is probably some of the strongest it’s ever been. Maleev has a very unique style, but even for him the issue is incredibly clear. He has, on occasion, had somewhat of a more muddy style that could require an extra read or two to fully understand the action told in the panels, but this issue is spot on. I absolutely love it. The artwork sets a perfect tone, especially in lighting. Maleev’s character design in here is absolutely great, and I love that he can tell us so much in just one panel (as he has to with the “first” sequence). Scarlet is going to be worth a buy for his art alone.

So as far as first’s go, this was a good one. I’m very anxious to see what comes out from the rest of the series, and I can only hope this really is a return to form for the type of stories Bendis told before being given the Avengers keys. Not that I have anything against the Avengers obviously, but I miss the grit and grime and I miss the detective stories. While Scarlet is obviously (assumedly) not going to involve any detective work, I’m still anticipating the return of the crime and street-level element that has been missing from Bendis’ work for a little while now. This is definitely a series to get in on the ground floor with, though.

Let’s all just cross our fingers for timely releases!

David’s Thoughts: Hold on, he’s thinking!

Gil’s Thoughts: If I were to describe this comic in four words, it would be “Scarlet Explains it All,” and she would be played by Melissa Joan Hart. That’s how pervasive the usage of the broken fourth wall is.

Not that I’m necessarily complaining. I found the book to be a worthy entry by the creative team of Bendis and Maleev, who are best known for their critically acclaimed work on Daredevil. While it was full of the signature Bendis-speak and his witticisms, Scarlet was a character I felt myself connecting with, especially considering the circumstances of the moment where I live.

At its heart, the book deals with the disillusionment youth suffer from today. There are a lot of books that explore this dynamic. I’ve said I don’t have much patience for books like that normally, but this one struck a definite chord. Scarlet is a fictional female character, but I relate to her more than I do any other fictional character at the moment. She’s as abrasive as steel wool, but you can tell through flashbacks she’s using it to hide intense pain caused by those in areas of authority. Even if her methods are extreme, she feels she’s perfectly justified in doing what she’s doing, and I don’t think I can blame her.

I haven’t even mentioned Alex Maleev’s art yet. His art is in a class of its own. He uses his signature rough style to push Bendis’ words further off the page and into your eyeholes.

The book itself is a tour de force that never lets up. The action is never bogged down by any dialogue, and is in fact instrumental in making it move as quickly as it did. This is probably my favorite Bendis book in some time, which is saying a lot.


Matthew Meylikhov

Once upon a time, Matthew Meylikhov became the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Multiversity Comics, where he was known for his beard and fondness for cats. Then he became only one of those things. Now, if you listen really carefully at night, you may still hear from whispers on the wind a faint voice saying, "X-Men Origins: Wolverine is not as bad as everyone says it issss."

EMAIL | ARTICLES