SCARLETT #2, by Image Comics & Skybound on 7/3/24, sends Scarlett on a suicide mission to prove her worth to the Arashikage clan, but is the prize worth the blood she’ll spill?
Credits:
- Writer: Kelly Thompson
- Artist: Marco Ferrari
- Colorist: Lee Loughridge
- Letterer: Rus Wooton
- Cover Artist: Marco Ferrari (cover A)
- Publisher: Image Comics
- Release Date: July 3, 2024
- Comic Rating: Teen
- Cover Price: $3.99
- Page Count: 32
- Format: Single Issue
Covers:
Analysis of SCARLETT #2:
Plot Analysis:
When last we left Shana O’Hara in Scarlett #1, her undercover mission to infiltrate and expose a human trafficking ring led to an unexpected discovery. Jinx, Scarlett’s longtime friend and missing agent, is deep undercover with the Arashikage clan. When Scarlett receives a mission to infiltrate the clan to steal a secret weapon, her mission becomes personal when she learns Jinx may be in over her head.
In Scarlett #2, we catch up with Scarlett tied to a chair in a glass cage and relieved of all her gadgets… except one. Extracting a razor blade embedded in her right side, Scarlett cuts her bonds and prepares to fight her way through the oncoming guards.
Writer Kelly Thompson elevates Scarlett’s character by showing how she can get out of seemingly impossible situations using a combination of sacrificial grit and elite fighting skills. Longtime G.I. Joe fans may not be used to seeing this side of Scarlett, but it works to reinforce Scarlett’s reputation as one of Joe’s top members with good reason.
Scarlett switches to the offensive and kills several of the ninja guards. When it becomes clear the typical Arashikage guards are no match for Scarlett, Storm Shadow calls a halt to the fight. The escape and fight were tests that Scarlett passed with flying colors, but Storm Shadow isn’t convinced of her commitment to the clan.
Although the focus of the fight is on Scarlett, this sequence informs the reader about the ruthless criteria for entrance into the Arashikage clan’s ranks. Unfortunately, what should be a rousing battle sequence is marred by incomprehensible fight choreography by Marco Ferrari. There are several moves where the momentum, direction, and action lines of the characters in motion don’t make visual sense.
Storm Shadow escorts Scarlett through the clan’s training facility. She sees Jinx from a distance, but the two refuse to make eye contact, believing even the smallest glance could alert the clan to their knowledge of each other. The tour ends in a small room where Scarlett and Storm Shadow meet the Hard Master for tea. There, the Hard Master expresses his admiration for Scarlett’s skill but his disappointment in her lack of zeal for the clan. The final test will settle with a suicide mission.
Thompson uses the tour to set the stage for what’s to come by establishing the stakes if Scarlett fails. If she succeeds and returns, she’ll likely be admitted into the clan for life. If she dies, she dies.
The issue concludes with Scarlett parachuting onto the roof of a high-class business skyscraper, controlled by a rival clan. Her mission? Steal an ancient weapon that originally belonged to the Arishikage.
Is it the same weapon Scarlett was sent to steal from the Arishikage? Unknown. This point makes the story a bit muddled/confusing because it doesn’t make sense that Scarlett would be sent in to steal a weapon from the Arishikage that they don’t have. Further, the key criticism from the last issue repeats in this issue, namely that this story looks and reads like a generic spy story without any of the hallmarks to tip readers off that Scarlett is connected to G.I. Joe.
Artwork and Presentation:
Marco Ferrari’s art is serviceable at best. Ferrari’s figure work is decent enough, but the fight choreography is abysmal, and Ferrari’s integration of characters into their surroundings is almost non-existent due to the lack of shadows and detail.
Art Samples:
The Bigger Picture:
Series Continuity:
The Scarlett series is part of Skybound’s interconnected Energon universe, which would imply some crossover between Scarlett’s adventure and something to do with the Transformers. So far, the interconnected aspects have yet to appear. It’s possible the “ancient weapon” is Transformers-related, so we’ll see what the future holds.
Final Thoughts:
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SCARLETT #2 pulls our hero deeper undercover when she’s tested beyond her limits to be accepted by the Arishikage clan. Kelly Thompson does a fine job elevating Scarlett and the clan through strong character work, but the art is sub-par, the lack of G.I. Joe hallmarks keeps this story from progressing beyond generic spy fodder, and the interconnectedness with the Energon universe is nowhere to be found.
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