SCARLETT #3, by Image Comics & Skybound on 8/7/24, sends G.I. Joe’s greatest spy on a deadly mission for the Arishikage to retrieve a rare and dangerous weapon from the Mugenonami clan.
Credits:
- Writer: Kelly Thompson
- Artist: Marco Ferrari
- Colorist: Lee Loughridge
- Letterer: Rus Wooton
- Cover Artist: Marco Ferrari, Lee Loughridge
- Publisher: Image Comics
- Release Date: August 7, 2024
- Comic Rating: Teen
- Cover Price: $3.99
- Page Count: 32
- Format: Single Issue
Covers:
Analysis of SCARLETT #3:
First Impressions:
Writer Kelly Thompson takes readers on a thrill ride adventure by sending Scarlett on an impossible mission to steal a heavily guarded thing. If that sentence sounds confusing, that was intentional. Scarlett #3 works if you pay attention to the spirit of action and adventure, but the key ingredient missing from the story is the stakes. What good is dangerous action when you don’t know what you’re fighting for?
Plot Analysis:
When last we left Scarlett in Scarlett #2, her attempts at becoming a trusted member of the Arishikage involved escaping locked rooms, killing low-level ninjas, and keeping a safe but watchful distance from Jinx. The issue ended with the Hard Master sending Scarlett on a final test to infiltrate a rival clan’s ultra-secure skyscraper to steal a rare and precious weapon.
In Scarlett #3, we pick up with Scarlett from the end of issue #2, Scarlett HALO’d to the roof of the SATO II: The Tiger building. When her arrival was noticed by guards, she leaped from the central atrium. Now, we see she somehow entered the stories-tall fish tank in the center of the building’s lobby. Avoiding sharks, and the armed guards, Scarlett enters an access panel at the bottom of the columnar tank to weave her way through the building’s service corridors.
Right off, there’s a disconnect between issues #2 and #3. When Scarlett leaped off the upper floor landing in issue #2, there was no hint that she was jumping into a tank. Also, why jump into a tank where you’re fully visible by guards, and your progress toward the only access panel would be greatly slowed by the crushing pressure on the bottom of the tank that would realistically kill a human? It’s not very smart, but it looks kind of cool, which is probably the only reason Kelly Thompson invented this scene. In short, it’s cool but dumb.
Scarlett snakes her way through blind corners, narrow hallways, and darkened doorways. When she encounters Mugenonami resistance, the guards are men dressed in suits while wielding samurai swords. Scarlett is able to dispatch the men with her sword while completely missing the men in a close-quartered, narrow hallway. During one of the brief skirmishes, Scarlett is cut on her right flank by a sword.
Again, Kelly Thompson opts for the “do something cool, even if it doesn’t make sense” approach for Scarlett. How do you miss three men in a short, narrow hallway while spraying to uzis? Why are the guards of an ultra-secure highrise only equipped with swords? Again, it’s cool but dumb.
Scarlett eventually arrives at the deepest sub-level containing the power generators. Why? Disabling the power shuts down the laser field around the special thing Jinx, Storm Shadow, and the Arishikage ninjas are trying to steal in the next building over, the SATO III. After a tussle, Scarlett blows up the generators.
The issue concludes with an impressive trek back the way she came… unimpeded, a daring bit of grappling work, and a helicopter with a familiar symbol arriving to claim the prize.
Overall, the issue is packed with nonstop action, adventure, and excitement. However, the moment you pause to think about what just happened, you immediately realize that things happen that don’t make sense for the sake of looking cool, and after three issues (two left to go), you still have no idea what Scarlett is after.
Artwork and Presentation:
Marco Ferrari’s art is fine for the story being told. It’s not great, and it’s not terrible. Ferrari’s visuals are just okay. There’s a “squiggly” component to Ferrari’s style that keeps the action from looking as sharp as it could be, but the backgrounds help keep the art from dipping too close to Riley Rossmo’s twinkle toes territory.
Art Samples:
The Bigger Picture:
Series Continuity:
If you’ve been reading this title with the expectation that this miniseries fits within the interconnected Energon Universe, we can neither confirm nor deny that is the case. So far, nothing that’s occurred in this story has anything to do with Energon or the Transformers.
It is possible that the rare thing that everyone is after is some kind of Cybertronian tech, but that would just be a guess. Otherwise, this is a one-off story centering on a member of G.I. Joe.
Final Thoughts:
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SCARLETT #3 takes readers on a non-stop action ride from start to finish with G.I. Joe’s greatest spy. That said, much of the action is nonsensical, and the central premise lacks stakes because neither Scarlett nor the readers know what she’s trying to steal. Further, the art is just okay. On the whole, this is Skybound’s weakest Energon title by far.
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