Category: Scarlet

Scarlet (2010) #3

S3

Okay, Bendis is still pretty heavy into the silliness–he needs to do a comic about being a middle-aged comic book writer who decides he wants to be a woman, it would fit him–but it’s hard to complain when the ending has protagonist Scarlet shooting some cops in cold blood with a sniper rifle.

That commitment to being out there is something Bendis didn’t do the first issue and didn’t really do the second issue (we find out this issue about a bunch of torture we missed out on). Sure, Bendis is just taking a page from Ennis here….

But the Walt Disney Company is publishing a comic book advocating the murder of police officers.

No matter what–Secret Invasion, Siege, Jinx–one has to admire Bendis for getting this book out there from them… which doesn’t make it worth reading. Though Maleev does make it worth seeing.

Scarlet (2010) #2

S2

Bendis does write himself some likable hipster chicks. Scarlet is basically just Alias applied to something else, which is fine. This issue is a lot better since the reader already has had to accept Bendis’s silly plot line (one has to wonder how much Criminal influenced him), so coming back to it… it’s just based on the specific issue content, which is generally fine.

The art might make the book worth a look–it certainly gets one through at times. It’s a very good approach to a finite story, the way Bendis has Scarlet talk to the reader. It’s not revolutionary, but it’s a narrative method good for comics not many people use right now.

Unfortunately, it’s not really finite enough. If Bendis had drug it out, made her killing the dirty cop a lengthy journey into the heart of darkness…. But, he didn’t. He’s trying to sell a movie.

Scarlet (2010) #1

S1

For a second, maybe the first half of the issue, I was going to say Scarlet is the best writing Bendis has done since Alias. Then the second half happened and I realized it’s just Bendis on a podium, but not one he’s going to take any responsibility for.

I mean, the story turns out to be about corrupt, drug-addled, white trash Portland, OR cops and getting back at them. So why doesn’t Bendis, who’s a successful media producer, take his first issue and go and get some feedback from the Portland police and print it instead of his self-congratulatory letter pages?

The Maleev artwork is fantastic. No, I won’t make–oh, wow, he did this on a computer comment–but it’s sort of there. The layouts are great, there’s clearly a lot of work in the art.

And there’s some work in the writing. But not enough.

Scarlet 3 (November 2010)

775362.jpg
Okay, Bendis is still pretty heavy into the silliness–he needs to do a comic about being a middle-aged comic book writer who decides he wants to be a woman, it would fit him–but it’s hard to complain when the ending has protagonist Scarlet shooting some cops in cold blood with a sniper rifle.

That commitment to being out there is something Bendis didn’t do the first issue and didn’t really do the second issue (we find out this issue about a bunch of torture we missed out on). Sure, Bendis is just taking a page from Ennis here….

But the Walt Disney Company is publishing a comic book advocating the murder of police officers.

No matter what–Secret Invasion, Siege, Jinx–one has to admire Bendis for getting this book out there from them… which doesn’t make it worth reading. Though Maleev does make it worth seeing.

CREDITS

Writer, Brian Michael Bendis; artist and colorist, Alex Maleev; letterer, Chris Eliopoulos; editor, Jennifer Grünwald; publisher, Icon.

Scarlet 2 (September 2010)

762650.jpg
Bendis does write himself some likable hipster chicks. Scarlet is basically just Alias applied to something else, which is fine. This issue is a lot better since the reader already has had to accept Bendis’s silly plot line (one has to wonder how much Criminal influenced him), so coming back to it… it’s just based on the specific issue content, which is generally fine.

The art might make the book worth a look–it certainly gets one through at times. It’s a very good approach to a finite story, the way Bendis has Scarlet talk to the reader. It’s not revolutionary, but it’s a narrative method good for comics not many people use right now.

Unfortunately, it’s not really finite enough. If Bendis had drug it out, made her killing the dirty cop a lengthy journey into the heart of darkness…. But, he didn’t. He’s trying to sell a movie.

CREDITS

Writer, Brian Michael Bendis; artist and colorist, Alex Maleev; letterer, Chris Eliopoulos; editor, Jennifer Grünwald; publisher, Icon.

Scarlet 1 (July 2010)

755014.jpg
For a second, maybe the first half of the issue, I was going to say Scarlet is the best writing Bendis has done since Alias. Then the second half happened and I realized it’s just Bendis on a podium, but not one he’s going to take any responsibility for.

I mean, the story turns out to be about corrupt, drug-addled, white trash Portland, OR cops and getting back at them. So why doesn’t Bendis, who’s a successful media producer, take his first issue and go and get some feedback from the Portland police and print it instead of his self-congratulatory letter pages?

The Maleev artwork is fantastic. No, I won’t make–oh, wow, he did this on a computer comment–but it’s sort of there. The layouts are great, there’s clearly a lot of work in the art.

And there’s some work in the writing. But not enough.

CREDITS

Writer, Brian Michael Bendis; artist and colorist, Alex Maleev; letterer, Chris Eliopoulos; editor, C.B. Cebulski; publisher, Icon.