20th out of 118 books
—
25 voters
Scarlet, Vol. 1
THE AWARD WINNING, BEST SELLING POWERHOUSE CREATIVE TEAM BEHIND DAREDEVIL, HALO, AND THE AVENGERS UNLEASH THEIR 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 wh...more
Hardcover, 176 pages
Published
July 20th 2011
by Marvel
(first published July 20th 2010)
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I love this for so many reasons. I will count the ways.

1) Scarlet is a gun-toting, redheaded, vigilante. What's not to love?
2) She demolishes the fourth wall, talking directly to the reader and challenging you to act.
3) The art is amazing and so realistic. Alex Maleev appears to be working from photographs, he must be. I'm hooked on him now. Hunting down Daredevil trades and anything else his golden hand has touched.
4) The pages that show major life events in Scarlet and Gabriel's lives are...more

1) Scarlet is a gun-toting, redheaded, vigilante. What's not to love?
2) She demolishes the fourth wall, talking directly to the reader and challenging you to act.
3) The art is amazing and so realistic. Alex Maleev appears to be working from photographs, he must be. I'm hooked on him now. Hunting down Daredevil trades and anything else his golden hand has touched.
4) The pages that show major life events in Scarlet and Gabriel's lives are...more
A corrupt cop kills a teen boy over drugs the boy didn't have. The boy's girlfriend is also hit but survives. This is her story.
"Scarlet" is a very timely story of a general malaise in most peoples' outlooks on life. They look around and see corruption in institutions which were once sacred, and the apathy that allows this way of life to continue. Recently this took the form of the Occupy movements but in this book writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Alex Maleev take things further with Scarl...more
"Scarlet" is a very timely story of a general malaise in most peoples' outlooks on life. They look around and see corruption in institutions which were once sacred, and the apathy that allows this way of life to continue. Recently this took the form of the Occupy movements but in this book writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Alex Maleev take things further with Scarl...more
"Ferris Bueler's Day Off" meets "V For Vendetta"
but wait... that's a good thing
Scarlet is a young 20 year-old girl that attracts one of those "cops" attention.
We've all been there... the cop that wants to assert his authority by taking it out on a couple of young punks for loitering or whatever. However, this time it goes a little too far and really bad things happen.
Scarlet doesn't have any super-powers, she doesn't wear tights, she doesn't have an utility belt, she's cute but far from the sexy...more
but wait... that's a good thing
Scarlet is a young 20 year-old girl that attracts one of those "cops" attention.
We've all been there... the cop that wants to assert his authority by taking it out on a couple of young punks for loitering or whatever. However, this time it goes a little too far and really bad things happen.
Scarlet doesn't have any super-powers, she doesn't wear tights, she doesn't have an utility belt, she's cute but far from the sexy...more

First volumes are tough. Tough to gauge, tough to judge. Even with series that are well on their way and have gone some length toward establishing themselves, talking about first volumes isn't always easy. Some of my favourite books are marred by less-than-stellar, less-than-representative first volumes. Fables ' initial story had me convinced the series was very much not my thing (though it later turned out to be very much my thing). Usagi Yojimbo , for all its storied perfections, boasts a fir...more
In Portland, OR, a corrupt cop kills a boyfriend, sending the protagonist Scarlet on a revolutionary rampage to root out corruption in powerful positions, which she does with violence.
First, a note about the interesting and problematic techniques:
(A) Scarlet gives these wonderful voice-overs that are in square blocks--like captions--but with tails that lead to her--like typical word balloons. That VO narration nicely situates us in Scarlet's head; but since the VO is attached to her as if she w...more
First, a note about the interesting and problematic techniques:
(A) Scarlet gives these wonderful voice-overs that are in square blocks--like captions--but with tails that lead to her--like typical word balloons. That VO narration nicely situates us in Scarlet's head; but since the VO is attached to her as if she w...more
What would happen if someone decided to change things? Not complain, not protest, not write their congressman--actually stand up and hold the people in power accountable for what they do with the only punishment they seem to understand?
That's the driving force behind Scarlet, the story of a girl (named Scarlet) whose life is shattered by the arrogant, drug-fueled actions of a crooked cop. When she discovers that not only was the truth covered up but he was granted a promotion, Scarlet snaps. She...more
That's the driving force behind Scarlet, the story of a girl (named Scarlet) whose life is shattered by the arrogant, drug-fueled actions of a crooked cop. When she discovers that not only was the truth covered up but he was granted a promotion, Scarlet snaps. She...more
The last time I visited Chicago, I visited One Stop Comics and noticed several issues of a comic called Scarlet. Each cover seemed to be reaching hard to look as “alternative” as possible, with its redheaded protagonist always brandishing guns and making serious faces. The covers reminded me of Synthia “Sin” Schmidt from Captain America.
Modern comics love a ginger with a gun, I guess. Sin was a hyperactive snot of a villain for Marvel, rushing around with pistols and laughing at death and destru...more
Modern comics love a ginger with a gun, I guess. Sin was a hyperactive snot of a villain for Marvel, rushing around with pistols and laughing at death and destru...more
Revolution.
That's the theme of Bendis's latest creator-owned effort, starring the amazing art work of his long-time collaborator Alex Maleev (Daredevil, Spider-woman, Moon Knight). Scarlet is a woman pushed too far by all that's wrong with the world, and from a tragic beginning is set to inspire a modern American revolution.
The main device of the book is that Scarlet talks right to us, breaking the fourth wall throughout. In fact, there's more fourth wall breaking than actual dialogue, which is...more
That's the theme of Bendis's latest creator-owned effort, starring the amazing art work of his long-time collaborator Alex Maleev (Daredevil, Spider-woman, Moon Knight). Scarlet is a woman pushed too far by all that's wrong with the world, and from a tragic beginning is set to inspire a modern American revolution.
The main device of the book is that Scarlet talks right to us, breaking the fourth wall throughout. In fact, there's more fourth wall breaking than actual dialogue, which is...more
I've been wanting to read this one for MONTHS. It was on a recommended booklist by YALSA, and the sheer fact that I didn't have it in my local library and had to request it from the system made me want it even more (I'm all about instant gratification with books). All that being said, I finally got my hands on it and was...pleased. I won't say it's the best story or art I've ever seen in a graphic novel, but it was a solidly enjoyable read. The art was "interesting" in its less polished form tha...more
I have to say, I really like Bendis. Bendis always catches me from page one of his graphics. Now sometimes I've followed Bendis down a path and wasn't quite sure why I continued. Sometimes he's all over the place or too dark or perhaps too abstract. And honestly a book about a cop killing teen shouldn't have kept me up reading. But it did and I consumed it so fast that I know I will anxiously await the next binding. Also it makes me want to dig up my Powers, Alias, Pulse comics and graphics out...more
I'd have ranked this book 5 star if there was complete closure, but instead we get a To Be Continued and can expect yet another story arc. That's unfortunate because it's like grading the snippets of a work rather than the whole shebang. Brian Bendis, as usual, is at top form here and I really liked his talk-to-the-reader narrative approach inside the comic. It reminded me of the movie High Fidelity or the faux-documentary style used on The Office or Parks and Recreation on television. This is a...more
I was a little put-off by the Sex-and-Violence cover to this novel.
But reading it, it's not sexy and the violence is very understandable and completely appropriate to the plot.
Amazon says, "A woman who discovers within herself the power to start a modern American revolution!!"
Um, okay.
I might describe it as a woman who has always been on the fringes of conventionality but quietly living her life, exploring who she is. Then a dirty cop tries to shake down her boyfriend and her because they fit th...more
But reading it, it's not sexy and the violence is very understandable and completely appropriate to the plot.
Amazon says, "A woman who discovers within herself the power to start a modern American revolution!!"
Um, okay.
I might describe it as a woman who has always been on the fringes of conventionality but quietly living her life, exploring who she is. Then a dirty cop tries to shake down her boyfriend and her because they fit th...more
Well that was a surprising read from creators I thought I knew. Bendis' trademark back-and-forth sassy dialogue is still firmly part of the storyline, but so is a more engaging style and some pretty shocking and in-your-face confrontation of the system (though not too much to be confused with an actual manifesto or call to arms).
Mostly I think it's shocking because I see Bendis having attained a level of comfort and privilege in his "chief architect" role, frequent consultant-to-the-movies and a...more
Mostly I think it's shocking because I see Bendis having attained a level of comfort and privilege in his "chief architect" role, frequent consultant-to-the-movies and a...more
Although I did like this book, I really had hoped to have liked it a bit more. The story and plot is engrossing and pulled me in and held onto me. The protagonist is both likable and sympathetic. Ultimately, what holds back a better rating from me is the artwork, more specifically the use of human models that the artist uses. A person simply called "Iva" is credited as being the model for Scarlet. It is as if the artist took photographic pictures of persons in different poses of action and in co...more
Bendis and Maleev. I can't think of two creators that would get me more excited to read a book. I was so interested in Scarlet I even bought it in hardcover which I rarely do since I've bought a few new series in hardcover and not really cared for them and then wondered why I spent the extra money in the first place. Bendis writes teenagers very well and the beginning of Scarlet really highlights that. He breaks the fourth wall well in Scarlet too. As the focus of the plot starts to widen, that...more
This is Bendis trying to be clever by breaking the fourth wall, for what seems to be no good reason other than to appear to be clever. (If it was done to engage the reader; well, sorry, didn't work.) He also seems to want to make some kind of comment about society.
Well, here's the thing: it's boring as hell.
Visually and verbally, the setup is slow, and there doesn't seem to be any payoffs. It seemed to me like it was something written for film, with Milla Jovovich in the lead (the film would h...more
Well, here's the thing: it's boring as hell.
Visually and verbally, the setup is slow, and there doesn't seem to be any payoffs. It seemed to me like it was something written for film, with Milla Jovovich in the lead (the film would h...more
El primer capitulo de este volumen es quizás lo más directo que ha escrito Bendis desde que se volvió una estrella (desde que tomo The Avengers y el universo Marvel bajo control).
Si. Sigue lleno de sus famosas "talking heads". Si, sigue repitiendo cuadros solo para enfatizar un pequeño momento. Pero también cuenta años completos en la vida de sus personajes con splash pages. Logra que los conozcas, que te importe lo que les pasa.
Scarlet como héroe esta entre su Ultimate Spider-Man y una actuali...more
Si. Sigue lleno de sus famosas "talking heads". Si, sigue repitiendo cuadros solo para enfatizar un pequeño momento. Pero también cuenta años completos en la vida de sus personajes con splash pages. Logra que los conozcas, que te importe lo que les pasa.
Scarlet como héroe esta entre su Ultimate Spider-Man y una actuali...more
Scarlet Rue was a normal girl - until a coked-out police officer's "drug arrest" left her boyfriend dead and herself in the hospital. Deciding that such injustices needed to be revealed, Scarlet has taken it upon herself to ignite a revolution against corruption. Using dirty cops and a campaign of truth, one wonders just how far Scarlet can - and will - go in her quest. Brian Bendis does a solid job of making the tragic Scarlet into a well-meaning figure by breaking the fourth wall and having he...more
I'm generally a big fan of Brian Bendis' writing, but this book is something special. It's a call to arms for the Little Guy against The Establishment ... a screed against police and government corruption, as well as social complacency ... and it's both terribly prosaic and non-super-heroic even while being a the stuff of myth, all blended with a variety of flash-backs, -forwards, Fourth Wall-breaking, and generally innovative tale-telling styles.
Alex Maleev, Bendis' long-time collaborator, has...more
Alex Maleev, Bendis' long-time collaborator, has...more
Scarlet wants revenge on the cop that killed her boyfriend just to keep his secrets. Rather then just settling for personal revenge, she ends up starting a revolution with her boyfriends best friend. Very dark and gritty but at the same time there is lots of hope creeping around the edges. Scarlett is so angry and she's just running on that anger, that is what has kept her going. At the end she is preparing to step into that role that both she and the people have created for her. It will be inte...more
The characters are engaging, but the opening with all the fourth-wall dialogue is just annoying, and I never really buy the premise that Scarlet is such a nobody that the cops don't find her right away. There's a scene where they're on her tail, and she disappears, leaving behind a red wig. "Aha," they go. "Now we know she's not a redhead."
Puh-lease. If this whole sage is going to be based on the requirement that the bad guys are stupid, I don't want to read it. There's a "John the Prophet" kind...more
Puh-lease. If this whole sage is going to be based on the requirement that the bad guys are stupid, I don't want to read it. There's a "John the Prophet" kind...more
While hanging out one day, Scarlet and a group of friends are targeted by a corrupt cop. When they resist him, Scarlet and her boyfriend are shot. Her boyfriend dies, and when Scarlet recovers, she learns that the corrupt cop is being hailed as a hero. Scarlet then makes it her life's mission to rid the world of all corruption.
Another graphic novel featuring a busty, scantily clad girl participating in excessive violence? I wasn't looking forward to this read...but as I read, I found myself bei...more
Another graphic novel featuring a busty, scantily clad girl participating in excessive violence? I wasn't looking forward to this read...but as I read, I found myself bei...more
This is fairly intense; a Portland girl goes unhinged when a corrupt cop kills her boyfriend and shoots her too. She decides that the world should be fair, and sets about making it so, by any means necessary. The first volume is setting the stage of her and the movement forming around her - I'm curious where the story goes from here. It's at the crossroads between 'what would happen if somebody actually DID something about corruption' and 'do the ends justify the means?' It doesn't offer answers...more
I liked this book in a previous read and still do.
(view spoiler)...more
(view spoiler)...more
Scarlet is about a twentysomething lady who gets fucking pissed at the vileness and wickedness in the world where her boyfriend is shot by a cop on the drug take. She talks to the reader, it's like she's accusing them of not paying enough attention and facing the reality. It's vicious, merciless noir, and it's great. I am very impatient for more, and it's probably the best one-volume graphic novel I've read all year.
The timing is also incredible, for all of the revolts spreading across the plane...more
The timing is also incredible, for all of the revolts spreading across the plane...more
Mar 03, 2012
Nicolas Ronvel
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
comics,
contemporary
Une bonne surprise que cette Scarlet. Je ne savais pas vraiment à quoi m'attendre, et j'ai été surpris, en bien.
Pour commencer, le dessin m'a bien accroché, et colle je trouve parfaitement avec l'ambiance. C'est très terne, avec parfois quelques fulgurances.
Le scénario, ensuite, m'a bien transporté. Je veux en savoir plus. C'est politique, terre à terre, contemporain, et intelligent. Les dialogues des personnages avec le lecteur surprennent au début, mais se révèlent fort bien trouvés.
J'ai hâte...more
Pour commencer, le dessin m'a bien accroché, et colle je trouve parfaitement avec l'ambiance. C'est très terne, avec parfois quelques fulgurances.
Le scénario, ensuite, m'a bien transporté. Je veux en savoir plus. C'est politique, terre à terre, contemporain, et intelligent. Les dialogues des personnages avec le lecteur surprennent au début, mais se révèlent fort bien trouvés.
J'ai hâte...more
Scarlet is about a highly trained badass assassin who preys on corrupt cops. No wait, it's about a victimized young woman with a message of revolution and anti-corruption. Fight the system!
In the first panel, she skillfully and remorselessly kills a man. And beats the shit out of a bike thief for good measure. Scarlet then speaks directly to the reader while recounting her story, why she is what she is and does what she does. And it turns out that (view spoiler)...more
In the first panel, she skillfully and remorselessly kills a man. And beats the shit out of a bike thief for good measure. Scarlet then speaks directly to the reader while recounting her story, why she is what she is and does what she does. And it turns out that (view spoiler)...more
I got a copy of this graphic novel for Christmas. It was a good read, it is dark and gritty. Full of lots of action with a great anti-hero type of heroine that you can't help but root for.
Scarlet fell in love once; then her boyfriend was brutally murdered by a cop gone wrong. Now Scarlet has a vendetta...to eliminate all of the dirty cops in the Portland and to destroy the system that lets them get away with their evil deeds. All she needs is a huge ass sniper rifle and a little support in the f...more
Scarlet fell in love once; then her boyfriend was brutally murdered by a cop gone wrong. Now Scarlet has a vendetta...to eliminate all of the dirty cops in the Portland and to destroy the system that lets them get away with their evil deeds. All she needs is a huge ass sniper rifle and a little support in the f...more
Interesting story with a badass female protagonist. A few of the characters also addressed the reader, a la John Cusack in High Fidelity, which lent the story a unique immediacy unlike what a standard "narrator" voice would have done. For me it took some getting used to. I would have liked the book much better if it weren't so terribly obvious that all of the images were modeled directly from photographs, and then reused throughout certain scenes, which became distracting really quickly, and sma...more
I'm not usually a big fan of Brian Michael Bendis. I find him a little too wordy and over-the-top with his thought bubbles. Scarlet, similar to his other title Takio, was a pleasant surprise. Bendis is really trying to up female protagonists in graphic novels. While this is certainly darker (both literally and figuratively) than Takio, Scarlet presents an awesomely strong woman. It doesn't turn her into a superhero. She's just a normal teenage girl with a serious rage issue and a thirst for veng...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Graphic Novel Rea...: Official 13th Book Club Discussion: Scarlet, Vol. 1 by Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev - January 2013 (may contain spoilers) | 34 | 64 | Feb 10, 2013 05:22pm |
A comic book writer and erstwhile artist. He has won critical acclaim (including five Eisner Awards) and is one of the most successful writers working in mainstream comics. For over eight years Bendis’s books have consistently sat in the top five best sellers on the nationwide comic and graphic novel sales charts.
Though he started as a writer and artist of independent noir fiction series, he shot...more
More about Brian Michael Bendis...
Though he started as a writer and artist of independent noir fiction series, he shot...more
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See, the art's cool until you get to everyday things like conversations. These will almost always look uncanny valley kinds of weird.



















Yeah, Baby, Yeah! LOL... Sorry, Kinda got my "Austin Powers" on....more
Dec 20, 2012 06:30pm
Dec 20, 2012 06:35pm