Scarlet #1

It is hard to explain the excitement that filled me when I found out a few months ago that Scarlet, an original series by Brian Bendis and Alex Maleev was coming out. These two individuals are one of the best teams to ever enter comics, starting out with their run on Daredevil up till the most recent endeavor prior to Scarlet, Spider-Woman. So I knew before reading this issue, that there was a slim chance that this series could be a disappointing one, and boy was I right.

The majority of the issue focuses on introducing the reader to Scarlet as a character, breaking the forth wall and having herself explain her actions that took place at the very beginning of the issue, as well as explaining her life story in some very comical, over simplified panels that gave the reader a feel for the character in a short amount of time.

The story is a very violent one, consisting of not one, but two murders. It is illustrated beautifully by Alex Maleev, one of the best artists out there in comics today; he can not only bring a character to life like no other artist, but he also has some of the most amazing backgrounds and color pallets ever used. As for Brian Bendis, he is one of the best dialogue writers in the industry. He made the words that Scarlet was saying to the reader feel as though they were coming from a real person, filled with emotion.

This was a very powerful first issue, setting up the character and the premise for the story beautifully, without giving away any of the next issues storyline and leaving the reader completely open to figure out what is going to happen next. The only downside to the book is that it is going to be Bi-Monthly which in my opinion is never fun, especially for an up and coming book like Scarlet but, this should provide adequate time for Maleev to provide another beautiful issue to the readers. I am eagerly awaiting issue 2 in two months and applaud Benis and Maleev for another job well done.

10 out of 10

*Originally posted on the Chris' Comics Official Website