Scarlet #2

Scarlet steps up her vendetta against the Portland police department by concocting a very-involved scheme targeting the detective who did her wrong.   

The Good   

You know, I always enjoy a good case of characters breaking the fourth wall.  I'd call this a psychotic riff on Alfie or Ferris Bueller, but that'd be selling short this truly-involving style of this book, which is delirious mix of acid burn and personable realism. While I've got some issues with what's perhaps on over-reliance on photo references, Maleev still crafts an intoxicating dreamworld of color and texture in these pages. I especially liked the abstract approach he takes to storytelling and layout throughout this, as you see them all-too-rarely in mainstream comics these days.

The Bad   

I love experimental and unconventional art styles, but I wish Maleev hadn't used doctored photos for the scenery as much he did. Or, at least, I would've preferred if he worked them over to be closer to his line art. Sometimes this looks like an Italian fulmetti and other times it looks like drawings that've been superimposed over photos, because they don't quite fit. 

The Verdict - 4/5  

I'm glad that Bendis is finally getting back to his roots with a honest-to-goodness crime thriller. It's been far too long since we've seen him do his thing in the likes of Torso and Jinx.  It's also refreshing to see an indy-style comic with Marvel's level of production value. I'm looking forward to being able to enjoy Scarlet in full, as is surely the best way to experience it.