Scarlett #3 Review

 

Writer: Kelly Thompson

Artist: Marco Ferrari

Colorist: Lee Loughridge

Letterer: Rus Wooton

Editor: Ben Abernathy

Cover Artists: Marco Ferrari & Lee Loughridge; Marcio Takara; Gleb Melnikov; Jeff Spokes; Eric Canete; Marco Turini

Publisher: Image Comics

Price: $3.99

Release Date: August 7, 2024

 

Scarlett escaped her bonds and killed some of Clan Arashikage’s best ninjas. Hard Master and Storm Shadow were impressed. Still, why should they accept her? They value loyalty, and she's given the US military the boot. Scarlett undertook a suicide mission to change their minds. She parachuted onto a Yakuza-held skyscraper, blew a rooftop door, and gazed down the tower’s central atrium to the distant lobby. Can Scarlett survive the fall, deactivate the Yakuza’s defense system, and help Storm Shadow and Jinx win back the Soul Of The Arashikage? Let’s grab our crossbows, leap into Scarlett #3, and find out!

 

Story

Clan Arashikage lost their ancient weapon. After a tireless search, Hard Master and Storm Shadow found it. But a rival clan possesses it and plans to sell it to a third party. If the Arashikage don’t capture it soon, who knows how long until they find it again?

 

As Scarlett hurtles toward the lobby and plunges into Sato II's eight-story water tank, she knows she's a decoy. While swimming with sharks, Scarlett also knows she's crucial to the mission's success. As she opens an access hatch on the bottom of the tank and activates the airlock, she doubtless wonders how the assault is going in Sato III. But Scarlett doesn't have time to think about the battle in the adjacent skyscraper. As she tranquilizes guards and battles Yakusa, death awaits her with every sword thrust, gunshot, and spinning Shuriken in Scarlett #3.

 

Scarlett found Storm Shadow's hospitality lacking. She has less cause for complaint in Kelly Thompson’s latest hanashi. As in the Arashikage compound, Scarlett made her luck. She studied Hard Shadow's architectural drawings to learn the buildings' secrets. While the Mugenonami guards rush toward the top of the tank, Scarlett heads for the control room and hacks into their communication system. She may not avoid conflict and injury, but her plans help her access the defense system in the heavily defended Yakusa stronghold.

 

Scarlett must knock out the machinery to help Storm Shadow, Jinx, and the ninja clan reclaim the Soul Of The Arashikage. She may not know Storm Shadow or the other ninjas well, but she traveled to the Arashikage compound and undertook this mission to reunite with Jinx. Her friend's life is on the line in Scarlett #3. She must succeed, or Jinx is as good as dead.

 

Art

A storm cloud rises from the middle of the water tank. Scarlett swims down through the page while silhouettes in a panel gaze up. She passes fish, rays, and sharks to reach the access panel. Straight lines suggest shadowed and corrugated surfaces. Crosshatching and autofill dots darken her body and mask.

 

A light drenches Scarlett in red as the water level falls. She trades the airlock for blue and green corridors and rooms. The feathers of a tranquilizer dart match her hair, while violence fills the air with yellow and orange. Intense fighting yields gouts of dark blood. As her adversaries fall, Scarlett removes her hand from her side. Her fingers glisten red.

 

Rus Wooton lavishes white dialogue balloons and narrative boxes filled with large uppercase black and colored letters on Marco Ferrari’s art and Lee Loughridge’s colors in Scarlett #3. Sound effects help us hear weapons fire, water systems cycle, throwing stars slice into walls, and the Mugenonami defense system bisect a ninja in Sato III. Thanks to Image Comics, Skybound, and Hasbro for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

As Scarlett and Jinx lead simultaneous attacks on two Mugenonami strongholds, Scarlett holds her friend's fate in her hands. She must succeed, or her friend dies. Scarlett doesn’t question her orders or debate the most ethical choice with her handler as she races to save Clan Arashikage’s ancient and powerful weapon in Scarlett #3. She was born for this. If only she could do it for the US military instead of a Japanese ninja clan!

 

Rating 9.2/10

 

For more cover art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.