Scarlett #4 Review

 

Writer: Kelly Thompson

Artist: Marco Ferrari

Colorist: Lee Loughridge

Letterer: Rus Wooton

Editor: Ben Abernathy

Logo & Publication Design: Andres Juarez

Production: Jillian Crab

Cover Artists: Marco Ferrari & Lee Loughridge; Yasmine Putri; Gleb Melnikov; Vasco Georgiev; Chuma Hill

Publisher: Image Comics

Price: $3.99

Release Date: September 4, 2024

 

Scarlett parachuted onto the Mugenonami’s Sato II Tiger skyscraper, blew a rooftop door, dived into an eight-story shark tank, and destroyed the generator protecting the Soul Of The Arashnikage. Then she fired a cable to the top of Sato III Sakura, swung through the evening sky to the adjacent tower, and crashed through plate glass into Floor 47. Jinx greets her, and Scarlett is glad she can finally talk with her friend. Will Jinx and Scarlett help Storm Shadow steal the Soul Of The Arashnikage? Or should they escape and return to the United States? Let’s grab our crossbows, leap into Scarlett #4, and find out!

 

Story

Jinx greets Scarlett in whispers. Then, Jinx signals the presence of cameras and microphones. Jinx tells Scarlett to follow her, and they join Storm Shadow in the room where the Mugenonami keeps the Arashnikagi’s ancient weapon. Scarlett is overjoyed to be with Jinx. Yet her suicide mission exhausted her. She stumbles over her tongue. Storm Shadow catches her out. But he's more worried about the Soul Of The Arashnikage. The weapon slipped beneath the floor when the energy shield died. And when Scarlett gazes through the hole, she knows it didn't drop into Floor 46.

 

Storm Shadow tells her the Mugenonami are massing on Floor 44 and charges off to investigate. Jinx leads Scarlett outside the room and detonates an EMP. Now, they have two minutes to catch up before the building's security system reboots. It's not much after years of separation, but it's all they've got.

 

Stalker sent Jinx to infiltrate the Arashnikage. He sent Scarlett to find out why Jinx hasn't returned. Jinx wastes no time giving Scarlett the intel she has gathered on the Arashnikage’s organization and activities. Scarlett tells Jinx that Snowjob is waiting nearby. They can leave together with the intel and return to the United States. Instead, Scarlett’s worst fears come true. Jinx won’t leave the Arashnikage and feels dutybound to reclaim the Soul Of The Arashnikage. Jinx asserts that the Arashnikage might even become allies of the United States.

 

Jinx mentions an emerging world power named COBRA. Jinx fears the rival organization gaining control of the Soul Of The Arashnikage. But Scarlett must decide. Should she take Jinx's intel back to Stalker? Or should Scarlett help Jinx and Storm Shadow fulfill their mission and bring the Soul Of The Arashnikage back to Hard Master?

 

In Scarlett #4, Scarlett faces many difficult choices. Her training gives her an edge over Storm Shadow. If Scarlett helps secure the ancient weapon, she can join the clan and remain with her beloved Jinx. But why does everyone want the Soul Of The Arashnikage?

 

Art

Jinx lifts two fingers, shakes her hand, and runs away. Scarlett follows into a circular room. Semicircular couches surround a bullseye on the floor. Scarlett kneels beside a man’s severed hips and legs and stares into the sparking hole. When Storm Shadow runs away, Scarlett follows Jinx back into the hallway. Jinx raises a finger to her lips, presses a hand to her collarbone, and squeezes the button of a sparking device with her other hand.

 

Storm Shadow pins a man to the floor with two swords. Lee Loughridge bathes Marco Ferrari's martial arts symphony in red. As Storm Shadow kicks, slices, and stabs amid the red haze, a red emergency light likewise colors the hall where Jinx confers with Scarlett in her sleeveless red tunic. While the red lighting tinges Storm Shadow's white outfit with brown and turns his blue utility belt red, it gives Scarlett's hair an orange hue and turns Scarlett's white and blue outfit light and dark gray. Later in Scarlett #4, the girls gaze out windows at a purple sky and fight amid beige and orange panels until armored figures with a familiar red symbol emblazoned on their shoulders and chests enter the room.

 

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 #4. Sound effects help us hear Storm Shadow slice his way across Floor 44 and COBRA fire on our heroines. Thanks to Image Comics, Skybound, and Hasbro for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

The US military kept holding Scarlett back. Arashnikage could give Scarlett everything she wants. But staying with Jinx and living her life on the edge means letting the clan use the ancient weapon Stalker wants. In Scarlett #4, she must decide if she can trust Jinx and who should wield the Soul Of The Arashnikage.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

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