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Scarlet #1-2
Absolute Scarlet
A young woman is pushed to the edge by a world filled by police brutality, government corruption and unspeakable crimes. It's all here in Brian Michael Bendis's iconic series Scarlet, now available in an oversize slipcase hardcover edition, complete with scripts, behind the scenes material, sketches and design concepts from both Bendis and illustrator Alex Maleev.
After a mysterious murder and a near-death experience, Scarlet Rue awakes from a coma with her world shattered. Fueled by rage, guilt and her vision of a better future, she takes the fight to her oppressors... and anyone else who gets in her way.
From Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev, the award-winning powerhouse creative team behind Daredevil, Iron Man and Moon Knight, comes an honest, no-holds-barred tale that tackles some of the most prevalent issues in modern American society in Absolute Scarlet. This hardcover Absolute edition is a must-have for all fans of the now-classic series, now included in DC's immaculate slipcased presentation. Collects issues #1-10.
After a mysterious murder and a near-death experience, Scarlet Rue awakes from a coma with her world shattered. Fueled by rage, guilt and her vision of a better future, she takes the fight to her oppressors... and anyone else who gets in her way.
From Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev, the award-winning powerhouse creative team behind Daredevil, Iron Man and Moon Knight, comes an honest, no-holds-barred tale that tackles some of the most prevalent issues in modern American society in Absolute Scarlet. This hardcover Absolute edition is a must-have for all fans of the now-classic series, now included in DC's immaculate slipcased presentation. Collects issues #1-10.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published November 20, 2014
2 people are currently reading
32 people want to read
About the author
Brian Michael Bendis
4,411 books2,589 followersA 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 to stardom as a writer of Marvel Comics' superhero books, particularly Ultimate Spider-Man.
Bendis first entered the comic world with the "Jinx" line of crime comics in 1995. This line has spawned the graphic novels Goldfish, Fire, Jinx, Torso (with Marc Andreyko), and Total Sell Out. Bendis is writing the film version of Jinx for Universal Pictures with Oscar-winner Charlize Theron attached to star and produce.
Bendis’s other projects include the Harvey, Eisner, and Eagle Award-nominated Powers (with Michael Avon Oeming) originally from Image Comics, now published by Marvel's new creator-owned imprint Icon Comics, and the Hollywood tell-all Fortune and Glory from Oni Press, both of which received an "A" from Entertainment Weekly.
Bendis is one of the premiere architects of Marvel's "Ultimate" line: comics specifically created for the new generation of comic readers. He has written every issue of Ultimate Spider-Man since its best-selling launch, and has also written for Ultimate Fantastic Four and Ultimate X-Men, as well as every issue of Ultimate Marvel Team-Up, Ultimate Origin and Ultimate Six.
Brian is currently helming a renaissance for Marvel’s AVENGERS franchise by writing both New Avengers and Mighty Avengers along with the successful ‘event’ projects House Of M, Secret War, and this summer’s Secret Invasion.
He has also previously done work on Daredevil, Alias, and The Pulse.
Though he started as a writer and artist of independent noir fiction series, he shot to stardom as a writer of Marvel Comics' superhero books, particularly Ultimate Spider-Man.
Bendis first entered the comic world with the "Jinx" line of crime comics in 1995. This line has spawned the graphic novels Goldfish, Fire, Jinx, Torso (with Marc Andreyko), and Total Sell Out. Bendis is writing the film version of Jinx for Universal Pictures with Oscar-winner Charlize Theron attached to star and produce.
Bendis’s other projects include the Harvey, Eisner, and Eagle Award-nominated Powers (with Michael Avon Oeming) originally from Image Comics, now published by Marvel's new creator-owned imprint Icon Comics, and the Hollywood tell-all Fortune and Glory from Oni Press, both of which received an "A" from Entertainment Weekly.
Bendis is one of the premiere architects of Marvel's "Ultimate" line: comics specifically created for the new generation of comic readers. He has written every issue of Ultimate Spider-Man since its best-selling launch, and has also written for Ultimate Fantastic Four and Ultimate X-Men, as well as every issue of Ultimate Marvel Team-Up, Ultimate Origin and Ultimate Six.
Brian is currently helming a renaissance for Marvel’s AVENGERS franchise by writing both New Avengers and Mighty Avengers along with the successful ‘event’ projects House Of M, Secret War, and this summer’s Secret Invasion.
He has also previously done work on Daredevil, Alias, and The Pulse.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 8, 2019
It would be a five if it actually would close OR if a follow-up volume was ever announced...
April 7, 2023
(Zero spoiler review) 2.25/5
I was looking forward to this. I was really looking forward to this. And having just finished it, I'm so god damn annoyed at this, I can barely compose myself enough to form a coherent sentence. Bendis and Maleev's team up for Daredevil was one of the best superhero stories I've read in quite a long time. So to have the same creative pair together again, delving once more into (what I thought was) a kick ass, bloody and beautiful crime noir. Like I said, I was looking forward to it. Unfortunately, what I got was plodding, poorly paced, unapologetically progressive manifesto. Seriously, this should have been a TikTok video, not a comic book. It goes nowhere, and it goes there slowly, and the characters are one-dimensional cut outs. And not a competent male character in sight. Yep, this book's got it all.
Filled with every cringe inducing trope, plot convenience and stereotype you could imagine. A very thorough exploration of just how bad this story is could be written, but I can't be assed doing it, and I don't do spoilers, despite this book doing its best to spoil my day. I wasn't having a terrible time until it decided to go full 2023 on me.
I love Alex Maleev's art, but you could kinda tell he was losing interest, cause the longer this went on, the less he seemed to give a shit. I could be wrong, but he was on autopilot by the end. I can't blame the guy, so was I in fairness.
I thought I'd nabbed a bargain, given how heavily this was discounted. I guess a lot of other people knew what I didn't. This isn't worth it, regardless of how cheap. Nope! Just nope! 2.25/5
OmniBen.
I was looking forward to this. I was really looking forward to this. And having just finished it, I'm so god damn annoyed at this, I can barely compose myself enough to form a coherent sentence. Bendis and Maleev's team up for Daredevil was one of the best superhero stories I've read in quite a long time. So to have the same creative pair together again, delving once more into (what I thought was) a kick ass, bloody and beautiful crime noir. Like I said, I was looking forward to it. Unfortunately, what I got was plodding, poorly paced, unapologetically progressive manifesto. Seriously, this should have been a TikTok video, not a comic book. It goes nowhere, and it goes there slowly, and the characters are one-dimensional cut outs. And not a competent male character in sight. Yep, this book's got it all.
Filled with every cringe inducing trope, plot convenience and stereotype you could imagine. A very thorough exploration of just how bad this story is could be written, but I can't be assed doing it, and I don't do spoilers, despite this book doing its best to spoil my day. I wasn't having a terrible time until it decided to go full 2023 on me.
I love Alex Maleev's art, but you could kinda tell he was losing interest, cause the longer this went on, the less he seemed to give a shit. I could be wrong, but he was on autopilot by the end. I can't blame the guy, so was I in fairness.
I thought I'd nabbed a bargain, given how heavily this was discounted. I guess a lot of other people knew what I didn't. This isn't worth it, regardless of how cheap. Nope! Just nope! 2.25/5
OmniBen.
September 11, 2023
As I write this review in the second half of 2023, it says a lot that Scarlet remains "timely" as endless reviews have described it as. This comic began in 2010 and didn't finish until nine years later. Scarlet details one woman's attempt to revolutionize police brutality in Portland after she experiences it firsthand; losing her boyfriend in the process.
To his credit, Brian Michael Bendis manages to be more nuanced than not with how his characters discuss these topics. However admittedly the story itself does lean heavily into the "kill the bad apples" mindset despite lampshading this take numerous times across the fifteen issue series. Scarlet is compelling at times, while at others it decides to not elucidate on events and just lets them happen. But in fairness, that happens aplenty in life as well. This series also breaks the fourth wall frequently as that is the way the story is told. I personally am not a fan of this style of comic writing generally but it stopped bothering me a few issues in.
Another criticism I had is that as the series goes on Scarlet faces little challenge in her revolution from allies; instead having head-to-head conversations with people on the "other side". This remains consistent throughout Bendis' story so I can't fault it that much. With the bad out of the way; I will commend Bendis for creating a story that is thought provoking for readers no matter which side they would find themselves in. Alex Maleev's art is also stunning as always. His dark, murky yet detailed style lends itself perfectly to a story like this.
Overall while Scarlet does stumble in places, it also lands magnificently in some other scenes. I don't entirely agree with some of the points made, but am glad I gave this controversial (within comicdom) series a try finally despite not normally being into this subgenre of comics.
To his credit, Brian Michael Bendis manages to be more nuanced than not with how his characters discuss these topics. However admittedly the story itself does lean heavily into the "kill the bad apples" mindset despite lampshading this take numerous times across the fifteen issue series. Scarlet is compelling at times, while at others it decides to not elucidate on events and just lets them happen. But in fairness, that happens aplenty in life as well. This series also breaks the fourth wall frequently as that is the way the story is told. I personally am not a fan of this style of comic writing generally but it stopped bothering me a few issues in.
Another criticism I had is that as the series goes on Scarlet faces little challenge in her revolution from allies; instead having head-to-head conversations with people on the "other side". This remains consistent throughout Bendis' story so I can't fault it that much. With the bad out of the way; I will commend Bendis for creating a story that is thought provoking for readers no matter which side they would find themselves in. Alex Maleev's art is also stunning as always. His dark, murky yet detailed style lends itself perfectly to a story like this.
Overall while Scarlet does stumble in places, it also lands magnificently in some other scenes. I don't entirely agree with some of the points made, but am glad I gave this controversial (within comicdom) series a try finally despite not normally being into this subgenre of comics.
March 9, 2026
As I started to read this series, I was initially a little put off by the Bendis writing tics that anyone who has read much of his work knows all too well. It was very wordy and there were pages that were nothing but dialogue and I wasn't a fan of the way characters talked to the camera rather than thinking their thoughts internally. But darn it if this book didn't grow on me. I really grew to love the concept of someone who sees the injustices in the system and decides they aren't going to take it anymore. Perhaps its just this moment in time in which we're living, but it was so heartening to see so many people agree that the system was broken and whatever means necessary should be taken to fix it. In the end, this isn't just a revenge thriller...its a political statement and one that should make people think.
December 22, 2024
Vale, Bendis, esto sí es lo que espero que me des cuando te juntas con Maleev. Una historia compleja, con fuerza y protagonistas más grandes que la vida y que encima resulte controvertida. Después de la bajona de Masterpiece ya te vuelvo a ajuntar. De la busqueda de venganza/justicia a la Revolución pasando por el terrorismo, Scarlet es una historia para calentar esta larga noche de fascismo que se avecina. Hasta la victoria, siempre.
August 22, 2020
Please, please, please buy and/or read SCARLET. It's fantastic and topical and vital in this political moment (at least in an American context).
This version, however, is far from the best one. Aside from some mildly interesting extra content the Absolute format has butchered Alex Maleev's artwork. Expanding the size and using this glossy stock of paper has made it look unfinished to the point of half-a**ed. One to avoid.
This version, however, is far from the best one. Aside from some mildly interesting extra content the Absolute format has butchered Alex Maleev's artwork. Expanding the size and using this glossy stock of paper has made it look unfinished to the point of half-a**ed. One to avoid.
July 10, 2023
Absolute Scarlet presents an intriguing premise of a woman seeking justice against those who wronged her. As a fan of revenge stories, I was immediately drawn to the plot. However, as I delved deeper, I found that the focus on conspiracy and politics often overshadowed the revenge plot I had hoped for. While the story did have its topical moments and explored important societal issues, it required a level of suspension of disbelief that pulled me out of the narrative. Additionally, the fourth wall breaking from the main character left me feeling a bit confused at times.
Despite these shortcomings, I did appreciate the artwork by Alex Maleev, which was well-suited for the story and looked fantastic in the Absolute format. The limited color palette was an excellent touch, with flashes of red drawing the eye in certain panels.
One of the strongest aspects of the story is the main character, Scarlet. She is a complex and multi-dimensional character who undergoes significant growth and development throughout the book. Her journey is one of resilience and determination, and her unwavering pursuit of justice is inspiring. The supporting characters unfortunately did not stand out only adding minimal depth and nuance to the story.
While Absolute Scarlet didn't quite meet my expectations for a gripping revenge tale, it's still a solid read that explores important themes and issues. The story may not be groundbreaking, but it does offer a fresh perspective on the genre that sets it apart from other works. If you're a fan of political thrillers with a touch of revenge, this book is definitely worth a read.
Despite these shortcomings, I did appreciate the artwork by Alex Maleev, which was well-suited for the story and looked fantastic in the Absolute format. The limited color palette was an excellent touch, with flashes of red drawing the eye in certain panels.
One of the strongest aspects of the story is the main character, Scarlet. She is a complex and multi-dimensional character who undergoes significant growth and development throughout the book. Her journey is one of resilience and determination, and her unwavering pursuit of justice is inspiring. The supporting characters unfortunately did not stand out only adding minimal depth and nuance to the story.
While Absolute Scarlet didn't quite meet my expectations for a gripping revenge tale, it's still a solid read that explores important themes and issues. The story may not be groundbreaking, but it does offer a fresh perspective on the genre that sets it apart from other works. If you're a fan of political thrillers with a touch of revenge, this book is definitely worth a read.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews