Scarlet #4

Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Art by Alex Maleev

Scarlet has been a mildly controversial book, with its story of a young girl who has had her life ruined by a corrupt police officer, and who has chosen to fight back by killing a total of three corrupt cops.  I read this and questioned the wisdom of painting the police in such a negative light.  I'm a law and order kind of guy, but I do live in Toronto, where we have spent more than six months examining the motivations of our own police after the violence of their response to G20 protesters last June.

Something in this comic is starting to resonate.  A large flashmob protest is organized outside Portland's City Hall in this issue, as Scarlet's exhortation to 'fix things' becomes heard throughout the city.  It's been three months since the close of the last issue, and people are starting to sign on to her cause.  During that time, she has not killed anyone, but instead has been handing out care packages to the homeless.

Much of this issue is focused on the response of the police, mayor's office, and now FBI to the situation.  There is a wonderful scene where the detective in charge of the case brings the FBI agent up to speed, leaving her career in the dust in the process.

This book is intelligently written, and has great Alex Maleev artwork.  It's really nice to see Bendis do something so indie again.