Book Review: Scarlett Vol. 1 by K. Thompson et al.

Scarlett Volume 1: Special Mission written by Kelly Thompson, art by Marco Ferrari, and colors by Lee Loughridge

Shana O'Hara is a military spy operative for the U. S. government. Her first mission we see is to gather intelligence at an illegal auction but she engages to stop it once she spots old friend Jinx, a fellow spy who disappeared some time ago. Jinx gets out on her own and Shana is summarily dismissed by her handler. When she gets home, she finds a special operative who recruits her for a mission in Japan to hunt down a mysterious weapon that is being sought by the Arashikage Clan. The Clan is a group of ninjas with some greater ambitions, like infiltrating a high-rise vault that has the weapon. Shana gets in with the Clan, pretending not to know Jinx (who is already imbedded with the Clan) and gets on the mission to retrieve the weapon.

The story is entertaining enough. O'Hara is codenamed Scarlett and is one of the main characters of Hasbro's G. I. Joe line of toys. This recent reboot of the franchise includes crossovers with the Transformers, though nothing about that happens in this volume (other than an add for other graphic novels on the back page). The plot moves at a good pace and the art is surprising un-exploitive. Scarlett is in a small dress at the auction but is otherwise practically dressed and the emphasis is on her skills and character, not on the shape of her body. That's a refreshing change from a lot of other super-heroine comics. I am interested enough in the story to give some of the other ones a try, though I am very dubious about the crossover.

Recommended for G. I. Joe fans.