Scarlet #2 Review

The Revolution will be Televised

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Alex Maleev
Publisher: DC Comics
Release Date: September 26, 2018
Cover Price: $3.99
Review by: Ray Price

Are you ready for a revolution? Grab your pitchforks and suit up because we are heading back to the war-torn Portland to see how the revolution is going.


The book opens with flashback scenes that should have been included in the first issue that show the start of the revolt between Scarlet’s group and the government. Without lingering too long, we get dropped back where we left the last issue with Scarlet talking to the solider, Troy who parachuted in. 

We find out that the world has been watching Portland since the revolution through drones and the whole thing has been televised and streamed. The solider comes with a phone, with the White House on the line ready to hear what Scarlet’s demands are.

This is where some of my biggest issues with this issue happened. Since the division of the city, there has been no government aid, let alone any commercial deliveries. So no food trucks, no medicine, no clothes, no supplies, etc. Scarlet doesn’t care and if the last issue showed us anything there are people on her side that because of dumb luck are stuck here. But on the bright side, there is plenty of weed but what about more important necessities like diapers for babies, tampons, and other supplies. 

So instead of demanding for supplies, we get back and forth dialogue from Scarlet and Troy that really is too long-winded and goes nowhere. We get no more context behind Scarlet’s boyfriend Gabriel. We get no information why a twenty-something hipster is leading a revolution. We get no background on the corruption of the Portland police. Scarlet does nothing that illustrates that she is a heroine or likable. She seems confused and disingenuous. She hasn’t fired a single bullet nor helped a single person. 

Bits and Pieces:

This book was supposed to be friendly to new readers but it hasn’t been. The art remains enjoyable but the story and some of the dialogue is not. There is not enough context for new readers to enjoy the story and mythos. Scarlet comes off as selfish and she has done nothing in two issues to warrant her being a revolutionary leader. This issue makes Scarlet and the revolution look more like villains than social justice warriors that the book wants to them to be.

3/10