I have a confession.
I think I might be in love with Scarlett Carver.
Beautiful, smart, loaded, and (if you excuse the completely red-blooded male comment) a butt to die for! But alas, much like that brief fixation I had for Jessica Rabbit, I fear my love for Scarlett can never be fully realised. Damn that Des Taylor for creating such an enticing comic book character.
Having rescued a kidnap victim and escaped an explosion by the skin of her teeth, Scarlett Carver, secret agent and fashion heiress, finds the clock is ticking if she is going to discover exactly who is behind the murders of seemingly innocent models – and what it is that they want! And so begins Scarlett Couture #2, which picks up the action almost exactly where we left off.
There's a lot of plot and back story delivered here, as well as a handful of new characters introduced (including yet another member of Scarlett's family), but Taylor admirably avoids the pitfalls of 'second issue syndrome'.
The story, Project Stardust, is one part Bond, one part Alias, and one part America's Next Top Model (you can't tell me some of those wannabe models wouldn't 'pop a cap' in the competition if given a chance! Although for very different reasons, obviously). Combine all that with a whole load of brilliant madness and you have yourself an exceptionally fun, beautiful looking comic book.
And talking of beautiful, does Des Taylor even know how to draw regular looking people? From the chiseled jawlines of the male characters, to the utterly drop dead gorgeous females, Scarlett Couture is like the comic book equivalent of a show on The CW (which I know basically broadcasts comic book shows, but hopefully you get my drift). Take Scarlett's tech support team, a pair of nerds who specialise in computer networks, electronics and biometrics. But rather than giving us an old crusty Q-like character, Taylor takes the Felicity Smoak approach, doubles it and presents supermodels Kelly Garcia and Claudia Wang. Well played Des Taylor, well played.
Whilst this issue might not have as much action as the first, it does move the story along nicely and plunges us deeper into Scarlett's world - and boy, is it a beautiful place to be!
Four out of Five.
Scarlett Couture is released on Wednesday May 27th. Some preview art is included below.
To find your local comic store visit: http://www.comicshoplocator.com/
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