She jumped. They weren’t expecting that at all. Now they’ve called a Code Black. Whatever THAT is. Can’t be good.) Now she has to swim down to through a shark-infested tank to try to get to her target so that she can help her escape with a valuable weapon in Scarlett #3. Writer Kelly Thompson crafts a remarkably tight infiltration adventure that feels solidly more entertaining than 90% of the rest of what’s been going on in G.I. Joe-related comic books lately. The story is brought to the page by artist Marco Ferrari and colorist Lee Loughridge. 

Scarlett’s on the ground floor of the facility. She’s got to get go six levels down. The dive into the aquarium from the penthouse might have been a bit of a shock to security, but that’s not going to mean a whole lot if she can’t find some way of evading a heavily-armed security force the labyrinth of subterranean corridors. It’s not like she wouldn’t be able to handle any one of them in a fight, but it’s already been a long journey so far and she might be starting to feel some fatigue. The odds are stacked against her, but that’s her name on the cover of the book, so there’s no questioning she’s going to make it out o the current mess.

Thompson has a sharp wit that winds its way through a remarkably taut, little action situation. Thompson focusses the narrative on Scarlett’s internal monologue...and so the bulk of the wit rolls through Scarlett’s mind as she’s carving her way deeper and deeper into a very dangerous situation. The ending of the hero’s current predicament may not be even remotely in doubt, but Thompson gives Scarlett just precisely the balance of bad-assed vulnerability to make it a fun and stylish trip from one cover to the other in another satisfying issue.

Ferrari has a sharp eye for tension and motion in a quickly-paced adventure that moves along with great speed. The challenge is to keep a balance between the speed with which Scarlett needs to move and the agonizing stress of having to run in and around a complex facility filled with enemy combatants. Ferrari keeps it all quite well-defined with some very clean lines and clever bits of architectural rendering in the background. Loughridge’s colors clearly delineate one space from the next as the action moves deeper and deeper into the winding subterranean corridors of the facility.

Thompson and Ferrari keep Scarlett looking remarkably good on her fourth outing. The flagship G.I. Joe title has rarely felt as fun or exhilarating as Scarlett has under Thompson’s pen. It’s sharp and clever stuff. Thompson maintains a smart sense of fun and action throughout the issue. There isn’t a whole lot of depth of characterization or theme, but Scarlett is easily one of the best straight-ahead action titles on the comics rack today. If Thompson can keep the series running this well, there’s no reason why it should ever end. 

Grade: A