Can’t Escape The Energon Universe — ‘Scarlett’ #5 Reviewed

Much of Scarlett #5 is of a piece with the previous issues. The same potent mix of martial arts and superspy beats. The same high-level execution of action-forward art (a sequence in which Scarlett has to dive off a high rise after Jinx, reach her in mid-air, and share a parachute to safety is a particular highlight). The same fun, slightly sardonic, yet exceedingly-competent title character. Yet being the final issue of the series, in the end, it can’t escape the pull of the larger Energon Universe, leading to a finale that is more about leading into the next thing than providing a satisfying resolution to the current thing.

To be clear, the issue certainly wraps up its immediate plot: Scarlett succeeds in her mission of helping Clan Arashikage retrieve the story’s MacGuffin (the Sword of Life, which turns out to be a lightsaber katana made of Energon), makes contact with Snow Job to pass along Jinx’ intel, then decides to maintain her cover to protect Jinx. Along the way, writer Kelly Thompson and artist Marco Ferrari provide the most traditional portrayal yet of Cobra in the Energon Universe, with a battle-helmeted Cobra Commander leading blue-and-red-clad troops in an effort to retrieve the Sword of Life for themselves. 

All of this is fine. But even as the issue wraps up the immediate plot, the series’ sudden proximity to the larger Energon Universe prevents it from providing a satisfying conclusion overall. With the launch of an all new GI Joe #1 just around the corner, Scarlett #5 has to spend some time setting up that series. Because Scarlett’s not part of the team at launch, despite having connections to Stalker (who is), she has to stick with the Arashikage here. Which makes sense for the character, given her connection to Jinx, but is also less satisfying, because in the end, it feels like Scarlett’s mission remains partially unfinished. Similarly, the role of Cobra in the story and the rise of the Arashikage as an Energon-wielding counterforce feel more like setup for future events than a natural evolution of this story, which again contributes to the feeling that this issue is serving a different master than the overall story. 

Ultimately, Scarlett #5 isn’t a bad issue. The ideas it sets up in the end — Scarlett and Jinx as, essentially, sleeper Joe agents inside Storm Shadow’s ninja clan, the Arashikage as overt antagonists of Cobra — are intriguing riffs with the potential to pay dividends in the future. But that’s in the future. They do little to serve the immediate story, leaving it with an ending that seems more concerned with the future than the present.