Indie Review: Creepy Scarlett and the Emerald of Lucifer

Creepy Scarlett and the Emerald of Lucifer is an independently published comic by Graeme Buchan. In this issue, we’re introduced to Scarlett, a young girl who lives in a church situated within a graveyard with her teddy bear. The story begins when a wandering samurai appears, and says that she’s the one who has to protect a powerful jewel called the Emerald of Lucifer.

After reading the first issue of Creepy Scarlett, I can safely say that this isn’t a title that will appeal to everyone – me included.

The characterization and aspects of the plot left me wondering: how is it that a samurai wandering for 40 years who trained under the emperor seemed to grapple with basic English grammar? Or how is it that this nameless samurai was able to escape from the emperor for nearly half a century, or why the emperor even bothered to pursue him for that long (especially considering how he was on the verge of overtaking the palace)? I found it difficult to suspend any kind of disbelief – the emerald may have been powerful, but not “I’ll hunt you down for forty years across the world” powerful.

And the characterization of Scarlett left much to be desired; I hope in future issues Graeme Buchan will go into more depth as to why the main character is so infantile (ie: obsessing over candy and talking to her stuffed animal named Mr. Ted). If her persona was meant to inspire cuteness or a child-like curiosity, I’m not sure she succeeded.

There’s also this particular section when the emperor’s samurai are about to fight Scarlett and get caught up in an argument reminiscent of Looney Tunes, which seemed so impressively out of place, I had to reread it just to make sure I got it right the first time.

Fortunately, Creepy Scarlett isn’t all bad. I found Felipe Sanhueza Marambio’s art  pleasant and I felt that the scenery and the main character of Scarlett were drawn the best. Jessica Jimerson’s coloring definitely provided a certain depth that I enjoyed, especially at the part when the comic becomes black and white. This section alone made me wish the whole comic had been created like that.

While my grievances certainly outweigh the things I enjoyed about Creepy Scarlett, I do think that this issue may be appealing to those who enjoy katana wielding girls who somehow find themselves involved in things they don’t completely understand but go with it anyway.