10 Other Scarlet Characters

This week saw the release of the first issue for a new comic book series titled Scarlet. She is definitely not to be confused with our girl! Just for the fun of it, we present some other popular characters through the years who have shared the name "Scarlet" (give or take a "t" or two).

Scarlet is a new creator-owned series by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Alex Maleev. In a recent interview with CBR, Bendis explained, "The book itself is about this woman Scarlet. She lives in Portland and she's a young woman whose life is literally destroyed by a insanely corrupted police force... She fights back against the corrupt cops and her push back starts almost a shoving war of wills between herself and almost all facets of the government that she's pushing back against. Every time she pushes back, someone bigger comes after her. That builds till it literally starts an American revolution."

Scarlett O'Hara is probably the most famous character on this list. She was created by Margaret Mitchell and made her debut in the 1936 novel, Gone with the Wind. There have been many other books, plays and movies made about her and even a film made about the casting of the character, but the definitive face of Miss Scarlet will always be that of Vivien Leigh from the 1939 blockbuster.

Agent Scarlett is one of the original members of the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero cartoon and toy line. She has also appeared in the live action movie (played by Rachel Nichols) and comic book series (above art by Phil Noto) . Scarlett is the first female member of the G.I. Joe team to be given an action figure in 1982. Her full name is Shana M. O'Hara and she was born in Atlanta, Georgia.

The Scarlet Witch is arguably the most popular superhero on this list, though there have been times when she was more villain than hero. The character first appeared in X-Men #4 (March 1964) and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, but she is more notably associated with the Avengers (above art by George Perez). Her real name is Wanda Maximoff and she is the daughter of Magneto. Her mutant power is the ability to tap into mystic energy for reality-altering effects via "hexes." The Scarlet Witch can be presently be seen in the Marvel mini-series, Avengers: The Children's Crusade, the first issue of which also went on sale last week.

Will Scarlet is the oldest character on this list as one of Robin Hood's "Merry Men" from ballads originating in the early 1500's. He has been portrayed by numerous actors over the years (even by the Klingon Worf in a Star Trek: The Next Generation episode), but has seldom had the spotlight to himself, one exception being a recent novel by Stephen R. Lawhead. It is also believed that the character is the inspiration for Green Arrow's sidekick, Speedy.

The Scarlet Pimpernel was the fictional leader of a league of English aristocrats who took it upon themselves to rescue innocent victims during the French Revolution. Created by Baroness Emmuska Orczy in 1903, the character is one of the first "disguised superheroes" in fiction and has been the subject of perhaps more novels, plays, films, and satires than all the other characters on this list combined.

Captain Scarlet was the main character of a British "Supermarionation" series in the late 1960's. The character is actually a virtually indestructible, "retro-metabolized" reconstruction engineered by the alien Mysterons, who becomes an agent of Spectrum and defends humanity against the race that created him. Though the series only lasted one season, there have been numerous books, comics, and a later series that aired in 2005, Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet.

Scarlett was a short-lived series from DC Comics about a cheerleader who discovered her parents murdered by vampires and becomes the "scarlet redeemer". Not sure if it was inspired by the movie Buffy the Vampire Slayer and DC decided to hide the character once the tv series became popular for fear of lawsuit, but I am surprised she's never been used since 1994.

Scarlet Veronica is another cheerleader fighting the forces of darkness. Only she's dead. Or rather undead. Horror has a hero! An independent comic series created by Jason Moody, Josh Ruggles, and Justin Greathouse in 2008, copies of the first mini-series are still available online.

Miss Scarlet was one of the original suspects of murder in the board game, Clue and since the game was first published in 1949, whoever chooses her moves first. Her look has changed over the years, though she always remains one of the mainly accused due to her youth, cunning, and attractiveness. You can check out her many disguises over the years at spotlightongames.com.

Comic Strip of the Week - Boom!

In 1940, Russ Stamm celebrated the 4th of July with a boom! In the last panel of this strip, a plane crashes into a daycare center, beginning one of my personal favorite Scarlet story lines ever. The only time it has been republished in the last 50 years is in The Untold Origins of the Invisible Scarlet O'Neil, though you can see a big portion of the story on the official Scarlet website.

Comic Strip of the Week - Scarlet Makes a Splash!

Summer is here and it is definitely pool season! I recently acquired some daily strips from 1947 featuring a storyline centered around the mild mannered Afly Speck, who is so desperate for a girl's attention, he decides to jump off the high dive at an amusement park. Scarlet tries to help the sad sack, but she only manages to get wet for her troubles. As hot as it has been here recently, when I read this strip, my main thought was, "That looks refreshing!"

Comic Strip of the Week - The Kiss

Last week's comic strip featured one of many encounters Scarlet had with children. Some, such as Beansie, were mischievous and need to be taught a lesson. Others were poor and in need of help. However, one of her most popular featured a young boy named Hobble-De-Hoy. It is even documented in Crawford's Encyclopedia of Comic Books by Hubert H. Crawford.

"Perhaps the strangest episode - and one that rates as a Golden Age classic in creative fantasy - occurred when Scarlet discovered her invisible power was contagious. It began with a casual stroll down the street during an invisible state when a youth, coming the opposite direction, bumped into her and knocked himself silly. Thrown to the ground, the dumbfounded lad scratched his head and tried to figure out what had happened. As a gesture of apology, Scarlet kissed the boy on the cheek. Result: the boy became invisible!"

Here's that very strip from March 5, 1944.

In Memoriam Al Williamson 1931 - 2010

This week saw the passing of another great artist, Al Williamson, who IMHO defined the term illustrator. There are too many credits to list here, but below are just a few samples of his long and varied career. I strongly recommend seeking out his work, and a great place to do so online is the Golden Age Comic Book Stores blog.

Comic Strip of the Week - Little Orphans

Yesterday, after 86 years in newspapers around the globe, the last Little Orphan Annie comic strip was published. You can see the final strip at GoComics.com. There are plenty of online articles detailing the importance of Annie in American comics, and I do recommend in particular Phil Rosenthal's column in the Chicago Tribune. Although she was published in the crosstown rival newspaper, we salute Annie's incredible run and humbly offer this week's strip featuring Scarlet's encounter with an orphan not nearly as nice, Beansie. Leaping Lizards Scarlet, be careful playing cupid! You don't have a trusty dog like Sandy to save you!

HeroesCon 2010

No comic strip this week, as I've been recovering from the awesome craziness that was HeroesCon! It is easily my favorite convention of the year and I strongly suggest placing it on your schedule for 2011. I did not have a booth (maybe next year), but spent the weekend visiting with various fans and pros and the subject of Invisible Scarlet came up quite a bit. I think there's some real interest in this character not only from the folks who remember her, but by those just learning about her as well. I would like to thank Shelton Drum, the hard working con staff, and all the guests and attendees for a wonderful weekend!

Of course, I did not come home empty handed! I always try to get at least one sketch of Scarlet at each convention I attend. The piece below is by Stephanie Gladden, artist with many years of experience drawing licensed characters (Looney Tunes, Ren & Stimpy, Wolf & Red, The Simpsons, Powerpuff Girls, and many Cartoon Network characters). Most recently, she pencilled Paul Dini's Jingle Belle in her last couple of adventures. Please visit her website for more information.


Love her take! To view visions of Scarlet by other artists, feel free to check out my gallery.

Speaking of conventions, I will be a guest at SciFi Summer Con this Saturday at the Crown Plaza NW at Powers Ferry in Atlanta, GA. I'm expected to be on a comics panel and possibly a few others. Will Scarlet come up in the discussion? Well, she did venture into outer space at least once (kinda sorta)! In any case, I look forward to seeing you there!