Roscoe's Public Notes

“Horror Has a Hero” is the subtitle of this new mini-series.

Scarlet Veronica is one comic book I’m mighty glad to have on my pull-list.

Scarlet Veronica #1 (of 4), gives primary creative credit to Jason Moody and Justin Greathouse, and has a publication date of November 2008 from Ape Entertainment. TFAW may not have it in stock, but you can get it and/or order it now at your local comic book store. I recommend it most highly! There are few titles being published today that can match the delightful, high-energy horror of Scarlet Veronica.

It should be mentioned that Scarlet Veronica has her own website. You can find all kinds of information and goodies there!

The book opens with a dark, five-page sequence taking place at an unknown time in Cairo, Egypt. We see a mysterious horned and haloed demon fighting his way into an ancient pyramid, and tearing a book from the hands of a skeleton lying in a tomb.

the demon: You tried to protect it, old friend.

But you’ve failed.

Next we’re introduced to teenager, Veronica Gainesburrow, who has a very frustrating first day at the new high school she’s attending.

On her way home from school, Veronica risks her life to save classmate, Brian, from the cracking surface of a frozen pond. She does save him, but she falls through the ice herself and… dies(?).

The next three pages show her in a hospital room where her grateful mother tells her, “…you fell through the ice when you saved that boy. The paramedics found you on the shore and brought you here. They thought you were…”.

So… did our Veronica have a near death experience? Or was she… transformed in some other way? She tells her mother, “Mom, I feel… dark”.

Ooo…

Later, when Veronica and Brian are walking through a graveyard they’re attacked by a zombie. By this time we’ve learned the demon in this book’s opening pages is now raising an army of the undead. With them he seeks to open a portal “that will release the demons of the underworld onto the living earth”.

Veronica rips an arm off the attacking zombie, kicks him back into an open grave, and declares:

I ain’t the girl of your dreams —

I’m the girl of your nightmares.

I’m happy to give Scarlet Veronica #1 (of 4) a well earned .85 ASB rating, and I’m SO looking forward to the next issue in this series!