Scarlett

From "Snake Eyes: Declassified" Issue #6 from Devil's Due Publishing (Images taken from Free previews):



This was how it began, the epic romance between Snake-Eyes, the silent ninja, and Scarlett, the tough, strong, fearless warrior woman, of the G.I. Joe team. When I read it back in, oh, '84 or so, it was in issue #27 of the marvel comics series, but yeah, it was basically the same story....

... as a kid/teen, I identified with snake-eyes. He was the quiet one, the one with a dark past, filled with pain, but yet someone who was noble, brave, courageous, loyal, dependable & could kick ass in a fight... I think I connected with him partly from the coolness factor (just about every boy who's read/seen/played with G.I. Joe wants to be Snake-Eyes). But yeah, part of what drew me to him were the noble characters & the characteristics of pain....

...looking back I have no idea why I could identify with his pain, it's not like I'd really been through anything as a kid. But I've always been melancholic & have seen the darker sides of things & so yeah, maybe that's why the 'shadow warrior' - the one who moved like the night, but who was also on the run from the seemingly ever present hand of pain & suffering that was just one step behind him... but one who, regardless, fought on for freedom & liberty....

But along with that identifying came the draw to Scarlett. Scarlett was likely my first real crush (and the first live girl I had a crush on was another red-head & I've had an attraction to red-heads ever since). She was beautiful, but not some frail woman looking for someone to save her & protect her. She was one of the most respected members of the Joe team & fought as long & hard as any of the guys on the team - often out shining them in her drive, ingenuity & fighting prowess... But she had a soft, tender & gentle side to her. You'd see it in the quiet moments, the tiny tears barely visible on the comic book page when she was flying in to rescue Snake-Eyes from the latest mission where he'd nearly been killed (but miraculously survived - guess that happened a lot in the comics). She laughed lots, was deeply loyal & yeah, loved deeply....

...and even as just a kid on the verge of moving into puberty & 'becoming' a man (still not sure if I'm there some days), I recognized in my own heart that these are traits I wanted in the person I wanted to share my life with. I wanted a true partner, an equal, in life. Someone to go adventure with & someone to share the quiet moments with, the subtle looks & touches just past the panels of the comic that showed how much you loved each other.....

...and yeah, I think I've been looking for Scarlett ever since....