Scalped #40 – Review

by Jason Aaron (writer), R.M. Guera (art), Giulia Brusco (colors), and Steve Wands (letters)

The Story: Dash and Carol begin two very different kinds of drug rehab.

What’s Good: It’s always enjoyable when a writer is able to bring together to plots that are dramatically opposite into a single, coherent issue and that’s pretty much what Jason Aaron does this month in Scalped.  Carol and Dash’s portions could not be more different in style, content, and tone and yet it feels only natural that the two occupy the same issue.  They essentially grapple with similar issues of family and addiction, and this allows for interesting parallels to be drawn between two very different stories that conjure very different feelings.

Aaron continues to reinvent Carol, as the character reinvents herself.  I expected this after last month’s fantastic issue, but the character only grows in likability and relatability.  She grows more empathetic still this month, as, for the first time, she finds herself standing on the periphery of a family environment, though a chaotic one.  It’s not a family without problems, nor is it ideal, but Aaron elegantly makes Carol’s trepidation, want, pain, and awkwardness clear as she stands on the outside, looking in, pondering to what extent to accept the subliminal invitation.  It’s muted, but fascinating stuff.  Much of this is due to just how subtly Aaron writes the Poor Bear family; Granny is the anchor that links together these disparate individuals, whether they realize it or not.  Aaron’s writing of their breakfast conversation is a thing of beauty; all the characters seem intent on their own, individual topics of conversation, and the result is oddly dissonant.

Dash’s drug withdrawal is the completely opposite of this warm environment, as Shunka essentially has him go cold turkey in the wilderness.  The result ends up feeling like a Native American, Hunter S. Thompson styled drug trip.  It’s brutal and nasty stuff as Dash goes out of his mind, completely isolated, but, like Thompson’s Fear and Loathing, there’s also a kind of humour to it as well, of a kind that mixes absurdity with schadenfreude.

Sweet Tooth #10 – Review

by Jeff Lemire (writer & artist), Jose Villarrubia (colors), and Pat Brosseau (letters)

The Story: Singh uses hypnosis to lead Gus through his past on a search for answers.

What’s Good: After falling just the tiniest bit short of his usual gold standard last month, Lemire kicks us in the teeth with one of his best issues of Sweet Tooth yet.

Lemire removes Jepperd this month, allowing for a more focused issue that develops the relationship between Singh and Gus.  What makes this so superb, and so intriguing, is that Lemire returns to the juxtaposition between science and the humanities.  In my usage of the word “humanities,” I mean that which escapes the dull rationalism of scientific figures:  religion, emotion, and childhood innocence in the case of Sweet Tooth.

The conflict between these two sides becomes a major, yet subtle, theme as Singh struggles to probe through Gus’ memories.  He repeatedly, almost desperately, asks Gus whether there are any scientific instruments, numbers, or notations in the cabin of his youth, and each time he is befuddled when told that this is not the case.  The cabin is a science-free zone dominated by bizarre mix of zealous religion and childhood experience and, as such, both Gus and his father reject science as the evil justifications and misguided machinations of sinful men.  The result is a sense of Singh’s inability to understand Gus’ world.  There must be a scientific explanation for Gus’ existence, but there is simply no evidence to support this no matter how much Singh desires it.  Eventually, Singh even falls to cynicism; for lack of empirical evidence, he believes Gus’ mother to have never existed.  Of course, at issue’s end, he is proven dead wrong.

Scalped #16 – Review

By Jason Aaron (writer), R.M. Guera (art), Giulia Brusco (colors)

Another excellent issue in the can by Jason Aaron and R.M. Guera. It feels like it’s been forever since I read the last issue, but I’m pretty sure the book’s coming out on time. I think it might be because this story arc has been flowing so well coupled with the fact that issues are fast reads that it feels. The end result is it feels much longer than it actually has been since the last installment came out. Whatever it is, readers patient enough to wait for the trade paperback of “Dead Mothers” will most likely be more rewarded; they’ll be getting the whole story without an interruption. Me? I gotta have my monthly fix.

With part four of the current arc, Bad Horse continues to look for Diesel (who’s nowhere to be found), while Red Crow deals with a bevy of issues that continue to pile on his shoulders. He’s not handling well, either. FBI Agent Nitz returns to the scene to antagonize the situation, calling out Red Crow on the two murders that happened on his watch. What we eventually get is a violent burst of frustration as Red Crow pretty much destroys another human being. And while we’re on the subject of antagonizing, there’s a lot of it in this issue. Aaron does a nice job displaying how two different people react to this kind of stress.

In terms of plot advancement, there isn’t much – but because of the pacing, it does feel like there’s significant progression being made. Most of the stuff we care about like the Bad Horse and Shelton relationship takes a drastic turn in the last five pages of the story. You think things are going one way and Jason Aaron spins it another.

Like many previous issues of Scalped, we’re treated to a series of silent panels where Aaron let’s R.M. Guera run loose with his storytelling. This kind of thing never gets old, and it’s become something I look forward to seeing when I pick up this title. Great work guys, and give Shelton a happy ending. Someone deserves one! (Grade: B+)

– J. Montes

Scalped #15 – Review

By Jason Aaron (writer), R.M. Guera (art), Giulia Brusco (colors)

With two trades of Scalped already out in stores, there’s no excuse (unless you’re broke) to not be reading this series. It’s really as good as everyone says! Jason Aaron and R.M. Guera are in full stride with issue #15. And that the cover? Brilliant use of negative space and design (the image used for this review is *not* the actual cover).

The “Dead Mothers” story continues as Bad Horse takes Shelton under his wing, teaching him how to use firearms, taking him camping, and just doing a lot of bonding that a father and son might do. Though Bad Horse isn’t exactly the best role model for this boy, it’s great to see him keeping the Shelton out of trouble. The kid’s completely like-able, and I hope Aaron doesn’t kill him off later down the line.

Meanwhile, despite the urging of the people around him, Red Crow is vigilant and determined to find the killer behind Bad Horse’s mother. As awful as Red Crow is as a man, his sense of honor to his former friend is honorable, even admirable. It’s also sad, because Red Crow seems to care more about Bad Horse’s mother than Bad Horse, himself! However, the people Red Crow can’t seem to stop are the Mongols. Mr. Brass, interrogates one of the accessories in the death of Shelton’s mother and while he does get results on Diesel’s whereabouts, the horror that’s inflicted on the man literally made me squirm.

Much like Officer Bad Horse, the ending of this issue left me completely speechless. Aaron’s pacing is spot-on perfect and R.M. Guera again proves that he’s one of the best artists in the industry. Scalped #15 is a hell of a good read. Easily one of the best issues of the series so far. (Grade: A+)

– J. Montes

Scalped #14 – Review

By Jason Aaron (writer), R.M. Guera (art), Guilia Brusco (colors)

Jason Aaron wastes no time getting to the nitty gritty of this issue. We learn right from the beginning how Bad Horse’s mother died. He plays it cool, but there’s one panel where we actually see him show a hint of sadness. I like how R.M. Guera sneaks that panel in, barely giving us a glimpse of how he feels deep down inside.

Bad Horse meets with the kid whose mother was killed last issue. The kid possesses all the qualities and traits Bad Horse had at his age. Determined not to let the kid go down the wrong path, he does his best to console him. Bad Horse also confronts FBI Agent Nitz who finally confesses that Diesel’s an undercover agent. The fact remains that Diesel is a murderer, but Nitz says to let it go and to only deal with Red Crow.

There’s a lot of frustration in the air, and it’s not just affecting Bad Horse. Each character portrayed in this issue is doing some kind of grieving and it all ends with (at last) the appearance of a character we’ve been waiting a long time for. This book is back to full steam and I’m loving every minute of it. (Grade: A-)

– J.Montes

Scalped #13 – Review

By Jason Aaron (writer), R.M. Guera (art), Guilia Brusco (colors)

Scalped #13 begins a new story arc, “Dead Mothers”. After four issues of side stories and stuff I consider “filler” material, the main story gets back on track!

This issue starts off in all the right ways. We get three beautiful pages (by R.M. Guera) of Red Crow agonizing over Gina’s corpse. It’s poignant scene that resonates. Bad Horse and the cops bust a meth house and find a strangled mother while they’re cleaning up. This kind of bust is so routine to the officers that they’ve developed a lot of apathy for victims – the children. When it’s revealed who the murderer may be, it seems all too convenient and predictable (at least to the reader), but Bad Horse doesn’t know what we know and rushes off to take the person down.

Jason Aaron weaves two tales here that parallel. When they both finally intersect it becomes tragic and extremely powerful. I thought the first three pages were gut wrenching, but the last three are by far, more moving. R.M. Guera is a masterful storyteller and Jason Aaron is incredibly lucky to have his talent along side. This is easily the most emotional issue of Scalped yet – and the best. (Grade: A+)

– J. Montes

Scalped #12 – Review

By Jason Aaron (writer), John Paul Leon (art), Guilia Brusco (colors)

Issue #12 brings Bad Horse back into the story line. He’s plagued with reoccurring dreams of his death. Each time, he dies by Red Crow’s hand and it’s beginning to overcome him. We also learn why he’s working for the FBI – he’s trying to earn back his freedom. But at what will be the ultimate cost of his freedom? His mother tries to give him the answers in a series of prophesying dreams, but it just doesn’t make sense to him.

John Paul Leon does the art chores for this issue, and while his artwork is no where as striking as that of R.M. Guera, he keeps the tone consistent. It’s great to see Bad Horse back after such a long hiatus, but the story continues to chug along.

We get a lot of foreshadowing, yes, but it’s also safe to assume that everything his mom says is easily going to happen anyway. I guess the Bad Horse is too dumb not to figure out the obvious and needs it spelled out to him. Great dialogue as usual by Jason Aaron, but this issue felt like unneeded filler. (Grade: C+)

– J. Montes

Scalped #6-11 – Review

By Jason Aaron (writer), R.M. Guera (art), Giulia Brusco (colors)

Issues #6-11 deliver the grand opening of the Lakota casino. Things aren’t going very smoothly for the opening and Red Crow’s forced to deal with some Asian gangsters who send one of their own to deal with his protester problems. However, he never shows up, leaving me to believe he’ll be around for the next story arc. Meanwhile, the mysterious Catcher enters Bad Horse and Red Crow’s lives and turns things upside down for each one of them.

Catcher’s an interesting character. You’d think a book like this would have a crazy medicine man in it, and he sort of fits the type, but there’s a lot more modern mysticism about him. He’s rugged, weathered, and defeated by alcohol. But he’s still very much a man of the old ways. He sees the strangest things and it’s intriguing when we finally get to see out of his eyes. It’s not a big reveal when we find out who he is. In fact, I had my suspicions since issue #5. It’s also revealed to Bad Horse that there’s another FBI agent on the reservation. It’s quite obvious who it is, but it’s never told to Bad Horse who the person is.

After issue #9 things slow down. We get to learn more of Lakota culture and how awful life can be on a reservation. It’s depressing, to say the least. Issue #11, the final part of the Casino Boogie story line goes out with a whimper, bringing us back full circle to Gina’s demise. We get some answers, but there’s still a lot of outstanding questions looming. I wanted more from this story and felt kind of let down with the lack of resolution with Diesel. It’s also been rough having Bad Horse absent for three consecutive issues. (Grade: B)

– J. Montes

Scalped #4-5 – Review

By Jason Aaron (writer), R.M. Guera (art), Lee Loughridge (colors)

Scalped continues strong with its second story arc, “Hoka Hey”. It’s a two issue story that carries a lot of flashbacks. These flashbacks, however, give excellent perspective on the supporting cast. These character moments that show just how complicated things are in Red Crow’s shoes. While he is, for all intents, still villainous, we get to see a few skeletons that shaped him into what he is now. He’s an opportunist, sure, but he also thinks he’s doing the right thing in his own mind.

Then there’s Bad Horse’s mother. She was never a perfect mother and she’s seen as a thorn in the side of progress on the reservation. There’s a scene in issue #4 illustrated by R.M. Guera where there’s few words used. It’s a beautiful montage of flashbacks and emotions, and you just can’t help but feel empathy for her. We also get to see some of Bad Horse’s past. His life outside the reservation made him a better man – a man driven to succeed at any cost. Meanwhile, Carol’s true colors come out and Bad Horse takes things into his own hands. The ending of issue #5 is ominous. (Grade: A)

– J. Montes

Scalped #1-3 – Review

By Jason Aaron (writer), R.M. Guera (art), Lee Loughridge (colors)

Scalped #1-3 contains the first story arc of the series. The arc follows an undercover FBI agent named Bad Horse as he returns to his Indian Reservation in Nebraska. Like many reservations, this one is overrun with poverty, lawlessness, and full of drugs and alcohol. Bad Horse is considered an outcast with a less than reputable family name. He starts trouble with the locals and nearly gets himself killed before being spared by the “tribal leader”, Red Crow – a man full of corruption. Red Crow takes a liking to Bad Horse’s attitude. He makes Bad Horse a cop and uses him to to do his bidding. But some higher-ups in town don’t like Bad Horse’s attitude or reputation. That’s when things get crazy.

R.M. Guera’s art reminds me of Frank Miller in a way. It’s messy, very dark, and distinct all at the same time. The colors by Lee Loughridge are very bland and washed out. I’m not sure if he’s trying to capture the spirit of desolation in the midwest, but it sure instills that essence.

This book is hardcore, probably the most hardcover Vertigo book I’ve read since Garth Ennis’ Preacher. It’s full of testosterone, politics, sex, and things you probably see on an episode of Cops. There’s a lot of tension in this book and there’s usually something that hits the fan in each issue. If you can find these back issues at your local comic store, do not hesitate to pick them up. You can also pick up the first trade paperback, “Indian Country” which collects issues #1-5 for $9.99. Consider me on for the ride. If you’re interested giving this book a read, issue #1 is available as a free download from DC Comics. (Grade: A)

– J. Montes