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.

Scalped #37 – Review

by Jason Aaron (writer), Davide Furno (art), Giulia Brusco (colors), and Steve Wands (letters)

The Story: Shunka settles a score, only to learn that things are never that simple.

What’s Good: I’m not sure I remember the last time that it was a good thing when a book disappointed me, but that’s the situation Scalped #37 confronts me with.  What at first looked worryingly like a filler arc has ended up being perhaps the bravest material Aaron has ever written.

So, what exactly am I going on about?  Well, it’s a giant spoiler, so I can’t really say.  Essentially, this issue’s latter half will slap you across the face.  It’ll make you feel like a fool for ever believing, even for just a moment, that there was ever a truly, 100% good and innocent character in the world of Scalped.  There’s a giant twist that’s sure to shock and make you feel all the dumber for being shocked.  It’s a brutal reminder of just how nasty Jason Aaron’s world is in Scalped.

Big twist aside, this is another strong outing for Shunka.  Early in the issue, he unleashes his rage, creating a bloodbath that is wince-inducingly visceral.  Yet, the sheer efficiency of his attack and his wordlessness throughout make it clear that this is more than simple comic violence and the swift dispatching of faceless goons.  Shunka is more than Shunka and this scene is more than it appears to be; at least for a moment, Shunka is rage incarnate and his violence is a railing against an institution steeped in prejudice, hatred, ignorance, and homophobia.  Shunka’s being a “one man army” makes it clear that he’s more than just a man and Furno helps to lend the scene a kind of surrealness.  Every action is full of anger and it’s clear that Shunka isn’t doing this for Crane; he’s doing it because he, and the closeted homosexual he represents, has had enough of the system.  The violence is, in many ways, anarchic in its abandon.

Aaron weaves his story expertly, with the unreliable (and now deceased) narration by Joseph Crane continuing to be effective.  Crane’s voice is clear in its limitations, adding to Shunka’s mystique and lending a sense of tense unknowing throughout.  Basically, despite the narrator, you’re relied on to catch what’s implied.  That and, let’s face it, the idea of a deceased narrator, particularly one that’s so winding, is always cool.

Scalped #33 – Review

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

The Story: Red Crow and Nitz instigate competing manhunts to find the witness as the Hmongs finally reach the Rez.

What’s Good: I’m not sure that there’s ever been a bad month of Scalped, and #33 continues that trend.  This is one of those issues that’s solid if only for its ability to successfully juggle all of its many plot threads.  Despite this, it never feels scattered or thin, and every one of these threads remain entertaining and integral.  Not a single scene feels overly divorced from the rest of the book, and all of them feel honest and engaging, easily dodging the danger of becoming mere “updates.”

Overall, this issue further validates this arc’s title, “the Gnawing.”  Heading into said arc’s final installment, the tension has never been higher, as this month ratchets it up to fever pitch.  The manhunt for the witness remains as thrilling as ever and a confrontation between Nitz and Shunka is a great read, if only because of its being the first time any member of Red Crow’s organization has ever actually gotten physical with Nitz.  The scene also recalls Nitz’s issue in the High Lonesome arc, as Aaron again insinuates the disgruntled agent’s seeming deathwish.

With R.M. Guera putting out his usual quality, scratchy, “dusty noir” look, this Aaron truly succeeds this month if only because he has written exactly what a pen-ultimate issue should be to any storyarc.  So much is left dangling, and you know that most all of it will be resolved, most likely in cataclysmic fashion, next month.  Of course, that’s not to say that this issue is purely set-up either; there’s several developments that are sure to have long-lasting ramifications well beyond this arc, chiefly some new developments in Dash and Diesel’s alliance, particularly as it relates to the death of a long-running character.

Yes, I did just say that someone dies this month, and the manner in which he/she is killed and by whom is sure to cause all sorts of havoc down the road.

What’s Not So Good: The final page is a little less than ideal, and I suspect that it largely has to do with Aaron running into page-count difficulties.  It’s meant to leave us on a cliffhanger as Red Crow walks out to meet the Hmongs, but the book ends a little abruptly if only because Aaron only has one page to work with.  It’s clear that ideally, the book should’ve ended with a splash of some sort following this.  Pacing-wise, it’s as though someone tore out the last two pages of my comic.

Also, I felt that Aaron was wasting his time a little in his attempt to make Agent Newsome a little more likable.  The guy’s been a complete jackass for the entirety of the series, that dumb jock in a position of power that you love to hate, and there’s no way Aaron’s going to make the guy particularly sympathetic in just a couple of scenes.  In fact, it feels a little strange.

Conclusion: Scalped is an awesome series, and this is another really solid outing.  I can’t wait for next month’s installment.

Grade: B+

-Alex Evans

Scalped #32 – Review

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

The Story: Dash tries to save a murder witness from Red Crow and Carol’s life continues its tailspin.

What’s Good: The high-paced chase sequence that results from the conclusion of last month’s issue was certainly a lot of fun.  Aaron has successfully made the murder witness a ridiculously irritating character.   It’s a great in a stressful sort of way, as most of Dash’s FBI-related actions are.  The whole scene also shows just how easily Aaron is able to toy with his readers.  How many times has he made us despise Nitz and like Red Crow?  Yet in this issue, it’s hard not to root for Nitz and pray that Red Crow gets caught out, if only for Dash’s sake.  The ease and speed with which Aaron is able to turn the tables is astounding.

Meanwhile, Catcher continues to be an interesting character in as much as he’s always so damned ominous.  This month definitely makes him seem even darker .  There’s a strong sense of foreboding and danger whenever he appears on the page.

The best thing about this issue by far, however, is the traditional, noir tone the book takes on in its latter half.  These are miserable conversations/monologues with miserable people.  The sadness is palpable, powerful, and brooding.  Guera’s artwork certainly helps in that regard.  While the first half of the book is that rough, dusty look we’ve gotten used to, these later scenes make expert use of darkness, shadow, and negative space.  The character positioning is also fantastic.  You really get that combined feeling of smoky mystery and tragedy that you’d normally only find in classic noir.

What’s Not So Good: The biggest problem with this issue is that it’s pretty much all set-up.  As such, there’s really only so high a grade I can give it.  Everything is a prelude, a lead-in, or a glimpse of danger on the horizon.  We are dead centre in the middle of the story-arc, and it definitely feels that way.  This is an almost purely transitional issue that often is intent merely to provide updates or consolidate.

I also didn’t like how Aaron acts as though last month’s massive cliffhanger never even happened.  At the end of that issue, it looked as though Carol may very well be dead.  This month, the very first time we see Carol, she’s up and about as though this collapse never occurred.  Sure she’s sick, and these blackouts will be regular occurrences, but Aaron could at least have provided a couple of images of her getting up off the floor from where we last saw her.  Perhaps page count was an issue here, but it was very strange and a bit irritating to see the high drama of her collapse last issue be completely written off and disregarded.

Conclusion: While it isn’t the most earth-shattering installment of the series, Scalped has never had a bad issue and this month doesn’t see a buck in that trend.

Grade: B

–Alex Evans