By: Jason Aaron (writer), R.M. Guera (artist), Giulia Brusco (colors), Sal Cipriano (letters), Mark Doyle (associate editor) & Will Dennis (editor)
The Story: Haha! Did you really think there’d be a happy ending?
A few things: [with SPOILERS]
Shit’s about to get real! – Last issue was very unexpected as we leapt forward a few months, but it also painted an almost idyllic scene for the denizens of the Prairie Rose Reservation. Probably no body thought we’d end this series on a calm note, so this issue isn’t a huge surprise. Plus, we really can’t have a happy ending for Dash like at the end of Shawshank. He’s done too many bad things along the way and they’re starting to bite him in the ass. Eventually your sins won’t stay buried. I like the figurative idea of Dash’s sins being dug out of a shallow grave by a pack of stray dogs that then drag them all over, for everyone to see. It’s like the dogs are saying, “Look! He’s not a hero! He’s a bad man too!”
Catcher. – What an odd character Catcher is! On one hand, I thought he was dead when we saw his horse stomping on him a few issues ago. But, he is clearly back and acting as some kind of avenging angel for the Reservation. He’s also changed his animal totem from a scrawny old horse that seemed to have a moral code, to a pack of dogs that are intent on exposing and punishing sin. I’m sure that more clever readers will be able to put all the figurative stuff together better than me, but even with my literal brain it is still pretty cool: Catcher is washing the Reservation clean.
Red Crow. – In some ways, Red Crow is more the central character of Scalped than is Dash. He’s also a more moral man than Dash at this point, but as much as he loves Dash, he loves his daughter more. I love the way Guera draws Red Crow. I mean, he’s an older guy….so he can’t maintain washboard abs and he’s going to have some floppy skin on the backs of his arms, but every image of him just exudes power. Even as a 60-something man, he doesn’t look like anyone you’d want to get into a scrap with. It’s really a pleasure to see an artist who can draw something besides generic superhero bodily perfection.
Falls Down. – All along, Falls Down has been the “one good man” on the Reservation. Early on in the series he seemed so pathetic: not only were the bad guys tougher than him, but the “good guys” like Karnow, Nitz and Dash were a nastier breed as well. Originally, Falls Down was just a football getting kicked around. But now, Falls Down seems to have matured. He’s in control and Jason Aaron might actually let him have a nice ending.
Pretty good art. – The big thing I loved about this issue was how Guera draws Red Crow, but he has other strong moments such as the grisly murder scene in the RV (Damn!). Every panel in that scene is perfectly framed. The only complaint I had in this issue was a few places where I couldn’t tell the characters apart. Granted I could always flip back and forth to figure things out, but doing so kinda ruins the intimacy of a title like Scalped.
Conclusion: Copy/Paste….”Another very strong issue of Scalped”. At this point, what did you really expect? This has probably been the best ongoing over the last 5 years (due to Walking Dead’s recent dip in form) and it looks to be headed to an epic conclusion.
Grade: B+
-Dean Stell
Follow Dean on Twitter.
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