Creators Writer: Jason Aaron Artist: R.M. Guera and various guests
Age Rating: R
What a fantastic series. That’s right, this isn’t a one-and-done graphic novel, but one of those proud floppies that comes out every month. Scalped is quite a far cry from Spider-Man. It’s tells the tale of life on an corrupt Indian reservation and there’s no characters story that isn’t worth hearing.
The book leads off with telling us about Dashiell Bad Horse, a man just as bad ass as his name makes him sound. Coming home after being off the reservation for so long means dealing with a lot of changes. Those changes, mostly negative, are thanks to the dealings of Red Crow. A mob boss that would make Capone proud, Red Crow is one of the most complex comic characters in comics, which makes for a fascinating read.
Then again, that’s what Jason Aaron does. There is no character in Scalped that you’re not dying to know more about. The plot is more involved than I outlined here, but I don’t want to give anything away. Just know, Aaron puts out a dang fine story. I think the best example of this was issue #35 (pictured above). The story in this issue is completely independent of the series. It’s about an older couple that lives on the fringes of the reservation.
Two never before heard of characters. 22 pages. I was in tears by the end.
It doesn’t seem to matter who Jason Aaron is writing about, it will punch you in the gut.
When it comes to the art? Fantastic. It is so much it’s own thing. Comics never look like Scalped. Which is fitting, because there really are no comics like Scalped. The world that Guera pens is realistic but so driven by mood and color. Depending on the composition of a page, Guera can really hit you emotionally. Framing in empty doorways, long shots with one character, different point of views, it really is just the best artwork to drive Aaron’s writing home.
Scalped is one of the most powerful series I’ve ever read. It has every “What the-?!” moment a good comic needs, but doesn’t depend on tights to sell itself. It’s story does that all by itself.
Find more of Guera’s work here.
You can follow Jason Aaron’s blog, his weekly column, or catch other titles he’s working on. My current favorite? Astonishing Spider-Man & Wolverine. Pitting those two against eachother in a romp through time has been awesome.