Scalped #1 Review

Scalped

Writer:

Jason Aaron

Artist:

R.M. Guéra (Illustrator)
Jock (Cover)

Content:

Scalped is a book for mature audiences. It contains language, violence, gore, nudity, and adult situations.

Introduction:

This violent and provocative tale of life on the reservation is a no holds barred, Sopranoesque tale about past mistakes, bold moves, and a proud people brought low by lies, violence, and corrupt men and women. This tale from the Marvel Comics Talent Search winner takes the reader down a dark and twisted path that just might have some light at the end of the tunnel.

The Story:

Dashiell Bad Horse has been missing from the reservation he grew up on in South Dakota for fifteen years. He returns unannounced to his old friends and family to tear it up and harass the locals to the point where he takes on fifteen of the local mob bosses cronies and nearly beats them with a pair of nunchuks.

The mob boss is Lincoln Red Crow. He is the president of the local tribal council, sheriff of the tribal police force, managing director of the local casino and has his hands in every part of the tribal life on the reservation. He is not someone to be messed with.

Dash is offered to be part of Red Crow’s “Dawg Soldierz.” The tribal police force that does the will of Red Crow. He accepts and enters in with full force, crossing his own mother in the process. There is, however, another reason Dash has returned to the Prairie Rose Indian Reservation and if his secret is found out. He is a dead man.

Review:

This is a very raw story that I could see easily offend some people. This reservation shows the worst that Native Americans can come too, and it isn’t pretty. In the words of Dashiell, “The Indian wars are over, and you guys #$%@ing lost.” The picture of these proud people is often hard to look at, but just may be the perfect setting for a chance at redemption.

The art is dark and reminds me of Frank Miller’s Sin City. Even the scenes in the daytime have a shadowy and washed out look to them, which seems to work with the story rather well although there were a few times that it felt a bit to dark, making it hard to distinguish certain characters.

My main concern with the story would be where writer Jason Aaron could go after the main arc is completed. If and when Dashiell’s secret is revealed and makes good on what he is truly there for leaves me wondering if the story might fall a little flat without that tension that his secret creates. It will be interesting to see how it all pans out.

Conclusion:

For his first main foray into the world of comic books, Jason Aaron has a strong start with Scalped. But like many races, it doesn’t really matter how you start it as long as you finish well. If Aaron keeps going the way he is, Scalped will go down as a great Vertigo title.

This story gives a unique view into the world of Native Americans and supposed life on the reservation. It will be hard to look at and it may not be pretty, but it will surely be one hell of a ride.