Jason Aaron seems to be pretty hot stuff lately. I’d never heard of the guy before last year’s The Other Side, in which he teamed with Cameron Stewart for a gruesome and morbid look at the Viet Nam War. It wasn’t the most original voice, but Aaron established himself as a strong and distinctive voice, even if he didn’t quite seem sure of what to say with it yet. He’s followed that mini up with a Vertigo ongoing, a fairly impressive gig for a guy without a lot of comic work to his credit.
After three issues, I’m still not sure what to make of Scalped. Aaron’s still got style to spare, but the substance ain’t all there yet.
The basic story is fairly simple: Dashiell Bad Horse swaggers back onto the reservation, stirring up shit and breaking faces. This quickly brings him to the attention of the corrupt Tribal Leader Red Crow, who decides he can use the take-no-prisoners Bad Horse in the reservation police force, which sees duty both legal and extra-legal. But all is not as it seems, as Bad Horse is quickly revealed (to the reader, if no one else) to be working for the FBI.
The hook to the series is that it’s a crime drama set on an Indian Reservation. But thus far, Aaron hasn’t done much else to distinguish Scalped. I’m not convinced the series would change significantly if it were relocated to Cleveland, as Aaron has loaded up on all the crime genre standbys you’d expect to see: the badass antihero with a mysterious past, the corrupt crime boss, the dangerously sexy babe, the one honest cop, the manipulative Feds. It’s about as generic a setup as you could imagine, spiced up only mildly by the locale.
But as with The Other Side, Aaron shines with the details. It’s tough to explain – the last two paragraphs certainly don’t read like descriptions of a book towards which I have mixed feelings. There’s just something about the book that makes me want to stick with it. The characters seem aching to bust out of their formulaic restraints: For all that he should be a walking cliché, Dashiell Bad Horse is a compelling main character. He’s just completely full of rage towards nearly everyone: I want to know what’s keeping him on this assignment in a town he loathes. Also, I want him to get his nunchuks back, because that’s kind of a cool idea.
Everyone just seems better than they should be: Even Carol, Red Crow’s daughter and Dashiell’s old flame. Even Officer Falls Down, the One Good Cop who has the bad tact to embarrass Red Crow. (He also gets a great name – as he laments, not everyone gets cool animal names) Scalped is a book that’s just bursting to be better than it is: Aaron is teasing and taltalizing, but not quite delivering.
While Aaron’s shortcomings on The Other Side were masked and compensated for by the outstanding Cameron Stewart, he isn’t paired with such a gifted artist on Scalped. R.M. Guera has the gritty, atmospheric feel of the book down – he’s downright ugly at times, but in all the right ways – but he’s not the strongest storyteller, particularly when it comes to fast-paced action. The first issue’s introductory confrontation isn’t terribly clear, and the gunfight and car chase in the third issue could use more clarity and oomph. Scalped has an emphasis on character and backroom politics than shootouts, but Guera’s going to need to crank up his action sequences if the book wants is going to succeed.
It was unfair when I mentioned J.H. Williams’ covers for Crossing Midnight, and it’s probably unfair here, too, but one can’t help but wonder how the book might have been improved if cover artist Jock were providing interiors as well. Jock’s one of the most dynamic artists around, and most books would be significantly improved by his interiors – and, frankly, I’d rather see his work on the upcoming Faker, anyway – but hey, the cover’s there – I can’t help but judge some of the book on it.
Jason Aaron has loads of potential, but both he and Guera need to tighten things up if they want to make Scalped a must-read. It’s an entertaining enough read, but that’s not always good enough – Aaron’s given it a strong voice, but he needs to firm up exactly what he wants to say with it. I’ll probably stick with it for a few issues more – another story arc or two – but eventually there will come a reckoning. I’d love it if Scalped took the big step up, but right now I can’t say I’d be crushed if the book ended after ten issues. There’s a lot of wiggle room, and some great things to be done if the creators are up to it.