The first three issues of Scalped were good, but not great. Writer Jason Aaron has a great feel for mood, setting, character, and dialogue, but the actual story seemed underwhelming. R.M. Guera’s pencils suited the dirty and gritty feel of the book, but weren’t always effective at straightforward storytelling. All told, it was a book with plenty of potential that nonetheless balanced on the edge of my reading list.
Thankfully, Aaron and Guera have taken a big step forward with issues 4 & 5. Aaron slows the action down considerably and focuses on both character work and background information. Protagonist Dash Bad Horse is set aside largely in favour of his mother, Gina, and her past with Chief Red Crow. The character dynamics that were introduced in the first three issues receive a great deal of explanation here: Gina and Red Crow, Dash and Gina, Dash and the FBI, and why exactly the FBI is so keen to have an agent, and Dash in particular, on the rez. The emphasis on the supporting cast is also a big boost, as it changes the dynamic for the better: Instead of a book about one angry young man, it’s becoming more of an ensemble piece.
Aaron also explores Dash’s relationship with Carol, Red Crow’s daughter. Well, “explore” and “relationship” are probably a tad too high concept: mostly, Dash just goes around beating the crap out of Carol’s one-afternoon-stands. It’s not exactly Romeo and Juliet, but Aaron conveys the love-hate dynamic quite nicely, with ample help from Guera.
Indeed, Guera gets much more an opportunity to strut his stuff in these issues, as Aaron seems to have trusted him with telling more of the story. Dash’s observation/stalking sequences are largely narrative-free, and Guera’s also given free reign to illustrate the aftermath of some of Dash’s not-quite-by-the-books busts. It’s an impressive bit of visual storytelling, and Guera really gets to define the world of the reservation. And of course, he also pulls off the final reveal of the story, which is obviously going to be the event that defines the series for the foreseeable future. While I admit to having my doubts about Guera after the first few issues, he’s turned things around quickly and won himself at least one fan.
As a matter of fact, issues five and six of Scalped are so good that it gives me something to complain about: What were they waiting for? While these issues nominally constitute a two-issue story arc, there’s no real reason to separate it from the opening three-issue arc. (Crossing Midnight did the same thing.) The flashbacks in these two issues would have been more effective spread over five issues; instead, Aaron gave us three issues of setup and a bit of introduction, but didn’t really move the story forward; all I really remember about issues two and three is the Burn Victims, and they turned out to be far more disposable than I’d thought. Only with the fourth and fifth issues does he really show us what Scalped is all about, and that seems a bit too long of a wait.
I’d actually suggest that if you haven’t sampled Scalped yet, you’re better off starting here than with the first issue. This is the kind of book I was hoping for from Aaron after The Other Side, the book that was poking its head out in the first three issues but never really showing itself. I’m not sure why Aaron was keeping his best cards hidden for so long, but now that they’re on the table it’s clear he has a pretty good hand. The book has very quickly leapt from “promising” to “dammit, I want the next issue!”
Aaron’s got some momentum now, and Guera is definitely hitting his stride. Let’s see if they can keep it up.