Scalped #23

Written by Jason Aaron
Art by R.M. Guera

Poor Dino Poor Bear. I've always found him to be the most sympathetic character in Scalped, and probably the only one that I've felt like rooting for, but now I'm not sure how much longer he's going to be around.

This issue focuses almost completely on Dino, although we do see Dash show up for a couple of panels (I remember thinking he was the main character of this book), and it is another example of the mastery with which Aaron weaves his tapestry in Scalped.

This arc has mostly been about Red Crow, who doesn't even appear in this issue, and his quest to be a better person. The biggest obstacle Red Crow faces is the continued presence on the reserve of Mr. Brass, a Hmong madman. This issue puts us closer to the violent events that were shown in the framing sequence for this arc.

The thing that makes Scalped one of my favourite titles is the way in which Aaron has fleshed out his characters. I really feel for, and like, Dino. He's trapped in so many ways, and he knows it. His talk of astronauts, and the wisdom of his grandmother just show that he's another poor kid who's going to live and die on the reservation, no matter what he does to escape. I'm starting to see that Scalped is all about redemption, and I hope that Vertigo lets Aaron continue the book for as long as he needs to tell his story completely.