Scalped #39

Written by Jason Aaron
Art by RM Guera

How many different ways can somebody find to praise the same comic?  With every issue, I just want to find a bunch of people and force them to read it, because I know that most of the reading public, were they to give this a chance, would be as hooked as I am.  I don't understand why this book doesn't sell more, aside from the usual obvious facts, like that it doesn't star someone wearing spandex, and that it might make people think a little too much.  I like Aaron's work for Marvel, but if you read an issue of Scalped next to something like Astonishing Spider-Man and Wolverine, it's hard to tell that they are written by the same man.

This issue starts off the new 'Unwanted' arc.  It begins with a scene from Red Crow's past, when Carol's mother was pregnant with her.  This is all very relevant, as Carol finds herself pregnant, addicted to heroin, and unwilling to have her father involved with any of it.  She receives a visit from Granny Poor Bear (how's Dino doing?  He was my favourite character, and it's been a while since we've seen him), who offers to help her clean her life up.  Granny has been a great character throughout this title.  She was born in a bit of a stereotype - that of the old wise Aboriginal woman - but she has moved through that to be a real symbol of strength and resilience in the book.

Dash, meanwhile, is having problems of his own with drugs.  After the events of the last arc, he should be relieved that his plans have been working, but instead he is sinking into paranoia.  He does think that his secrets are safe, and they are so far as Red Crow is concerned, but Shunka, who we've learned has more than a few secrets of his own, can see through all of that, which is sure to lead to some sort of conflict soon.

This arc is going to be all about the characters' relationships with their parents, and it is going to give us an interesting perspective on many of them.  The decision that Carol makes (in an amazing scene) is going to have a huge affect on her life, as the surprise appearance of the person on the last page is going to have, in light of the last issue, a more interesting affect on Dash than I would have previously thought.  Brilliant character work as always.