Scalped #40

Written by Jason Aaron
Art by RM Guera

It's never hard to guess what I'm going to write when there's a new issue of Scalped, and that's because this book is consistently amazing.

This issue is the second in the 'Unwanted' arc, and it opens like the last issue did, with a scene at an abortion clinic.  What we learn in this one is that Gina Bad Horse, Dash's mother, had had an abortion when Dash was quite young.  From there, the book looks in on most of the central cast.

Red Crow meets with Wade, Dash's father, who has returned to the Rez.  The meeting stays civil, but only barely so, as it becomes clear the amount of resentment the two men harbor for each other, the root of which appears to be Gina.  Carol is now staying at Granny's house, and we get a glimpse of the domestic chaos there.  It's nice to see Dino again (he's a character I have a huge soft spot for), and gratifying to see that he's taking increased care of his daughter.  Carol is on a methadone program, and seems to be in a better place than she was last issue.

Dash, meanwhile, is handcuffed in a sweat lodge, in what appears to be an attempt to detox him.  Shunka is sitting vigil nearby, but it's not clear who is behind this effort - if Shunka is working of his own initiative, or if this is being done at Red Crow's behest.

This arc, 'Unwanted', seems to be really focusing on the parenting skills of our cast.  Wade all but accuses Red Crow of wishing that Dash was his, and that helps to explain some of the complexity in their relationship.  And, at the heart of everything once again, are Dash's unresolved feelings towards his mother.  Aaron is creating a masterpiece here.