Scalped #55

Written by Jason Aaron
Art by RM Guera

I don't know how to talk about this issue of Scalped without talking about how it ends, except in rather vague and general terms.  I will say though that that has to be one of the coolest endings to a comic I've seen in some time, and it comes as a huge pay-off for almost five year's worth of reading (and loving) this series.

The issue opens where it ended last month, with Shunka coming to kill Dash Bad Horse.  Their fight takes up most of the issue, and it is bloody and brutal in ways I haven't seen before in comics.  I could imagine how it must feel to have the wiring holding your jaw together ripped out, that's how effective RM Guera's art was in conveying the visceral violence of this comic.

I also liked the way Guera referenced past issues during the fight, showing Dash's childhood arrowhead collection at one point.  Jason Aaron has risen to great heights behind his work on this comic (although nothing he's done at Marvel can touch the quality of this series), yet Guera has not become a star.  On one hand, that's good because it means he's never left the book, but he deserves equal credit for this comic being so amazing.

Some other stuff happens in this issue too - Catcher gets into it with his horse, while Agent Nitz finally raids Red Crow's casino.  As for Red Crow, he shows up at Dash's place during the fight, and this is what leads to that excellent ending, and to another memorable scene with Shunka.  This comic is amazing, and I wish everyone who isn't reading it would pick up the trades.  If you plan on reading this series, don't take a peek at the end of this issue - let it reach you in context when you get to it; you'll be happy with it.