Scalped #57

Written by Jason Aaron
Art by RM Guera

You had to know that the general good will and happiness of the last issue couldn't possibly last.  We saw Dash living a clean life with a good woman, and Red Crow determined to live out his days in prison while trying to stay on a righteous path.  Both characters looked like they may have been able to achieve the redemption this entire series has had them looking for.  But, were that true, this wouldn't be a comic by Jason Aaron, now would it?

With this issue, things get upended and screwed up mightily.  The body of Diesel, the white trash Native wannabe that Dash took out months ago gets discovered.  Lincoln learns that Carol, his daughter and Dash's ex-girlfriend, had an abortion, and his anger causes him to (possibly) regain some of who he used to be.  Catcher even shows up again, doing what he thinks is best to protect his people, in his usual misguided way.  And, saddest of all, in my perspective, Dino Poor Bear chooses to speak up when he really shouldn't have.

Scalped is an incredible series, which is winding down with this final arc (only three issues remain).  While it's safe to assume that any number of characters who have hurt each other over the years will get one last chance to injure each other, I really don't know where Aaron is going to lead this.  Last issue, it felt like happy, or at least contented, endings were possible for some of these characters; now, it looks like this series will end as it lived, in vicious anger, and clutching at redemption that never comes.  Either way, I'm going to savor these remaining issues.