Scalped #44

Written by Jason Aaron
Art by Davide Furnò

 I guess Aaron is on a law enforcement theme with this book, as this is the second issue in a row to focus on an officer of the law.  The star this month is Nitz, the FBI agent who has been pursuing Lincoln Red Crow for some twenty years.  Nitz is a pretty obsessive guy, and in the face of his recent setbacks (his partner killed, his investigation a shambles), he has drawn the ire of his superiors.  As the issue opens, he is told that his case is being shut down, and that he can transfer or retire.


The rest of the issue is filled with Nitz processing this information.  His first instinct is to confront Red Crow, but that doesn't work the way he would like it to.  His second instinct is to commit suicide, but that is also a bust.  Instead, he tries for a variation on 'suicide by cop', with results that were actually pretty funny.


Aaron has done an amazing job of populating this book with people that you wouldn't exactly like or want to know, but whom you develop sympathy for none the less.  This issue is a good example of how he can get us inside a character's head.  The art, by Fuorno, is decent and works for this story.

Scalped #37

Written by Jason Aaron
Art by Davide Fuornò

 This issue concludes the two-issue look into Shunka, Chief Red Crow's right-hand man and enforcer.  Last issue, Shunka was sent to Michigan to deliver a message from Red Crow, and ended up getting mixed up in some dirty tribal business for the casino owner he met with.  It was also revealed that Shunka was gay and very very closeted.

When the former chief, and man he had an 'encounter' with turns up dead, Shunka acts out of character, and goes about avenging his death in this issue.  It's a very unexpected side of Shunka - not his homosexuality, but his lack of self-control and sudden flux of emotion.  This is a very careful, organized man who has usually been able to keep his darker impulses in check.  To see him run wild is impressive and a little frightening.

As usual, Aaron gives us very complicated characters, and I love the ending of this book.  I wonder if Shunka is going to start taking more risks now, or if he'll be content to return to being Red Crow's man.

Scalped #36

Written by Jason Aaron
Art by Davide Furnò

One of the things that I have enjoyed the most about Scalped over t last three years is the way that Aaron is always taking the book in unexpected directions. This issue is the start of a two-parter focusing on Shunko, Red Crow's right-hand man and enforcer, and we learn something about him I never would have expected.

Red Crow sends Shunko out to the Potawatomi Reservation in Eastern Michigan, to speak to a fellow tribal leader and casino manager about the difficulty Red Crow has in booking A-level acts (which, let's face it, at a casino really means C-level acts). Before meeting with the man, Shunko is forced to demonstrate some of his particular talents. This impresses the other Chief enough to recruit him to help with a problem he is having, namely his predecessor in his role.

As it turns out, the previous Chief has become a bit of an embarrassment since coming out of the closet, and the tribal council is planning on doing something about it. It is here that we learn something about Shunko I wouldn't have expected.

Aaron has become a master at writing these types of character study issues. Shunko is obviously a very conflicted man, but also a rather inarticulate one, and so we must read into his thoughts through studying his actions. Also of interest was the small lesson included here on Native American attitudes and beliefs towards homosexuality, a topic I know nothing about, save a small curiosity in the concept of two-spiritedness, which I don't understand.

Guest artist Davide Furnò once again provides some nice art.