Pick of the Week
What did the
iFanboy
community think?
Pulls
Art by R.M. GUERA, DEAN HASPIEL, DENYS COWAN, IGOR KORDEY, JILL THOMPSON, TIMOTHY TRUMAN and others
Cover by JOCK
Size: 32 pages
Price: 2.99
Sometimes a man plays to type. Listen, I held off as long as I could, and I wondered, “is it possible that Scalped #50 wasn’t the best comic book of the week, and it just played to my tastes?” But the fact is, if you read this title regularly, or you just jumped on this one issue (which you can so easily do), you would have to be thick to not at least be impressed.
In a landmark issue such as this, and a book with monthly sales like Scalped gets, it is a landmark, you want to bring something special to the kids reading it. One look at the lineup listed in the upper left hand corner of that gorgeous Jock cover, and you’ll know that this issue is a comic book fan’s comic book. Jason Aaron and R.M. Guéra show up, as expected, but then we get Igor Kordey, Tim Truman, Jill Thompson, Jordi Bernet, Denys Cowan, Dean Haspiel, Brendan McCarthy, and Steve Dillon making guest appearances. My curiosity was well piqued, and ultimately not disappointed.
This stand alone story takes us back in time to 1876, and we get a grim lesson in scalping. If you’ve heard the term and not thought much about it, it’s fucking awful. We spend a bit of time with a white scalper and his son, talking about the family trade. Then, we see the other side of the fence, and a cycle of unending violence. If you’ve read anything about native American history, you’ll know that the way they were exterminated was simply terrible. You’ll also know that the Native Americans themselves were some savage warriors. It’s all here, presented as history, not apologetic history or handwringing history, but just the ugly truth of the thing. Aaron presents the whole thing in a concise, if not radically simplified, straight line to the fictitious Prarie Rose Reservation where the previous 49 issues have taken place. The great thing about this issue is that is perfectly captures the tone of the series in one issue. For longtime readers, it’s a moment of reflection. For new readers (please be one) it’s a snapshot of the kind of writing you’ll get to see every month in this book. It doesn’t pull punches, and it doesn’t aim to shock for the sake of it. It’s dirty and just a little hopeless, and despite all of that, it’s as compelling a story as I have found on a continual basis.
But every issue does that. What every issue doesn’t have is a series of pinups by the artists named above. The thing about pinups is, we see them a lot, and an artist really has to work hard to get your attention, but I can say that several of these pinups made my eyes pop wide open, as they went through the various characters and history of Scalped. I’m fairly sure Jordi Bernet is going to shock you with his mostly nude portrait of Carol, but if you look further, you’ll notice her eyes, and get lost trying to figure out what that look means. In contrast to Carol is Jill Thompson’s pile of sleeping dogs and wizened old grandmother smoking her pipe. But more than any of them, I got to the final pinup, and Steve Dillon, whom I thought I could count on, who I knew, and had seen all his tricks, just blew my face up with his shot of Red Crow and Shunka. I want one Steve Dillon drawn issue of Scalped, and I want it now. Shunka is one scary dude, and he’s never looked more resolute than when Dillon drew him here. The issue also features four pages of sequential work from Igor Kordey, and I have to give him credit, because they look fantastic. I would even go so far as to say that they remind me a little of John Severin, which is very high praise indeed.
I could see if a comic book reader who is primarily in the game for superheroes doesn’t want this book. It doesn’t have superhuman wonder or fantastic abilities or other worlds. It’s certainly not brightly colored and filled with people who are compelled to do the right thing from some driving force within. It exists in our world, and there are times when it’s so real that it’s unreal. While the events aren’t necessarily true, they could be, and that always excites me in a story. These people could exist. The conditions they exist in certainly do exist. But if you’re interested in story, and character, and taking a slightly different look at the way we think the world works, Scalped is the absolute best thing for you on the comic book stands. Because the characters and their circumstances are so well defined, they could do anything, just like real people, and nothing keeps me coming back like Scalped does. We’ve seen Jason Aaron go on to the big time at Marvel since this series debuted, and we’ve seen that he is very good at writing many different kinds of comics, but there’s something to the fact that when he went to Vertigo 50 issues ago, this is the comic book he wanted to make. This is the story that was the most pure form of his craft, and there’s something special about that.
So that’s me living up to my stereotype, and picking an issue of my favorite title. Then again, I read a lot of comic books, and I know quality and passion when I see it. I’ll tell you all once again, that this is a great place to check out this magnificent work, and if even one or two of you do end up trying it out, then I have succeeded, and you’ll have won too. If Scalped #50 doesn’t make you want to know more, then it’s probably just not for you.
Josh Flanagan
What are “corn squeezins”?
josh@ifanboy.com
Find us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Subscribe to our RSS Feed
Some rights reserved.
I am so happy right now – this book was flawless.
sold. I own the first two trades of Scalped and have read the first trade. I’ll have to finish reading #2, but first, this issue.
Couldn’t agree more Josh. This issue was excellent! And the Dillon page is one I would buy if I could.
Thank you for the great review. I have loved Scalped since Issue #1, and have tried without much success to convert other people, to express to them my passion for the book, why I love it so much. You have said here all the things I wanted to say. I’m so glad other people get this book.
I knew it!!!!
I hit pause with Scalped ever since the ending of The Gnawing arc b/c it really wrapped up things nicely for me & I just didn’t feel the need to have to continue. Of course the praise of Scalped has been non-stop on this site since then, but I keep looking through the Rez Blues trade before buying & then skimming through some issues that I happen to find once in a while & somehow I just do not feel the need to have this story continue for me. I probably won’t stay off Scalped forever, especially with this very convincing review, but I still feel hesitant. Idk how to describe it its like you know its good but you’ve had your fill, I guess?
Josh is predictable I will say that.
However, I read this series in tpb & it is worth every penny.
Matthew
Yes!
Josh and the rest of the iFanboy team have been raving about this book for so long, i can’t believe I have never even tried it. I really need to start picking up these tpbs. Whenever there is prolonged love for something from you guys, I am never disappointed in it. Next time I have some extra cash, it’s going towards Scalped trades.
same as corn drippings?
my neighbor makes shine.
iFanboy is responsible for me picking up Scalped and I love you guys for it. It is, by far, my favorite comic, and for my money, Jason Aaron is the best writer in comics today.
This is a very good review, but something bugged me about the review.
“or you just jumped on this one issue (which you can so easily do), you would have to be thick to not at least be impressed“
“ If Scalped #50 doesn’t make you want to know more, then it’s probably just not for you”
I’m a bit confused by those two statements. So if we pick this issue up and not like it does it make us stupid or is it not for us? On one hand your calling someone stupid for not liking something but then you contradict yourself at the very last sentence to say it’s just not for us.
So which is it?
@TheNextChampion it’s fairly carefully worded, so unless you’re looking to be insulted, you won’t be.
“to not at least be impressed” means that you don’t even have to like it, but if you don’t at least recognize the craft, it’s likely you don’t have a very good understanding of the rudiments of what makes a good comic book. If you’re convinced that it’s a piece of shit, then you shouldn’t be reading my reviews, because i will be no help to you. That’s not the same as calling someone stupid, but it is strongly worded, as I feel strongly that it is true. There are lots of smart people who don’t know shit about comics.
The second statement is true.
@josh: Okay, thanks for clearing it up. It just confused me is all but that makes much more sense.
This issue does have a shit load of amazing artists on board. Maybe I’ll give it a shot when I hit the LCS again tomorrow.
Thanks Josh for elucidating your continued enjoyment of this title. 50 Issues! But your review keeps it fresh! All them dogs with Granny made me laugh, and then seeing Badhorse took me aback. We’re all a part of a continuum.
Scalped has been my favorite comic since it was launched. A mediocre issue of Scalped is typically still the best comic in my weekly pile. This issue knocked me out. The guest artists were amazing and once again Jason Aaron proves that he is a master of the single issue. Josh’s pick is only predictable because Scalped is so predictably incredible.
Just ordered the first trade. Looking forward to reading it
Good pick!
I was totally blown away by this issue. I particularly enjoyed how the pinups were integrated into the story rather than making them bonus material at the end of the issue.
Once I read the issue I had even more appreciation for the cover. The placement of the title on the cover tied in so well to the story itself.
Kudos to Aaron, Guerra, Jock, Kordi, and the rest of the Scalped team, and kudos to everyone who has supported and kept such a exceptional book going for so long. (In today’s industry 50 issues is no joke)
Aaron’s use of the pinups as a REALLY strong plot device here just shows again how great of a writer he is. The whole thing felt concise, poignant, and intentional. A great momentary breather in this ongoing story.
And yeah, the artwork was amazing all the way through. That Steve Dillon pinup… where the red meets the blue in Red Crow’s face–it’s such a jarring, almost nauseating contrast, it literally vibrates. If that wasn’t intentional, then it was a damn inspired accident, especially for the significance of the character.
Anyone else pick up on that thematic/structural similarity to “The Other Side”, Aaron’s first Vertigo book? Also some meta awesomeness.
I had to go with Batman Inc. I coudn’t believe how much was accomlished in one issue. Man-O-Bats and Red Raven are some of my new favorite charachers.
As for Scalped, my buddy aka Comic Roamer lent me the first trade and I think I’m gonna see what all the fuss is about tonight.
Haven’t read this yet but I trust your judgement. My pick was most definitely Detective Comics, Batman Inc. was close though.
I’m a trade waiter on this title and my pick was American Vampire but I think I’ll go out and pick this up. Nice review.
IMHO, Scalped and Walking Dead have been the best two comics of the last 3 years or so. I can’t decide if one is better than the other (it all depends of the time of day). It actually makes me sad to think that Scalped won’t be around in a little over a year from now, it’s so good!!
In all honesty, I think it might be the best comic of this generation. The art, the story, the depth (particularly the morality struggles) of the chatacters have made this one of the best comics ever, and I think it will stand the test of time with Preacher, Transmet, and ANYthing else!
Great pick, Josh! I couldn’t think of a title that deserves it more. 🙂
So I have to completely disagree here. I’ll probably actually do a review of this book, but I’ll run down the basics here.
I’m a brand-spanking new reader of Scalped, having heard of it previously but never tried it. I bought the book this week based solely on Josh’s recommendation that it would be a great place to start. I find myself agreeing the most often with Josh, and figured that I might enjoy this as much as he did.
However, as I attempted to read through this book, I was bombarded by several LONG word boxes in every panel, amongst artwork that is generally too small and scratchy to see the amount of detail in it.
The book itself reminds me of a lot of the books I’ve read from the 80’s and 90’s, where exposition was the key (apparently). I found that after two pages, I wasn’t interested in these characters or their situation at all, and upon scanning the rest of the book and finding an extensive amount of text on every page, I gave up. I did flip to the pin-ups to check them out, and none of them grabbed me as they did Josh. Probably mostly because I don’t have a history with the characters.
So no, I disagree. This book is not a good place to start for new readers. I bet the only really good place is the beginning of this series. I’d also say that you have to have in interest in historical fiction to really enjoy the situations depicted here, which may be another reason I couldn’t even finish the book. I may try the book again in the future, but this was a disappointing start. I’d give the issue a 2 out of 5.
I’m gonna start following Scalped now. I liked his work on The Other Side which made me buy the first trade but it didn’t pull me in. I read Scalped 35 (#7 as best single issue, Thanks iFanboy) but after reading 50, it is time to read some more Scalped. Also even though I didn’t know all the characters, I didn’t really care, that was a good story overall.
This is the comic that got me reading again. Each issue has been an amazing treat, and 50 did not fail to meet the standards ive put to it.
@Peteparker Everyone is entitled to their opinion but this is seriously what annoys me. COMIC BOOKS are supposed to tell a story, people complain so much about “TOO MANY WORDS” on a page? then why not stick with sketch books and art books?
The whole point of a story is to have good dialogue, good art, and a good story. The story itself is amazing to me and something thats never been done before and if you cant appreciate that maybe your better off watching cartoons is you cant handle words.
Or maybe comics just arent for you, OR MAYBE just maybe you should stick with mark millar books if you want very little words but cheap big panels and splash pages.
Green Lantern Alf would be the most automatic purchase of all time. The greatest missed opportunity in this whole flashpoint business. =)