What you’ll love

Opening scene: I
cant remember reading a more gripping scene. There are times when I
read this series and I literally hold my breath. There are other times
that I feel like my eyes are going to pop out of my head. The beginning
of this book is like going downhill on a roller coaster.

Universal Themes:
Jason Aaron masterfully weaves classic themes in and out of his
narratives. Scalped is a mediation of the human condition, as trite as
that terminology may seem, it truly is. In this issue Aaron takes
parenthood and delves into the darkness of it. The face of parenthood is
rosy and sunny but underneath, there are many people that can’t handle
it. Aaron explores this aspect in detail. What results is an emotionally
resonant work of art

Art: The
art perfectly conveys the dark themes of the story. RM Guera perfects
emotion and facial expressions on every panel. It’s amazing given the
tough content. Guera is the perfect complement to Aaron’s writing.
Several times AAron’s script calls for silent panels, in these panels
you can almost hear the sounds in them. They are rich and full of of
life but at the same time exceedingly dark and desolate. Masterful work.

Intensity:
Scalped screams of intensity, there’s is not a book that invokes so
much emotion during it’s reading. It’s violent,depressing,
disturbing,sexy, entertaining and true to life all at the same time.

Realism:
Scalped very rarely strains credulity. The way the characters interact
is perfect in the context of who they are. Each one of them is well
defined and three dimensional. A classic example this is the ending of
the book. Aaron perfectly captures the awkwardness of two estranged
lovers reuniting.

What you won’t

Current arc:
Scalped is always very good but this current arc hasn’t progressed as
fast as many would have liked. Last issue was especially
disappointing(in Scalped terms, which is still better than 90 percent of
the books on the shelves)

Better in Trades:
I recently caught up with Scalped and have read the last four issues on
a monthly basis. Like most Vertigo books, this book reads better in a
trade, however this issue is one of the best single issues I’ve read in
some time, if not ever.

Bottom Line: Scalped is a modern classic, and issue is 41 is Jason Aaron’s finest offering to date.

http://iconoclasticallybombastic.blogspot.com/2010/10/scalped-41-review.html