The comic book love of my life.

Scalped, Scalped, Scalped, Scalped, Scalped.

I'm going to try my best to explain exactly why I think Scalped is so damn good, so damn important, why it's the book I look forward to reading the most each month, and why you should be reading it above all others.

For those of you that personally know me, whether you be friends, customers who have become friends or just customers, you've probably heard me babble on and on and on about Scalped. I'm going to try extra hard to be coherent today though and be concise with my praise. If you still haven't read this towering beast of emotion devastation, get on it! Post haste!

In my ranting and raving of praise I will remain spoiler free, because it seems kind of dumb to reveal a bunch of stuff when I'm trying to convince you to read this.

First and foremost I guess I should give a basic overview of what Scalped is for those who haven't even heard of it. Scalped is a monthly ongoing comic book written by Jason Aaron and primarily drawn by R.M. Guera. I say primarily because through the course of the series several other artists have occasionally filled in for one shots or short two issue arcs. Scalped is a crime/western set on the fictional Prairie Rose Indian Reservation in South Dakota. The book revolves around the organized crime outfit that operates on the rez, the legacy of crime that affects the whole of the community, and lastly with the culture, history, and living condition of the Oglala Lakota who call the reservation home. 

For me to talk about Scalped, I need to talk about Peter Parker first. Now, you might not see a correlation between your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man and the gritty shit storm of depravity that is Scalped, but I promise you there is. Peter Parker is me. Peter Parker is you. He's the everyman, and that is one of the timeless things about him that makes him such a great character. Peter gets nervous trying to be serious with people, he overcompensates, he fucks up, he struggles with the same kind of shit we all do. He tries his best and still disappoints people, but keeps trying. We as readers can relate to that, which makes Peter seems so much more real than he really is.

Scalped is the same but slightly different. All these fucked up characters from Scalped resonate with us just as well, but in different ways. And I may just be more angry and fucked up than others but Scalped strikes such a cord with me. When I'm reading about these terribly damaged people who are certainly not good people but at the same time not wholly bad, I just can't help but empathize with them.

That page, three characters, six panels, two per character, and no dialogue. That page says more than most books do in 26 pages. That page says more than a lot of novels have to say. That page tells me so much about all three of these characters and it's an incredible testament to the skill and talent R.M. Guera packs into each issue of Scalped. It is also an incredible testament to the reality of these characters that Jason Aaron has so deftly created. That page is a punch to the face. That's three fucked up people who can't do anything but give into themselves. 

It's the same reason I love noir. Noir seems to have many different definitions and connotations amongst fans and critics, but to me noir is always about the inevitable. The inevitability that you'll fuck up, fall habit to old vices or just make plain old bad decisions because your too damn proud and too damn stubborn to do otherwise. Noir is the inevitable badness thats a result of your wantonness. 

And that's Scalped. Terrible inevitability rushing towards all these fucked up characters you just can't seem to hate despite what bastards they are. Everybody's locked down unto their tracks, unable to do anything but stick to their set paths, and stick to their guns. Its this downward spiral, slowly getting sucked down and you just can't help but watch as they circle the drain. And you wouldn't have it any other way.

Just look at some of the titles of the story arcs Jason Aaron has written.

The Gravel in your Guts.

The Gnawing.

How fucking cool is that? The Gnawing? That's quintessential Scalped right there. Anxious nibbling picking away at you.

I love this book, I'm pretty sure that's awfully redundant at this point as I've made it blatantly obvious. I just hope I peaked your interest somewhat though. Go read Scalped. Please?

Tally Ho,

Austin