Scalped (comics)
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (October 2008) |
| Scalped | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Vertigo |
| Schedule | Monthly |
| Format | Ongoing series |
| Genre | Crime |
| Publication date | March 2007 - present |
| No. of issues | 37 (as of June 2010) |
| Creative team | |
| Created by | Jason Aaron, R. M. Guéra |
| Written by | Jason Aaron |
| Artist(s) | R. M. Guéra |
| Letterer(s) | Phil Balsman Steve Wands |
| Colorist(s) | Lee Loughridge Giulia Brusco |
| Editor(s) | Will Dennis Casey Seijas |
| Collected editions | |
| Indian Country | ISBN 1401213170 |
| Casino Boogie | ISBN 1401216544 |
| Dead Mothers | ISBN 1401216544 |
| The Gravel in Your Gut | ISBN 1401219195 |
| High Lonesome | ISBN 1401224873 |
Scalped is a ongoing crime comic book series written by Jason Aaron and illustrated by R. M. Guéra, published monthly by Vertigo Comics. Issue #1 was published on January 3, 2007.
The series is set on the fictional Prairie Rose Indian Reservation in modern-day South Dakota; the story is concerned with organized crime as well as the culture and living conditions of the Oglala Lakota living on the reservation.
Inspiration
The plot of the comic is partly inspired by Leonard Peltier, a Native American activist who was arrested for the murder of two FBI agents in a reservation shootout in 1975.[citation needed]
Plot
Dashiell Bad Horse returns to the "rez" after fifteen years of absence, picking fights with whoever crosses his path. His belligerence quickly leads him to a run-in with Chief Lincoln Red Crow, chief of the Oglala tribe, chief of the local police, and a wealthy mob boss. Red Crow assesses Bad Horse's fighting ability and enthusiasm for getting his hands dirty, and coerces him into joining the tribal police force. Bad Horse's primary duty is breaking up fights and shutting down meth labs—Red Crow is about to open a $97 million dollar casino, and is anxious to clean up the tribe's public image, not to mention taking out competition for his illegal interests.
Bad Horse, an undercover FBI agent, is tasked with infiltrating Red Crow's organization. Dashiell's immediate superior wants to bring Red Crow to justice for the murder of two FBI agents thirty years ago, when Red Crow was a militant Native American rights activist alongside Dashiell's mother, Gina Bad Horse.
Dashiell develops an obsession with Red Crow's estranged daughter, Carol, who resents Dashiell for leaving the reservation. Dashiell speaks to her occasionally, but mostly follows and observes her as she tries to escape the crushing boredom and poverty of the reservation through alcohol, drugs, and sexual promiscuity.
The first story arc, 'Hoka Hey', ends with the murder of Gina Bad Horse, seen scalped and lying on the ground outside the rez. She had previously tried, frantically, to speak to her son, always narrowly missing him.
Characters
Dashiell Bad Horse: An angry, young, full-blooded Oglala who left the reservation at the age of thirteen, that returns with a vengeance at twenty-eight. Although he was glad to leave the reservation, he resents his mother for sending him away after years of spending her time pursuing activist causes instead of celebrating the important moments of his youth. Dashiell has spent the intervening years excelling in sports, mastering Jeet Kune Do, and serving with the U.S. military in the Kosovo War before becoming an FBI agent. He is a very skilled combatant, able to take on an entire room full of enemies, whether in a barroom brawl or a police raid shootout. He shaves his head and wears several earrings. He has no friends, never smiles, has little sense of humor, and often winds up in arguments or fights with the people he encounters. Special Agent Nitz describes him as a "borderline sociopath". His motivation for returning to the reservation is unknown, and he claims to have no concern for the plight of the Oglala, but Nitz believes that it is necessary for him to return in order to prove to himself (and his mother) that he's made something of himself since he left. He has begun using drugs heavily.
Chief Lincoln Red Crow: In his fifties, with the kind of bullish appearance of a man once in excellent shape, Red Crow does not hesitate to point out that he still knows how to kill a man by scalping. Red Crow is a "big man" on the reservation with his fingers in many pies; he is chief of the tribal council, chief of the tribal police, a wealthy businessman, and a mob boss with interests in drugs and prostitution. Currently, his main concern is ensuring that the opening of his new casino, the Crazy Horse, goes smoothly. Both publicly and privately, Red Crow is not shy about drawing attention to the overwhelming problems of unemployment and alcoholism on the reservation, and claims that he is trying to improve the lives of the Oglala Lakota people, but is widely doubted. He has unresolved romantic feelings for Gina Bad Horse, with whom he has a shared history as a militant Native American rights activist. He is estranged from his daughter Carol, who can no longer talk to him civilly, and is concerned about Dashiell's obsession with her.
Gina Bad Horse: Dashiell's estranged mother, and a longtime activist pushing for the rights of Native Americans. With Lincoln Red Crow and Lawrence Belcourt, she participated in the ambush and murder of two FBI agents who entered the reservation one night in 1975. While she initially held the wounded agents under the gun, Red Crow took the pistol from her and was hinted to have executed them himself initially, saying that she didn't want to have the killing on her conscience. In the present time, she and her band of protesters now oppose Red Crow's plans to open the casino.
Diesel Engine (Britt Fillenworth): Gina Bad Horse's boyfriend/companion, a skilled hand-to-hand combatant, with a reputation for violence and erratic, near-sociopathic behavior. It is often remarked (generally contemptuously) that he is white, although he reacts badly to this, claiming to be 1/16th West Texas Kickapoo. In Gina's absence, he breaks into Red Crow's office at the casino, steals something critical (which he later hands off to FBI agent Nitz), trashes the office and kills Red Crow's dogs. After a long, drawn-out fight with Dashiell he is arrested, only to escape before Red Crow and his men can take any action against him. He lived with his abusive father until he decided he wasn't going to take it anymore and setup his father to be robbed and killed. The items he stole from Red Crow have recently been revealed to be the scalps of the two murdered FBI agents.
FBI SAC Earl Baylis Nitz: A vengeful, unscrupulous and amoral FBI Agent who was present at Dashiell's birth and had had his eye on him for some time, insisting that he be made an FBI Field Agent when it seemed his mother's record would prevent that. He is driven by a desire to see Red Crow behind bars for murder, something that has eluded him since the seventies when Red Crow and Gina got away scot free from the murder of two FBI Agents. He will do anything to get what he wants, even if it means sacrificing Dashiell. He left the two scalps of the murdered agents on their graves, rather than using them as evidence (which may have been impossible anyway, since he obtained them illegally).
Carol Ellroy: Married to someone called Ellroy, although she doesn't much care about the fact. Probably married him (a non-Indian) just to spite her father. Pretty much exactly Dashiell's age, the two shared their first erotic experience at the age of thirteen, when she let him watch her urinate. Now that Dashiell has returned, he is repelled by her promiscuity yet attracted by her beauty. It is unclear whether she is a femme fatale or a damsel in distress; so far, her influence on the plot has been limited, however her relationships to both Dashiell and her father will probably be explored further as the series progresses.
Dino Poor Bear: A young man struggling to make a living on the reservation. He encounters Dashiell at a meth lab which Dashiell is shutting down. Poor Bear wants a better life for himself and his daughter, and would like to leave the reservation. He works as a janitor for the Crazy Horse casino.
Catcher (Arthur Pendergrass): A man of Red Crow's generation; he was present when the federal agents died, but he has never said a word about his role in the murders. Upon seeing Gina, whom he had loved his entire life, kiss Red Crow passionately he snaps and kills the two agents, who were being held at gunpoint. Years later, when confronted by an angry Gina, he kills and scalps her, possibly to prevent being turned in for the crime. He makes up for it by talking to himself (or, rather, his horse named Festus) as present events progress, providing us with a running commentary. His totem is an owl.
Officer Franklin Falls Down: The single straight cop on the rez. He was assigned to cover Gina's murder and may be getting more information than he expected as he begins to investigate. His wife, Sherry, was killed in a car accident by Parker Louvin, a notorious alcoholic on the rez.
Granny Poor Bear: The eldest of the Poor Bear family, an old woman who seems to be the only source of true guidance on the rez. Skilled in the old medicine, she offers spiritual counseling to many of the characters. Takes care of the Poor Bear family, as Dino is the main breadwinner. Her totem is a huge bear.
The Dog Soldiers: The Native American activist group on the Oglala Reservation in the 1970s. Named after the famous warriors of Crazy Horse, they fought the Federal government for the rights of the indigenous people of America. Members included Lincoln Red Crow, Gina Bad Horse, Catcher, Lawrence Belcourt, and Reginald Standing Rock.
Reginald Standing Rock: One of the activists on the rez back in the day, he was suspected of being an informant for the FBI. Red Crow confronted him alone and although Reggie didn't confirm his status, he didn't deny it. Standing Rock was Red Crow's first murder victim—he choked Standing Rock for 11 minutes. Standing Rock's status as an informant is debated still by members of the rez, including his wife, who denies it.
Lawrence Belcourt: A Dog Soldier who was present the night the two FBI agents were murdered. Although Belcourt barely participated, he was convicted of the crime when others were acquitted. He is serving life in a Federal prison, where he is under the protection of an African-American prison gang. Red Crow pays for this service. Belcourt physically resemble Leonard Pelltier.
Mr. Brass: A member of the Hmong's criminal organization sent by Johnny Tongue to ensure the security of his investment, the Crazy Horse Casino. An older man with visible scars and missing his left arm, not doubt from his shady dealings. Does not like to ask questions twice and punishes his captives through extreme torture. He is a sadist who is not a stranger to using murder or rape to get what he wants. Currently incarcerated by Red Crow as a hostage.
Sheriff Wooster T. Karnow: The sheriff of neighboring White Haven, Nebraska. Claims to have played for the Cornhuskers and been a member of a special forces group but has a propensity for gross exaggeration. Doesn't care about the methamphetamine being run out the rez so long as it doesn't affect his liquor sales. Currently holding Diesel for the shooting of Sheldon Bittan, much to Diesel's chagrin.
Moses Johnson: An African American con man and card counter who was taking down Red Crow's casino when he was spotted and thrown out. As he was leaving, he recognized Dashiell as an FBI agent—Dashiell once busted him—and blackmailed him into helping set up the casino for a robbery. The robbery went bad and Johnson died, along with the other members of the gang he put together for the robbery. Johnson may be a phony name, as he boasts of using many aliases. Before setting up the robbery, Johnson murdered an Indian stripper to conceal his identity. Falls Down is researching that murder, too.
Shunka: Chief Red Crow's bodyguard and closest associate. Recently revealed to be in the closet about being gay.
Style
The artist, R. M. Guéra, uses the color brown predominantly, aiming for a grimy, dirty look. Shadows, the desert and the glaring sun are used to emphasize a sort of stifling atmosphere.
It would appear that some of the characters' names are homages to noir prose authors, such as Dashiell himself standing for The Maltese Falcon's Dashiell Hammett as well as Carol Ellroy borrowing her last name from LA Confidential's James Ellroy.
Collected editions
Vertigo are releasing trade paperback collections on an ongoing basis.
| # | Title | ISBN | Release date | Collected material |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Indian Country | ISBN 1401213170 | August, 2007 | Scalped #1-5 |
| 2 | Casino Boogie | ISBN 1401216544 | February, 2008 | Scalped #6–11 |
| 3 | Dead Mothers | ISBN 1401219195 | October, 2008 | Scalped #12-18 |
| 4 | The Gravel in Your Gut | ISBN 1401221793 | April, 2009 | Scalped #19-24 |
| 5 | High Lonesome | ISBN 1401224873 | October, 2009 | Scalped #25-29 |
| 6 | The Gnawing | ISBN 1401227171 | May, 2010 | Scalped #30-34 |
References
- Scalped at the Grand Comics Database
- Scalped at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)
External links
- Scalped #1 from DC
- GUT CHECK: Jason Aaron Talks "Scalped", Comic Book Resources, October 9, 2008
- Jason Aaron - Sticking With 'Scalped', Newsarama, October 17, 2008
- Scalped Vol. 1: Indian Country, OpenLibrary