Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
Scalped #49
Vertigo Comics (DC)
Aaron & Guera
If there is one thing this series has managed to do arc after arc is to end the storyline with a bang. This issue brings the conclusion to "Ain't No God" as Aaron delivers one of the more violent and stunning issues to date. As usual, the issue presents a lot of build up to the drama and things don't ever quite "end" in as much as they are left dangling. By the end of the issue you probably can see the series heading in a number of different directions as Aaron manages to keep the reader guessing yet again.
This arc has been about Gina's (Bad Horse's deceased mother) friends that she left behind more than anything else. One in prison, one as the crooker tribal chief and one as the crazy drifter with some unknown agenda, all coming to some form of crossroads. Two of the characters come out of this arc pretty banged up and one of them comes out of this arc emerging as the key antagonist. This character exploration was pure poetry as Aaron lines up symbolism into story with the drama of the events unfolding.
The main plot that comes to a boil is that of Bad Horse and Catcher. It's fairly established that Catcher is nuts. He's told others that he is the one who killed Gina and he's also lied to Bad Horse about what happened to the missing cop. Bad Horse trusts the man too much and drives off with him to find Gina's killer. Catcher offered Bad Horse a choice between Gina's killer or the missing cop and Bad Horse didn't see this as an alert that Catcher is putting Bad Horse in danger.
Catcher eventually shows his true colors and turns on Bad Horse. What occurs is nothing short of something out of the Wild Bunch or Bonnie and Clyde in terms of rounds of bullets and blood splattering. It's a brutal scene and one that seems impossible for someone to walk away from. But not everything is as it seems in this dark scene.
The subplot that gets resolved is that of Red Crow's new tribal opposition. As Red Crow attempts to make peace with his old-friend-turned-adversary, something happens that changes everything for both men. Red Crow seems to have gotten himself some religion. It's just a question as to what he does with it from here.
The artwork is tremendous. The scenes with Bad Horse and Catcher are dark and confusing helping to add to the excitement of the scenes. There are moments of tenderness as well in the issue as the artwork brings out all of the right feelings and emotions. The issue is equal parts disturbing and touching.
This series is a lot like The Walking Dead. There are issues that are building to something and then there are those occasional issues that put everything out there in one crazy read. This is a crazy issue. I can't wait to see where things are headed in this series. I can't recommend this series or issue enough.
5 out of 5 Geek Goggles
