Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Scalped #56Scalped #56
Vertigo Comics (DC Comics)
Aaron & Guera

This issue of Scalped jumps forward, from the unbelievable events of the previous issue, by eight months. It's an odd move and it basically screeches all the momentum to a halt from the previous arc. The book feels very foreign as the characters have changed and their situations are very different. It's hard to believe there are still four more issues left as I am left thinking that Jason Aaron left everything out on the table with the previous arc. This is a good book, but it is far from a great one, especially for this series.

Dash returns to the Rez after some time away. Basically, he is there to watch the breaking ground ceremony for the learning center, named for his late mother, with money he donated. The oddity here is that there was no real evolving of his general distaste or resentment for his mother. It feels like this came out of nowhere. Yes, he was actively searching for her killer, but it always felt very revenge driven. This doesn't. This feels like he made peace with her and, yet, I'm not sure the reader witnessed that occurring.

Carol makes her return in this issue. I'm not exactly sure what her intention is here or where she has been but she witnesses Dash making out with his new love interest. This development is very strange. The personalities don't fit and I'm hard pressed to recall if this character has ever been in the book before (she may have been related to that older guy running for chief).

Finally, the good part of the issue deals with Red Crow mounting his defense. These scenes reveal a lot about him and how his growth over the course of the series has really taken shape. These scenes put a lot of the series into perspective. Red Crow is not so easily cast as a villain anymore. The question becomes: what will he do with Dash, if given the chance?

Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle ReviewsThe artwork is stunning. There are some very poignant and key scenes that are very powerful because of the artwork. This has been a staple of the series and I am willing to miss a month of shipping if the art delivers this level of suspense and drama.

This serves as a launch into unchartered territory for this comic. I'm sure the ending will be surprise laden, but until then we will have to wait and see how this develops. This issue's shift in tone, time period and characterization was a bit jarring but still entertaining. The beginning of the end of this series has started and I am anxious to see how it comes together.

3 out of 5 Geek Goggles