It’s hard to believe, but we’ve reached the end of one of the most engaging works to come out of Vertigo in the last decade: Scalped. It’s been a long, hard road paved with blood (lots of blood) and a fair share of misery to boot. If, for some misguided reason, you were expecting a happy ending, well, you’ve got another thing coming. To his credit though, Jason Aaron manages to subvert expectations and concludes this series in a fitting, if not entirely definitive, manner.
While the rather open ended conclusion is something you’ll be mulling over for quite a while (the Sopranos comparisons continue!), thematically, Aaron hits a home run in this issue. Most importantly, the evolution of both Dash and Red Crow finally reach completion as Aaron masterfully reverses their roles in many ways. At the bitter end, we’re left sympathizing far more with the former “big bad” of the series than we are our protagonist. Scalped is nothing if not shades of grey, and that is only underlined with its conclusion.
Through witnessing the paths of Dash and Red Crow cross and diverge into unexpected territory, reversing roles -- along with the fall from grace for the formerly innocent Dino and Carol taking on the nurturing role of Granny after spending most of the series toiling in her own personal demons -- Aaron underlines the cyclical nature of the Prairie Rose Rez. Though some of the cast learns from their predecessor’s mistakes and some are doomed to repeat history, all are inexplicably tied to the Rez no matter how much they pine to escape. Their lives simply become a matter of accepting their role within it.
While the thematic content of the issue is remarkably poignant, the actual narrative does leave something to be desired. Aaron begins with the much-hyped shootout that we left at the end of issue #59, but it wraps quickly, dispatching a few characters in haste. From there, the book moves to a series of “wrap-up” vignettes that deliver the aforementioned thematic triumphs. As an issue, #60 is disjointed and even jarring, but as a conclusion to the 59 issues that came before it, it’s far more successful.
R.M. Guera finishes out his work on the series with the same grimy-but-gorgeous grit that has been the earmark since the beginning. His blacks are heavy and his lines are plentiful, but Guera manages to tell Aaron’s story masterfully. The thematic beats are underscored with Guera’s subtle visual cues and panel pacing that help the sometimes scattered script remain poignant.
While the ultimate fate of Dash Bad Horse will leave some readers debating or perhaps even upset, in the context of the greater whole, it’s the only place he was going from the get-go. Scalped is a crime epic that it’s not hyperbole to call a modern classic, and its conclusion will put a serious void in my pull list.
Joey is IGN's Comics Editor and a comic book creator himself. Follow Joey on Twitter, or find him on IGN. He loves superhero pets so hard.
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