Scalped, Vol. 3: Dead Mothers [Paperback]

Jason Aaron (Author), R.M. Guer (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 21, 2008

Jason Aaron, the hot new writer of the critically acclaimed graphic novel, THE OTHER SIDE, teams with gritty artist R.M. Guéra for an intense crime drama that mixes organized crime with current Native American culture.

In this third volume of the acclaimed SCALPED series, on the day after the grand opening of a new casino, undercover FBI agent Dashiell Bad Horse's home reservation wakes up to find that two women have been murdered during the night. It's up to Dash to find the killers and, in the process, come to grips with his relationship with his own mother.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. A fantastic combination of art and story, this book is a nasty noir story that could exist as a stand-alone (albeit a very mysterious and existential one). Scalped follows ex-con and war vet Dashiell Bad Horse as he goes undercover at his tribal reservation for the FBI. Being a cop is his cover as he seeks to bust Red Crow, the tribe's chief and the local crime boss—and former boyfriend of Dashiell's mom. As this book, the third collection of the ongoing comic begins, a major character has been brutally murdered, but Dashiell is more obsessed with searching for the killer of a local prostitute and caring for her revenge-obsessed preteen son. Several story lines are juggled, but Aaron provides a tight, twisting script, with sparse, effective dialogue. With the beautiful and deranged artwork, we are treated to a kick-ass mystery, like the movie Seven set on an evil Indian reservation. Giulia Brusco's coloring is indispensable to the story and helps mesh the three contributing artists without wiping out their individual stylistic flourishes. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Paperback: 168 pages
• Publisher: Vertigo (October 21, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401219195
• ISBN-13: 978-1401219192
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 0.5 x 10.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #236,002 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jason Aaron is an Eisner and Harvey Award nominated comic book writer best known for the critically acclaimed crime series Scalped for Vertigo and stints on Black Panther, Ghost Rider and Wolverine: Weapon X for Marvel. Current projects include Wolverine, Astonishing Spider-Man & Wolverine and PunisherMAX, all for Marvel. He was born in Alabama but currently resides in Kansas City.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars American Indian Noir for the 21st Century, April 17, 2009

By 

Edward F. Pollard "GlebJolie" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Scalped, Vol. 3: Dead Mothers (Paperback)

I can't praise Scalped enough. It pleases on every level and its details are rewarding if you slow down just a little and pay attention. The passionate and vibrant artwork of R. M. Guera and Giulia Brusco brings to life Jason Aaron's transgenerational modern American Indian noir. It has all the key elements that make noir an enduring genre, but it adds enough of its own flair to allow it to stand out from the rest. It just might function as a window into the destitution wrought upon Native American Indians to this day, a legacy that is dipped in blood and laid out on the pages of noir to dry in the merciless sun.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is disturbingly good!, July 7, 2010

By 

S. Penrose (Small Town, OH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Scalped, Vol. 3: Dead Mothers (Paperback)

It's hard to put into words how I feel after reading this book trade after trade. I want to wash my hands and tell everyone (adults anyway) to read this. Its so real and raw that it doesn't even seem possible. The art, even with three different artists, fits so well to the theme of the book. Dash Bad Horse is such an intriguing character that he could be a movie heavyweight. Jason Aaron is scary good!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly emotional and compelling read, March 31, 2010

By 

J. LaGory "Jaque Nargg" (Chicago Il) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Scalped, Vol. 3: Dead Mothers (Paperback)

I've been working my way through this series in trades, and it's been nothing but the highest quality the whole way through. This collection is no exception. I really liked the last arc's approach of telling different sides of the same event, but it was nice to get back to a more linear form of storytelling and to see this compelling story progress. There are some real heroes and villains here, but all the while there is a certain blurred-lines morality throughout the whole book. I've heard this title compared to the Sopranos. When I think of the complexity of characters and their relationships, the emotional connections with the reader/viewer, and the compelling visuals, that comparison starts to feel pretty relevant.
And the art is fabulously gritty, just like the dusty reservation where the story is set. Hop on board for one of the best ongoing stories in comics.