Column: 'Scalped' comic portrays violent rez

Thursday, February 8, 2007  

"Written by a white, stay-at-home dad in Kansas, "Scalped' is a violent crime drama scripted on the Prairie Rose Indian Reservation. Again, the Prairie Rose rez is imaginary, ripped from author Jason Aaron's mind. But the setting is too familiar for anyone who's spent considerable time on one of our state's many reservations.

On pages with muted colors and scratchy drawings that look like they were penned by a Frank Miller disciple, 'Scalped' shows a sensationalized view of a reservation coping with bureaucratic corruption, exploitation of land and the struggle between traditional values and contemporary habits.

With only one issue out, 'Scalped' is being described by comic industry folks as 'The Sopranos' on the rez. And while its plot is a mafia-like conspiracy story complete with an undercover FBI agent returning to his homeland to spread justice, the story feels too real. It reads like a bloodier version of the reservation corruption stories I heard while growing up next to the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota.

That's what makes this comic so good. Like Louise Erdrich's fabulously detailed book "Love Medicine" or Chris Eyre's striking and contemplative film 'Skins,' 'Scalped' feels more like a commentary on contemporary reservation ills than an entertaining crime drama that could compel some comic nerds to drop $3 on the latest offering from DC's adult-orientated Vertigo imprint."

Get the Story:
Robert Morast: 'Scalped' paints a rough picture of the reservation (The Sioux Falls Argus Leader 2/8)