Dave Talks Comics - Episode 11

Click the image to go to the podcast page for episode 11.

Free Comic Book Day - May 4, 2013

I went to two stores today. Both had sales, one had big name comic book creators. Guess which one was mobbed and had a block-long line just to get in the store? Guess which one I didn't get in to?

Store #1: Third Eye Comics (Annapolis, MD) - I had heard of but never been to this store before today. The line to get in the place was incredibly long and was barely moving. As I was walking past the front door towards the end of the line I saw that they were closely regulating how many people they would allow in the store at a time. I waited for five minutes at the end of the line before deciding I would rather be at a less crowded store.

Store #2: Barbarian Comics (Wheaton, MD) - The atmosphere was considerably more subdued at this store. There were no comic book artists or writers to meet and there was no line to get in the store. It was a little busier than usual but for the most part I had no difficulty moving around the store. I can only imagine what it must have been like inside Third Eye Comics.

My Dalek t-shirt sparked Doctor Who talk with the owners. We basically agreed to disagree as to who was the best Doctor from the new series. I prefer David Tennant and don't care for the Matt Smith era. I characterize it that way because the person on the show who really brings the show down is Amy Pond.

I wanted to buy Scalped Vol. 6. They didn't have it in stock so I asked them to order it for me. I looked around for a long time before I found something else on my short list of books to read: The Spirit Vol. 2 by Darwyn Cooke. All trades were 20% off. I considered also buying Powers Vol. 14: Gods, but decided one book was enough.

Scalped v3: #18

Falls Down
by Jason Aaron (writer) and Davide Furnò (artist)

Officer Franklin Falls Down, the one honest cop on the Prairie Rose Police, re-enters the picture. Red Crow wants him to find the person responsible for the death of Gina Bad Horse. Before he can take on that task he's got some problems, past and present, to deal with.

As with many of these 1-shot spotlights this one contains a tragic element. Even before he was shot up during a drug bust he had experienced personal tragedy. Add to that how hard it is to be the one honest officer in a crooked department and it starts to become clear that the path Falls Down has chosen is not an easy one.

Furnò's art compliments and emphasizes the tone of the writing. The wispy lines and textured faces he draws make the characters come to life.

Scalped v3: #17

Dead Mothers - Chapter 5
by Jason Aaron (writer) and R.M. Guéra (artist)

Dash goes back to White Haven to look for Shelton. Red Crow continues to deal with people who question his role in the murder of Gina Bad Horse. The arc ends. It is time for the story to move on.

Scalped v3: #16

Dead Mothers - Chapter 4
by Jason Aaron (writer) and R.M. Guéra (artist)

Bad Horse searches in White Haven, outside of his area of jurisdiction, for Diesel, whom he suspects of committing murder on the Rez. Red Crow gets a visit from Nitz, in his casino. Nothing gets resolved but a new character is introduced and some blood gets spilled in the process.

Does anything end well in this series? So far the answer is no and with just one chapter left it doesn't look like this story arc is going to diverge from that pattern.

The wordless panels are brilliant composed and placed. They are a vital part of how the story is told. So much information and feeling is conveyed in what they depict. The silent exchange of glances between Red Crow and Dino Poor Bear is probably the best example of this.

Scalped v3: #15

Dead Mothers - Chapter 3
by Jason Aaron (writer) and R.M. Guéra (artist)

Bad Horse gets some help, which he didn't request, in solving a very personal case. Leading up to and following that he tries to mentor Shelton and deal with memories of his mother.

It feels as though pieces are starting to fall into place. It seems unlikely but not impossible, given his passionate response to Dash's statement early on in this chapter, that Red Crow is directly responsible for the murder of Gina Bad Horse. Outwardly, at the very least, he is more disturbed by her murder than is her son. Ruling out the possibility that some bit player may be the murderer, the tone and track of the story seems to point the finger of blame at another passionate and central player in this story.

The interrogation scene deserves to be singled out. It only lasts four pages and cuts away before it gets graphically gruesome. Still, the final panel on the next to last page of the scene leaves little to the imagination as to what is obscured from view on the next page. Without showing the worst part Guéra leaves the end of the scene up to the reader's imagination to fill in this making it possibly more horrific than if he depicted the gruesome details.

Scalped v3: #14

Dead Mothers - Chapter 2
by Jason Aaron (writer) and R.M. Guéra (artist)

Dash has to deal with Shelton, the dead prostitute's eldest child, and Nitz, his boss. One wants him to find the man who killed Pamela Bittan, the prostitute, the other wants him to find the man who killed Gina Bad Horse, his mother. Nitz could care less about Pamela Bittan. In the end Nitz has to tip his own hand in an attempt to keep Bad Horse in line.

The visual storytelling is beautifully handled. Once again there are lots of wordless panels. There are also some very wordy panels. Both work in the context of the story although the wordier ones do seem a bit crowded.

Scalped v3: #13

Dead Mothers - Chapter 1
by Jason Aaron (writer) and R.M. Guéra (artist)

It hasn't hit Dash yet. He doesn't find out until 3/4 of the way into the chapter. In the end Red Crow is the one to break the news to him. Dash doesn't have the time to deal with it then because he's getting ready to deliver a similar message to a group of kids, the oldest of whom is just 12. Someone else should have broken the news to them, but the others were a little too chicken-hearted to do so. On his own initiative Dash delivers the bad news to them, in the immediate wake of Red Crow's visit.

There's more to the chapter than these two exchanges of information. The chapter opens with a drug bust and a very unorthodox interrogation. Those are intense moments in their own right but the most memorable ones are those that end the chapter.

Sometimes it feels as if there ought to be more sound effects. In this chapter the lack of them has a powerful effect. The pictures tell it all in the wordless places. To include sound effects would be redundant and steal the thunder that the pictures provide.

Scalped v3: #12

Dreaming Himself into the Real World
by Jason Aaron (writer) and John Paul Leon (artist)

Bad Horse sleeps and dreams and wakes up. He wakes in his dreams and he wakes in the real world. He dreams of all the people in his life: Red Crow, Special Agent Nitz, Carol, and finally he dreams of Gina, his mother.

Dreams can take many forms and Bad Horse's dreams are not all of the same nature. The pacing of the narration, internal monologue, dialogue, and visual storytelling shift as the tone of the story does and seem appropriate in each instance. When his dreams are darker, more disturbing, and induced by his fears everything seems rushed and out of control. When he dreams of his mother the pace slows, seems more measured, less hectic.

This is the right place to have a guest artist step in. The transition from Guéra's style to Leon's isn't seamless but that's okay. This is a different sort of story within the larger story. What really matters here is the high quality of the visual storytelling and that the images work well with words on the pages.

Scalped v2: #11

Casino Boogie
by Jason Aaron (writer) and R.M. Guéra (artist)

Chapter 6: Requiem for a Dog Soldier

On the day that Red Crow's casino opens Gina Bad Horse reflects on her past with the Dog Soldiers. She visits a friend in prison and tries to make sense of what happened on that fateful night three decades ago.

There is very little in the way of closure in this, the final chapter in this volume. Information is dispensed through various mediums: flashbacks, conversations, and dreams; but nothing is resolved. The story is still in the opening stages. Presumably this chapter is setting things up that will be resolved in future issues, possibly in the next volume but probably not that soon.

Scalped v2: #10

Casino Boogie
by Jason Aaron (writer) and R.M. Guéra (artist)

Chapter 5: My Ambitionz Az a Ridah

It is still opening night for the Crazy Horse Casino. Dino Poor Bear, another character who hasn't been seen much up until now, is the spotlight character. He provides a running commentary of his day, of how shitty his life is, of how much he wants to leave the "rez" and everything he knows behind.

Truly depressing is the best way to sum up this chapter. Dino doesn't seem like a bad person but the fact that he is the focus of this chapter implies that he is going to play an important role down the line. It is impossible to predict what he will do do. His encounter with Red Crow may be a red herring or it may be foreshadowing. Either way it unlikely that discerning readers from priviledged backgrounds will feel upbeat after reading this chapter.

Scalped v2: #9

Casino Boogie
by Jason Aaron (writer) and R.M. Guéra (artist)

Chapter 4: A Thunder Being Nation I Am

The focus shifts to Catcher. The motivation for his actions in the previous few chapters is explained. Up to now he has been the most ethereal and mysterious member of the cast of Scalped. Some of his background gets fleshed out but mystery still surrounds him.

Scalped v2: #8

Casino Boogie
by Jason Aaron (writer) and R.M. Guéra (artist)

Chapter 3: The Way of the Intercepting Fist

The spotlight is on Diesel as he first plans to rob Red Crow's casino and then fights with Bad Horse. There are some flashbacks to Diesel's past which help to flesh him out a little bit. So far all the chapters in this collection take place on the same night. Each one focuses on a different character. It seems logical to assume that the pattern will continue for the remaining chapters.

Scalped v2: #7

Casino Boogie
by Jason Aaron (writer) and R.M. Guéra (artist)

Chapter 2: Down on the Killin' Floor

Lots of flashbacks interspersed with stuff taking place in the present. Dashiell only makes a token appearance as this chapter focuses on Red Crow. As his casino opens for business Red Crow reflects on the past and receives an unwanted visitor. What should be a triumphant night for him, when viewed through his eyes, appears to be, at best, a pyrrhic victory.

Scalped v2: #6

Casino Boogie
by Jason Aaron (writer) and R.M. Guéra (artist)

Chapter 1: The Man Who Fights the Bull

Nothing much changes. Dashiell continues on his quest to who knows where. New characters and nuggets of information are introduced. Only a few panels are devoted to flashbacks. There is a lot of set up, most of which takes place in the present.

What I Bought - Apr 15, 2012

I went to the Capicon Show at the Dunn Loring Volunteer Fire Department today. I didn't find any of the things at the top of my list but I did buy a number of other things.

- Hercules, Prince of Power #1 - 4 (1982 mini-series)

- Machine Man #1 - 4 (1984 mini-series)

- New Teen Titans (1980) #21 - 25 :: first appearance of Brother Blood (21-22) followed by the first 3 parts (of 4) of the Titans encounter with Starfire's sister, Blackfire; this story concludes in Annual #1, which I already have

- Captain America #262 :: to replace the coverless copy that I have had for years; I still need to buy #261 and #264 to complete my run of the early DeMatteis/Zeck run on Cap

- The Untold Legend of the Batman #1 - 2 :: I was unable to find #3 at a "reasonable" price

- DC Comics Presents Annual #2

- Comic Book Comics #4

Total cost: $11.50 which includes the $2 admission fee

I grabbed a bite to eat and then went to Barbarian Comics in Wheaton, MD where I bought some new, much more expensive books.

- 20th Century Boys v19
- Scalped v3: Dead Mothers
- Punisher Max v1: Kingpin

Scalped v1: #5

Hoka Hey
Part 2 (of 2)

by Jason Aaron (writer) and R.M. Guéra (artist)

Lots going on here, both in the present and in the past. Not much can be said without giving away important information. The focal points in the past reveal more about Red Crow and Bad Horse. In the present the focus is on Bad Horse and Carol. Someone is dead before the chapter ends. The killer's identity is implied but that may just be misdirection.

Scalped is published by Vertigo, an imprint of DC Comics

Scalped v1: #4

Hoka Hey
Part 1 (of 2)

by Jason Aaron (writer) and R.M. Guéra (artist)

Great chapter. Lots of visual story-telling and wordless panels. The plot thickens as more is revealed. The chapter opens with a flashback to the mid-70s. Two characters that have already been introduced are part of the flashback. A few pages in it is clear that one of them still thinks about that day, by the end of the chapter is clear that it haunts them both. It was a pivotal moment in their lives.

Scalped is published by Vertigo, an imprint of DC Comics

Scalped v1: #3

Indian Country
Part 3 (of 3)

by Jason Aaron (writer) and R.M. Guéra (artist)

This installment doesn't wind things down as much as set them up for future story arcs. A lot happens without an excessive amount of exposition. The action set piece that takes place on the first few pages of this chapter is beautifully drawn and colored. Bad Horse is a man on a mission serving more than one master, without a sanctuary or release valve. This first arc is a tease, sex without orgasm. Even though it won't appeal to everyone it will hook some who crave dark stories of reluctant heroes who face impossible odds while on multiple quests.

Scalped is published by Vertigo, an imprint of DC Comics

Scalped v1: #2

Indian Country
Part 2 (of 3)

by Jason Aaron (writer) and R.M. Guéra (artist)

Better, not quite as heavy handed as the first issue; not quite as focused on exposition as #1. Bad Horse and Red Crow seem a litle more nuanced after reading this issue; they are now more human and not quite so much the forces of nature or stereotypes that they seemed to be. Still getting used to R.M. Guéra's work, which a first glance seems very similar to that of other long standing artists of books published under the Vertigo imprint.

Scalped is published by Vertigo, an imprint of DC Comics