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Underground > Comic Books >

Scalped

03:12 / 18.01.07

Has anyone else read Scalped #1? Guera's art is getting bashed all over the internet--people saying it's muddled, unreadable, "like early 90s Vertigo," etc etc.

I think his art is fantastic in that issue. I'd love to see him tackle a Batman story. Does anyone know anything about him? He's done some European work, right?

By the way, the premise of the comic isn't half bad either.

05:36 / 18.01.07

I thought it was v cool art, although the colors & printing may have made it seem more muddy that it actually was in inked form. The splash page does have some odd perspective (those cars seem to be GIANTS outside that warehouse, but in final analysis, IMO, the story & art mesh nicely and are absorbing.

SCALPED was not qute the TKO I was expecting after reading the AMAZING "Other Side," but it certainly has me coming back for more.

12:38 / 18.01.07

Having seen a lot of the original black and white artwork for Scalped, I am actually really impressed with it - I think, unfortunately, that Guera and colourist Lee Loughridge aren't ideally paired and the result is a bit muddy.

23:45 / 18.01.07

I liked the art. It isn't bad. I have to agree though the coloring seemed a bit muddy.
Those that bash art should palce themselves in the same position; could THEY do any better?? Probably not and so instead they whine about it on the internet.
JC

Jake, Colossus of Clout

01:13 / 19.01.07

I know this is offtopic and all, but I can't stand that argument. Do I need to be able to play the guitar or sing to know that the Kaiser Chiefs suck? Do I have to be a better baseball player than A-Rod to know he's a choker? Must I be a television producer to opine that American Idol is a fucking pox on the country? I'm not a comics writer, but I think Civil War sucks. Is that irresponsible of me? Of course not. It's absurd.

02:24 / 19.01.07

Guéra has done a lot of work in France and Spain, including some stories for HEAVY METAL and a graphic novel he wrote and drew titled HOWARD BLAKE. Here are examples from some of his European work:

Right now, he's working on SCALPED #7, and literally, I've felt that every new issue has been the best one yet.

Haus of Mystery

09:06 / 19.01.07

Y'know, I mentioned 'SCALPED' in the 'Under the Radar' thread, and no-one frickin' responded, and now you're all here playing in your own thread!

09:20 / 19.01.07

Actually someone did, and they said they didn't like it.

19:40 / 19.01.07

I liked the tone. I liked the art. But the thing that really got me was the final page. Great surprise. I didn't see it coming (even though it's perfect).

14:01 / 20.01.07

Your point is well taken Jake and I'd be a hypocrite if I didn't admit to doing exactly the same kind of thing. (expressing what sucks and what doesn't).
thanks
JC

13:45 / 23.01.07

I liked the art... and the story. They worked well together but I might not have liked the art as much if I thought the story was not very good. The art seemed to set the tone for the book nicely as it is though.

Jason, keep on working the Vertigo magic. Two homeruns for me so far between the Otherside and Scalped and two more Vertigo books I'm now reading when I was reading 0 before. Though I've been meaning to try Fables...

17:17 / 11.02.07

When I read, say, Garth Ennis writing about Italian mobsters or Japanese Yakuza, I don't for a moment feel like I'm looking at racist stereotype.

Why, then, do I feel like liking SCALPED might just be reveling in redskin prejudice?

Regrettable Juvenilia

23:55 / 11.02.07

Because you give the boy Ennis far too easy a ride?

09:59 / 12.02.07

Reckon so.

I suppose the denizens of Ennis-space are often more caricatures than characters, and as a result are perhaps more obviously fictions not to be taken seriously.

17:06 / 12.02.07

Yeah, maybe.

After thinking about it a bit more, I thought that maybe, culturally, Americans are currently more sensitive to the struggles of Native Americans than we are to the struggles of any other marginalized chunk of our population. An acknowledgement of the poverty (and all of its related bits) experienced by Native Americans (mostly as a result of the policies and racism of White people in power) seems to be seeping into the generalized American subconscious. As a result, people are touchy around seemingly stereotypical depictions of Native Americans in media.

I referenced the stereotype of Japanese Yakuza above, but that was a mistake. I think the Japanese stereotype is of a super-smart, scientifically-minded, touristy sort. Beyond that, Japanese cultural influences are being seen and welcomed in American arts (in comics form, in comes with Manga, but it's even more evident in video games). As far as White-American injustices against Japanese people goes, many folks simply don't know about the World War II era Japanese internment camps; say "Yakuza" and you'll get just as many blank stares. The Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki still exists in that all-is-fair-in-love-and-war grey area.

I was also mistaken in using Italian mobsters-as-stereotype above. I get the sense that the Mafia has always represented power, and not victimization, therefore making it okay to use the image of the Italian Mafioso. To do so is not racist, it’s acknowledging a source and sense of power.

Maybe the example of what I should have used was the African-American gang banger in Ennis's PUNISHER. Americans are well aware of the historical horrors levied against African-Americans, but it's become such a normalized part of our subconscious, that it's now okay to depict African-Americans in stereotypes, as long as it balanced by non-stereotypical depictions. Plus, the African-American-as-criminal image has gathered around it its own chic, its own coolness; so much, in fact, that the same image has been co-opted by non-African-Americans. I don't think either of those things is true with Native Americans, so that makes another reason why the content in SCALPED might be seen as taboo.

These thoughts are only now coalescing into words, so let me know what you think.

17:20 / 12.02.07

Well, I think that the representation of Italian Americans in popular culture is considered at the very least problematic by many, many Italian Americans and other interested commentators, so I'd be careful not to suggest that representations of the Mafia are necessarily straightforwardly empowering or safe.

I say this as someone who loves the Sopranos and Goodfellas.

As for Scalped, I really need to get the fuck out of this thread until I've actually read it.

17:22 / 12.02.07

But, I think perhaps people should be careful not to judge Scalped too harshly before it's been given a chance to fully develop. Unless of course it really is obviously bigotted, which, you know, I kind of doubt.

I know, I know, I'm going...

01:15 / 13.07.07

In case nobody has been paying attention, Scalped has developed into the best monthly series at DC. The newest issue was brilliant. Discuss.

02:51 / 13.07.07

Waiting from trade, alas, but very much looking FWD to that.

07:25 / 13.07.07

As am I

Haus of Mystery

09:37 / 13.07.07

I've been loving it since the start, and recommending it here, to absolutely no response.
Buy the trade by all means, but remember to buy the individual issues, or it's going to go the way of many other fine comics.

The most recent 'Red Crow' centred issue was utterly fantastic, giving a great depth to the apparent 'bad guy' of the series. One of the things I love about 'Scalped' is that the status quo is constantly shifting, and Bad Horse's future is genuinely uncertain. Aaron is great at conveying the imminent danger lurking round every corner, and his brilliantly foul-mouthed dialogue crackles with energy and venom.
Guerra's artwork is also great, very fluid and expressive, marred only by some overly muddy colouring.
(Incidently mods - could we change the title of this thread to simply 'Scalped'?)

11:07 / 13.07.07

Is that still the case? If so that's pretty annoying.

Anyone know for sure?

22:25 / 04.08.07

I'm buying Scalped and it probably is the best monthly comic coming from all the DC orifices.

I'm not that worried about it, though. Should I be? There's been no words o' warning on Jason Aaron's blog and it's, what, probably doing similar numbers to The Exterminators or, oh. Testament. Hmm. I like to think Testament was cancelled on the basis of being total shite, which Scalped assuredly is not.

Anyway, maybe an idea to talk of actual content:-

On 'Casino Boogie', I like the whole telling you lots of pertinent things about the characters as they each experience the same day device - which, God, I haven't seen it used since early Starman; checking the site, the next two are about Catcher (yes! we need that) and Dino Poor Bear, which should allow for further detailing of this shit-eating-poor county life. The Jock cover for the Red Crow ish was a really perfect summary of what turned out to be an object example in writing yr antagonist.

I'm not sold on the Diesel revelation yet, not as in logically unconvinced, just not sure if it's a great other dimension to add (although... basically, this is gonna end, whenever it does end, with everyone but the white man getting fucked, right? pretty sure - so it'll be interesting to see how it runs for him.)

I am also enamoured with the fact that while occasionally adumbrated with mythology, it remains - to the extent that Dash is, okay, a preternaturally good fighter - utterly grounded in (lowest class in the US) realism; relatively unmined territory for Vertigo, still, but there's more than enough colour in the characters and storytelling and, well, fighting to sustain interest.

Haus of Mystery

14:19 / 08.09.07

Another fantastic issue. I'm loving how we've got this 'rashomon' plot device as a method of filling in a lot of backstory and filling out the bit players. Aaron's bold in straying away from the protagonist so early on, but it works and it's a testament to his characters' solidity that it can remain equally involving.
This was a corker though, eh? I loved the dense hallucinatory feel of our time spent with Catcher. Another morally vague character of uncertain intent to add to the mix.
I fucking love 'Scalped'. It's easily one ofthe best written comic on the racks at the moment.

Haus of Mystery

21:23 / 19.11.07

Word to the wise - Jason Aaron's taking over Ghost Rider in February. Sounds fucking awesome to me.

Hallo, Paper Spaceboy

21:41 / 19.11.07

I'll probably pick up Ghost Rider, actually, if it delivers weird 1970s Marvel Horror action.

21:52 / 20.11.07

The art looks fucking great, I must say; Boschi is like Skottie Young with a minimal Euro aesthetic; I want to say meets Zezelj or something...? Anyway, really into it. Ghost Rider, eh? Remember when Ghost Rider, the Punisher and like Lobo were really popular with kids? Strange times.

Haus of Mystery

10:13 / 22.11.07

See Ghost Rider is a character who should fucking rock, and most definitely hasn't in the years I've been reading comics.
So having one of the best new writers in comics write him is definitely a step in the right direction.
I also like the idea of someone taking on al those under-used 70's Marvel Horror characters and doing something good with them. DC's supernatural charcaters have been thouroughly mined by some very good writers, but the Marvel ones are a potential untapped source of uber-joy.
Bring it, says me.

10:24 / 22.11.07

Look at you and your rightness!