Scalped: The Gnawing (Volume 6)

How do you improve on perfection?  Make more of it.  The sixth volume of this series seems to have an ever greater detail and clarity in the artwork, with a refocusing of the story on the key players as serious decisions cause ramifications that will be interesting to read in future collections.  If only they could get here sooner!!!

5 stars out of 5

Scalped: High Lonesome (Volume 5)

Have i mentioned how good this graphic novel is?  Read this one in less than an hour.  Artwork seems to be evolving into something greater with each comic, as the story continues to weave itself into a greater coil of murder, menace and intrigue.

5 stars out of 5

Scalped: The Gravel in Your Guts (Volume 4)

A little more sparseness on the dialogue doesn't stop this series from continuing to be an engrossing read, as the pictures do the talking.  There is an air of ominousness from the opening panels that follows the characters throughout this arc.  Focusing on some of the characters introduced earlier in the series shakes things up a bit, but i do admit to missing Dashiel's character, who seemingly disappears for awhile (though considering the direction his character takes, it is appropriate from a pacing and chronology perspective).  Continuously gritty with a great intro that rightly connects the comic to its noir roots.

4 1/2 stars out of 5

Scalped: Dead Mothers (Volume 3)

This series just keeps getting better and better.  As the story progresses, the characters become richer and more complex, and the stakes higher and more personal.  The writing is sharp and the artwork a completely immersive experience in atmosphere.  All the praise i heaped on run of the mill Batman and Daredevil collections earlier on this blog seem foolish in light of reading this original, one of a kind series.  It's one thing to take a beloved superhero and make them look good within their element.  It's an entirely other level of art form to take a situation like real Lakota historic elements and wrap it up in an original, breathtaking piece of real crime drama and tragedy.  Scalped is essential reading.

5 stars out of 5