Scalped vol. 8: You Gotta Sin to Get Saved

Chief Red Crow prepares his re-election campaign.  Agent Nitz reaches the bottom of the barrel and finds the “War on Terror” there.  Catcher finds out that God’s role for him is quite different from what he thought it was.  Carol continues to adjust to domestic life.  Dino Poor Bear doesn’t get the girl.  Shunka gets the distinct impression that he and his boss aren’t on the same page anymore.  Lawrence finds out that the rest of his prison sentence is going to be far less eventful than the thought.  Officer Falls Down does just that in a cave filled with broken glass, traps and live rattlesnakes.  And Dash Bad Horse has several confrontations; of which less than half turn anywhere near his favor.

The point I’m trying to make here is that a lot happens in this volume.  Everyone who has an ongoing subplot has it advanced in a meaningful fashion even as things build to what is likely going to be a very, very bloody climax.  Writer Jason Aaron also finds the time to slip in a satisfying done-in-one story about a small-town sheriff who’s less than half the man he pretends to be.  I’ve talked about how dark and grim this series can get, but the depth of character in its cast and the unconventional ways in which they develop, and are forced to develop, continue to keep me reading.  “Scalped” will be concluding next year, and all signs point to it being a worthy one.