The Stop Button

Aaron has a real problem with cliffhangers and followthrough.

This issue’s excellent and all, but it doesn’t match the previous issue. For a two issue story, it should compliment the first half.

There’s still a bit about Carol and Dash, so much Aaron finishes the issue with them, but there’s nothing with Red Crow, much less Dash’s mom. Instead, Aaron concentrates on Nitz, the FBI agent who’s running Dash and out on a vendetta against the collected former Native American activists. It’s a different thing Aaron’s got going on, which he forces together through the cliffhangers… even though he changes the perspective.

Guera’s left to tie the whole thing together, which he can do, it’s just obviously contrived.

As for this issue’s big cliffhanger, Aaron sort of flops. He does a “Twin Peaks” sort of thing, which just makes Scalped feel cheap. Art’s good, issue’s good, cliffhanger’s cheap. It’s unfortunate.

B 

CREDITS

Hoka Hey, Part Two of Two; writer, Jason Aaron; artist, R.M. Guera; colorist, Lee Loughridge; letterer, Phil Balsman; editors, Casey Seijas and Will Dennis; publisher, Vertigo.