Of all the news to come out of Comic-Con last month, word that Jason Aaron and R.M. Guéra's Vertigo crime series Scalped would end in October with issue #60 stood out as a serious bummer amid some otherwise very cool announcements, including that Aaron is set to helm Incredible Hulk at Marvel starting in October.

This weekend Aaron did his best to mop up fan tears by clarifying that Scalped is wrapping up on his and Guéra's terms and that the two plan on working together again soon. What's more, Aaron has plans for more creator-owned comics. If a door's got to close, these details should be considered two huge windows opening.

From Aaron's blog:

The other bit of me-related news that came out of San Diego Comic Con was that SCALPED is ending with issue #60. Still feels weird to see it finally spelled out so definitely, but this has actually been the plan for quite a while now. This was my choice. We were not canceled or forced into an ending. The series will be ending just the way I've always imagined it ending.

There are a couple of smaller stories I always thought I might get to which I ultimately won't, but those were set aside in the interest of giving the series as solid a finish as possible. There won't be any more stand-alone issues. Instead we'll have two final big arcs to bring everything home, with Guera drawing every issue. Expect a death or two and hopefully at least a couple of surprises. And expect everyone to get the ending they've got coming to them, good or bad. In many ways, the entire story of SCALPED will ultimately be about what happens in these last ten issues. Thanks again to everybody who's stuck with us this long. And I promise you, we're all doing our best not to let you down.


Scalped has been a fan-favorite since its 2007 debut, scoring an Eisner nomination in 2008 for Best New Series and consistently ranking among ComicsAlliance's favorite titles for its distinct setting, skillfully-handled (and often gnarly) mature themes. Such is its fan loyalty that at least one reader even decorated their bathroom with Scalped art -- perhaps the ultimate expression of unbridled comic book enjoyment.

With Scalped #51 arriving in stores this week, established as well as new readers still have nine more months of intensity to enjoy as the series approaches the finish line. As far as predicting Aaron's next creator-owned series, we can only hope it has at least something to do with his love for football or Kansas City's finest barbecue tradition, burnt ends.

What are you going to miss about Scalped?

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