Scalped is a 60-issue crime/western comic book series written by Jason Aaron and illustrated by R. M. Guéra, published monthly by Vertigo Comics. Issue #1 was published on January 3, 2007. The series focuses on the Oglala Lakota inhabitants of the fictional Prairie Rose Indian Reservation in modern-day South Dakota as they grapple with organized crime, rampant poverty, drug addiction and alcoholism, local politics and the preservation of their cultural identity. Inspiration Scalped originally began as a prospective relaunch of Scalphunter, an older DC character. As development proceeded, much of the original concept was abandoned in favor of the current plot. Jason Aaron has said the plot of the comic is partly inspired by Leonard Peltier, a Native American activist who was arrested for the murder of two FBI agents in a reservation shootout in 1975. Plot Indian Country After fifteen years of absence, Dashiell Bad Horse returns to the "Rez" and is promptly arrested and taken to Lincoln Red Crow, President of the Oglala Tribal Council and Sheriff of the Tribal Police. Red Crow, bemoaning the prevalence of "half-breed" Indians and desiring more enforcers to counteract the nativists protesting his new Crazy Horse Casino, hires Bad Horse onto the Tribal Police Force. After raiding a number of meth labs to clean up the Reservations' public image before the opening of the casino, it would appear Bad Horse has cemented his reputation as a ruthless and effective Tribal officer. In reality, Bad Horse is an undercover FBI agent, overseen by SAC Agent Baylis Earl Nitz and ordered to find evidence linking Red Crow to the murder of two FBI agents thirty years ago, during Red Crow's time as a member of Native-American rights organization, co-run with Dashiell's estranged mother, Gina Bad Horse. Dashiell's initial doubts about the undercover operation are exacerbated when he and his partner, Officer Falls Down, are sent by Red Crow to raid a meth house without backup. Bursting into the house, the pair are ambushed by a gang of gunmen, which succeed in wounding Falls Down but are all killed by the ruthless Dashiell. Confronting Nitz at a pre-staged meeting point, Dashiell angrily argues with him before breaking away in disgust, realizing his job is far from over. Declaring Dashiell an arrogant, reckless, stubborn, out-of-control "borderline sociopath with deep-seated anger", Nitz remains convinced that he's perfect for the undercover assignment. Hoka Hey In issues #4 and