Jason Aaron’s Scalped nominated for Spinetingler award

Scalped: The Gravel in your Guts
Scalped Vol 4: The Gravel in Your Guts collects Scalped #19-#24.

Scalped, the acclaimed comic book series written by Kansas City’s Jason Aaron, has been nominated for a Spinetingler award in the category Best Crime Comic/Graphic Novel.

Scalped is an on-going crime comic book series published by Vertigo Comics. It is set on a fictional, modern day Indian reservation in South Dakota. The story centers on undercover FBI agent Dashiell Bad Horse and his interactions with tribal Chief Lincoln Red Crow.

Jason Aaron, originally from Alabama, has lived in suburban Kansas City for several years. In addition to Scalped, he writes several series for Marvel Comics, including Wolverine, Astonishing Spider-Man & Wolverine and PunisherMAX.

The awards are presented by Spinetingler magazine. “The mystery & crime field is large and varied and we think that this diverse selection of books represent some of the best that it has to offer,”  Spinetingler‘s non-fiction editor Brian Lindenmuth wrote. “Selections were tough and after some difficult decisions some very good books just barely missed the cut.”

Voting for the Spinetingler awards is open to the public, and polls are open through April 30th. The Spinetingler site has more details about voting and the full list of nominees.

Local creator’s first Marvel work debuts in April

S.H.I.E.L.D. Infinity
Marvel Comics' S.H.I.E.L.D. Infinity features a story drawn by Kevin Mellon.

Local comics creator Kevin Mellon has illustrated a story for Marvel Comics’ S.H.I.E.L.D. Infinity one-shot comic book. “This is my first Marvel work,” Mellon writes on his blog, “and I think it came out pretty dope.”

The 8-page story is written by Jonathan Hickman, currently one of Marvel’s most buzzworthy writers.

The one-shot comic book features multiple stories related to recent events in the Marvel universe. Marvel’s promotion for the book says, “Decode the miraculous designs of Leonardo Da Vinci. Devour the truths and reel with the lies of Isaac Newton. Puzzle at the perilous predictions of Nostradamus. Discover the Forever Machines of Nikola Tesla. Stemming from the pages of the most critically-acclaimed series of 2010, Jonathan Hickman and company bring you the apocrypha of the Marvel Universe. The foundations will shake, crumble and fall.”

Kevin Mellon is a Kansas City-area artist and writer whose previous work includes Gearhead, Thirteen Steps, and Comic Book Tattoo. His upcoming work includes Lovestruck, an original graphic written by Dennis Hopeless expected to be released this summer.

The final cut-off for retailers to pre-order S.H.I.E.L.D. Infinity is March 30th. Visit your local comic shop to reserve your copy. It is expected to arrive in comic shops April 13th.