It's a big night on the Prairie Rose Indian Reservation - the grand opening of the multimillion-dollar Crazy Horse Casino. For tribal leader and organised crime boss Lincoln Red Crow, it's the fruition of thirty years of dreaming, scheming and killing. For FBI Special Agent Dashiell Bad Horse, it's just another night risking his neck under-cover in Red Crow's organisation. For Dash's mother, Gina Bad Horse, it's a painful reminder of how things have gone irrevocably wrong. For wannabe-Indian Diesel Engine, it's his big chance to prove himself to the Red Power management. For the mysterious medicine man known as Catcher, it's a night of signs and visions. And for one of them, it will be their last night on Earth...

Casino Boogie is the second volume in the Scalped graphic novel series, and collects issues #6 to 11 of the Scalped comic book. This collection explores Dashiell "Dash" Bad Horse's troubled origin and chronicles his day-to-day life on the reservation working for Chief Red Crow.

Fifteen years ago, Dash ran away from a life of poverty and hopelessness on the Prairie Rose Indian Reservation in search of something better. Now he's home, with trouble in mind... Working undercover for the FBI, Bad Horse continues to investigate the new casino built on the 'rez' by Chief Red Crow. But trouble's heading for both of them in the form of would-be Indian and dangerous brawler Diesel, not to mention the spectres of Red Crow's past, which are threatening to destroy him.

This collection is pretty hard hitting, and features some impressive characterisations - not your typical cliched interpretations of Indians. If you're looking for something a tad different for your comic collection, then I strongly advise giving this series a chance.

8

Nick Smithson