17 September 2005

100 Bullets

Premise: A mysterious stranger goes from town to town offering people an opportunity to literally get away with murder.

To be honest, this barely scratches the surface of what 100 Bullets is about, but it was the high concept that writer Brian Azzarello and artist Eduardo Risso used to hook readers into this series. It was initially marketed as a sort of anthology series, with a series of protagonists visited by the enigmatic Mr. Graves, who gave them a briefcase containing a gun, 100 rounds of "untraceable" ammunition, a photograph, and proof that the person in the photograph had grievously wronged the recipient. The first few stories were examples of excellent hard-boiled crime fiction with terrific artwork.
As the series progressed, supporting characters and protagonists from previous story arcs reappeared, and the reader slowly pieces together why Mr. Graves chose some of these protagonists, as well as how he can promise the recipients that they won't be prosecuted for murder.
The 8 collected volumes of the series collect the first 59 issues. The series is expected to end with issue #100. I highly recommend starting at the beginning and seeing the conspiracy unfold.




Recommended For: fans of Raymond Chandler, Elmore Leonard, John Woo, and/or Quentin Tarantino; people who liked Sin City; conspiracy buffs.

Not Recommended For: anyone who is turned off by gratuitous sex, violence, and/or profanity.

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