Reviewer: Mathan Erhardt
Story Title: Prey for Reign
Written by: Brian Azzarello
Penciled and inked by: Eduardo Risso
Colored by: Patricia Mulvihill
Lettered by: Clem Robins
Cover artist: Dave Johnson
Editor: Will Dennis
Publisher: Vertigo > DC Comics
Reviewing 100 Bullets is one of the most difficult things ever. You don’t want to reveal too much, but it’s hard to do the story justice if you don’t. But that’s neither here nor there.
In 1999 100 Bullets debuted. It was a simple crime noir book. But as it progressed it became one of the most satisfying, if complexly frustrating reads every month. Now, exactly five years later the title has reached #50 (it went bimonthly for a spell) and it provides loads of information.
First we meet Victor, Victor and some chums have pulled a diamond heist. As they sit in a bar and await a guy with their “connection†they trade conspiracy theories. And Victor spins a yarn of the biggest crime ever committed.
Victor tells the tale of thirteen criminals, four hundred years ago, who decided they wanted a piece of the New World. They went to the kings of Europe and made an offer; in return for the unclaimed territory these thieves would leave Europe. The kings scoffed at the idea. Furthermore the Queen of England decided to set up a colony on Roanoke.
The thirteen decided to send everyone a message, so they sent seven enforcers, the Minutemen, to “deal†with the colony. After the colony was dealt with the word “Croatoa†was carved into a tree. While Victor is telling the story, the tale of a heist gone wrong plays out in the present. And in the end we learn of Victor’s connection to Agent Graves, the Minutemen, and gain a whole new perspective on the series.
There is almost no way this issue could live up to the hype or anticipation, yet it really does. Azz has melded American folklore and crime noir seamlessly in this issue. We finally learn about the greatest crime ever committed, we meet a major new player, and Azz still manages to toss a curve ball, by way of the sequence of events in the series. It’s a great issue.
Risso is a visual master. His use of shadow and negative space is rivaled by no artists on a monthly book. His attention to detail, like the tattoos of various characters, is a treat to witness. And as a bonus to us continuity freaks peep how page five in issue #1 and page thirty one in this issue match up. Risso actually impresses with every issue. And this goes for the entire team. Mulvihill always does stellar work and Robins (and company) did a superb job of lettering a comic that will have fans scrutinizing every word.
