Writer : Brian Azzarello
Art : Eduardo Risso
Colors : Patricia Mulvihill
Letters : Clem Robbins
Editor : Will Dennis
Publisher : Vertigo
Wow!!
That’s my first reaction on finishing this issue of the usually-brilliant 100 Bullets.
As some-one that came into this series fairly late, I had been feverishly catching up via the trade paperbacks until around issue #50, whereupon I bought individual issues, unable to wait for each trade to come out.
For those who have been following the story-line, this issue uses Azzarello’s patented technique of playing with time and place. It starts with a greviously wounded Shepherd talking on the telephone to Lono, who remains incarcerated with Loop Hughes. Their conversation parallels flashbacks detailing how Shepherd came to this precarious position.
As usual, the dialogue is razor-sharp and hyper-realised. Sure, people don’t really talk like this, but wouldn’t it be cool if they did? Further dark hints are dropped regarding both the Minutemen and the intentions of Graves, which in many ways have been driving this storyline from the beginning.
And an earth-shattering (for this series) event occurs which, if its not merely a fake-out, will change the direction of the remainder of the series in a very interesting way.
This series has found a real second wind with the previous Wylie story-line, and this opening chapter doesn’t let up for a heart-beat, plunging the reader straight into the action, and finishing with a closing image that makes me wish next month would get here in a few days.
Risso’s art defies description, due to not only its remarkable consistency, but its suitability for the tone of this title. My only minor nit-pick is the depiction of the final shocking image of the issue, which comes across as a little too cartoony for my taste.
