“Inside this attaché case is irrefutable evidence that what I’m telling you is true. Also in the attaché is a gun, and one-hundred rounds of ammunition. All untraceable, all yours. Do with it as you see fit.” - Agent Philip Graves
100 Bullets is an American crime series written by Brian Azzarello and illustrated by Eduardo Risso. It had a 100-issue-long run that began in 1999 and ended a decade later in 2009. The story told in this series is a very complicated one. It starts out simply enough with a character called Agent Graves. Graves goes around to different people who have had wrongs committed against them and provides these people with a briefcase containing a handgun, 100 untraceable bullets, and evidence that reveals who committed these wrongs. The victims are given carte blanche and are assured by Graves that no police action will be taken should they choose to use the weapon and ammo provided. This is how the story begins. As the tale unfolds, it is revealed that the revenge opportunities that Graves provides are all part of a much larger plan.
I really knew nothing about this series going in, so every twist and turn that the plot takes was a complete surprise to me. That’s the best way to experience the series. There are loads and loads of plot twists throughout the story, and most of them are incredible. Some twists are more effective than others, but most of them are completely unpredictable, and because of the way the story is structured, you can never really tell where things are going to go.
The script is ridiculously well written, and when it comes to crafting characters, Azzarello is second to none. All of the characters are very fleshed out, and Azzarello knows each one like the back of his hand. He knows what his characters are most likely to do in certain situations, and he knows how they act. The dialogue is super intelligent, but at times, it feels just a bit too intelligent. It’s so smart sometimes that I had to pause and really think about what was being said. Because of that, I found it somewhat unrealistic that characters would know exactly what other characters meant as soon as the words came out of their mouth. Granted, when you finally understand what is being said, it’s awesome. But to have a character respond almost immediately to something worded in such a complicated way was just a bit unrealistic.
The art by Eduardo Risso is incredible and manages to be really gritty but also cartoonish at the same time. I loved the way that Risso draws certain body types, and creates a sense of physical diversity amongst his characters. I love his use of contrasting line thicknesses. He puts really light, thin lines next to dark, thick ones, and having that sense of contrast really helps to bring the characters to life.
Something that I feel is really worth mentioning is the coloring. Grant Goleash was the colorist from issue 1 to issue 14, and Goleash’s colors are sort of drab, and pale. I loved this color palette and thought it really suited the story. And then along came Patricia Mulvihill in issue 15. Where Goleash excels in creating flat, dull colors that bring out the edgy, gritty aspects of the story, Mulvihill is just as good at creating flashy, bright colors, while blending and layering them to add to the dimensions of the buildings and characters.
In terms of flaws, I didn’t like how many unanswered questions there were by the end of the series, and because of the story structure, there were certain arcs that I didn’t really care for, such as “Pray For Reign” in issue 50, the “In Stinked” arc in issues 47 to 49, and “Staring At The Son” in issues 60 to 63. There were also some character decisions made that I didn’t care for all that much.
Overall, I had a really good time with 100 Bullets and would love to read it again sometime down the road. I feel like I may have missed some deeper meanings along the way, so my grade for the series might change after I read it again. I did enjoy the series and would recommend it to people who are looking for a long-running comic series that feels fresh and new.
Grade: B+
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