100 Bullets
I have to say that “100 Bullets” was a comic book series that got me excited about comics again. And now the last of the trade paperbacks has been released ending the 100 issue series with a bang - no pun intended. The series is the brainchild of writer Brian Azzarello and artist Eduardo Risso and started back in August of 1999. It’s a hard-edge crime series that blended noir and pulp genres with dark realism and morality.
Initially the plot of 100 Bullets hinges on the question of what would you do if you could get a chance at revenge with no recourse. That’s right. What if you were wronged in a horrible way and were given the chance to get revenge and get away with it? What would you do? The mysterious Agent Graves would approach people that have been victimized in terrible ways, and gives them a chance to set things right in the form of a simple attache case that contains an untraceable handgun , 100 untraceable bullets, a photograph of a person, and incontrovertible evidence that the target (in the photograph) presented is primarily and personally responsible for their woes.
Now, of course, it is up to the victim as to whether or not the enact their revenge…some don’t and some do to varying degrees of success and failure. There is no punishment nor reward for taking up the offer. Just the personal satisfaction of their actions and the fact that they now know who is responsible for their present state of circumstances. Eventually, the attaches and Graves’ “game” as it comes to be known are revealed to be only a minor part of a much broader storyline that eventually embraces the sense that everything - and everyone - is connected.
The series won the 2002 Harvey Awards for Best Writer, Best Artist and Best Continuing Series, and the 2003 Harvey Award for Best Artist, as well as the 2001 Eisner Award for Best Serialized Story, and the 2002 and 2004 Eisner Award for Best Continuing Series.
“It’s a funeral,” Azzarello said, “Okay, it’s a wake, maybe. We did this book for nearly 10 years. 100 issues with the same team - that doesn’t happen very often.” When it came to the end of their 10 year journey, there was some talk of extending it. However, in the end it was decided that concluding the story was best and the grand finale unfolded just as he had planned it 10 years earlier. After reading it this past week, let me tell you that it was fantastic!!!
Next steps, Azzarello doesn’t rule out the possibility of a spinoff series featuring some of the remaining cast - those few that manage to stay alive at series end. In addition the author exclaims, “Television - there’s an idea! That all I’ll say. Television…or maybe something that’s not just TV.” Now anyone who has HBO knows that their slogan is “It’s not TV. It’s HBO” That idea is very exciting. The comic definitely lends itself well to a television series, and it would definitely have to be an HBO type series. It would be done a disjustice if a primetime network were to take it on.
“For it’s time, it was probably one of the most mainstream comics out there - nobody flew, no magic, no vampires,” the author explains. “I’m definitely missing the characters. I lived for these guys for 10 years.”
Brian, I think we are all going to miss these characters. They were so rich and intense. The story engulfed me in ways I was both surprised and excited about. I want to say thank you for a great 10 years.
Anyone reading this, I would encourage you to check out this series. It’s a grand and fantastic crime drama saga!!