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100
Bullets :
The Counterfifth Detective
A DC/Vertigo trade paperback review
By
Troy Brownfield
Writer:
Brian Azzarello
Pencils: Eduardo Risso
More
Info: www.dccomics.com
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It's
won Eisners. It's won Harveys. It's almost universally praised.
What's left to say? Plenty.
100
Bullets
remains one of the very best comics on the racks. Azzarello
and Risso sucker you in with the premise: Agent Graves shows
up to give apparent losers an attache case full of info regarding
some negative event in their life, a gun and 100 untraceable
bullets. Initially, you think the premise is the star. You're
wrong. 100 Bullets is a calculated neo-noir epic, long
on plot and character and short on letting you figure it out
to soon. The instant gratification is in the tough prose and
terrifically moody art; the long-term fulfillment won't entirely
pay off until the whole story is in front of you.
Until
then, we have the arc called "The Counterfifth Detective",
and by itself, it's pretty God damn good. Azzarello and Risso
take the cliche of the Man Without A Face and invert it till
it hurts. Milo Garret, private eye, goes through a windshield;
in fact, he spends the whole tale wrapped in bandages. It's
like a Claude Rains take on Nicholson in "Chinatown".
Graves gives Milo a lead, and Milo pursues his fate, not realizing
that he's got bigger mysteries behind and ahead of him.
There
are so many joys in reading 100 Bullets that it's hard
to keep track. There's the dialogue, simultaneously rough
and elegant, playing on the tropes without succumbing. There's
the art, depicting a grime-covered candyland of aerodynamic
breasts, spilled blood and broken people. And then there's
the whole sweeping scope of the thing. Even if you think have
it figured out, you don't. Don't pretend you know where it's
going; these guys will always be ahead of you.
100
Bullets: The Counterfifth Detective
is without a doubt a stellar piece of work. If you're interested,
step back and start with First Shot/Last Call. You
won't get to this one for four more volumes, but it's worth
the trip. Trust me; it's a trip you'll want to make.
Troy Brownfield is the Editor-in-Chief of ShotgunReviews.com.
Email him at psikotyk@aol.com
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