Writer: Brian Azzarello
Artist: Eduardo Risso
Publisher: DC/Vertigo
Plot:
After hearing the word 'Croatoa', Wylie aggressively lashes out, much to Dizzy's surprise. He begins to remember his old love and, more importantly, what happened to her, and who he was. Dizzy works out that Wylie's friend Homer was the one responsible for killing the girl at the lake and they bail out, but Wylie refuses to use Shepard's help again. He returns to his hotel, only to be confronted by Martin sporting his gun.
Comments:
Because it’s such an extraordinary book, I can’t possibly explain to you every fantastic detail of this comic, let alone the series. Suffice it to say it’s complex and it’s moving along at a nice pace. Wylie is slowly remembering what happened to him and what he really is; and during this time you notice that he starts to get very irritable and tense, in complete contrast to his usual manner. Unlike Cole, his memory is coming back gradually and you can tell that this is a terrible strain on him. We learn a lot more about the relationship he had with his girl, Rose, and we see that he really did care for her. All this may help to explain why he’s willing to kill Shepard. But I think there’s a little more to it that we haven't been told yet. The story seems to be gathering all the required elements for a grand finale, like the calm before the storm. It’s clear that soon it’s going to get messy, and Wylie's going to be right in the middle of it.
As usual, Azzarello's dialog-driven story is terribly compelling. Coupled with Risso's striking artwork, it is a near perfect comic. Risso excels at setting the mood and atmosphere (amazing work with shadows) to the point where the art tells the story just as well as the writing. This is a rare thing to see in a book today and I consider it the very pinnacle of the art form. Nice cover work again by Johnson. While you don't actually see Shepard at all throughout the book, it is a clear indication of the mood and what’s to come.
Final Word:
I'm not going to tell you to buy this book, unless you already have all the others. If you have never heard of 100 Bullets and like the sound of it, go pick up all the trades now. Don't start getting into this series by picking up this book, because you probably won’t understand a thing and it will only ruin previous surprises for you. As for those of you who are already reading this series, I don't need to tell you to buy it, do I? Because by now you should already have it and, if you don't, steal some money (well, not really, but you understand the idiom) and get it. You can tell this series is about to get really nasty.
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