Writer: Brian Azzarello
Artist: Eduardo Risso
Publisher: DC Comics/Vertigo
100 Bullets: First Shot, Last Call is a stunning masterpiece of moral ambiguity. This gritty crime-noir series is incredibly dark and surreal, offering some of the most intense and twisting stories ever seen in any media, let alone comic books. With dark, atmospheric art that fits the plot like a tailor-made suit, this is as good as non-superhero comics get. The story opens with Dizzy Cordova, a former gang banger who just finished serving prison time for assault. She heads back to the only home she has known other than prison: the south side of Chicago. While she was imprisoned, her husband and infant child were gunned down, supposedly by members of a rival gang. On her trip home from the prison, she encounters a mysterious man, calling himself Agent Graves, who tells her he knows who really killed her family. He then provides her with a briefcase containing the picture of two local crooked cops who he claims killed her family, an unlicensed gun, and, what Graves claims, are one hundred untraceable bullets. Graves presents her with a way to extract her revenge without punishment or recourse. From there she returns home, into the hands of family members and friends who have hidden agendas of their own that might be compromised by Dizzy's presence.
Azzarello does a bang up job creating characters who serve their purposes efficently, such as with Dizzy, who evokes sympathy and relatability from the reader. Also of note is the scribe's organic dialogue. Azzarello crafts some of the most natural and smooth dialogue ever to grace comics. The lines these characters deliver sound incredibly real to life without losing any wit or edge.
No matter how great the writing, this story wouldn’t have half the effect without the uncanny Eduardo Risso on pencils. Through dark and detailed linework, he brings the harsh and gritty streets of the ghetto to unsettling life. The beauty of Risso's art lies in his stunning use of shadows that shroud condemned buildings and the unattractive but realistically rendered flawed characters he draws. This isn’t highly stylized, clean, action-oriented art. Much of the storytelling involves the facial expressions, the movements of characters in the background and the setup of the shots, and Risso never falters.
Beautiful coloring by Trish Mulvihill provides icing on the cake. Her dull grays and faded colors accentuate the somber mood that the urban setting evokes and her palate complements the dark and inky style of Risso’s art. Together, Risso and Mulvihill keep this book looking as sharp as it reads.
Azzarello steers readers through this dark crime-opus, making them guess everything and everyone. Just when you think you have finally discovered the nature of the series or where the story is going to lead you, Azzarello takes you for a sharp turn to somewhere disturbingly unfamiliar. And this collection is just that, disturbing, beautifully disturbing. Azzarello evokes an unparalleled noir-crime sensibility. There's a lot going on in this story beyond the main premise. The overall series is a high-concept crime drama but this collection itself pays off in every way. It hooks you and leaves you begging for the next collection. This is as good as crime-noir stories get, boasting one of the most effective and creative teams in comics today and harsh, unrelenting storytelling.
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