Writer: Brian Azzarello Artists: Eduardo Risso (a), Grant Goleash (c), Dave Johnson (cvr) Published by DC Comics
Plot: Branch reveals to Dizzy what happened to him when he started looking for Agent Graves, as a familiar face follows them along the streets of Paris.
Jason Baldwin, in one of the few coherent statements he's ever made, compared 100 Bullets to the best mythology episodes of The X-Files. That is an assessment with which I cannot disagree. In fact, when the first issue appeared in preview from in Preacher #51 I jokingly dubbed it The Cigarette Smoking Man: The Series. Unlike Frank Spotnitz and Chris Carter however, Azzarello has been working from the beginning with a clear, strong sense of purpose. What made those X-Files episodes work was the sense that there was a bigger picture, a sense of scope that you normally don't see in television. But Spotnitz and Carter expanded their story haphazardly, Azzarello is able to keep the air of mystery without feeling that a bunch of faceless aliens could come in at any moment and wipe everything out because he's written himself into a corner or doesn't have the right budget.
Like Preacher before it, 100 Bullets seems to be going somewhere, and telling a good story, and I'm hearing, bringing more superhero fans into the realm of Vertigo. Which is very good, because despite the fact that it can be culturally conservative and editorially questionable at times, Vertigo is probably the most important "big gun" in comics right now. 100 Bullets delivers terrific, mature entertainment, some of the most thrilling work in comics today. It's not exactly revolutionary but it warms my heart to think it's gaining momentum, and making non-superhero fare more acceptable in this market. Because while it's okay to like superheroes, I sure don't need them in my diet much anymore.
It's far more interesting to watch how Azzarello and Risso display masterful storytelling ability, even better than usual. I was rather uninterested in the direction this story was taking- the mystery of Graves and the attitude of Branch are nothing new- but once it starts coming together, it's fascinating.
It's been speculated that Graves's actions in issue #11 were all part of the big plan, but I don't think so. What Branch seems to be saying about Graves in this issue ha clued me into what his real intentions are. And his position in the trust, and who the Minutemen really work for. Or it all might be a shell game. While we don't know word for word what Branch was told by Sheperd and the other agent, it could have all been false. We know what's really going on- or do we? The revelations in this issue don't call the events in the past 13 issues into question, but it forces the reader to look at things from a different angle.
What this issue also confirms, for me, is that it a book about the man called Agent Graves. This may be an anthology on the surface, but everything that's happened so far has come out of Graves' actions, his intentions, his feelings of right and wrong. What's more amazing is that he's not even in this issue: the man and his briefcase only appear on the striking Dave Johnson cover, whose excessive use of red reminds me: Is he EVER going to finish Superman: Red Son?
Risso's artwork continues to astound this issue. His use of blacks and ways of drawing facial expression are well doe, bringing personality to every individual he draws, even if it's just a walk-on background character. I rarely see a writer/artist team gel like this: based on their work together so far, I'd put them I the league of my favorite collaborations such as Grant/Giarrano, Ennis/Dillon, Fleisher/Giarrano, Sim/Gerhard, etc. I must quibble with the fact that sometimes Branch looks comically caricatured, but other than that he's fine.
I would like to discuss the finer points of the plot, but this is review, not speculation. Suffice it to say this issue confirms what I've been believing for a while: 100 Bullets is part of the future of comics.
