Billi 99

by Sarah Byam, Tim Sale

World War III hit, and nobody noticed. Lost amidst the crooked politicians and corrupt corporate practices of the late 20th century, the American Dream became polluted and drowned out, replaced instead with an ever-growing chasm between the "haves" and "have-nots." No one is more aware of this than Billi Chadam. Daughter of honest industrialist Ray Chadam and heiress to the multi-billion dollar Chadam International empire, Billi finds herself in a whirlpool of murder and corporate espionage, framed for her father's death, and on the run from those who are supposed to be her allies. But Billi has a secret, one she shared with her father before he was taken from her. By night Billi dons the mask of the Sword of Toleado, a blade-wielding vigilante bringing hope to the oppressed and striking fear in the oppressors. There's more to saving her city than sword-waving heroics can accomplish, though, and before the tensions between her company's employees and the city's on-the-take police force reach a boiling point, Billi must set the balance right, no matter what the cost.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction

200 pages, Paperback

First published October 4, 2002

Reviews

[Lillith F · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’d say it’s more like 3.5 stars, because I’d give 3 stars for the plot but 4 for the art, but I pushed it up because I’m pleased to see such a nuanced and genuine female hero.
I mean I did enjoy reading this- I just take the same kind of issue with the plot as I had with ‘V for Vendetta’- this late 20th century dystopian hero is a bit tacky for my taste, and some of the lines and plot turns I found to be a bit too cliche- it’s subtlety and honesty that really works for me in this kind of storytelling. It definitely got better as it went along, but the main thing that pulled me through this mini-series was the illustration.
The art style was wonderful, the composition was careful and the characters were so distinctly well designed. I found myself really liking them as individuals
The world created was so harsh and moody, yet, for a black and white comic, the art still all felt so vivid and even vibrant.
It was by no means perfect nor mind blowing, nothing I would rush to recommend to all my friends- but overall it was fun to read this.

[47Time · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you like Alan Moore's stuff, you might enjoy this too. I was in the wrong frame of mind for it. The story is filled with politics, company takeovers, betrayal, gangsters, but also makes use of the vigilante image, friendship and loyalty. It has an overall happy end, as much as one can hope for in this dystopian timeline.

Ray Chadam was the CEO of Chadam International and secretly the Sword of Toleado, a beloved vigilante. He met his demise during his vigilante dealings after being betrayed. Now his adopted daughter Billi has inherited his stock in the company. Unfortunately, the company is going bankrupt and Eric Vey Hunder is the only on willing to fund Chadam Int., but for his own interest. Euchre has replaced Ray who is wanted for murdering her father and he wants Hunder's support, but the board of directors needs convincing.

Billi discovers that her uncle Euchre kills prostitutes on a regular basis, that he also killed Ray and that now he sees her as an obstacle to gain full control of Chadam International. The protests by the company's employees affect the company even more, especially when mobster Engrionelli supplies them with handguns. Billi dons the Toleado suit and stops the conflict between the employees and the police with help from some of the men who supported her father. Engrionelli confesses to the murder of Ray Chadam to save Billi who becomes CEO of Chadam Industries and begins rebuilding the company.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Used book store find and a nice surprise. Love Sale’s art as always, nice inky grays and blacks. Not familiar with the author, and doesn’t look like she wrote any other original comics which is too bad because the story and setting here is novel.

The daughter of a factory owner is accused of her own fathers murder; her father was secretly a Batman style vigilante who dresses up like a musketeer, and he was murdered by a scheming sociopath business partner. The tone is gritty and down to Earth—no superpowers to speak of, and there’s a lot of characters on the low rung of society. She ends up taking up her fathers mantle to solve the murder, and also to prove herself innocent. Meanwhile, the corporate leaders have decided to cut costs by breaking with the unionized workforce and hiring scabs. These two stories dovetail at the end, and the final superhero confrontation happens in the same space as the police attacking the striking workers. I can’t think of another pro-union comic book like this; this was a real gem, very lucky to stumble across it.

[Orrin Grey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another bit of vintage Tim Sale, Billi 99 is very much a product of its time, although there's more pathos and actual humanity in it than most of the dystopian future comics of the early '90s.

[Neil Carey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of Sale's best. He sung in black and white

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, actually I read the original 4-part mini series, which was sitting on my shelves for 25 years or something (bought it shortly after "Challengers of the Unknown" by Loeb and Sale came out.
I'm not that fascinated with the story, but Sale's art was exceptionally from the get-go, and he really works wonders with the black-and-white format with several shades of grey. A real pleasure to look at!

[ComicNerdSam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some bits here and there I like, but ultimately it's a let down. Byam's writing is very ham-fisted and it's very clear Sale was still somewhat green while making this. Interesting page layouts though. Overall a big fat "meh".

[Spencer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story could have benefited from an extra 30 pages, fleshing out some of the ancillary characters a bit and tightening up the ending, but the socio-political commentary on the inside end covers is pretty harrowing given that they were written in 1991 and nothing has changed in 30+ years.

[Matt Hunt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice artwork.
Pretty run of the mill future corporate dystopia which could have used some deeper fleshy out.
Finishes pretty abruptly and leaving a lot of open questions.

[Philip · Rating 5 out of 5]

This feels even more relevant than when it was first published, over 30 years ago.

[cc · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[boofykins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally published in 1991, Billi 99 holds up quite well as dystopian fiction against the backdrop of corporate greed, government overreach, and worker exploitation in 2025, just to name a few.

I was kind of surprised when I looked up Sarah Byam's bibliography and found it was a relatively short list. Seems she put her money where her mouth was as she has done a lot of altruistic endeavors over the years. Seems like a pretty good egg.

This book features some of Tim Sale's earliest work. You can kind of see it evolve even from issue-to-issue here. His art never ceases to amaze me. Despite the cartoonish style, it always felt so realistic and dark and could evoke emotion with ease. Rest in peace, Tim Sale. Absolute legend.

[Korynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm a big admirer of Tim Sale's artwork and so that was the reason I picked up this book in the first place. Sadly, the story didn't live up to my expectations. Set in one of those futuristic cities that abound in comics there is a physical separation of the rich and the poor. Our hero has been murdered and his daughter inherits the mess that comes with the title, which she avoids until she realizes she must deal with it. Think Batman's daughter, set in Dark Knight Returns era, and yeah, you have the basics of this story. Too many characters are introduced too quickly and too many details end up lost and finally the whole thing winds up in a unbelievable epic finale that is unsatisfying.

[Craven · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a bleak, stylish story of dystopian America in Industrial collapse. Billi, hiding out after being framed for the murder of her father, she stalks the night as Toleado a defender of the downtrodden. As an heiress to a portion of a large company, she finds her father was murdered by slimy corporate shareholders in an attempt to take it over.
A conspiracy of corporate intrigue and murder unfolds.
The drawings are stark black and white, full of industrial constructions looming in a city that's always overcast and rainy. Illustrator Tim Sale really brings out the oppressive ambiance of the setting.

[Fugo Feedback · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una fusión a medio hacer entre el Zorro, Batman, y V que pelea como el primero, tiene un entorno similar al segundo y -si bien no da discursos grandilocuentes-, busca emular la chapa (y un dejo de ideología) del tercero. En algunas partes la historia se vuelve algo confusa no por compleja sino por desprolijidades narrativas, pero tampoco llega a volverse inentendible. No recuerdo haber leído otra cosa de Sarah Byam, pero sí comics posteriores de Tim Sale, y en estos se llega a adivinar parte del enorme potencial que desarrollaría en trabajor más "comerciales" como los que haría en Marvel y DC.
La verdad que teniendo en cuenta lo barato que me salió, tengo pocas cosas de qué quejarme.

[Samuel · Rating 1 out of 5]

i expected better art from tim sale, which could have maybe saved the lame post-apocalyptic/pre-apocalyptic storyline.

[Isaac Timm · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had some very interesting ideas for a modern Zorro, but was a little too similar to Batman

[Whatsupchuck · Rating 2 out of 5]

Zorro meets Batman. This felt a little dated/didn't stand the test of time (written in the early 90's I think).

[Dony Grayman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Edición española en blanco y negro.