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100 Bullets: The Deluxe Edition
100 Bullets: The Deluxe Edition Book III
The third deluxe hardcover edition of the best-selling graphic novels series 100 Bullets written by Brian Azzarello and illustrated by Eduardo Risso. This dark and intriguing Eisner Award-winning series features a mysterious agent named Graves who approaches ordinary citizens and gives them an opportunity to exact revenge on a person who has wronged them.
416 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2012
27 people are currently reading
460 people want to read
About the author
Brian Azzarello
1,288 books1,105 followersBrian Azzarello (born in Cleveland, Ohio) is an American comic book writer. He came to prominence with 100 Bullets, published by DC Comics' mature-audience imprint Vertigo. He and Argentine artist Eduardo Risso, with whom Azzarello first worked on Jonny Double, won the 2001 Eisner Award for Best Serialized Story for 100 Bullets #15–18: "Hang Up on the Hang Low".
Azzarello has written for Batman ("Broken City", art by Risso; "Batman/Deathblow: After the Fire", art by Lee Bermejo, Tim Bradstreet, & Mick Gray) and Superman ("For Tomorrow", art by Jim Lee).
In 2005, Azzarello began a new creator-owned series, the western Loveless, with artist Marcelo Frusin.
As of 2007, Azzarello is married to fellow comic-book writer and illustrator Jill Thompson.
information taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Az...
Azzarello has written for Batman ("Broken City", art by Risso; "Batman/Deathblow: After the Fire", art by Lee Bermejo, Tim Bradstreet, & Mick Gray) and Superman ("For Tomorrow", art by Jim Lee).
In 2005, Azzarello began a new creator-owned series, the western Loveless, with artist Marcelo Frusin.
As of 2007, Azzarello is married to fellow comic-book writer and illustrator Jill Thompson.
information taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Az...
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
November 30, 2015
I really love this entire series. Hard edged noir all the way through. Although the series starts to lose steam for me around the 10th tpb, when they start to focus on the Trust a little too much for me. And you might go from loving Agent Graves to hating him. Still there are so many great self-contained tales before you get to that point. I heartily recommend this one to any fan of crime fiction.
March 7, 2019
With 2 Herculean mega-compendiums down, the 1k page count is passed. Only adding to the vast deluge of blood, the origin myth of 100 Bullets is spelled with the red ink of spilled its own life fluid. Draped and crimson and churned alongside hefty doses of history and conspiracy, the result is frothy with life-addled excellence.
What has been merely hinted at before, has had muscle and guts added to its misty skeletal structure. Finally, able to walk on its own, the shadowiness has been lifted somewhat above the level of vague but hardly transparent. Well protecting its secrets, the nuts and bolts of this illustrated automaton can be sensed but,still enshrouded enough to keep us interested.
Thoughtfully well distilled, the temporal Post-Modern slicing and dicing a la Pulp Fiction, its progenitor, and Scalped its sequentially illustrated cousin, has been utilized to stunning effect. Through which multiple threads of yarn are all linked across an increasingly complex quilt of the comic variety. Yet even with over 1k pages ploughed through, there are still far many more to be explored in this richly textured narrative of crime, blood, and guts.
What has been merely hinted at before, has had muscle and guts added to its misty skeletal structure. Finally, able to walk on its own, the shadowiness has been lifted somewhat above the level of vague but hardly transparent. Well protecting its secrets, the nuts and bolts of this illustrated automaton can be sensed but,still enshrouded enough to keep us interested.
Thoughtfully well distilled, the temporal Post-Modern slicing and dicing a la Pulp Fiction, its progenitor, and Scalped its sequentially illustrated cousin, has been utilized to stunning effect. Through which multiple threads of yarn are all linked across an increasingly complex quilt of the comic variety. Yet even with over 1k pages ploughed through, there are still far many more to be explored in this richly textured narrative of crime, blood, and guts.
April 24, 2018
Book Three of the new edition collects "Six Feet under the Gun," "Samurai," and "The Hard Way," books six, seven, and eight of the original trade collections.
I thought I had read them all before, but there were gaps in my reading or my memory. The new 'deluxe' collections are a great way to get the story (which is sort of an epic) together in one place (or at least five places).
The art obviously owes a debt to Frank Miller's Sin City, but Risso draws better than Miller. The pupil has become the master:
If I take a star off, it is because the 'frame' story, which has grown so out of proportion to the 'episodes,' is slowed down by the length of those episodes (all of which- spoiler- seem to end in apocalyptic bloodbaths). The padding is far less obvious than in Brubaker and Phillips, however. It is probably caviling to suggest that something this good is 'too long,' or 'too violent.'
I thought I had read them all before, but there were gaps in my reading or my memory. The new 'deluxe' collections are a great way to get the story (which is sort of an epic) together in one place (or at least five places).
The art obviously owes a debt to Frank Miller's Sin City, but Risso draws better than Miller. The pupil has become the master:
If I take a star off, it is because the 'frame' story, which has grown so out of proportion to the 'episodes,' is slowed down by the length of those episodes (all of which- spoiler- seem to end in apocalyptic bloodbaths). The padding is far less obvious than in Brubaker and Phillips, however. It is probably caviling to suggest that something this good is 'too long,' or 'too violent.'
March 22, 2015
This is a huge compilation and a lot of now obviously interlocking story arcs with increasingly interesting characters that you come to care about. Some even moving, such as the jazz musician story. Tigers make their way into one story. Thrown bear traps in another. I like that Wylie, and April, a lot. Lono is a Miller type character, cartoonly muscled, crazy, and even he is someone you come to care about (as you do with Miller's characters).
Not for the squeamish, this 100 Bullets, that's for sure. Massacres abound. And then these small human interest stories threaded in. Again, Azzarello owes something to Miller with his storytelling, and Risso matches him with his art. I still prefer Brubaker and Phillips for doing different things with the genre, for those new ideas, but this is surprisingly carefully done. Like The Game of Thrones in a way, Azzarello is not so fond of any of his characters that he won't get rid of them... so that happens.
Not for the squeamish, this 100 Bullets, that's for sure. Massacres abound. And then these small human interest stories threaded in. Again, Azzarello owes something to Miller with his storytelling, and Risso matches him with his art. I still prefer Brubaker and Phillips for doing different things with the genre, for those new ideas, but this is surprisingly carefully done. Like The Game of Thrones in a way, Azzarello is not so fond of any of his characters that he won't get rid of them... so that happens.
July 8, 2016
Azzarello and Risso continue to KILL IT with this exceptionally satisfying 3rd volume. This edition probably hits the high water mark for the series. Several great arcs are included. Below are four of my most adored. Things are slowly starting to come together as we cross the halfway point of this lengthy tale. New characters are introduced and we catch up with some old ones. And not everybody makes it out alive.
"Chill in the Oven" is another of my all-time favorites. It smacks of HBO's "OZ", only filthier.
“In Stinked” focuses on “The Monster” and his return to the Minutemen fold.
“Prey for Reign” takes us back to the birth of the Trust and acquaints us with Victor.
Finally, “Wylie Runs the Voodoo Down” brings several characters together and ends with a BANG. This one’s not for the squeamish. Wylie puts it best when he says “A Motherfuckin’ BEAR TRAP!” Ouch.
Had to include some of Dave Johnson's amazing covers too. So much to enjoy in this one. Inside and out. I don’t think I’ve noted in my earlier reviews of the Deluxe Editions how nice the books themselves are. Oversized pages give Risso’s highly detailed artwork room to breathe, are well constructed, and if you are considering purchasing the series, the Deluxe Editions are certainly the way to go.
"Chill in the Oven" is another of my all-time favorites. It smacks of HBO's "OZ", only filthier.
“In Stinked” focuses on “The Monster” and his return to the Minutemen fold.
“Prey for Reign” takes us back to the birth of the Trust and acquaints us with Victor.
Finally, “Wylie Runs the Voodoo Down” brings several characters together and ends with a BANG. This one’s not for the squeamish. Wylie puts it best when he says “A Motherfuckin’ BEAR TRAP!” Ouch.
Had to include some of Dave Johnson's amazing covers too. So much to enjoy in this one. Inside and out. I don’t think I’ve noted in my earlier reviews of the Deluxe Editions how nice the books themselves are. Oversized pages give Risso’s highly detailed artwork room to breathe, are well constructed, and if you are considering purchasing the series, the Deluxe Editions are certainly the way to go.
February 23, 2025
I had a hard time following through the story, partly because it was more than a month between this an the last book, and partly because the story is deeply complex, with everything tying up with the big picture by the last chapters, but I can't say I'm not liking it, this complexity is coming from a thoroughly build up of self contained stories that reveal bit by bit a bigger, darker, conspiracy that all the characters are trapped in.
In the end... nobody's innocent, and nothing is as it seems...
I should read book 4 soon, not to lose my hold on the story again!
MiM
In the end... nobody's innocent, and nothing is as it seems...
I should read book 4 soon, not to lose my hold on the story again!
MiM
June 28, 2014
Still as good as ever however this is the first book that made me realize I should have read the whole serie at once and not spread over a year. There are subtle clues in some pages that puts new light on a story taking place 400 pages later. Everything is interconnected and I have forgotten a lot of the small stuff that happened in the first book. As it is, once I finally get the 5th deluxe book, I will have to reread everything from start.
Read
August 26, 2024I’m inclined to say 100 Bullets is treading water. While scene to scene the series has good moments, even great moments, the overall narrative is simultaneously stretched thin and somewhat confusing. Characters are interesting… but I don’t get attached to them because they come and go. The Trust and Minutemen storyline has potential… but it doesn’t seem like it’s progressing. I kind of wish Azzarello kept the series as a strict anthology without a larger narrative, where you see what different people do with Graves’ briefcases of bullets. No need to connect them all.
The highlight in this volume is the seven-part “Wylie Runs the Voodoo Down.” Very well-told with intriguing character dynamics, unexpected violence, and top-notch dialogue. The coda to that story does point towards a potential new direction. We’ll see how things go in the next book.
The highlight in this volume is the seven-part “Wylie Runs the Voodoo Down.” Very well-told with intriguing character dynamics, unexpected violence, and top-notch dialogue. The coda to that story does point towards a potential new direction. We’ll see how things go in the next book.
February 16, 2019
This sprawling, overrated epic has an interest plot device, but it continually repeats, over and over, with diminishing returns.
With uninspiring, washed out artwork, this intertwining, multifaceted storyline grinds towards banality.
With uninspiring, washed out artwork, this intertwining, multifaceted storyline grinds towards banality.
August 30, 2024
4.5
I got sick of Brian Azzarello and took a good long break from 100 Bullets but MAN this is a good volume. The beartrap part gave me a feeling I haven't felt since reading the first couple of volumes of The Sandman. My only gripe with this series is that I don't like the issues that consist mostly of cryptic conversations we can't understand yet.
I got sick of Brian Azzarello and took a good long break from 100 Bullets but MAN this is a good volume. The beartrap part gave me a feeling I haven't felt since reading the first couple of volumes of The Sandman. My only gripe with this series is that I don't like the issues that consist mostly of cryptic conversations we can't understand yet.
March 20, 2018
I'm somewhat disappointed by the lack of focus. I do understand that there's some story development, but I grow tired of side-stepping, of focusing on other things, of half-reveals and useless violence. It's not that the violence is too much, it's only that violence became arcade-y, meaningless.
There are some interesting stories, but the overall story, the big one, is really fuzzy. At least it is for me. And that „magic word” thing is just boring.
There are some interesting stories, but the overall story, the big one, is really fuzzy. At least it is for me. And that „magic word” thing is just boring.
January 7, 2015
This series will blow your mind over and over until there is nothing left but bullets, treachery, blood, and awesomesauce everywhere. A must read.
January 23, 2015
Underwhelming. An interesting idea that was carried on far too long.
September 22, 2015
another excellent installment, slightly downgraded by my confusion with the characters - even a 2 page recap to start would have been a great help.
August 8, 2021
This series just keeps getting better. The curtain is finally being drawn back revealing much more of the background and history that led to what we’ve already read. And the story keeps progressing forward, sometimes introducing new players, while also painting what appears to be an ending for others. The closer we get to the end the faster it all comes together. But there’s still so much left to learn, and so much story left to enjoy.
June 3, 2024
I dalje ovo ide odlicno ali da li zbog obima ili tempa postaje malo teško za praćenje i možda sam nakon pola serijala očekivao da se neke stvari razreše već.
I dalje je previše stvari u vazduhu i jasno mi je da autori žele da ostane tako, ali na ovu količinu dešavanja postići tako nešto dovodi do rastezanja priče koja tom prilikom kreće da se tegli u odredjenim segmentima do tacke pucanja. Za sada sve sve još koliko toliko drži.
I dalje je previše stvari u vazduhu i jasno mi je da autori žele da ostane tako, ali na ovu količinu dešavanja postići tako nešto dovodi do rastezanja priče koja tom prilikom kreće da se tegli u odredjenim segmentima do tacke pucanja. Za sada sve sve još koliko toliko drži.
February 3, 2025
The Trust is suspicious, as they should be. All shall be revealed.
October 27, 2017
Enjoyed more than Book 2 of series. Felt characters and stories had more relevance. Lono survives wounds and goes to prison. Wylie, Shephard and Dizzy have encounters in the Big Sleazy aka New Orleans. Besides the individual vignettes, macrocosm of the Trust versus the former Minutemen goes on. Tying thirteen families into Croatoa mystery in Roanoke was a cunning stroke.
February 15, 2013
This series started at 5 stars and has consistently gotten better, so I wish I could give this thing 7 stars to show how much I loved this volume. At this point the storytelling has fully moved shifted into high gear, spending the vast majority of its time on the Trust and the Minutemen, the main players in the overall series arc. Yet even though we've moved into much grander, bolder, conspiracy-theory level plots, each storyline still stays thoroughly focused on one or two characters, letting you experience these big ideas by proxy. It's intense and heart-wrenching, including a couple of times where I, a MAN who is VERY VERY TOUGH I THINK, came close to crying. This is an important series. It's not just great crime storytelling, it's not just good mythology. It's also still very human and very relatable. You have to read this series.
November 19, 2013
Out of all the 100 Bullets stories I have read this far, this one seems to stick out the most for me. Maybe it's the jazz musician or the tigers or the thrown bear traps. Who am I kidding, throwing bear traps at people is quite possibly the cruelest backwater way to attack someone. That's definitely high up there on why this sticks out the most for me. Azzarello & Risso never cease to disappoint.
February 12, 2014
It was okay I guess. Some of the plot and almost all of the dialogue was dumb, but the story overall was okay (albeit pretty goddamn hard to follow). Except for the ending, which was just not executed well (pun!) at all. I'd probably read it again someday and find it easier to follow.
May 15, 2014
LOVE THIS SERIES
May 17, 2016
This shit is too good.
August 5, 2017
A masterpiece. The dialogue rings so true.
May 3, 2022
(Zero spoiler review for the omnibus this story arc collects) 4.25/5
I was really looking forward to this. I was holding this one back for a rainy day. One of those reads that you just know you're going to love, so you don't want to burn it too quickly. Once read, it can never again be read for the first time. Now, over the last year or so since its release, there were plenty of times I began to doubt Azarello's ability to deliver on this, for I've read some absolute stinkers from him. Though it wouldn't be the first time that someone was really good at writing a down and dirty crime noir, yet didn't have the chops to deliver, say, a long run on a female superhero...
But on to 100 Bullets. I know when I'm absolutely on board with a comic, when rather than read at my usual pace, I linger on panels, pages. I read things over and over again, not because they're ridiculous or don't make sense, but because they're so bloody good. Because I'm completely immersed in the story, or maybe because there is a rather fetching young lady featured on the page (and there are quite a few of those featured throughout).
I had minimal experience with Risso's artwork before this, although despite him being very much a love him or hate him type artist, I was instantly on board with his style. It suited the story and Azarello's writing down to a T. This only grew as the run continued, and the guy's chops and style improved. Some of the artwork and colouring in the final runs collected here were stunning, causing more of those lingering stares. And yeah, the guy knows how to draw a seedy, yet sexy looking woman, that's for sure.
Whilst a few issues towards the end certainly weren't as good as the opening salvo's, and the prevalence and quality of the dialogue wasn't as strong at the end of the book as the beginning, but nearly sixty issues of quality street level noir with the same artist is something I can't quite accurately describe how happy it makes me. If this didn't live up to my expectations, I would've been crushed. But thankfully, 100 Bullets is one of the greatest collections I've had the fortune to read thus far, and absolutely and unequivocally belongs on every respecting comic book fans shelf. If you've never read it, stop what ever you are doing (probably reading this review) and get it. When it goes OOP, can't imagine it will get a reprint anytime soon. 4.25/5
OmniBen.
I was really looking forward to this. I was holding this one back for a rainy day. One of those reads that you just know you're going to love, so you don't want to burn it too quickly. Once read, it can never again be read for the first time. Now, over the last year or so since its release, there were plenty of times I began to doubt Azarello's ability to deliver on this, for I've read some absolute stinkers from him. Though it wouldn't be the first time that someone was really good at writing a down and dirty crime noir, yet didn't have the chops to deliver, say, a long run on a female superhero...
But on to 100 Bullets. I know when I'm absolutely on board with a comic, when rather than read at my usual pace, I linger on panels, pages. I read things over and over again, not because they're ridiculous or don't make sense, but because they're so bloody good. Because I'm completely immersed in the story, or maybe because there is a rather fetching young lady featured on the page (and there are quite a few of those featured throughout).
I had minimal experience with Risso's artwork before this, although despite him being very much a love him or hate him type artist, I was instantly on board with his style. It suited the story and Azarello's writing down to a T. This only grew as the run continued, and the guy's chops and style improved. Some of the artwork and colouring in the final runs collected here were stunning, causing more of those lingering stares. And yeah, the guy knows how to draw a seedy, yet sexy looking woman, that's for sure.
Whilst a few issues towards the end certainly weren't as good as the opening salvo's, and the prevalence and quality of the dialogue wasn't as strong at the end of the book as the beginning, but nearly sixty issues of quality street level noir with the same artist is something I can't quite accurately describe how happy it makes me. If this didn't live up to my expectations, I would've been crushed. But thankfully, 100 Bullets is one of the greatest collections I've had the fortune to read thus far, and absolutely and unequivocally belongs on every respecting comic book fans shelf. If you've never read it, stop what ever you are doing (probably reading this review) and get it. When it goes OOP, can't imagine it will get a reprint anytime soon. 4.25/5
OmniBen.
April 18, 2020
There are suitable critiques for 100 Bullets. But let's get one important point out of the way, Risso is absolutely top notch. Panel composition, character design, it's a masterclass on how to organize visual information. That alone elevates this volume of 100 Bullets from three stars to four.
I've read enough of these collected editions to recognize what I think of as the "Vertigo Victory Lap." In these successful Vertigo titles, there always seem to be a point where the story slows to a crawl with a series of make-work issues. Sure enough, this volume has a raftload of one-shots featuring various Minutemen, which undermines some of the momentum from the work as a whole. It's Risso who makes the difference: stylish execution is plenty satisfying on its own.
Fortunately the rest of the volume brings the narrative back together, first with a tautly psychological prison tale and then an intriguing New Orleans story arc. The 100-bullets revenge game recedes to the background, which is probably for the best, in order to focus on the crime cartel that made the game possible.
As he stitches together the narrative, Azzarello struggles with the tension between loose pulp action and the stricter bounds of conspiracy theory, which results in some plot holes. There are just a few too many Manchurian Candidates floating through the frame. With that caveat, 100 Bullets remains one of the more satisfying comics I've read. Recommended for fans of hard, bloodspattered noir and all who appreciate beautiful comic design.
I've read enough of these collected editions to recognize what I think of as the "Vertigo Victory Lap." In these successful Vertigo titles, there always seem to be a point where the story slows to a crawl with a series of make-work issues. Sure enough, this volume has a raftload of one-shots featuring various Minutemen, which undermines some of the momentum from the work as a whole. It's Risso who makes the difference: stylish execution is plenty satisfying on its own.
Fortunately the rest of the volume brings the narrative back together, first with a tautly psychological prison tale and then an intriguing New Orleans story arc. The 100-bullets revenge game recedes to the background, which is probably for the best, in order to focus on the crime cartel that made the game possible.
As he stitches together the narrative, Azzarello struggles with the tension between loose pulp action and the stricter bounds of conspiracy theory, which results in some plot holes. There are just a few too many Manchurian Candidates floating through the frame. With that caveat, 100 Bullets remains one of the more satisfying comics I've read. Recommended for fans of hard, bloodspattered noir and all who appreciate beautiful comic design.
March 18, 2018
How on earth did readers of the original comic manage to keep an eye on all of the plot developments in this darkest of modern noirs? This 22-volume missile swoops around various connected stories, although the threads are still very much coming together. Despite reading the previous 36 instalments fairly recently, I tend to end up thinking "Have I seen this character before" an awful lot.
Helped when a series runs for a couple or more episodes, I think this will make more sense with a rereading (or with a younger mind). For example, the Wylie storyline is taut and thrilling, with well-delineated characters, but, conversely, he prison storyline is relatively difficult to follow, due to the similar characterisations of many within. Perhaps that is a flaw in noir itself: everybody is hard-boiled and ultimately self-serving - maybe true but not exactly distinct.
Perhaps more worrying is the casual misogyny and homophobia espoused by characters. I know that these are not being presented as "nice" characters, but some occasional authorial interruptions, i.e. someone prepared to challenge these attitudes, would be welcome. Because, when a homophobic sexist shoots five other bad guys in a whirl of bullets and emerges as the only one standing, they tend to look a little heroic, too.
Helped when a series runs for a couple or more episodes, I think this will make more sense with a rereading (or with a younger mind). For example, the Wylie storyline is taut and thrilling, with well-delineated characters, but, conversely, he prison storyline is relatively difficult to follow, due to the similar characterisations of many within. Perhaps that is a flaw in noir itself: everybody is hard-boiled and ultimately self-serving - maybe true but not exactly distinct.
Perhaps more worrying is the casual misogyny and homophobia espoused by characters. I know that these are not being presented as "nice" characters, but some occasional authorial interruptions, i.e. someone prepared to challenge these attitudes, would be welcome. Because, when a homophobic sexist shoots five other bad guys in a whirl of bullets and emerges as the only one standing, they tend to look a little heroic, too.
May 9, 2020
The third book here fills in some blanks on the history of the Trust and the Minutemen, but mostly is spends time with Wylie Times, former Minuteman who would probably prefer to forget what happened to him. Sure, we get Lono in prison with Loop Hughes, but Wylie's solo issue plus a seven issue storyline takes up more space than any other. Whatever is going on with the former Minutemen is going somewhere, and it may not work out too well for a lot of people.
June 10, 2020
On the cover is a blurb from the Chicago Sun-Times: One of the greatest works of crime fiction in any medium.
Lofty praise. But, pretty damn near right. The plot gets darker and more twisted in this collection. Angels die because of accidents. Hard men do hard time. What seems like redemption is only revenge, and even the revenge isn’t satisfying.
On top of just how good the story is, the art keeps getting better and better as well.
Lofty praise. But, pretty damn near right. The plot gets darker and more twisted in this collection. Angels die because of accidents. Hard men do hard time. What seems like redemption is only revenge, and even the revenge isn’t satisfying.
On top of just how good the story is, the art keeps getting better and better as well.
September 29, 2020
This one dove deeper into the characters and overall story. I can’t get over this series. Characters have reason and motive. History and conflict. The whole hierarchy has characters interwoven in motive and mystery. Then there’s how the writer “Brian Azzarello” brings the action PLUS story full circle. They go hand in hand. I’m looking forward to how it unfolds
Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews