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100 Bullets #12
100 Bullets, Vol. 12: Dirty
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. Offering his clients an attaché case containing proof of the deed and a gun, he guarantees his “clients” full immunity for all of their actions, including murder.
In this volume, as more members of "The Trust" fall, one family head reaches out to a semi-retired Minuteman for help and protection. But with blood in the water and Graves and his soldiers making a final push for total control, will this old-timer be able to stop the massacre?
In this volume, as more members of "The Trust" fall, one family head reaches out to a semi-retired Minuteman for help and protection. But with blood in the water and Graves and his soldiers making a final push for total control, will this old-timer be able to stop the massacre?
128 pages, Paperback
First published October 24, 2008
9 people are currently reading
502 people want to read
About the author
Brian Azzarello
1,296 books1,106 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...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
February 19, 2024
Really short volume just closing some loose ends before the final volume. Members of the Trust are getting killed.
The Lady Tonight 84
Shows Signar Rhone, a member of the Trust
Red Lions 85
Benito meets with his father. Lono almost gets killed by a woman who he raped back in the day.
Rain in Vain 86
Victor Ray is in Aspen
The Blister 87
My Lonely Friend 88
Cole and Mr. Branch in Atlantic City.
The Lady Tonight 84
Shows Signar Rhone, a member of the Trust
Red Lions 85
Benito meets with his father. Lono almost gets killed by a woman who he raped back in the day.
Rain in Vain 86
Victor Ray is in Aspen
The Blister 87
My Lonely Friend 88
Cole and Mr. Branch in Atlantic City.
November 8, 2013
I haven't quite formed my full opinion of the series yet but here are some things that are on my mind:
-It doesn't get less confusing; this is frustrating because I stopped taking breaks between the issues as I got closer to the end since it became difficult to keep track of the story line if I hadn't just read it, however it just became a big overwhelming mess reading it all straight through.
-I really like the overarching story, and most of the mini-arcs throughout, but it became so convoluted that it was hard to appreciate. I think the series could have benefitted from being less issues. It's almost as if they tried too hard to twist and turn and it just became unnecessary confusion. In fact I'm convinced that nobody ACTUALLY understands all of the twists and turns. If you asked me for a summary I could give one, but I wouldn't be able to fill you in on the complete backgrounds, relationships between characters, or even full explanations.
-Even though we meet some of the characters early on and follow them throughout the series, they begin to blend together too much. A handful of the characters never develop full personalities so it becomes difficult to differentiate them, or even care about them. There are maybe three families of the Trust that stand out, the rest are all just too many names that blend together.
-Because of this blur it was hard for me to really develop attachments. I really loved Jack through til the end, and was a big fan of Milo. And though she "stood out" I didn't particularly care for Dizzy, who is ultimately the main character.
I realize that I am mostly picking at the negatives here. The series was fun and I enjoyed it, there were some truly stellar issues, some truly amazing "HOLY SHIT" moments, but there was also a plethora of "Wait, what?" "Who's THAT guy?" moments as well.
-It doesn't get less confusing; this is frustrating because I stopped taking breaks between the issues as I got closer to the end since it became difficult to keep track of the story line if I hadn't just read it, however it just became a big overwhelming mess reading it all straight through.
-I really like the overarching story, and most of the mini-arcs throughout, but it became so convoluted that it was hard to appreciate. I think the series could have benefitted from being less issues. It's almost as if they tried too hard to twist and turn and it just became unnecessary confusion. In fact I'm convinced that nobody ACTUALLY understands all of the twists and turns. If you asked me for a summary I could give one, but I wouldn't be able to fill you in on the complete backgrounds, relationships between characters, or even full explanations.
-Even though we meet some of the characters early on and follow them throughout the series, they begin to blend together too much. A handful of the characters never develop full personalities so it becomes difficult to differentiate them, or even care about them. There are maybe three families of the Trust that stand out, the rest are all just too many names that blend together.
-Because of this blur it was hard for me to really develop attachments. I really loved Jack through til the end, and was a big fan of Milo. And though she "stood out" I didn't particularly care for Dizzy, who is ultimately the main character.
I realize that I am mostly picking at the negatives here. The series was fun and I enjoyed it, there were some truly stellar issues, some truly amazing "HOLY SHIT" moments, but there was also a plethora of "Wait, what?" "Who's THAT guy?" moments as well.
July 18, 2025
Holy shit, 100 Bullets, Vol. 12: Dirty is precisely what I'm talking about! This isn't just a good volume; it's the absolute fucking best this series has ever been. Every seemingly one-off story from before finally connects in ways that make it clear everything's about to go to hell, and I loved every goddamn second of it. The way all the characters interweave in this volume is brilliant, and I genuinely felt awful for some of them, especially the children caught in the crosshairs of these pieces of shit.
This volume is the ultimate boiling point for the series, and it's spectacular. You see the Trust continue to crumble, with powerful figures, once untouchable, desperately seeking protection from the very forces Agent Graves has unleashed. The re-activated Minutemen are in full, brutal swing, and it's glorious to watch their precise, devastating actions. Standout moments, like Sophie confronting Lono, are incredibly satisfying, showcasing resilience in the face of pure depravity.
Seriously, if you're looking for a series that perfectly executes a slow-burn leading to an explosive climax, this is it. While I can't say if the final volume will stick the landing, this one, leading right up to it, is absolutely fucking amazing. It sets a ridiculously high bar and makes you desperate to see how this whole bloody saga finally concludes.
This volume is the ultimate boiling point for the series, and it's spectacular. You see the Trust continue to crumble, with powerful figures, once untouchable, desperately seeking protection from the very forces Agent Graves has unleashed. The re-activated Minutemen are in full, brutal swing, and it's glorious to watch their precise, devastating actions. Standout moments, like Sophie confronting Lono, are incredibly satisfying, showcasing resilience in the face of pure depravity.
Seriously, if you're looking for a series that perfectly executes a slow-burn leading to an explosive climax, this is it. While I can't say if the final volume will stick the landing, this one, leading right up to it, is absolutely fucking amazing. It sets a ridiculously high bar and makes you desperate to see how this whole bloody saga finally concludes.
May 28, 2015
As one would expect, the intensity ramps up as many of the original Trust group leave this world, thanks to revenging Agent Graves and his new Minutemen group. The art also ramos up, as Risso gets operatically dramatic to match the quickly developing intersecting stories. Brutal action, no heroes. Dark noir action comics. A set up for the final 12 issues, Volume 12.
September 10, 2022
(Zero spoiler review for the omnibus collecting this arc) 4.75/5
I've literally just turned the final page on this outstanding tome a few minutes ago. It's still a little fresh, a little raw. I'm not quite sure I've fully come to terms with it all. Just how special it was. That its really over. You know, that upset, whimsical kind of nostalgia that gets you deep down in the feels. Like losing a dear friend. A reminder of what it feels like to be human... to be alive.
First of all, it's a sincere honour to be the first person to put an actual review for this book on this site. An esteem I take very seriously indeed.
It's not very often a book that starts out really god damn great, actually ends up getting better and better as it goes along. It's even rarer when that series weighs in at a whopping 100 issues. All written by the same writer. All drawn by the same artist. The same creative team across its entire run if I'm not quite mistaken. A feat that is all too rare in comics, yet 100 Bullets stands as testament to the power of a small team of creators on top form, working on a project they all care for and believe in. I really can't stress how brilliant it was to have Risso's art grace every single page of this book. You could name dozens of more technically gifted artists out there, but few, if any can match the man's imitable style. I can't recall another artist that has the man's visual style and storytelling flair. Seriously, this book is a feast for the eyes like no other. The layouts, the character designs, the exquisite colour work. All of it goes together to make one of the most complete and stunning visual aspects to a story in any medium I've experienced. Yeah, it's that good.
Azarello too, is at the top of his game. The top of everyone's game. This is some of the most consistently outstanding comics writing you will ever see. 100 issues with barely a 'good story to be found amidst them all. Volume two was pure fire from start to finish. I have no idea where the second half of this book went today, but I just couldn't put it down. When I can reads hundreds of pages without coming up for air, you know you're onto a winner. This makes so many of his contemporaries look pretty dang average by comparison. I could quibble over little bits and pieces here or there, but I really don't want to even slightly tarnish this right now. Nothing's perfect, but this is just so damn special to me, imperfections be damned.
God how I wish more of comics was like this. Long, amazingly strong runs, the same outstanding art team... DC Vertigo, how I mourn your loss. At its height, this label was the bees knees, the cats pyjamas. To see DC now and how far they have fallen from their hey day, its enough to make one sick. DC Vertigo was some of the best comics ever produced, and right now, 100 Bullets for me, stands at the very pinnacle of Vertigo titles. A more uncompromising, magnificent and mature comic there isn't. Or if there is, please tell me what it is, because I can't see what's going to knock 100 Bullets off it's well earned throne. Essential reading. 4.75/5
OmniBen.
I've literally just turned the final page on this outstanding tome a few minutes ago. It's still a little fresh, a little raw. I'm not quite sure I've fully come to terms with it all. Just how special it was. That its really over. You know, that upset, whimsical kind of nostalgia that gets you deep down in the feels. Like losing a dear friend. A reminder of what it feels like to be human... to be alive.
First of all, it's a sincere honour to be the first person to put an actual review for this book on this site. An esteem I take very seriously indeed.
It's not very often a book that starts out really god damn great, actually ends up getting better and better as it goes along. It's even rarer when that series weighs in at a whopping 100 issues. All written by the same writer. All drawn by the same artist. The same creative team across its entire run if I'm not quite mistaken. A feat that is all too rare in comics, yet 100 Bullets stands as testament to the power of a small team of creators on top form, working on a project they all care for and believe in. I really can't stress how brilliant it was to have Risso's art grace every single page of this book. You could name dozens of more technically gifted artists out there, but few, if any can match the man's imitable style. I can't recall another artist that has the man's visual style and storytelling flair. Seriously, this book is a feast for the eyes like no other. The layouts, the character designs, the exquisite colour work. All of it goes together to make one of the most complete and stunning visual aspects to a story in any medium I've experienced. Yeah, it's that good.
Azarello too, is at the top of his game. The top of everyone's game. This is some of the most consistently outstanding comics writing you will ever see. 100 issues with barely a 'good story to be found amidst them all. Volume two was pure fire from start to finish. I have no idea where the second half of this book went today, but I just couldn't put it down. When I can reads hundreds of pages without coming up for air, you know you're onto a winner. This makes so many of his contemporaries look pretty dang average by comparison. I could quibble over little bits and pieces here or there, but I really don't want to even slightly tarnish this right now. Nothing's perfect, but this is just so damn special to me, imperfections be damned.
God how I wish more of comics was like this. Long, amazingly strong runs, the same outstanding art team... DC Vertigo, how I mourn your loss. At its height, this label was the bees knees, the cats pyjamas. To see DC now and how far they have fallen from their hey day, its enough to make one sick. DC Vertigo was some of the best comics ever produced, and right now, 100 Bullets for me, stands at the very pinnacle of Vertigo titles. A more uncompromising, magnificent and mature comic there isn't. Or if there is, please tell me what it is, because I can't see what's going to knock 100 Bullets off it's well earned throne. Essential reading. 4.75/5
OmniBen.
June 24, 2020
The series goes back up to Three Stars (8 out of 12) with this dirty ditty. The taking down of the Trust members continues, as one seeks a retired Minuteman's aid. Graves and his Minutemen are looking to bring it all down!
April 21, 2013
So underwhelming - unnecessary character introductions and subsequent deaths all over the place, resulting in a complete lack of plot development.
March 30, 2024
Okay, this one?
It's DARK.
With only one more volume to go (plus the follow-up Brother Lono "epilogue") I can only imagine how this is all gonna end, but I'm absolutely here for it. This series consistently blows me away like no other long-running series ever has.
It's DARK.
With only one more volume to go (plus the follow-up Brother Lono "epilogue") I can only imagine how this is all gonna end, but I'm absolutely here for it. This series consistently blows me away like no other long-running series ever has.
Read
July 18, 2022This series continues to be quality. I like Azzarello's writing and that he trusts the audience to be smart enough to figure things out without him being super obvious about it, but sometimes I think I'm missing the point because maybe I'm not that smart.
May 18, 2024
Really nihilistic going. That might be the over all message, felt for a while that there might not be one. But now i feel like everyone is just a pinball ball in a cosmos of death.
May 23, 2022
On this one, The Minutemen are eliminating que remnants of The Trust, and, as usual, Azzarello is building up some new stories between it, as the Portland murder, that i hope we will understand about it in the last volume (that i will wait for a sale to buy it on Kindle). Yet, writing and pen are amazing. The first chapter really got me. I'm a father, so, to see as all happened, was really hard. Azzarello got me looking up for some minutes before follow through the book. On to the last one!
January 9, 2009
While the third and last act of this gritty crime series is winding down to its end, the dizziness is only increasing. Just when you thought this series was making sense, guess again. True, this is still the revenge tale of Agent Graves as he seeks to reactivate the Minutemen and line them up against the remaining houses of the Trust – less than eight of the original thirteen remaining, by my last count. (They keep getting off-ed increasingly in these last volumes.) But the multitude of characters, their web-like connections, and their all-too-often ulterior motives prove deceptive to any reader that isn’t playing close enough attention. (And that would include me, at times.)
In Dirty, the penultimate volume, Azzarello (re)introduces several characters whose stories are clearly the prelude to the final twelve issues in which Graves and his last handful of Minutemen confront the remaining families of the Trust. And who comes out alive is anybody’s guess. I freely admit that my mind is reeling from the feverish-pitch at which Azzarello and Risso are bringing 100 Bullets to an end. All good things…, as they say.
In Dirty, the penultimate volume, Azzarello (re)introduces several characters whose stories are clearly the prelude to the final twelve issues in which Graves and his last handful of Minutemen confront the remaining families of the Trust. And who comes out alive is anybody’s guess. I freely admit that my mind is reeling from the feverish-pitch at which Azzarello and Risso are bringing 100 Bullets to an end. All good things…, as they say.
November 12, 2020
Couldn't sleep last night so finished Vol 7 to 13 overnight. I only finished because I kept thinking "there's a reason this is so well-regarded and I'll find it at any time. Nope. Hard to keep people straight when there are 'main' characters introduced and dead before the one issue they're in is over. and the plot? I don't even know what the actual plot was other than by the end I didn't care anymore. weird morality plays and double and triple crosses that just made you want the story to be over but you're on book 67.
It's still good to look at but the story itself was definitely lacking.
And if I get started on specifics it's going to be spoiler and since I didn't take notes on which book was which I can't be bothered to find it out. All of the reviews will be the same both for words and score.
It's still good to look at but the story itself was definitely lacking.
And if I get started on specifics it's going to be spoiler and since I didn't take notes on which book was which I can't be bothered to find it out. All of the reviews will be the same both for words and score.
February 23, 2016
Starts off with a bang and soon everything is turned into chaos. This was a short chapter that focused more on the characters. I didn't enjoy the additional stories added for Lono. If there wasn't so much fluff in this chapter, it could have crept to a 5 star, at least I'm looking forward to the next chapter that should resolve everything.
September 2, 2015
The 100 Bullets trains picks up steam in this shorter than usual volume. What it lacks in length it more than makes up for in the intensity department. Story threads are tied up, executed, unwound and frayed as the Trust moves to it's final position for it's final gambit.
July 18, 2015
and it all starts to come crashing down
January 21, 2023
So let us get this straight: This fucking series was always meant to be 100 issues from the very beginning, which is very good for an author to know something like that in advance so that s/he can get prepared like hell, right? As in: 13 families of the Trust, 13 TPB volumes in total, and so on? You see my point? It normally should have been good! Only if Azzarello was not a fucking looney retard, that is.
Let's get to the facts first: Out of those 13 families, we only know a handful of them -AT BEST!-. The rest are not even properly mentioned/shown/depicted, like AT ALL. And during those few volumes before the finale, we get to see them randomly die? Like literallly randomly? Before getting to know them, understand them, see their inclusion into the story?
Azzarello must really be a real moron. Instead of fully planning all the way to the finale with that incredible chance he had had, he just wrote random stand-alone chapters or mini arcs without having an ultimate motive or logic. And after around Vol. 5 or 6, those mini arcs are not enjoyable either, they are only full of shit just like his head.
I only hope I will not get even more angry after completing the final volume. Let's see what kind of a final shitshow that dude has prepared for us. Fucking stupid loser.
And this series got that much awards HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. People need to put their noir and crime genre fetishes aside and see the real worth of the stories put into these volumes. In the case of Azzarello? They don't need to as there is no worth at all.
Let's get to the facts first: Out of those 13 families, we only know a handful of them -AT BEST!-. The rest are not even properly mentioned/shown/depicted, like AT ALL. And during those few volumes before the finale, we get to see them randomly die? Like literallly randomly? Before getting to know them, understand them, see their inclusion into the story?
Azzarello must really be a real moron. Instead of fully planning all the way to the finale with that incredible chance he had had, he just wrote random stand-alone chapters or mini arcs without having an ultimate motive or logic. And after around Vol. 5 or 6, those mini arcs are not enjoyable either, they are only full of shit just like his head.
I only hope I will not get even more angry after completing the final volume. Let's see what kind of a final shitshow that dude has prepared for us. Fucking stupid loser.
And this series got that much awards HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. People need to put their noir and crime genre fetishes aside and see the real worth of the stories put into these volumes. In the case of Azzarello? They don't need to as there is no worth at all.
July 30, 2023
Aunque en líneas generales me gusta el trabajo de Azzarello y creo que 100 Bullets es un cómic que vale la pena leer, lo cierto es que también concuerdo con el disgusto que otras reseñas muestran. Es decir, la historia es atrapante e interesante, pero se siente mal contada.
Hay muchas historias paralelas que si bien crean el ambiente general de la serie, le quitan peso a otros personajes que deberían ser más relevantes. Te obliga sí o sí a una relectura para poder disfrutar del cómic y entenderlo en su totalidad. El trabajo de Eduardo Risso tampoco ayuda demasiado en ese aspecto, dado que personajes como Lono cambian su caracterización al menos tres veces en la saga.
Resulta bastante molesto y pretensioso el tener que hilar relaciones y recordar personajes. Entiendo que desea hacer un cómic más elevado que los cómics de superhéroes que uno puede estar acostumbrado a leer, sin embargo me resultó cansino, repetitivo y, vuelvo a decir, poco claro.
Hay muchas historias paralelas que si bien crean el ambiente general de la serie, le quitan peso a otros personajes que deberían ser más relevantes. Te obliga sí o sí a una relectura para poder disfrutar del cómic y entenderlo en su totalidad. El trabajo de Eduardo Risso tampoco ayuda demasiado en ese aspecto, dado que personajes como Lono cambian su caracterización al menos tres veces en la saga.
Resulta bastante molesto y pretensioso el tener que hilar relaciones y recordar personajes. Entiendo que desea hacer un cómic más elevado que los cómics de superhéroes que uno puede estar acostumbrado a leer, sin embargo me resultó cansino, repetitivo y, vuelvo a decir, poco claro.
September 4, 2018
Uma citação do livro descreve esse volume. Sendo bem sincero, mesmo sem ter terminado a série ainda, vejo como uma excelente descrição para a história:
Uma policial diz com respeito a uma morte aparentemente sem sentido.
"Simplesmente existe um corpo... sem motivo.
Acham que eu tenho alguma explicação para uma pessoa matar outra?
Desde que comecei neste serviço...
... jamais escutei um motivo bom o suficiente."
Uma policial diz com respeito a uma morte aparentemente sem sentido.
"Simplesmente existe um corpo... sem motivo.
Acham que eu tenho alguma explicação para uma pessoa matar outra?
Desde que comecei neste serviço...
... jamais escutei um motivo bom o suficiente."
March 25, 2024
Wow, short but pacts an awesome punch
Sets up the what's gonna be the last volume, amazingly. Just an absolute awesome all around comic. Not a wasted panel and short, so they made every single panel a masterpiece. Loved the twists and turns, love the story, the characters good and bad or bad good amd good bad. Just an amazing story and this adds to the greatness of it, better then some of the others.
Sets up the what's gonna be the last volume, amazingly. Just an absolute awesome all around comic. Not a wasted panel and short, so they made every single panel a masterpiece. Loved the twists and turns, love the story, the characters good and bad or bad good amd good bad. Just an amazing story and this adds to the greatness of it, better then some of the others.
March 18, 2018
Like the calm before what may end up being one of the grandest and most devastating storms in comic book history, the penultimate volume of Azzarello's revelation of a crime saga is less concerning with thrilling and more focused on meticulously setting up all the players in their right spots for the grand finale.
May 21, 2018
I just wonder.... I just wonder what is the point of these almost stand alone stories of violent crimes. There are only flashes of things that make the main plot creep ever so slowly forward. Maybe that was the only way Azzarello could make the whole series last the 100 issues?
But whining aside. Bunch of nice violent crime stories. Could've been from anywhere.
But whining aside. Bunch of nice violent crime stories. Could've been from anywhere.
May 2, 2018
Setting up for the final volume next!
It was a bloodbath plus killing little children in fiction is rare and when its done you need real guts to handle it and make it believable.
Heading to the finale.
It was a bloodbath plus killing little children in fiction is rare and when its done you need real guts to handle it and make it believable.
Heading to the finale.
December 19, 2018
Possibly the least offensive volume in the series, and likely because it spends most of its time either moving chess pieces for the finale, trimming dead weight, or tossing in filler to maintain pace for the arbitrary 100-issue run.
August 14, 2019
In this penultimate volume, the body count is increasing. Some characters are being ended, but the good thing is that I have no clue how the story will end, which side will win this war. Eager to find out though!
March 4, 2018
This one was a bit of a bloodbath.
June 18, 2018
2.5 stars
March 30, 2019
It gets better even towards the end!
October 16, 2022
Note: 3 stars for series, not individual volumes
Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews