Stray Bullets: Sunshine & Roses, Part 3: The Queen of Palm Court

Stray Bullets

by David Lapham

The getaway is always trickiest part of any heist. It gets even trickier when the one place you go to hide and the one person you're counting on hiding you is just about the worst place and worst person you could have ever picked. Is it self-sabotage or a secret plan of revenge?....Sunshine and Roses tells the story of a boy and a girl, how they fell in love, and hatched a scheme to blow up the Baltimore underworld. There is no crime book remotely like STRAY BULLETS and with Sunshine & Roses, the uncompromising, EISNER AWARD WINNING team of DAVID AND MARIA LAPHAM craft a heist story like you never seen.
Collects STRAY BULLETS: SUNSHINE & ROSES #17-24

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Crime, Mystery, Graphic Novels Comics, Noir, Fiction

248 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2018

Reviews

[Baba · Rating 4 out of 5]

So what will Beth do hunkering out with the mum who has never loved her with her co-conspirators, two million in cash and a shed load of Cocaine, oh and the highly dysfunctional child of Harry, leader of the Mob they stole from? I mean, all they have to do is essentially not ruffle any feathers or beak any waves. Easy enough right? Find out in these pages.

With both Nina and Beth at their best, and a drink fueled 'Derek' working in a thoroughly great to read way the hi jinks and grifting is a pretty good story. Thee are multiple twists and turns and unimagined outcomes. It's a treat seeing how the characters we love in the earlier (but later in chronology) volumes became. Lapham continues to surprise although the lack of multiple stories at once gives the book a more linear feel than usual. But once you've come this far with Stray Bullets, I don't think there's any turning back unless Lapham does a last season of Game of Thrones poo-poo job on one of these volumes. 8.5 out of 12, Four Stars; remember the Sunshine Gang is never far way!

2019 and 2023 read

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stray Bullets: Sunshine and Roses, Part 3: The Queen of Palm Court

“So it’s all sunshine and roses from here, baby”—Beth, to Nina

The Cathedrals, (a gospel group) singing “Sunshine and Roses”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVMmD...

In the last volume the crazy kids Orson and Beth improbably steal something like 3 million bucks in cash and coke from coked-up Nina’s ex, Harry, a mobster. So! The getaway! The speed seems to increase in this madcap mash-up of crime and screwball comedy.

Here’s the artistic/narrative challenge in this volume: That a lot of the female characters are blond and look almost alike. Here's how this happened and why in this instance it actually turns out to be a comic strength and not a weakness, imo: Beth (with Orson and Nina and hostage Joey) goes back to her estranged mom Annie’s house with the group, and at one point the Sunshine Gang decides it needs to go into disguise. You know all those memes about how women fear they are becoming their own mothers? Well, Beth becomes, in drag, her own mommy dearest; Nina also becomes a dizzy blonde, and at one point we have Beth, Nina, Annie, Annie’s youngest daughter Liz, (and Amy Racecar and Virginia) that all basically look alike. It's an artistic risk to have all the cartooned characters look alike, let's agree, but this is sort of the surreal point, they have all become John Waters’ Hairspray Baltimore suburban housewives and daughters. Goofy (but not scary) Stepford Wives on drugs in a hall of mirrors. Played more for comedy than horror/tragedy.

Reminds one, perhaps, of the famous Harpo “mirror” scene with Groucho:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKTT-...

With black comedy lines like this:

‘I think I slept with Charlie.”

Annie, to young daughter Liz, who has survived Orson’s driving his car though the living room window:

“Happy birthday, honey! I can’t even tell you what a great daughter you’ve been. . . and how absolutely thrilled yer father and I are that you aren’t dead.”

Rose on Spanish Scott: "Imagine Cholly Manson and Clint Eastwood had a baby. And they put him in a Hawaiian shirt. An’ they took out his soul.”

Yes, there are also men in this volume, as we discover Kretch is alive, of course, and vengeful, so can Spanish Scott and Monster be far behind? The key male figure here--kind of on the periphery of the story as the volume focuses on the women--is Orson, who stays in disguise much of the volume as a mustached Derek, and is almost continuously swilling vodka.

(Psycho) Dr. Sarousian: “I am bug shit crazy.”
Orson: “I am, too, but with bats.”

There’s a panel that sort of captures the mayhem: We see Kretch, unconscious, stomped on the floor by Monster; Monster passed out from sleeping pills; Joey smiling and waving at Orson, dressed in his Derek disguise, with Beth overseeing the scene.

But a drunk It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World can only be played for laughs so long (I think). Orson is at one point drinking to excess, a stripper playing therapist to him about whether Beth is even possibly in love with him, and Orson is in tears: “Give me another double. I want to become someone different.” Poignancy in the middle of a farce?! But it happens!

It reminds me a bit of the sad addiction vibe underlying the black comedy of Simon Hanselmann’s Bad Gateway that I recently read. Addicted Megg is becoming her addicted Mom; here, Beth is becoming her bad mother Annie. The apple never falls far from the tree. And with just terrific cartooning, that is a key to what separates this from any old drunk crime comic you might pick up.

Sunshine and Roses also recalls for me the sad sad film (about alcoholism) Days of Wine and Roses, with Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVMmD...

[Sam Quixote · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beth, Orson and Nina have successfully ripped off Harry and made it out of Baltimore. They’re headed Somewhere Out West – but not before stopping off in Florida to get a sawbones to look at Orson’s broken hand. And of course hide out from Harry’s enforcers – Spanish Scott and Monster – who’re hot on their trail. And that’s where Beth’s deadbeat mom Annie comes in: the Queen of Palm Court!

I would’ve preferred if David Lapham hadn’t given so much space over to Annie. Basically the first 100 pages of the book are all about her life of frustrated suburbia and petty crime, most of which wasn’t too dull but also wasn’t nearly as gripping as finding out what happened next to Beth and the gang. And the Amy Racecar ish – eh, it is what it is at this point.

Still, once Lapham’s done table-setting, the story really kicks off nicely. Annie’s a real piece of work and her scheming nearly scuppers her hated daughter’s daring heist – and then Monster catches up and Beth’s gotta think fast! The rollercoaster plot is as gripping as ever with characters thought dead reappearing and the cash and drugs changing hands from one desperate group to another.

Annie and Beth’s fraught relationship was really well written – you understand Beth a lot more after getting to know Annie and it’s amusing to see how similar they are. I liked the New Orleans closing chapter which showed how serious Beth and Orson’s doomed romance really is. This book is also a lot funnier than the others have been with Annie wearing tape in bed to make her eyes look Asian (one of her men’s fetishes!) and Orson assuming the alter ego of moustachioed Derek.

Stray Bullets: Sunshine and Roses Part 3: The Queen of Palm Court is another compelling chapter in this ever-enthralling series. I totally agree with Jason Aaron’s blurb that if you don’t read Stray Bullets, I don’t know why you bother having eyes!

[Drew Canole · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this volume we’re introduced to Beth’s mom Annie as Beth and the gang go to stay with her after the heist.

At first we spend a lot of time with Annie not knowing who she is. I maybe could have guessed she was Beth's mom because they look similar - but then Beth bursts through the doors with an injured Orson and a coked-up Nina. Annie's nuclear family life will never be the same again!

Annie is getting in trouble with local drug dealers as she's started dealing herself. Then Monster tracks them down, Monster and Beth grew up together.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Beth needs a place for her, Nina, and Orson to hide, she goes to her worst enemy - her mother!

Stray Bullets: Sunshine & Roses, Vol. 3 collects issues #17-24.

This was good but it was not my favorite installment of Stray Bullets. Beth, Nina, and Orson get entangled with Beth's horrible mother Annie. As usual, there are double crosses and people get shot. The story is dragging a bit and my problem with it is the same problem I have with all prequels - none of the main characters are going to die so what's the point?

It's still a fun read though with plenty of twists. Lapham's art is slick and the writing is as punchy as ever. Still, I'm ready for the whole Sunshine and Roses story to be over. I should have bought the last volume when I bought this one.

[Rod Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the run from a heist in Baltimore, Beth drops in on a long-lost relative in Florida who is hip deep in her own problems and crimes. Many twists and betrayals ensue in typical Stray Bullets awesomeness.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the run from Harry's mob, Beth, Nina, Orson, and Joey end up in Florida ... at Beth's mom's house.

The continuing story of Beth & co. right after their big heist is enthralling, as usual. Lapham connects up a few dots here as we learn what happens to Joey and his own mom, but there's a certain tension missing from this story, as we know that our core three are going to end up in Stray Bullets, Vol. 2: Somewhere Out West.

That may be why the most intriguing bit of this book is the story of Beth's mom, Annie. In Stray Bullets style, we learn about Annie both before Beth's visit and after, and that's the most interesting arc of the book ... but so is learning how Beth was raised, and why she's so messed up.

Overall, another great puzzle piece. I could keep reading these early '80s stories forever ... but I'd prefer to see a bit more of Stray Bullets' larger scope.

[Kamil Zawiślak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, this was amazing.
Stray Bullets puts other comics to shame.
Pure Gold.

[Zedsdead · Rating 5 out of 5]

We dive deep into Beth's past in v3, as the Sunshine Gang hides out with Beth's horrendous mother after stealing millions from the biggest mobster in Baltimore (whom we've STILL never seen).

Annie once left Beth to the predations of her own mobster boyfriend. She once hit Beth with a pot and put her in a coma for half a week. She shoplifts, she sells pot, she cheats on her husband, she snaps at her 4yo son for failing to give the right answer to "Do I look young or old to you". Annie is a piece of work, and Beth makes a lot of sense when we see where she came from. Lapham is a master of characterization.

Plot points:
--Annie takes up selling weed to schoolkids to finance her love of 'the finer things', then gets her partner to beat to her mobster ex half to death.

--Annie engineers the divorce and disgrace of a neighborhood friend and rival.

--Beth, Nina, Joey and Orson crash Annie's place. Annie arranges a shady doctor to fix Orson's Monster-crushed hand.

--After offering Beth a tentative apology for being the World's Shittiest Mother, Annie and her supplier Ralphie steal all of the Sunshine Gang's hard-won stealings and skip town.

--Another cryptic Amy Racecar story, starring Beth, Nina, and Monster as children. I think these suffer for the absence of Virginia Applejack from the series.

--The Gang tracks Annie down but Joey finally figured out how to work a phone so Monster and Kretch show up too. Kretch murders Ralphie, Monster beats Kretch possibly to death, Beth drugs Monster, and the Sunshine Gang escapes once again.

--Annie turns over a new leaf as a good wife and mother. Until she remembers how much work that is.

--Annie gets back into the drug business then has a stroke when she gets caught. For a shallow woman who cares only about being young-looking and chic, this is a fate worse than death. When Scott shows up to interrogate her, she tells him to fuck off. He chuckles and leaves her to rot.

--Over Orson's objections, the Gang goes to New Orleans to party. Beth bitches to a stranger about Orson. Orson gets drunk, meets a potential soulmate in a sympathetic burlesque dancer, semi-accidentally kills the dancer's abusive ex, and goes right back to Beth.

--Nina: "Orson's a GOOD boy, but he is a BOY who's just ACTING nuts. He doesn't get that you and I are ACTUALLY crazy." It's a testament to Lapham's skill with nuance of character that this has been consistently, recognizably true through some 73 issues of Stray Bullets.

[Rex Hurst · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book collects issues 17 through 24 of the on-going series. Beth, Orson, and Nina are still on the run from gangsters with two suitcases full of money and cocaine. Adding to this, Orson was badly injured by in the last volume and the group is forced to seek refuge with Beth’s mother. Who turns out to be a short-sighted, narcissistic, looks-obsessed, bad housewife whose side job is dealing pot to the local middle-schoolers.

The usual violent hi-jinks occurs. People are beaten up, people are shot, people are killed. The group nearly loses all of the money and drugs and then get it back. Several people from the past show up looking for the group, only to be put off and hospitalized. What comes across in these issues is how remarkably well-adjusted Beth actually is compared to what she had to deal with. I won’t say things go off-the-rails because they’re never on-the-rails to begin with. The story is just one wonderful messed-up episode of betrayal, self-deception, and hatred. In short, a perfect Stray Bullets tale.

The Lil B’ fantasy stories are beginning to become cumbersome. I find myself rushing through them in order to get back on track with the “real” story. It worked before when the narrative would jump with every issue, but now that Stray Bullets is telling a more linear tale they have become road bumps, things to get through, rather than fun asides.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some unexpected story choices in this volume. I didn't get at first what they were doing with the newly introduced character, but it all makes sense by the second chapter. I really thought that Lapham was making a mistake drawing a character that looks so much like Beth but it all makes sense later on. Again the story is good, but this is a chapter that takes place chronologically in the middle of events that were told previously. Some of these characters are now dead and it would be interesting to know what happens later. Hopefully Lapham will tell us what happens later on. Another thing missing now is that Stray Bullets used to include issues with brand new characters and storylines. Hopefully we will see a little more of that in future books, but I think that might not happen until Lapham is done telling the "Sunshine and Roses" story.

[Ruz El · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one follows the aftermath of one of the most botched heists you'll see and it continues being completely botched. Lapham is having another remarkable run with this story, being able to pack in humour and pathos while keeping the motor running. If there's any broken thumbs found so far, it's the Amy Racecar issues and considering how much fans love Amy Racecar, that really speaks to how strong this story is. Looking forward to seeing how it all wraps up.

Note, while this is volume 3, this is not a contained story. I'm sure this will eventually be collected into a phonebook sized graphic novel at some point since that's what it really is.

[Paul Allard · Rating 4 out of 5]

They’re survivors, this lot. Slightly better volume

How Beth, Orson and Nina manage to survive this long is remarkable: maybe it’s Beth’s skill or just plain luck. This volume concentrates on Beth’s mother, Annie, but also continues the storyline with the usual violence, sex and mayhem. I preferred this to the previous volume but it’s still difficult to find any sympathy for any of the characters (they all appear at some point - and there’s new ones). More to come.

[Bill Coffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The saga of Orson, Beth and Nina’s grand heist of a lifetime continues, though now we begin to see things further complicated by their collective interactions with the psychotic killer Kretchmeyer and the only woman in the story who is more self-absorbed and self-destructive than Beth herself; Beth’s mom. It isn’t always pleasant reading, but it is compelling stuff.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Laphams continue the saga of the craziest heist ever, with Beth's mom in a starring role (including two great spotlight chapters), one of their less memorable Amy Racecar installments, and plenty of double-crosses. Plus, insight into Monster as a child!

[Seb · Rating 5 out of 5]

He's done it again, the absolute madman. We were overdue for another great Stray Bullets female character and Anne was just perfect. My jaw dropped at the big reveal in the second issue because it was perfectly set up but I never saw it coming.

[Drak0 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sunshine and Roses IS FUCKING PEAK. ORSON IS THE GOAT ALWAYS WAS. Derek is jokes. YET ANOTHER BANGER IN THE BOOKS. I'm not ready for the timeline to catch up though. Because when it does. Ima drake hardd. Also fuck Beth's mom seriously what a piece of shit.

[Jake Nap · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best volume of Sunshine and Roses so far. I love all of these characters so much. Annie is an incredible edition to the universe and Lapham is still on the top of his game.

[Adrian Bloxham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, you didn't think that the plot could get any thicker but here we go...

[Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terrific story, as Beth, Orson, and Nina go to Beth's mom to hideout. Beth's mom is living a lie, dealing drugs and using her charms to keep her husband, partner, and plastic surgeon in line.

[Burton Olivier · Rating 3 out of 5]

More wild shit, I liked the exploration of Beth and her mom's relationship

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up.

[Scotty F · Rating 4 out of 5]

Keep it coming!

[Kai · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 rounded up.