100 Bullets Vol. 13: Wilt

If you haven't read this series, don't pick up this issue first. You'll be confused as heck, cause there is no time to take a breath due to a breakneck pace that winds up the deceptions (mebbe), the betrayals, the conspirings, the shiftings of loyalties (which is no loyalty at all, really). Greed and power and violence and familial dysfunctions of all sorts weave and collide in a climax that is full of all sorts of nasty strategies and nasty ways of dying.A thing really can become too big and wild to control, and I'm not just talking about Jack or Lono when I say that. :)A marvelous, blood-soaked, bullet-riddled, and power-mad ride. I think some folks will not like the ending, but that last panel is a mighty resonant one, and many will close the last page and ponder it a bit. I think this would have benefitted from a bit more time to dig just a scosh deeper into a few characters before they got offed, but, okay, still rocks.Fierce storytelling, some really whack and wonderful characterization, and artwork that has cinematic pizzazz (some really fast "cuts" in this finale, too) and real dark potency.The episodic attache case with 100 bullets and impunity in their use was a great hook into this tale that became about much more than vigilante justice of a unique sort. And it ends with alligators, flames, knives, strangulations, and yes, bullets.Horribly dark, compelling, and page-turning stuff. Depending on your POV and character loyalties--heh--this is a justly fitting, perhaps even happy (if seeing violent people meet violent ends is happy to you) or a tragic ending. Take your pick.Don't bother with this series if you like your stories tame and neat and endings jolly.Mir

I was a fan of 100 Bullets before the collected editions, buying the single issues until my trips to the comic shop became less frequent, so about the time the Samurai trade hit shelves, I stopped making trips to the comic shop altogether.I started buying the new trades (vol. 8-13) from Amazon months after the conclusion of the series and although there was a gap in the years between buying the Samurai trade I was still able to follow the story without missing a beat.The saga of the Minutemen ended in grand fashion, they got a new leader and if you are new to the series you will be totally surprised.Eduardo Risso's art has always been a perfect match to Brian Azzarello's writing.Although the series has ended, it is a great series and should be read.

Crime noir comics at there best. I would recommend the whole series. (100 comics or 13 graphic novels) Read it!!!

Very happy with purchase

In 30 years this is in my top 3 comics ever read

great story

Finished the last book in the series and my first thought was: I gotta read this whole series again. I think I generally just absorb most graphic novels, read it, eh, good enough, nice story, and move on. But 100 Bullets I should have approached differently. There's too much going on. I didn't have enough of a grasp of the characters and the conflicting motivations of each, let alone the radical shifts throughout the series. I phoned it in and now all I can think is that I should start over and really relish these characters as they develop. Mainly the Croatoa activation of each Minuteman and how they move from submerged memory back to their true, killer selves. I got the overall message of the series, the chance to balance the scales, whether it's a random person Graves picks with no interaction to the world of the Trust or Graves himself, leveling the playing field after a raw deal forced him to consider a life possibly misspent. (Which really feels like Azzarello intentionally left that gaping Atlantic City piece out of the puzzle. A back door for more of these guys in future works.)The only things that stick as really big question marks to me are: did Graves have some semblance of this final act planned for decades, or was it just an acceptable outcome given the cards on the table? The story flashes to the past a lot, but before Atlantic City, why would he care about who was in charge of each House? And the Trust is apparently all powerful and shadowy but is only seen as a generic structure of "families running America." I like the concept, but seriously, are they bankers, criminals, government officials, shadow government, all of that, or what? Aside from the untraceable bullets and gun they never really do anything impressive, just fly around, gamble, and lounge in pools. When depicted they just seem like rich douchebags. Not masterminds of anything.

Genuinely one of the best series I've read in years. What appears to be a random set of stories with a tenuous link between them, the narrative evolves into a labyrinthine web of intrigue that pulls you in and won't let you out

brilliant - received in good condition, might have got to me quicker but well within the limits given when purchased. No complaints at all!

13è et dernier volume mais il est épais : il regroupe en effet les 12 derniers comics de la série de 100. Treize familles dominent le monde - en tout cas le Nouveau Monde - depuis des siècles, et vous ne le saviez pas. Pour établir la paix entre elles, les 13 familles se sont entendues pour monter leur propre police : les Minutmen dirigés par l'Agent Graves. A un moment, les familles pensent être suffisamment en paix entre elles pour se passer des Minutemen. Le dirigeant d'une des 13 familles entreprend alors de prendre le contrôle de tout. C'est le début d'un désordre grandissant dont la série va nous raconter tous les développements. Avec ce dernier volume, La majeure partie des principaux protagonistes qui a survécu aux épisodes précédents doit faire face à son destin. Que va-t-il rester du Trust (les XIII familles) ? et des Minutemen éparpillés et clivés ? Qui va survivre ? Une fois de plus, le duo Azzarello (scénario et dialogues) et Risso (dessins) excelle, pour un final à la hauteur de la montée d'adrénaline qu'il a orchestrée depuis le début. Je ne suis pas sûr de bien maîtriser tous les tenants et aboutissants se cette histoire lue au cours des deux ou trois dernières années. Il me faut maintenant relire les plus de 2000 pages que représente cette saga fleuve qui constitue un sommet du "noir" ou du "hard-boiled" au XXIè siècle.

Great read