100 Bullets Vol. 9: Strychnine Lives
In the latest installment of the popular noir comic100 Bullets, the paths of the Minutemen converge as the day of reckoning approaches for their former masters, the Trust--the shadowy, centuries-old organization that secretly runs the world. Loop Hughes and Lono, recently released from prison, head for Chicago to round up Victor Ray, while members of the Trust's various houses gather in Miami. In a sequence harrowing even by100 Bullets' brutal standards, Lono ensures that the House of Carlito has reached the end of its line. All the while, mysterious Agent Graves manipulates figures on both sides.100 Bulletsshares a tougher-than-nails attitude--all the characters, broads included, are outrageously macho--and a strikingly chiaroscuro visual approach with Frank Miller's popularSinCity. Unlike Miller's simplistic stories, though, Azzarello's involved plotlines are among the most complex in comics. It may be impossible for series newcomers to catch up with the sprawling overall story lines and the vast cast, but followers from the beginning will relish the multiple plot threads getting even knottier.Gordon FlaggCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved