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| title =100 Bullets |
| title =100 Bullets |
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| image =100Bullets vol1.jpg |
| image =100Bullets vol1.jpg |
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| caption = Cover to ''100 Bullets'' vol. 1 |
| caption = Cover to ''100 Bullets'' vol. 1 "First Shot, Last Call". Cover art by Dave Johnson. |
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| schedule = Monthly |
| schedule = Monthly |
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| format = |
| format = |
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|Crime = y |
|Crime = y |
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| publisher = [[Vertigo (DC Comics)|Vertigo]] |
| publisher = [[Vertigo (DC Comics)|Vertigo]] |
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| date = August [[1999 in comics|1999]] |
| date = August [[1999 in comics|1999]] – April [[2009 in comics|2009]] |
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| issues = 100 |
| issues = 100 |
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| main_char_team = [[Agent Graves]] <br |
| main_char_team = [[Agent Graves]] <br/> [[Mr. Shepherd]] <br/> The Minutemen <br/> [[List of characters in 100 Bullets#Dizzy Cordova (also known as "The Girl")|Dizzy Cordova]] <br/> [[List of characters in 100 Bullets#Loop Hughes (also known as "The Boy")|Loop Hughes]] |
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| writers = [[Brian Azzarello]] |
| writers = [[Brian Azzarello]] |
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| artists = [[Eduardo Risso]]<br>Dave Johnson |
| artists = [[Eduardo Risso]]<br>Dave Johnson |
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|sort=100 Bullets |
|sort=100 Bullets |
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'''''100 Bullets''''' is an [[Eisner Award|Eisner]] and [[Harvey Award]]-winning [[comic book]] written by [[Brian Azzarello]] and illustrated by [[Eduardo Risso]]. It was published in the [[USA]] by [[DC Comics]] under its [[Vertigo Comics|Vertigo]] imprint and ran for one hundred issues.<ref name= |
'''''100 Bullets''''' is an [[Eisner Award|Eisner]] and [[Harvey Award]]-winning [[comic book]] written by [[Brian Azzarello]] and illustrated by [[Eduardo Risso]]. It was published in the [[USA]] by [[DC Comics]] under its [[Vertigo Comics|Vertigo]] imprint and ran for one hundred issues.<ref name="vert-ency">{{Cite book | last = Irvine | first = Alex | author-link = Alexander C. Irvine | contribution = 100 Bullets | editor-last = Dougall | editor-first = Alastair | title = The Vertigo Encyclopedia | pages = 11–17 | publisher = [[Dorling Kindersley]] | place = London | year = 2008 | isbn = 0-7566-4122-5}}</ref> The writing and artwork received critical acclaim during the course of its run. |
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==Style== |
==Style== |
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Both the writing and artwork in ''100 Bullets'' exemplifies the [[film noir|noir]] and [[Pulp magazine|pulp]] genres of popular modern fiction. It presents morally ambiguous stories with dark realism. Consistent with ''noir'' convention, most of the characters are deeply flawed.<ref name=mcl>{{cite book | last = Mclaughlin | first = Jeff | title = Comics as Philosophy | publisher = University Press of Mississippi | location = Jackson | year = 2005 | isbn = 978-1-57806-794-7 }}< |
Both the writing and artwork in ''100 Bullets'' exemplifies the [[film noir|noir]] and [[Pulp magazine|pulp]] genres of popular modern fiction. It presents morally ambiguous stories with dark realism. Consistent with ''noir'' convention, most of the characters are deeply flawed.<ref name=mcl>{{cite book | last = Mclaughlin | first = Jeff | title = Comics as Philosophy | publisher = University Press of Mississippi | location = Jackson | year = 2005 | isbn = 978-1-57806-794-7 }}</ref> As is also quite common in such genres, ''100 Bullets'' frequently portrays stylized and graphic violence. |
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''100 Bullets'' is notable for creator [[Brian Azzarello]]'s realistic use of regional and local accents, as well as the frequent use of [[slang]] and oblique, metaphorical language in his characters' dialogue. |
''100 Bullets'' is notable for creator [[Brian Azzarello]]'s realistic use of regional and local accents, as well as the frequent use of [[slang]] and oblique, metaphorical language in his characters' dialogue. |
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The core concept of ''100 Bullets'' is the question: would people act on the desire for violent revenge if given the means, opportunity, and a reasonable chance to get away with it? In each issue, the mysterious [[Agent Graves]] approaches someone who has been the victim of a terrible wrong. Graves gives them the opportunity to take revenge by providing them with a handgun, the eponymous 100 bullets, and documentation giving information about the person primarily and personally responsible for their woes. He informes the candidate that the bullets are completely untraceable and that any law enforcement investigation uncovering one of these bullets will immediately cease the investigation. |
The core concept of ''100 Bullets'' is the question: would people act on the desire for violent revenge if given the means, opportunity, and a reasonable chance to get away with it? In each issue, the mysterious [[Agent Graves]] approaches someone who has been the victim of a terrible wrong. Graves gives them the opportunity to take revenge by providing them with a handgun, the eponymous 100 bullets, and documentation giving information about the person primarily and personally responsible for their woes. He informes the candidate that the bullets are completely untraceable and that any law enforcement investigation uncovering one of these bullets will immediately cease the investigation. |
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Though all of the murders enabled by Agent Graves are presented as justifiable, the candidates are neither rewarded nor punished for taking up the offer, and appear to receive nothing other than personal satisfaction for their actions. Several people decline the offer. Those that accept see their actions unfold with varying levels of success or failure. The [[ |
Though all of the murders enabled by Agent Graves are presented as justifiable, the candidates are neither rewarded nor punished for taking up the offer, and appear to receive nothing other than personal satisfaction for their actions. Several people decline the offer. Those that accept see their actions unfold with varying levels of success or failure. The [[attaché]] and Graves' "games" are later revealed to be only a minor part of a much broader story. |
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Agent Graves is the leader of a group known as ''The Minutemen'', a group of seven men (plus one ''Agent'') who serve as the enforcers and police of a clandestine organization known as ''The Trust''. The Trust was originally formed by the heads of 13 powerful European families that controlled much of the ''Old World's'' combined wealth and industry. The Trust made an offer to the kings of [[Europe]] by which they would leave the continent and their considerable influence and holdings, in exchange for complete autonomy in the still unclaimed portion of the ''[[New World]]''.<ref name= |
Agent Graves is the leader of a group known as ''The Minutemen'', a group of seven men (plus one ''Agent'') who serve as the enforcers and police of a clandestine organization known as ''The Trust''. The Trust was originally formed by the heads of 13 powerful European families that controlled much of the ''Old World's'' combined wealth and industry. The Trust made an offer to the kings of [[Europe]] by which they would leave the continent and their considerable influence and holdings, in exchange for complete autonomy in the still unclaimed portion of the ''[[New World]]''.<ref name="vert-ency"/> When England ignored this proposition and colonized the [[Colony of Roanoke|Roanoke Island]] late in the 16th century, the Minutemen were formed. The original Minutemen, seven vicious killers, eradicated the colony and all of its inhabitants, leaving behind only the cryptic message ''Croatoa'' as a warning, reclaiming the land for the Trust. Since this time, the Minutemen's charge has been to protect the 13 Houses of the trust, serving as their force against outside threats and (more frequently) as police of the internal conflicts between the Trust families themselves. The groups' interactions are often facilitated by a person holding the title "Warlord" for the Trust, who serves as the Houses' liaison to the Minutemen. |
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Sometime in the late 20th century, the Minutemen were betrayed by the Trust and disbanded after Agent Graves refused to re-enact |
Sometime in the late 20th century, the Minutemen were betrayed by the Trust and disbanded after Agent Graves refused to re-enact "The Greatest Crime in the History of Mankind" (a re-expansion of the borders of the Trust). The Minutemen retaliated with the assassination of a hooded figure in Atlantic City, and are then sent into hiding. Most of the Minutemen of that time were "deactivated" by Graves. These former Minutemen had their memories repressed for their own protection and returned to "normal" lives. These events occurred prior (presumably some years) to the beginning of ''100 Bullets''. |
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As the story plays out, many of those who are offered the chance for vengeance by Graves are revealed to have been people wronged by the Trust or its agents, and six are revealed to have been Minutemen at the time of the events of Atlantic City. Trusting to his planning, some luck, and the importance of his |
As the story plays out, many of those who are offered the chance for vengeance by Graves are revealed to have been people wronged by the Trust or its agents, and six are revealed to have been Minutemen at the time of the events of Atlantic City. Trusting to his planning, some luck, and the importance of his "game," Agent Graves seeks to reactivate several of his Minutemen and recruit potential new members during the course of the series. With the "aid" at times of the Trust's current Warlord, the charismatic and secretive [[Mr. Shepherd]], Graves sets into motion a complicated and deadly plot of revenge against the Trust, which divides into factions, with younger members plotting against the older ones. |
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The series culminates in the downfall of the Trust and its agents, eventually revealing that the attache and its contents are a metaphor for the limitless power of the Trust. |
The series culminates in the downfall of the Trust and its agents, eventually revealing that the attache and its contents are a metaphor for the limitless power of the Trust. |
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===Collected editions=== |
===Collected editions=== |
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There are thirteen [[Trade paperback (comics)|trade paperbacks]] in publication for this series. The titles of the trade paperbacks all seem to be somehow related with their volume number ('' '''First''' Shot, Last Call''; ''Split '''Second''' Chance''; ''A '''Fore'''gone Tomorrow''; ''The Counter'''fifth''' Detective''; '' '''Six''' Feet Under the Gun''; ''Strych'''nine''' Lives''; ''Decayed'' (a pun on 'decade'; this is the tenth volume)), with four being indirect references (book 7 titled ''Samurai'', for ''[[Seven Samurai]]''; book 8 titled ''The Hard Way'', a reference to a roll in [[craps]]; book 12 titled ''Dirty'', as in ''[[The Dirty Dozen]]''; book 13 titled ''Wilt'', for basketball player [[Wilt Chamberlain]], who wore the number 13 and was famous for scoring 100 points in a single game). Book 11 ''Once Upon a Crime'' is also a reference as |
There are thirteen [[Trade paperback (comics)|trade paperbacks]] in publication for this series. The titles of the trade paperbacks all seem to be somehow related with their volume number ('' '''First''' Shot, Last Call''; ''Split '''Second''' Chance''; ''A '''Fore'''gone Tomorrow''; ''The Counter'''fifth''' Detective''; '' '''Six''' Feet Under the Gun''; ''Strych'''nine''' Lives''; ''Decayed'' (a pun on 'decade'; this is the tenth volume)), with four being indirect references (book 7 titled ''Samurai'', for ''[[Seven Samurai]]''; book 8 titled ''The Hard Way'', a reference to a roll in [[craps]]; book 12 titled ''Dirty'', as in ''[[The Dirty Dozen]]''; book 13 titled ''Wilt'', for basketball player [[Wilt Chamberlain]], who wore the number 13 and was famous for scoring 100 points in a single game). Book 11 ''Once Upon a Crime'' is also a reference as "once" is [[Spanish language|Spanish]] for eleven. The exception to the rule is book 3, which was originally to be called ''The Charm'' — as in "third time's the charm" — but was given the title of the collection's largest plot arc, ''Hang Up on the Hang Low'', when it won the Eisner Award. Another interpretation of this seemingly odd exception is that 'Hang Up on the Hang Low' is a coded allusion to Masonic symbology, the upwards triangle placed over the downward triangle, where the number 3 is indicated among other things through this code. As The Trust can also be seen to be a Masonic type allusion, one should also look for other Masonic symbols through the books. The allusion itself may come as well simply by describing the shape of the number 3 itself, composed of an upward hook and a downward hook, where the "hang up" hook rests upon the "hang low" hook. A series of hardcover volumes collecting the series is set to be released, the first of which is set for October 11, 2011.<ref>{{cite web|author=100 Bullets: The Deluxe Edition Book One |url=http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1401232019/ |title=Brian Azzarello, 100 Bullets: The Deluxe Edition Book One |publisher=Amazon.com |date= |accessdate=2012-12-16}}</ref> |
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{{Comics TPB table| |
{{Comics TPB table| |
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|writers= |
|writers= |
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|pencillers= |
|pencillers= |
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|notes=Contains the story arcs |
|notes=Contains the story arcs "100 Bullets", "Shot, Water Back", and "Silencer Night". |
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}} |
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{{Comics TPB line|2|Split Second Chance|Vertigo||1563897113|*''100 Bullets'' #6-14 |
{{Comics TPB line|2|Split Second Chance|Vertigo||1563897113|*''100 Bullets'' #6-14 |
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|writers= |
|writers= |
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|pencillers= |
|pencillers= |
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|notes=Contains the story arcs |
|notes=Contains the story arcs "Short Con, Long Odds", "Day, Hour, Minute... Man", "The Right Ear, Left in the Cold", "Heartbreak Sunnyside Up", and "Parlez Kung Vous". |
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|color=y |
|color=y |
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|writers= |
|writers= |
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|pencillers= |
|pencillers= |
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|notes=Contains the story arcs |
|notes=Contains the story arcs "Hang Up on the Hang Low" and "Epilogue For a Road Dog". |
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}} |
}} |
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{{Comics TPB line|4|A Foregone Tomorrow|Vertigo||1563898276|*''100 Bullets'' #20-30 |
{{Comics TPB line|4|A Foregone Tomorrow|Vertigo||1563898276|*''100 Bullets'' #20-30 |
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|writers= |
|writers= |
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|pencillers= |
|pencillers= |
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|notes=Contains the story arcs |
|notes=Contains the story arcs "The Mimic", "Sell Fish and Out to Sea", "Red Prince Blues", "Mr. Branch and the Family Tree", "Idol Chatter", and "Contrabandolero". |
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|color=y |
|color=y |
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|writers= |
|writers= |
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|pencillers= |
|pencillers= |
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|notes=Contains the story arcs |
|notes=Contains the story arcs "On Accidental Purpose", "Cole Burns' Slow Hand", "Ambition's Audition", "Night of the Payday", "A Crash", and "Point Off the Edge". |
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|color=y |
|color=y |
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}} |
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|writers= |
|writers= |
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|pencillers= |
|pencillers= |
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|notes=Contains the story arcs |
|notes=Contains the story arcs "Chill in the Oven" and "In Stinked". |
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}} |
}} |
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{{Comics TPB line|8|The Hard Way|Vertigo||1401204902|*''100 Bullets'' #50-58 |
{{Comics TPB line|8|The Hard Way|Vertigo||1401204902|*''100 Bullets'' #50-58 |
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|writers= |
|writers= |
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|pencillers= |
|pencillers= |
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|notes=Contains the story arcs |
|notes=Contains the story arcs "Prey for Reign", "Wylie Runs the Voodoo Down", and "Coda Smoke". |
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|color=y |
|color=y |
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}} |
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|writers= |
|writers= |
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|pencillers= |
|pencillers= |
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|notes=Contains the story arcs |
|notes=Contains the story arcs "The Calm", "Staring at the Son", "The Dive", "New Tricks", and "Love Let Her". |
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}} |
}} |
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{{Comics TPB line|10|Decayed|Vertigo||140120998X|*''100 Bullets'' #68-75 |
{{Comics TPB line|10|Decayed|Vertigo||140120998X|*''100 Bullets'' #68-75 |
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|writers= |
|writers= |
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|pencillers= |
|pencillers= |
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|notes=Contains the story arcs |
|notes=Contains the story arcs "Sleep, Walker", "A Wake", and "Amorality Play". |
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|color=y |
|color=y |
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}} |
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|writers= |
|writers= |
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|pencillers= |
|pencillers= |
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|notes=Contains the story arcs |
|notes=Contains the story arcs "Punch Line", "A Split Decision", and "Tarantula". |
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}} |
}} |
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{{Comics TPB line|12|Dirty|Vertigo||140121939X|*''100 Bullets'' #84-88 |
{{Comics TPB line|12|Dirty|Vertigo||140121939X|*''100 Bullets'' #84-88 |
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|writers= |
|writers= |
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|pencillers= |
|pencillers= |
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|notes=Contains the story arcs |
|notes=Contains the story arcs "The Lady Tonight", "Red Lions", "Rain in Vain", "The Blister", and "My Lonely Friend". |
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|color=y |
|color=y |
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===100 Bullets Deluxe Edition=== |
===100 Bullets Deluxe Edition=== |
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{|class= |
{|class="wikitable" |
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!#!!Title!!ISBN!!Release date!!Collected material |
!#!!Title!!ISBN!!Release date!!Collected material |
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|ISBN 1-4012-3201-9 |
|ISBN 1-4012-3201-9 |
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|October 11, 2011 |
|October 11, 2011 |
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|''100 Bullets'' # |
|''100 Bullets'' #1–19 and ''Vertigo Winter's Edge'' #3 |
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[[Acclaim Entertainment|Acclaim]] announced plans to release a [[video game]] based on ''100 Bullets''. However, following the collapse of [[Acclaim Entertainment|Acclaim's]] publishing house, the game was cancelled. It was intended that the player would be either Cole Burns or Snow Falls (a completely original character) and play in a third person view, with actor Keanu Reeves portraying Cole Burns. The plot was not publicly unknown, aside from a supposition that it followed the plot of the comic book. |
[[Acclaim Entertainment|Acclaim]] announced plans to release a [[video game]] based on ''100 Bullets''. However, following the collapse of [[Acclaim Entertainment|Acclaim's]] publishing house, the game was cancelled. It was intended that the player would be either Cole Burns or Snow Falls (a completely original character) and play in a third person view, with actor Keanu Reeves portraying Cole Burns. The plot was not publicly unknown, aside from a supposition that it followed the plot of the comic book. |
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D3Publishing has obtained the rights from [[Warner Bros.]] to publish a [[100 Bullets (video game)|100 Bullets game]] in 2006.<ref>{{cite web|url=http: |
D3Publishing has obtained the rights from [[Warner Bros.]] to publish a [[100 Bullets (video game)|100 Bullets game]] in 2006.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.d3publisher.us/PressDetails.asp?ID=4 |title=D3PUBLISHER OF AMERICA AND WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT INK LICENSING AGREEMENT FOR DC COMICS/VERTIGO 100 BULLETS® |publisher=D3publisher.us |date=2006-05-03 |accessdate=2012-12-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=May 3, 2006 11:40AM PDT |url=http://www.gamespot.com/news/6148880.html |title=Brendan Sinclair, E3 06: 100 Bullets gets another shot at gaming (May 3, 2006) |publisher=Gamespot.com |date=2006-05-03 |accessdate=2012-12-16}}</ref> They intend to make a video game completely independent from Acclaim's aborted vision, but still heavily reliant on input and plotting from [[Brian Azzarello]] and release it in Q3 2007 - however it was not released.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.d3publisher.us/ProductListing.asp |title=D3Publisher released games - 100 Bullets is not included |publisher=D3publisher.us |date= |accessdate=2012-12-16}}</ref> |
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On June 23, 2011, [[IGN]] reported that [[David S. Goyer]] co-writer of [[Dark City (1998 film)|Dark City]] and [[The Dark Knight (film)|The Dark Knight]] is attached to executive produce and write a TV series based on the comics for [[Showtime (TV network)|Showtime]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http: |
On June 23, 2011, [[IGN]] reported that [[David S. Goyer]] co-writer of [[Dark City (1998 film)|Dark City]] and [[The Dark Knight (film)|The Dark Knight]] is attached to executive produce and write a TV series based on the comics for [[Showtime (TV network)|Showtime]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_7WiXKakAQ&feature=feedu |title=IGNentertainment, New Jurassic Park & Spider-Man Details - IGN Weekly 'Wood: 06.23.11 |publisher=Youtube.com |date=2011-06-23 |accessdate=2012-12-16}}</ref> |
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==Critical reception== |
==Critical reception== |
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The series has attracted critical acclaim from within and beyond the American comics industry,<ref>{{cite news |url=http: |
The series has attracted critical acclaim from within and beyond the American comics industry,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2005_May_9/ai_n13677061 |title=DC Comics and Warner Bros. Unveil a New Company Logo for DC Comics, the Publisher of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman; New Logo to Appear on Comic Books, Films and Television Series Based on DC Properties |accessdate=2007-07-24 |date=2005-05-09 |format=magazine article |work=[[Business Week]] }}</ref> as "very violent, dark and clever"<ref>{{cite news |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4159/is_20060604/ai_n16455630 |title=HIT LIST |accessdate=2007-07-24 |date=2006-06-04 |format=newspaper article |work=[[Independent on Sunday]] |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20071113152337/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4159/is_20060604/ai_n16455630 <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = 2007-11-13}}</ref> and "a series of compelling morality tales".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4191/is_20010107/ai_n9984195 |title=Vertigo's '100 Bullets' hits the bull's-eye |accessdate=2007-07-24 |format=newspaper article |work=The Colorado Springs Gazette | first=Bill | last=Radford | date=2001-01-07}}</ref> In his introduction for the second volume collection Howard Chaykin wrote "Thanks are overdue to both these guys for producing the most exciting comic book in years". |
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===Awards=== |
===Awards=== |
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The series won the 2002 [[Harvey Award]]s for Best Writer, Best Artist and Best Continuing Series, and the 2003 Harvey Award for Best Artist, as well as the 2001 [[Eisner Award]] for Best Serialized Story, and the 2002 and 2004 Eisner Award for Best Continuing Series.<ref name= |
The series won the 2002 [[Harvey Award]]s for Best Writer, Best Artist and Best Continuing Series, and the 2003 Harvey Award for Best Artist, as well as the 2001 [[Eisner Award]] for Best Serialized Story, and the 2002 and 2004 Eisner Award for Best Continuing Series.<ref name="vert-ency"/> |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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*[http: |
*[http://www.100bullets.sevenpennynightmare.co.uk/ 100Bullets.co.uk fan site], on material from which parts of this article were based |
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*[http: |
*[http://www.sequentialtart.com/archive/aug99/azzarello.shtml Brian Azzarello interview to Sequential Tart] (August 1999) regards the development of ''100 Bullets'', among other things |
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*[http: |
*[http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/ps2/100bullets 100 Bullets] - Early previews of the cancelled video game |
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*[http: |
*[http://www.newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?t=75284 Newsarama.com article (June 2006)] by Chris Arrant |
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*[http: |
*[http://www.eduardorisso.com/ Website for series artist Eduardo Risso] |
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*[http: |
*[http://www.devilpig.deviantart.com/ Website for cover artist Dave Johnson] |
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*[http: |
*[http://trishm.blogspot.com/ Website for colorist Patricia Mulvihill] |
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{{Navbox |
{{Navbox |
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| title = '''100 Bullets''' |
| title = '''100 Bullets''' |
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| group1 = Creators |
| group1 = Creators |
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| list1 = [[Brian Azzarello]]{{ |
| list1 = [[Brian Azzarello]]{{·}} [[Eduardo Risso]]{{·}} Dave Johnson{{·}} [[Grant Goleash]]{{·}} [[Patricia Mulvihill]] |
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| group2 = [[List of 100 Bullets characters|Characters]] |
| group2 = [[List of 100 Bullets characters|Characters]] |
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| list2 = [[List of 100 Bullets characters]]{{ |
| list2 = [[List of 100 Bullets characters]]{{·}} [[Trust (100 Bullets)]] |
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| group3 = Adaptations |
| group3 = Adaptations |
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| list3 = [[Video game|100 Bullets (video game)]] |
| list3 = [[Video game|100 Bullets (video game)]] |
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Revision as of 21:20, 13 January 2013
 | This page is currently receiving attention from the Guild of Copy Editors. Information and assistance can be found at the project page and our talk page. Anyone who copy edits articles, or wishes to start, is welcome to join the project – all help is appreciated! |
| 100 Bullets | |
|---|---|
 Cover to 100 Bullets vol. 1 "First Shot, Last Call". Cover art by Dave Johnson. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Vertigo |
| Schedule | Monthly |
| Genre | |
| Publication date | August 1999 – April 2009 |
| No. of issues | 100 |
| Main character(s) | Agent Graves Mr. Shepherd The Minutemen Dizzy Cordova Loop Hughes |
| Creative team | |
| Created by | Brian Azzarello Eduardo Risso |
| Written by | Brian Azzarello |
| Artist(s) | Eduardo Risso Dave Johnson |
| Colorist(s) | Grant Goleash Patricia Mulvihill |
| Collected editions | |
| First Shot, Last Call | ISBN 1-56389-645-1 |
| Split Second Chance | ISBN 1-56389-711-3 |
100 Bullets is an Eisner and Harvey Award-winning comic book written by Brian Azzarello and illustrated by Eduardo Risso. It was published in the USA by DC Comics under its Vertigo imprint and ran for one hundred issues.[1] The writing and artwork received critical acclaim during the course of its run.
Style
Both the writing and artwork in 100 Bullets exemplifies the noir and pulp genres of popular modern fiction. It presents morally ambiguous stories with dark realism. Consistent with noir convention, most of the characters are deeply flawed.[2] As is also quite common in such genres, 100 Bullets frequently portrays stylized and graphic violence.
100 Bullets is notable for creator Brian Azzarello's realistic use of regional and local accents, as well as the frequent use of slang and oblique, metaphorical language in his characters' dialogue.
Initially presented as a series of self-contained episodic stories, 100 Bullets developed into a sprawling crime saga in which all the characters and events were connected.
Plot
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The core concept of 100 Bullets is the question: would people act on the desire for violent revenge if given the means, opportunity, and a reasonable chance to get away with it? In each issue, the mysterious Agent Graves approaches someone who has been the victim of a terrible wrong. Graves gives them the opportunity to take revenge by providing them with a handgun, the eponymous 100 bullets, and documentation giving information about the person primarily and personally responsible for their woes. He informes the candidate that the bullets are completely untraceable and that any law enforcement investigation uncovering one of these bullets will immediately cease the investigation.
Though all of the murders enabled by Agent Graves are presented as justifiable, the candidates are neither rewarded nor punished for taking up the offer, and appear to receive nothing other than personal satisfaction for their actions. Several people decline the offer. Those that accept see their actions unfold with varying levels of success or failure. The attaché and Graves' "games" are later revealed to be only a minor part of a much broader story.
Agent Graves is the leader of a group known as The Minutemen, a group of seven men (plus one Agent) who serve as the enforcers and police of a clandestine organization known as The Trust. The Trust was originally formed by the heads of 13 powerful European families that controlled much of the Old World's combined wealth and industry. The Trust made an offer to the kings of Europe by which they would leave the continent and their considerable influence and holdings, in exchange for complete autonomy in the still unclaimed portion of the New World.[1] When England ignored this proposition and colonized the Roanoke Island late in the 16th century, the Minutemen were formed. The original Minutemen, seven vicious killers, eradicated the colony and all of its inhabitants, leaving behind only the cryptic message Croatoa as a warning, reclaiming the land for the Trust. Since this time, the Minutemen's charge has been to protect the 13 Houses of the trust, serving as their force against outside threats and (more frequently) as police of the internal conflicts between the Trust families themselves. The groups' interactions are often facilitated by a person holding the title "Warlord" for the Trust, who serves as the Houses' liaison to the Minutemen.
Sometime in the late 20th century, the Minutemen were betrayed by the Trust and disbanded after Agent Graves refused to re-enact "The Greatest Crime in the History of Mankind" (a re-expansion of the borders of the Trust). The Minutemen retaliated with the assassination of a hooded figure in Atlantic City, and are then sent into hiding. Most of the Minutemen of that time were "deactivated" by Graves. These former Minutemen had their memories repressed for their own protection and returned to "normal" lives. These events occurred prior (presumably some years) to the beginning of 100 Bullets.
As the story plays out, many of those who are offered the chance for vengeance by Graves are revealed to have been people wronged by the Trust or its agents, and six are revealed to have been Minutemen at the time of the events of Atlantic City. Trusting to his planning, some luck, and the importance of his "game," Agent Graves seeks to reactivate several of his Minutemen and recruit potential new members during the course of the series. With the "aid" at times of the Trust's current Warlord, the charismatic and secretive Mr. Shepherd, Graves sets into motion a complicated and deadly plot of revenge against the Trust, which divides into factions, with younger members plotting against the older ones.
The series culminates in the downfall of the Trust and its agents, eventually revealing that the attache and its contents are a metaphor for the limitless power of the Trust.
Characters
Story arcs
Collected editions
There are thirteen trade paperbacks in publication for this series. The titles of the trade paperbacks all seem to be somehow related with their volume number ( First Shot, Last Call; Split Second Chance; A Foregone Tomorrow; The Counterfifth Detective; Six Feet Under the Gun; Strychnine Lives; Decayed (a pun on 'decade'; this is the tenth volume)), with four being indirect references (book 7 titled Samurai, for Seven Samurai; book 8 titled The Hard Way, a reference to a roll in craps; book 12 titled Dirty, as in The Dirty Dozen; book 13 titled Wilt, for basketball player Wilt Chamberlain, who wore the number 13 and was famous for scoring 100 points in a single game). Book 11 Once Upon a Crime is also a reference as "once" is Spanish for eleven. The exception to the rule is book 3, which was originally to be called The Charm — as in "third time's the charm" — but was given the title of the collection's largest plot arc, Hang Up on the Hang Low, when it won the Eisner Award. Another interpretation of this seemingly odd exception is that 'Hang Up on the Hang Low' is a coded allusion to Masonic symbology, the upwards triangle placed over the downward triangle, where the number 3 is indicated among other things through this code. As The Trust can also be seen to be a Masonic type allusion, one should also look for other Masonic symbols through the books. The allusion itself may come as well simply by describing the shape of the number 3 itself, composed of an upward hook and a downward hook, where the "hang up" hook rests upon the "hang low" hook. A series of hardcover volumes collecting the series is set to be released, the first of which is set for October 11, 2011.[3]
| # | Title | Publisher | Year | ISBN | Reprints |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | First Shot, Last Call | Vertigo | ISBN 1563896451 |
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| 2 | Split Second Chance | Vertigo | ISBN 1563897113 |
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| 3 | Hang up on the Hang Low | Vertigo | ISBN 1563898551 |
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| 4 | A Foregone Tomorrow | Vertigo | ISBN 1563898276 |
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| 5 | The Counterfifth Detective | Vertigo | ISBN 1563899485 |
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| 6 | Six Feet Under The Gun | Vertigo | ISBN 1563899965 |
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| 7 | Samurai | Vertigo | ISBN 140120189X |
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| 8 | The Hard Way | Vertigo | ISBN 1401204902 |
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| 9 | Strychnine Lives | Vertigo | ISBN 1401209289 |
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| 10 | Decayed | Vertigo | ISBN 140120998X |
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| 11 | Once Upon a Crime | Vertigo | ISBN 1401213154 |
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| 12 | Dirty | Vertigo | ISBN 140121939X |
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| 13 | Wilt | Vertigo | ISBN 1401222870 |
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Note: The full title of all volumes listed here start with "100 Bullets: ".
100 Bullets Deluxe Edition
| # | Title | ISBN | Release date | Collected material |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 100 Bullets - Volume 1 | ISBN 1-4012-3201-9 | October 11, 2011 | 100 Bullets #1–19 and Vertigo Winter's Edge #3 |
| 2 | 100 Bullets - Volume 2 | ISBN 1-4012-3372-4 | April 17, 2012 | 100 Bullets #20-36 |
| 3 | 100 Bullets - Volume 3 | ISBN 1-4012-3729-0 | September 25, 2012 | 100 Bullets #37-58 |
Other media adaptations
Acclaim announced plans to release a video game based on 100 Bullets. However, following the collapse of Acclaim's publishing house, the game was cancelled. It was intended that the player would be either Cole Burns or Snow Falls (a completely original character) and play in a third person view, with actor Keanu Reeves portraying Cole Burns. The plot was not publicly unknown, aside from a supposition that it followed the plot of the comic book.
D3Publishing has obtained the rights from Warner Bros. to publish a 100 Bullets game in 2006.[4][5] They intend to make a video game completely independent from Acclaim's aborted vision, but still heavily reliant on input and plotting from Brian Azzarello and release it in Q3 2007 - however it was not released.[6]
On June 23, 2011, IGN reported that David S. Goyer co-writer of Dark City and The Dark Knight is attached to executive produce and write a TV series based on the comics for Showtime.[7]
Critical reception
The series has attracted critical acclaim from within and beyond the American comics industry,[8] as "very violent, dark and clever"[9] and "a series of compelling morality tales".[10] In his introduction for the second volume collection Howard Chaykin wrote "Thanks are overdue to both these guys for producing the most exciting comic book in years".
Awards
The series won the 2002 Harvey Awards for Best Writer, Best Artist and Best Continuing Series, and the 2003 Harvey Award for Best Artist, as well as the 2001 Eisner Award for Best Serialized Story, and the 2002 and 2004 Eisner Award for Best Continuing Series.[1]
See also
Other titles by the same team:
- Jonny Double
- Batman: Broken City
- Flashpoint: Knight of Vengeance
- Spaceman
References
- ^ a b c Irvine, Alex (2008). "100 Bullets". In Dougall, Alastair (ed.). The Vertigo Encyclopedia. London: Dorling Kindersley. pp. 11–17. ISBN 0-7566-4122-5.
- ^ Mclaughlin, Jeff (2005). Comics as Philosophy. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi. ISBN 978-1-57806-794-7.
- ^ 100 Bullets: The Deluxe Edition Book One. "Brian Azzarello, 100 Bullets: The Deluxe Edition Book One". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2012-12-16.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "D3PUBLISHER OF AMERICA AND WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT INK LICENSING AGREEMENT FOR DC COMICS/VERTIGO 100 BULLETS®". D3publisher.us. 2006-05-03. Retrieved 2012-12-16.
- ^ May 3, 2006 11:40AM PDT (2006-05-03). "Brendan Sinclair, E3 06: 100 Bullets gets another shot at gaming (May 3, 2006)". Gamespot.com. Retrieved 2012-12-16.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "D3Publisher released games - 100 Bullets is not included". D3publisher.us. Retrieved 2012-12-16.
- ^ "IGNentertainment, New Jurassic Park & Spider-Man Details - IGN Weekly 'Wood: 06.23.11". Youtube.com. 2011-06-23. Retrieved 2012-12-16.
- ^ "DC Comics and Warner Bros. Unveil a New Company Logo for DC Comics, the Publisher of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman; New Logo to Appear on Comic Books, Films and Television Series Based on DC Properties" (magazine article). Business Week. 2005-05-09. Retrieved 2007-07-24.
- ^ "HIT LIST". Independent on Sunday. 2006-06-04. Archived from the original (newspaper article) on 2007-11-13. Retrieved 2007-07-24.
- ^ Radford, Bill (2001-01-07). "Vertigo's '100 Bullets' hits the bull's-eye" (newspaper article). The Colorado Springs Gazette. Retrieved 2007-07-24.
External links
- 100Bullets.co.uk fan site, on material from which parts of this article were based
- Brian Azzarello interview to Sequential Tart (August 1999) regards the development of 100 Bullets, among other things
- 100 Bullets - Early previews of the cancelled video game
- Newsarama.com article (June 2006) by Chris Arrant
- Website for series artist Eduardo Risso
- Website for cover artist Dave Johnson
- Website for colorist Patricia Mulvihill