"Strychnine Lives" is a somewhat ho-hum installment in the otherwise interesting run of the collected 100 Bullets. Although Eduardo Risso's artwork is never disappointing, Brian Azzarello's story this time around leans too heavily on generic "tough guy" cliches and shock-value violence. In a work of lessor ambition and scope, that might be forgivable, but given that 100 Bullets pursues a complicated and richly defined narrative, it's disappointing to to read through a volume that emphasizes the blood and the gore over the plot development and character explication. I suspect that this will all work itself out in the remaining volumes of the series, but I just wish that "Strychnine Lives" made a more significant contribution to the grand scope of 100 Bullets. ( )

An even DARKER vision of love than previously shared in this grim series. The "Houses" are tumbling down and the landscape of the Minutemen, et al., is getting rejiggered. Nothing is for certain in this arc. ( )

Anyone want to be a crimelord? 100 Bullets may well give you second thoughts. And third thoughts. Lots of money, lots of power, lots of girls/boys/booze/cars or whatever other things you might like. Also, lots of stress, heartache, and lots of loss of integrity of the physical being via the murderous actions of others.

http://graphicsf.blogspot.com/2006/11... ( )

Pure adrenaline. Definitely as good as the previous volume, no letup at all.