Eduardo Risso

What an ending.

After keeping you guessing for 100 issues, 100 Bullets ends with an almost mathematical precision, as all the pieces fall into the places spelled out for them practically from the very beginning of the series. And how satisfying it is, that after almost disappearing from the series, the attache cases, filled with with the titular bullets, make such a stunning and crucial comeback.

A staggering achievement, and I want to sit down and read it all over again.

All this crime/horror hybrid book has going for it is its sort of clever wordplay in the title and premise, combining werewolves with a gang war over moonshine alcohol. The execution falls flat as the story revolves around a jackass loser who is caught as a hapless pawn between the big city mob, hillbilly distillers and supernatural forces. There weren't any characters in this bad-people-doing-bad-things story I could support or care about. It's hard to want to read a book where you just show more hope everyone ends up dead.

I don't think I've read a good Brian Azzarello book since the first few volumes of 100 Bullets, and I think it's time to stop giving him the benefit of the doubt when he comes out with something new. show less

Jonny Double is a highly effective early collaboration between the creators of 100 Bullets, and is in some ways a better work than the latter item. This is principally because Jonny Double is considerably shorter (it was only four comic issues in it's original incarnation), but given that it mines much of the same thematic territory as 100 Bullets, it presents a similar story without the excesses (cliched conspiracy theories, shock-value violence, etc) that were needed to keep the latter show more series going over the course of a 100-issue run. In some ways, Jonny Double is the successful short story version of the bloated novel that is 100 Bullets - and with Eduardo Risso's fantastic artwork front-and-center, how can you lose? show less

Paul Dini is best known for working on "Batman: The Animated Series" and "Tiny Toon Adventures" for Warner Bros. for writing comics, and most notably, co-creating Harley Quinn with Bruce Timm. In the early-'90s, he was living his dream, writing the characters he'd loved as a kid, especially Batman, and financially secure enough to buy the toys and collectibles he desired. But his life was hollow, until the night he got mugged, surviving a vicious beating. In this graphic novel, wonderfully show more illustrated by Eduardo Risso, Dini recounts that event and what happened after, but also puts it in context of his childhood when he felt invisible except for when he could retreat into his imagination.

Dini's way to deal with the trauma of the attack was to retreat. He knew he had to make changes in his life -- the lack of anyone waiting for him when he staggered home made that clear -- but his feelings of helplessness, anxiety, and powerlessness stand in his way. It's up to the Bat villains and Batman, himself, who are there with him, to give him the push he needs. Risso's art varies, swinging from cartoonish to realism to suit the scene as Dini explores the dark places in his soul and ultimately, hopefulness for the future. A lot is packed into the 120 plus pages; it's not often we get to see inside the mind of a creative person, let alone one who suffered what Dini has. I highly recommend this. show less