100 Bullets, Vol. 03: Hang Up on the Hang Low

This is the one volume of the series that doesn't have a number-related pun in the title, which annoys me deeply on some meaningless level. But the award-winning story is very good. I think what I like best about it is how subtly unexpected it is, specifically in regards to its portrayal of race. It would have been easy to present Loop as the stereotypical gangbanger, but he's actually a surprisingly thoughtful kid, who completely transcends that image. And I especially liked that he and his father eventually and truly bonded over baseball. It's an idea so traditional that you barely notice it, but after all the crime and violence, it's quite unusual to have such a Norman Rockwell moment.

Although I had enjoyed the first two trades of 100 Bullets, I'd been unsure if I'd continue reading the series. I picked up this trade on a whim, and I'm glad that I did. Altogether, I think that this is my favorite story arc of 100 Bullets so far. In this trade, a young man (Loop) is given the gun with untraceable bullets and all of the information he needs to find his deadbeat father, whose absence has severely affected Loop's life. Of course, nothing is as straightforward as it seems, and the story takes several twists and turns. And the artwork, as always, is great and fluid. This trade is what sold me on continuing with the series.

(Series review) I stuck with this series for four trade paperbacks. There's no doubting the aesthetic quality of the series: tightly written stories of crime and violence, with a distinctive and appropriate artistic style to match the mood and pacing of the writing. In some ways, it's like a smarter, more ambitious version of the mood behind the Grand Theft Auto games.

The central thematic hook introduced in the first trade paperback is this: if you were given a gun and the consequences of its use could under no circumstances be traced back to you by the authorities, what would you do with it? It didn't take long for the series to go beyond that trick premise and develop its own complicated backstory and mythology.

In the end, strictly show more for reasons of personal preference, I don't rate the series highly: the setting and mood are just too consistently ugly and gritty for my tastes. But if you like true crime stories, or the meaner end of the thriller genre, you might well enjoy this series. show less

This is one of the best story arcs in the series so far. It takes some very good twists, and it goes a bit deeper into Agent Graves and whatever group he may be working for. In this story Agent Graves gives a young ghetto kid the famous suitcase and the "chance" to meet the father he never really knew. Take it from there. This is definitely a series to continue reading, and it is becoming one of my all time favorites. Now I need go find the next volume.

The third installment of 100 Bullets takes a slight step backwards from its predecessors, mostly because this "Hang Up on the Hang Low" chapter does little to advance the overall story. It's not particularly bad, but feels like a somewhat unnecessary diversion from the larger narrative that had begun to gain significant ground in volume 2. But of course there is still Eduardo Risso's stunning artwork - if not for that, there would be no real reason to bother with this volume, but since there IS that, it's still a worthwhile read.

A much shorter volume, basically one story, but it also continues to evoke the mythology and answer some questions.

My favourite story arc so far. This series just gets better and better.