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Forum: Comics
Topic: Review - 100 Bullets: Split Second Chance

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Message to Edit: HTML is OFF UBB Code is OFF Smilies Legend	Originally posted by Dave Thomer on 09-11-2001 08:04 AM <I>100 Bullets: Split Second Chance</I> Written by Brian Azzarello Art by Eduardo Risso Colors by Grant Goleash DC Comics, 214 pages, Full Color (<A HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1563897113/thisisnotnews" TARGET=_blank>Buy it at Amazon</A> - $14.95) As I mentioned way back in my review of <I>First Shot, Last Call</I>, this second collected volume of <I>100 Bullets</I> is even stronger than the first. If you haven't read that review, the basic premise of the series is this: A man named Agent Graves approaches someone to whom some injustice has been committed and gives that person a briefcase. The briefcase contains a photo of whomever committed the injustice, proof that they did it, information as to their whereabouts, a gun -- and one hundred completely untraceable bullets. No law enforcement agency can touch the owner of that gun and those bullets -- from that moment on, they are above the law, free to determine how they will use the power and information they have been given. Azzarello could quite easily mine this premise for years, giving us disconnected short story arcs that explore different people's response to Graves' gift. But <I>Split Second Chance</I> makes clear that this is not merely an anthology title; the titular gift is only one element of an overarching plot that should draw in fans of conspiracy and espionage stories. Graves' obsession with justice and retribution is a personal quest; his job appears to be as leader of a group of operatives known as the Minutemen. The Minutemen, in turn, are somehow connected to a shadowy group known as the Trust that has played a heavy and apparently corrupt hand in American history. Events in <I>First Shot, Last Call</I> alerted the Trust to Graves' activities, and here Graves begins putting his own pieces into play - for exactly what purpose isn't yet clear. And somewhere in all of this figures Mr. Shepherd, who may be working with or against Graves. There are still far more questions than answers here, but this conspiracy plot kicks the book's tension level up another notch, and it's still early enough that the lack of answers is tantalizing rather than frustrating. Azzarello doesn't sacrifice the character drama of each recipient's pain and decisions; in fact, there's a one-chapter story here about the mother of a teenage runaway that's difficult to read, because Azzarello and Risso make you feel the grief, guilt and rage that this woman endures. Risso does a great job with the facial expressions and camera angles throughout, and on that story in particular - his art is as strong here as in <I>First Shot, Last Call</I>, and the coloring maintains the crime noir tintings and shadings without ever overwhelming the linework. Azzarello keeps the book working on multiple by levels with the balance of these standalone stories and plot-centric arcs such as the one that closes the book. If anything, some of the minor characters feel more developed than the series leads, because Azzarello isn't trying to hold out mysteries with them. At the same time, we do get some hints as to why Graves hands out the untraceable bullets, and we get to know two of the Minutemen (one of whom, Dizzy, was the lead character in the series' first story arc; it's good to see her back, because the character has lots of potential.) It's a tough balancing act, but <I>Split Second Chance</I>, for the most part, pulls it off and builds on the momentum of the series' premise and early stories.
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