And the brilliance continues. The art. The writing.

This time? More blood. Lots more. ( )

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A bit confusing because I launched into this book in the middle of the series without really understanding what was going on. Lots of graphic violence, sleaze and sinister mafia-like thugs roaming the streets. Some sort of clan war is going on between the Minutemen, led by the loathsome Lono, and another faction or factions with a more civilised veneer. Agent Graves seems to be a wild card, handing out his gun with 100 anonymous bullets seemingly to stir up chaos. ( )

Loved it, although I have to confess I'm getting a little lost with the constantly shifting loyalties and betrayals going on. It doesn't help that I'm having trouble telling some of the Minutemen apart. Also, the sudden lovestruck obsession everyone seems to have for Dizzy is coming out of nowhere, but I'm willing to see where it's going. ( )

"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. ( )