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100 BULLETS #30
"Contrabandolero Conclusion"
Highly Recommended (9/10)
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DC Comics/Vertigo imprint
Writer: Brian Azzarello
Artist: Eduardo Risso
Colors: Patricia Mulvihill & Digital Chameleon
Letters: Clem Robins
Editor: Will Dennis
Price: $2.50 US/$4.25 CAN |
The finale of "Contrabandolero" is funny, strange and violent, just like the rest of the story has been, but it seemed a bit too willing to confuse readers in order to remain mysterious. While still a great read, there were more than a few occasions where I found myself scratching my head, and it seemed that Azzarello and Risso had left things a bit too open to interpretation. With that said, the gathering of the various cast members at the end is terrific, and this arc has had more of a strange and humorous feel to it than simply a dark crime feel, as different from "Hang Up on the Hang Low" as that story was from the initial 100 Bullets story featuring Dizzy. 100 Bullets remains one of my favorite books.
From the beginning, this arc
has had the feel of someone who was in way over his head. This issue, Wylie's
predicament becomes almost comical, with an underage sex-obsessed girl, a sad
inability to handle a subtle border crossing and the revelation of a most
unusual illicit cargo. 100 Bullets has always been atmospheric, but it's never
been what I would call quirky. The addition of that level of humor worked
surprisingly well in this issue.
For all the confusion about
smuggling and fake identities or the mystery of what Dizzy and Sheperd are
looking for, this story really belongs to Wylie. He's a do-nothing guy who
really prefers it that way, and the conclusion of the book indicates that he may
hide more beneath his surface but he may be quite happy hiding it. For Dizzy
(who has also undergone something of a metamorphosis since joining with Graves)
to be so interested in Wylie makes for some nice character interaction, and I
have a feeling we haven't seen the last of Wylie.
As always, Risso's artwork is
terrific. The sudden violence and confusing action of the gunfight at the
beginning is counterbalanced by the quiet crowd as Dizzy, Wylie and Angelina
drive through from Mexico or the strange beauty of rare birds flying loose over
the city. He is also a master of changing camera angles, with very nice use of
close-ups and small facial tics or movements that speak volumes.
However, I did feel at times
as if the sense of confusion that the characters were meant to be feeling
extended to the readers as well. The ending is a bit too ambiguous, and I'm a
little uncertain what it is meant to reveal about Wylie, and there are a few
occasions where characters enter the stage with little transition. The most
obvious being the sudden jump from casual conversation between Dizzy and Wylie
into a confrontation with Hopper and Eightball.
A little bit of confusion doesn't hurt, though, because I was enthralled by the relationship between Dizzy and Wylie, the revelations about what all this smuggling has been about and some surprising character moments at the end. Every character who went through this story was changed in some way, and though it seemed more disconnected from the overall 100 Bullets arc, I can easily see how it
will tie in later.
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