by Randy Lander

100 BULLETS: HANG UP ON THE HANG LOW TP Highly Recommended (10/10) DC Comics/Vertigo imprint Writer: Brian Azzarello Artist: Eduardo Risso Colors: Patricia Mulvihill & Digital Chameleon Letters: Clem Robins Editor: Axel Alonso & Will Dennis Price: $9.95 US Easily the best of the 100 Bullets arcs so far, "Hang Up on the Hang Low" is a great read, and well worth the $10 price tag. There's so much I love about this book. The way that Azzarello gives us a full set of characters every four issues or so and fleshes them out so completely in that short space of time, the way the arc is connected in such a maddening, just out of reach way, the fact that I don't ever know what's going to happen next, the moody style that fills the whole thing, I could go on and on. The story of Curtis and Loop Hughes stands out because both characters have such interesting depth to them, and after establishing the basics of that relationship, Azzarello complicates the story by tying them into the larger arc of 100 Bullets. However, while there are elements of the bigger arc story involved, this is mostly the story about the relationship between a young man on the verge of crime and his father, older and on the verge of getting out of it. The beginning of this story reminds me a great deal of the first 100 Bullets tale, the one that introduced us to Dizzy. It's not so much about the deal, or who Graves is or what he wants, as it is about the character involved in the deal and their culture, which is one that most comic readers probably don't know all that well. So Azzarello, who has proven himself amazingly adept at handling a variety of cultures, slips right in as if he'd lived there all his life and provides us with a portrait of a young black man who's trying to be a decent guy, at least relative to the street life he's forced into living. The street life shown here, with the code of respect, the juxtaposition between urban squalor and guys with flashy cars, jewelry and cellphones, comes across very clearly. The story is a mixture of father-son bonding, street hood mentoring and just a touch of crime/conspiracy thrown in for good measure. Azzarello and Risso take us through the streets, from seedy bars to chop shops to neighborhood stores, and it's all interesting to watch. And just when you think the story is all about Loop and his father, the creative team throws a curveball. As always, I'm impressed by the amount of characterization and sheer amount of characters introduced with every arc. Leaving aside the array of supporting characters who get only a few pages of screen time, Loop Hughes and his father are easily some of the most fascinating characters I've encountered in this book, and given the incredible cast that Azzarello has built up, that's saying something. Watching Loop and Curtis explore the differences between their generation and experiences, such as the whole thing about counting the money or the baseball vs. basketball discussion are terrific moments between the characters. In addition, there's a nice sense of mystery to Curtis, with his ties to Graves and a sense of bad blood between them. I don't know if the actor was a visual inspiration for Risso, but I immediately picture Morgan Freeman's character from Nurse Betty as Curtis, the weary hitman who just wants to be done with his job and have a bond with his son. There's a sense of cool control about Curtis not just because he's a professional but because, on some level, he doesn't seem to care anymore. I also love all the background details that make the settings come to life. Kids in an alley, lit by the headlights as the car passes by, a violent crime taking place, the beautiful young girl playing pool in place of the collection boss, there's a sense that more stories are going in all around our protagonists. But then, I expect no less from Risso, whose work is always stunning. He does wonderful, distinctive, expressive faces and is amazing when it comes to the use of shadow and interesting layouts. His facial expressions may tend toward the grimace, the leer and the world-weary frown, but he's got real range with them. In addition, his mastery of shadows and atmosphere just makes the book come alive, and I love how the smallest details, from Jimmy's sandwich to Loop's cellphone to Tommi's sharp fingernails, tell you something about the character. He's brilliant at moving the camera as well, as you can see from the slow close-up on Loop or the variety of angles he uses to show the reader what's going to happen a second before it does. Risso is responsible in large part for the cinematic feel of the book, and he's absolutely perfect for this type of urban crime storytelling. "Hang Up on the Hang Low" was an Eisner winner for 2000, and the award was well-deserved. It's a fantastic standalone tale, but it's also another layer in the fascinating 100 Bullets story. Email Randy Lander comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board.