My holiday lunch with the Marvel comics EIC perked my interest in seeing what was going on in his world. I’d been keeping a list of comic trade paperbacks recommended by Entertainment Weekly and with a $25 credit from my Amazon Visa card, picked out a few from the last 5+ years.

Yesterday it was the first five issues of 100 Bullets. Apparently noir became hot and this one is supposedly leading the genre since its debut in 1999. A mysterious man offers you a suitcase w/ a gun, 100 untraceable bullets and evidence re: someone who has wronged you. Do you extract revenge or not?

While the fundamental premise is good if not a little adolescent empowerment wet dream, the story falls way short. The writing is cliche and without much feeling. And the art doesn’t grab you. Not a solid re-introduction to the world of more sophisticated and edgy comics.

I’ve still got Scarlet Traces and Batman: Dark Victory to try.