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Stray Bullets (Single Issues) #1-4
Stray Bullets, Vol. 1
They never saw it coming - they never had a chance
These are their stories. Follow the lost lives of people who are savagely torn apart by events beyond their control. The innocent world of an imaginative little girl is shattered when she witnesses a brutal double murder. An introverted young boy on the verge of manhood gets a lesson in just how far is too far when he falls for a needy woman who lives life in the fast line. Party with a pair of low-rent hoods who learn about what is really important in life just when they shouldn't. Learn the story of the most infamous gangster who ever lived, Amy Racecar, who talks to God, lunches with the President, and just may be responsible for the end of the world. These are some of the tales that will grip you and break your heart.
This volume collects the original seven issues of David Lapham's best-selling, critically acclaimed crime-drama comic book series, Stray Bullets.
124 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2003
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November 1, 2010
When Stray Bullets debuted in the mid-90's, I think it was an important moment in the history of independent comics, one that might not be appreciated fully for years to come. Comic book creators working outside the assembly-line method of DC and Marvel need a kind of patience and discipline even greater than that of a novelist. They toil alone at the drawing table for months (and sometimes years, in the case of Jason Lutes and Charles Burns) in order to produce a single issue, knowing all the while that it will only be seen by a few thousand people, and won't come close to paying the bills. Recognition of an artist's talent, if it comes at all, usually arrives after years of hard work. Self-confidence is a necessity, as is the support and encouragement of friends, family, and fans.
David Lapham was different from most indie creators; while he was still a minor he was hired by former Marvel editor-in-chief Jim Shooter, who was starting his own company, Valiant Comics (Shooter himself was a bit of a prodigy, writing stories for the artists he worshipped when he was only 15 years-old). Lapham worked closely with his new boss, inking, pencilling, writing and even co-creating a title
with him, 'Warriors of the Plasm'. By the time Valiant folded in the early-90's, Lapham had gotten an education in comics and publishing far better than any art school could provide.
When Stray Bullets appeared on the scene, it caught attention far quicker than any self-published comic debut could reasonably hope. Issue #1, under the El Capitan banner (the name chosen for their modest company), had a simple, incredibly effective cover design that immediately set it apart from everything else on the racks. Lapham's artwork was beautiful; a kind of dynamic chiaroscuro style that had hints of Eisner and Toth, but was surprisingly original. The maturity and raw talent that is on display in the first seven issues collected in 'Volume 1: The Innocence of Nihilism' merited Lapham an Eisner for Best Writer/Artist back in 1995.
This hardcover collection, as well as the three that follow it, are worth the high price, featuring the excellent design and production values that are typical of El Capitan. Each volume is around 275 pages and are oversized, 9" x 12" instead of the standard 7" x 10", making it the ideal way to read Stray Bullets.
Throughout the 40-issue run of the series, one of it's most appealing characteristics was that each issue could be read separately,
as a 36-page, self-contained story, allowing new readers to start with any issue they like, and not find themselves lost in the midst of a plot. By volume 2, however, Lapham begins to pull some of the narrative threads together, as various characters reappear and collide with one another, upping the tension even further and rewarding faithful readers without confusing new ones--a feat I've yet to see duplicated successfully. From the very first page, where we meet two low-level thugs on their way to dump a body, the author displays a mastery of suspense, and does it again and again in ways that are always exciting and unpredictable. His characters, too, are unforgettable: the fearless, short-tempered Beth, clever and occasionally cold, above all, a survivor; Virginia, a little girl whose luck keeps getting worse after she witnesses a double murder; Orson, the 18-year-old geek who suddenly finds himself associating with drug dealers and murderers, unable to say 'no' to a woman who just might ruin his life...
Stray Bullets has had a profound influence on the current generation of young comic artists and writers, and on the next generation as well. Unfortunately, Stray Bullets and El Capitan are no more, and the collected editions are rapidly disappearing from the
marketplace, at least until David Lapham can get them back in print. He is currently writing as a freelancer, but has written and drawn 'Silverfish' and the three-volume 'Young Liars' for DC/Vertigo, both of which are excellent. Most of his time and talent, however, is spent writing for books like 'Deadpool' and the comics adaptation of the 'Modern Warfare: Ghost' videogame; work that is largely forgettable, but no doubt pays far better El Capitan ever did. Until comics like Stray Bullets, Black Hole, and Berlin find a wider audience in N. America, it's hard to fault a creator for taking work that comes closer to paying them what their worth.
David Lapham was different from most indie creators; while he was still a minor he was hired by former Marvel editor-in-chief Jim Shooter, who was starting his own company, Valiant Comics (Shooter himself was a bit of a prodigy, writing stories for the artists he worshipped when he was only 15 years-old). Lapham worked closely with his new boss, inking, pencilling, writing and even co-creating a title
with him, 'Warriors of the Plasm'. By the time Valiant folded in the early-90's, Lapham had gotten an education in comics and publishing far better than any art school could provide.
When Stray Bullets appeared on the scene, it caught attention far quicker than any self-published comic debut could reasonably hope. Issue #1, under the El Capitan banner (the name chosen for their modest company), had a simple, incredibly effective cover design that immediately set it apart from everything else on the racks. Lapham's artwork was beautiful; a kind of dynamic chiaroscuro style that had hints of Eisner and Toth, but was surprisingly original. The maturity and raw talent that is on display in the first seven issues collected in 'Volume 1: The Innocence of Nihilism' merited Lapham an Eisner for Best Writer/Artist back in 1995.
This hardcover collection, as well as the three that follow it, are worth the high price, featuring the excellent design and production values that are typical of El Capitan. Each volume is around 275 pages and are oversized, 9" x 12" instead of the standard 7" x 10", making it the ideal way to read Stray Bullets.
Throughout the 40-issue run of the series, one of it's most appealing characteristics was that each issue could be read separately,
as a 36-page, self-contained story, allowing new readers to start with any issue they like, and not find themselves lost in the midst of a plot. By volume 2, however, Lapham begins to pull some of the narrative threads together, as various characters reappear and collide with one another, upping the tension even further and rewarding faithful readers without confusing new ones--a feat I've yet to see duplicated successfully. From the very first page, where we meet two low-level thugs on their way to dump a body, the author displays a mastery of suspense, and does it again and again in ways that are always exciting and unpredictable. His characters, too, are unforgettable: the fearless, short-tempered Beth, clever and occasionally cold, above all, a survivor; Virginia, a little girl whose luck keeps getting worse after she witnesses a double murder; Orson, the 18-year-old geek who suddenly finds himself associating with drug dealers and murderers, unable to say 'no' to a woman who just might ruin his life...
Stray Bullets has had a profound influence on the current generation of young comic artists and writers, and on the next generation as well. Unfortunately, Stray Bullets and El Capitan are no more, and the collected editions are rapidly disappearing from the
marketplace, at least until David Lapham can get them back in print. He is currently writing as a freelancer, but has written and drawn 'Silverfish' and the three-volume 'Young Liars' for DC/Vertigo, both of which are excellent. Most of his time and talent, however, is spent writing for books like 'Deadpool' and the comics adaptation of the 'Modern Warfare: Ghost' videogame; work that is largely forgettable, but no doubt pays far better El Capitan ever did. Until comics like Stray Bullets, Black Hole, and Berlin find a wider audience in N. America, it's hard to fault a creator for taking work that comes closer to paying them what their worth.
February 13, 2015
So this is a collection of interwoven crime/noir stories. They're interesting enough to keep your attention, also kind of depressing as many are about the pointlessness of violence, and what Stray Bullets can do...
It's about broken lives, how they break over time, and showing the cumulative effects of bad decisions, violence, abuse, anger and rage, and crime.
Not every story seems to be connected, but I think if you read more of them and pay a bit more attention, you will find more. Kinda like Pulp Fiction without the music and comedy.
There's definitely something, but it's a sad kinda crime/noir that leaves you feeling like you spent 10yrs sitting alone in a crappy apartment with one lightbulb in a gravy-stained tank top drinking bourbon out of a paper bag with your revolver laying on the table beside you as you contemplate if you want to face another sunrise...
That docked a star for me, because I read it during the day and I was in a good mood...lol, now I'm all woeful and pessimistic.
Good solid stuff, Black and White adds to the atmosphere, I would read more, but I won't go out of my way to rush.
Thanks again Humble Bundle!
It's about broken lives, how they break over time, and showing the cumulative effects of bad decisions, violence, abuse, anger and rage, and crime.
Not every story seems to be connected, but I think if you read more of them and pay a bit more attention, you will find more. Kinda like Pulp Fiction without the music and comedy.
There's definitely something, but it's a sad kinda crime/noir that leaves you feeling like you spent 10yrs sitting alone in a crappy apartment with one lightbulb in a gravy-stained tank top drinking bourbon out of a paper bag with your revolver laying on the table beside you as you contemplate if you want to face another sunrise...
That docked a star for me, because I read it during the day and I was in a good mood...lol, now I'm all woeful and pessimistic.
Good solid stuff, Black and White adds to the atmosphere, I would read more, but I won't go out of my way to rush.
Thanks again Humble Bundle!
August 20, 2018
Not to be confused with the other similarly titled series (100 Bullets) Lapham seeks out the same vein of well mined criminal ore to be smelted unto his own vision. Whether scalping or not, a compressed (but not insincerely abrogated) version of Pulp Fiction is minimalized even further to feature a mere duo of a seasoned hitman and new blood. Firmly uncaring as the fiercely venomous black and white that blanche each page, a tale that well rejects the structures of cutesey good-bad spectrometers and again reaches far deep into the established canon of noir, ultimately finding itself perforated with ever-further pepperings of Tarantino-isms. (Lots of trunk shots! Classic)
The second issue (#2), seeks to expand the panorama of structure and length of dramatis personae of the first whilst still remaining an authenticity and cohesion to what has been established. Which is a tricky rope to tip-toe-across since we’re introduced swiftly to altogether new characters, leaving us bereft of our previous social focal points. In true Pulp Fiction-PosterModern-chop and make/replace meaning as you go, gives way to yet another chronologically shuffled series of tangentially related vignettes to arguable effect. Toss in some child violence replete with a(n) ((un)intentionally powerful Rorschacian reference that (I hope) was masterfully gleaned from Watchmen and then recast to fit the needs of narrative hence-here and at least the tone seems to keep its even keel � the quality story itself so far, is up for an uphill debate debate.
With two issues down, the third was brought to the fore. Strangely favoring exposition and deposition in lieu of the gunplay and potty-language we’ve come to expect- a mildly vacuous episode unfolds into something far more meh than mediocre. Again the Tarentino-isms are there, as are the Watchmenisms (Again another Rorschach recollection recalling the discovery his prostitute mother’s trade almost replicated to a T here) but with little to tether them beyond the most basic of memes. In fact, I actually I had to flip back though the comic to remind myself what had actually happened.
Feeling like an amnesiac, I was however pleased to reach the final stretch of my reading experience (of disappointing(ly) and (uneven) ) declining quality. And the final stretch was more mind-bending and just weird that bad. Which could have been pleasing if it was used in the service of anything beneficial to the overall structure but, it just floundered in more questionable decisions. Although the last issue does reach a destination overall, I don’t feel that anything even approaching a meta-story could be gleaned from this.
While I certainly see how their could be a nostalgic feel for these Stray Bullets, perhaps for local fans or (more importantly) Pulp Fiction/PoMo fans, it is these former that perhaps most inform the failures of Lapham’s oddly formed homunculus of illustrated proportions. In barest of terms, for all the convolution and intentional shuffling of scenes within, not only is a firmly enjoyable stylistic effect achieved but, instead of finding itself denuded of knowledge and a certainty of such � Pulp Fiction can be re-worked into the cohesive piece it actually is. The puzzle pieces might need some clever craftmanship yet, overall there is a full story here from all visions of its prism.
Stray Bullets on the other hand, commits all the sins that Pulp Fiction easily side-stepped or was too smart to not fall into. No amount of thought-work could re-order these first 4 issues into anything resembling cohesive beyond a few strands here and there. And while (to its credit) featuring generally an equally distribution of tone and timbre, both find themselves in wonky position that eerily creep upon the somnambulatory. With or without Morpheus as the next door keeper, what little implicit charm, and other success of the series thus far are charmingly overshadowed by naively applied disjoints, clear lack of planning, and a labyrinthine story-telling style devoid of substance, starch, and ultimately heart.
The second issue (#2), seeks to expand the panorama of structure and length of dramatis personae of the first whilst still remaining an authenticity and cohesion to what has been established. Which is a tricky rope to tip-toe-across since we’re introduced swiftly to altogether new characters, leaving us bereft of our previous social focal points. In true Pulp Fiction-PosterModern-chop and make/replace meaning as you go, gives way to yet another chronologically shuffled series of tangentially related vignettes to arguable effect. Toss in some child violence replete with a(n) ((un)intentionally powerful Rorschacian reference that (I hope) was masterfully gleaned from Watchmen and then recast to fit the needs of narrative hence-here and at least the tone seems to keep its even keel � the quality story itself so far, is up for an uphill debate debate.
With two issues down, the third was brought to the fore. Strangely favoring exposition and deposition in lieu of the gunplay and potty-language we’ve come to expect- a mildly vacuous episode unfolds into something far more meh than mediocre. Again the Tarentino-isms are there, as are the Watchmenisms (Again another Rorschach recollection recalling the discovery his prostitute mother’s trade almost replicated to a T here) but with little to tether them beyond the most basic of memes. In fact, I actually I had to flip back though the comic to remind myself what had actually happened.
Feeling like an amnesiac, I was however pleased to reach the final stretch of my reading experience (of disappointing(ly) and (uneven) ) declining quality. And the final stretch was more mind-bending and just weird that bad. Which could have been pleasing if it was used in the service of anything beneficial to the overall structure but, it just floundered in more questionable decisions. Although the last issue does reach a destination overall, I don’t feel that anything even approaching a meta-story could be gleaned from this.
While I certainly see how their could be a nostalgic feel for these Stray Bullets, perhaps for local fans or (more importantly) Pulp Fiction/PoMo fans, it is these former that perhaps most inform the failures of Lapham’s oddly formed homunculus of illustrated proportions. In barest of terms, for all the convolution and intentional shuffling of scenes within, not only is a firmly enjoyable stylistic effect achieved but, instead of finding itself denuded of knowledge and a certainty of such � Pulp Fiction can be re-worked into the cohesive piece it actually is. The puzzle pieces might need some clever craftmanship yet, overall there is a full story here from all visions of its prism.
Stray Bullets on the other hand, commits all the sins that Pulp Fiction easily side-stepped or was too smart to not fall into. No amount of thought-work could re-order these first 4 issues into anything resembling cohesive beyond a few strands here and there. And while (to its credit) featuring generally an equally distribution of tone and timbre, both find themselves in wonky position that eerily creep upon the somnambulatory. With or without Morpheus as the next door keeper, what little implicit charm, and other success of the series thus far are charmingly overshadowed by naively applied disjoints, clear lack of planning, and a labyrinthine story-telling style devoid of substance, starch, and ultimately heart.
October 14, 2021
#ThrowbackThursday - Back in the '90s, I used to write comic book reviews for the website of a now-defunct comic book retailer called Rockem Sockem Comics. (Collect them all!)
From the June 1998 edition with a theme of "Crime Comics II":
INTRODUCTION
It's time to return to the mean streets.
Yes, let's get down into the gutter with the gray- and black-hearted souls that inhabit the world of crime comics. These are stories told from the criminal's point of view, be he a petty thief or a cold-blooded killer. "Crime doesn't pay," goes the old saying, but it sure can entertain.
In case the tough guys of ROAD TO PERDITION, STRAY BULLETS, and SIN CITY glorify crime a little too much and give some of my readers inappropriate ideas, I'm throwing in CUCKOO to give everyone a reminder that crime has consequences that echo through society long after the clank of the cell door and the final sizzle of the electric chair have faded away.
FROM THE BACKLIST
STRAY BULLETS #1-14 (El Capitan)
SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR #1-6 (Dark Horse Comics/Legend)
Two of the better crime comics being produced today happen to be polar opposites in approach: substance versus style. Comparing David Lapham's STRAY BULLETS to Frank Miller's SIN CITY is not dissimilar from comparing Quentin Tarantino's PULP FICTION to John Woo's FACE/OFF. But hey, I review comics not movies, so I'm not supposed to compare PULP FICTION to FACE/OFF. Instead, I shall compare STRAY BULLETS to PULP FICTION and SIN CITY to FACE/OFF, then compare STRAY BULLETS to SIN CITY. These are all legitimate, comic-centric comparisons. I, the comic reviewer, hereby deny any responsibility for conclusions drawn by readers with an understanding of the transitive property.
Though I'm sure Lapham must be sick of the comparison by now, the parallels to be drawn between STRAY BULLETS and PULP FICTION are irresistible to reviewers such as myself. How am I supposed to ignore the fact that two incredibly talented individuals have chosen the same genre and techniques to tell a slew of riveting stories? Both Tarantino and Lapham use non-linear chronology to tell closely interwoven tales of crimes and the people who perpetrate them. Just as Tarantino's three stories jumped hypnotically back and forth through time -- allowing a character killed in the middle of the movie to appear hale and hearty later in the film -- the fourteen issues of STRAY BULLETS skip all over the calendar: starting in 1997 with #1, jumping back to 1977 with #2, and erratically staggering through the late '70s and '80s as Lapham slowly works his way back to the '90s. That Lapham and Tarantino both write rat-a-tat dialogue, create vivid and complex characters, and use shocking violence to maintain a heightened tension simply clinches the comparison for me.
Woo and Miller, on the other hand, share more intangible qualities. They are masters of larger-than-life, style-over-substance maelstroms of action and violence. Both employ fantastic plot elements or outlandish coincidences to keep the story racing at a fever pitch, and both feature heroes who, while presented as everyday joes with down-to-earth concerns, are capable of nearly superhuman feats in a running firefight. Both Woo and Miller utilize tough guy talk and action sequences so over-the-top as to nearly fall into the abyss of campiness, but the grim seriousness of the characters and situations keep Woo and Miller from plunging over that edge. Ultimately, the plots and character are secondary to the charged atmosphere and dazzling visuals these two artisans create. Just as Woo redefines action thrillers with his ballet of bullets in FACE/OFF and his earlier films, Miller pushes black-and-white comics to a whole new level with his stark penwork on A DAME TO KILL FOR and his other SIN CITY sagas.
Whenever I think of Miller's work on SIN CITY (or any of his other comics for that matter), immediately several extremely cool images pop into my head. Only later do I start dwelling on some interesting bits of dialogue or an engaging plotline. This is probably because Miller started out as a superb artist (DAREDEVIL) and then turned out to be a rather good writer and writer/artist (DAREDEVIL, ELEKTRA, BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS, BATMAN: YEAR ONE). On the other hand, when I think of STRAY BULLETS I immediately start thinking of the characters and the plot. This is probably because Lapham started out as a good artist (SHADOWMAN, HARBINGER, RAI, WARRIORS OF PLASM) and then turned out to be a rather superb writer . . . though still only a good artist.
STRAY BULLETS began with a bang. Come to think of it, STRAY BULLETS #1 may be the one of the best first issues ever, telling a chilling and brutal tale of murder, insanity, and unrequited love. I don't want to tell any more about it, for fear of ruining it for any newbies in the audience. Suffice it to say, the story is set in 1997 and features a character, Joey, who appears as a boy throughout the rest of the series. In some ways, the series is about this lad and the unfortunate events that shape the man he becomes.
The main character of STRAY BULLETS, however, is Virginia Applejack. Introduced as a young girl, Virginia's life becomes a long sequence of escalating troubles after witnessing an alleyway murder. Schoolyard violence, sexual molestation, domestic abuse, and family tragedy all contribute to Virginia's need to run away from home. Her wanderings bring her into contact with Orson, Beth and Nina. This trio, whose backstory gets as much "screen time" as Virginia's, consists of three young, confused adults on the lam from a crime boss and his thugs with two suitcases of stolen cocaine. Obviously, involvement with the trio is not going to improve Virginia's quality of life. Virginia's only outlet from her awful reality is through stories she writes of her futuristic outlaw doppelganger, Amy Racecar. (Feature-length Amy Racecar stories appear in issues #6, #10 and a color special.) For me, the point of the series boils down to one question: Will Amy Racecar and Virginia's own sensibility keep Virginia from travelling the same troubled path as Joey?
The story in SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR is not nearly as hard to describe. A down-on-his-luck photographer, Dwight McCarthy is lured by a married ex-girlfriend into a plot full of sex, betrayal, murder and more betrayal. I'm talking tons of hot babes and hotter action here, boys. Literally every other issue features defenestration. (Before those without dictionaries get too hot and bothered, I should point out that defenestration is an act of violence and not a sex act.) For fans of the original SIN CITY mini-series, its protagonist Marv shows up in a supporting role since A DAME TO KILL FOR takes place in time just before and during the events of Marv's own ultra-violent feature. The story is actually pretty irrelevant, but the artwork looks amazing, the narration features wonderfully hard-boiled monologues, and the dialogue is crisp and biting. While the plot is not entirely riveting, Miller's obvious love for the material is sufficiently compelling.
Visceral or cerebral? Which is your pleasure? Frankly, I want them both whenever possible. For me, that's why PULP FICT- . . . um, STRAY BULLETS, I mean, wins in this showdown. Sure FACE/O- . . . ahem, SIN CITY is exciting to look at while I'm reading it, but once I've put it away in a box I don't dwell on it. STRAY BULLETS, however, stays with me. It has the thrills and violence to keep me on the edge of my seat while I'm reading it, it has the complexity that challenges me to unravel its secrets, and it has the themes and ideas which linger in my brain long into the night. Now, if only Frank Miller would consent to draw STRAY BULLETS under Lapham's scripting I think I'd be in heaven. (Tarantino and Woo together might not be too bad either . . . )
STRAY BULLETS Grade: A+
SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR Grade: B
From the June 1998 edition with a theme of "Crime Comics II":
INTRODUCTION
It's time to return to the mean streets.
Yes, let's get down into the gutter with the gray- and black-hearted souls that inhabit the world of crime comics. These are stories told from the criminal's point of view, be he a petty thief or a cold-blooded killer. "Crime doesn't pay," goes the old saying, but it sure can entertain.
In case the tough guys of ROAD TO PERDITION, STRAY BULLETS, and SIN CITY glorify crime a little too much and give some of my readers inappropriate ideas, I'm throwing in CUCKOO to give everyone a reminder that crime has consequences that echo through society long after the clank of the cell door and the final sizzle of the electric chair have faded away.
FROM THE BACKLIST
STRAY BULLETS #1-14 (El Capitan)
SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR #1-6 (Dark Horse Comics/Legend)
Two of the better crime comics being produced today happen to be polar opposites in approach: substance versus style. Comparing David Lapham's STRAY BULLETS to Frank Miller's SIN CITY is not dissimilar from comparing Quentin Tarantino's PULP FICTION to John Woo's FACE/OFF. But hey, I review comics not movies, so I'm not supposed to compare PULP FICTION to FACE/OFF. Instead, I shall compare STRAY BULLETS to PULP FICTION and SIN CITY to FACE/OFF, then compare STRAY BULLETS to SIN CITY. These are all legitimate, comic-centric comparisons. I, the comic reviewer, hereby deny any responsibility for conclusions drawn by readers with an understanding of the transitive property.
Though I'm sure Lapham must be sick of the comparison by now, the parallels to be drawn between STRAY BULLETS and PULP FICTION are irresistible to reviewers such as myself. How am I supposed to ignore the fact that two incredibly talented individuals have chosen the same genre and techniques to tell a slew of riveting stories? Both Tarantino and Lapham use non-linear chronology to tell closely interwoven tales of crimes and the people who perpetrate them. Just as Tarantino's three stories jumped hypnotically back and forth through time -- allowing a character killed in the middle of the movie to appear hale and hearty later in the film -- the fourteen issues of STRAY BULLETS skip all over the calendar: starting in 1997 with #1, jumping back to 1977 with #2, and erratically staggering through the late '70s and '80s as Lapham slowly works his way back to the '90s. That Lapham and Tarantino both write rat-a-tat dialogue, create vivid and complex characters, and use shocking violence to maintain a heightened tension simply clinches the comparison for me.
Woo and Miller, on the other hand, share more intangible qualities. They are masters of larger-than-life, style-over-substance maelstroms of action and violence. Both employ fantastic plot elements or outlandish coincidences to keep the story racing at a fever pitch, and both feature heroes who, while presented as everyday joes with down-to-earth concerns, are capable of nearly superhuman feats in a running firefight. Both Woo and Miller utilize tough guy talk and action sequences so over-the-top as to nearly fall into the abyss of campiness, but the grim seriousness of the characters and situations keep Woo and Miller from plunging over that edge. Ultimately, the plots and character are secondary to the charged atmosphere and dazzling visuals these two artisans create. Just as Woo redefines action thrillers with his ballet of bullets in FACE/OFF and his earlier films, Miller pushes black-and-white comics to a whole new level with his stark penwork on A DAME TO KILL FOR and his other SIN CITY sagas.
Whenever I think of Miller's work on SIN CITY (or any of his other comics for that matter), immediately several extremely cool images pop into my head. Only later do I start dwelling on some interesting bits of dialogue or an engaging plotline. This is probably because Miller started out as a superb artist (DAREDEVIL) and then turned out to be a rather good writer and writer/artist (DAREDEVIL, ELEKTRA, BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS, BATMAN: YEAR ONE). On the other hand, when I think of STRAY BULLETS I immediately start thinking of the characters and the plot. This is probably because Lapham started out as a good artist (SHADOWMAN, HARBINGER, RAI, WARRIORS OF PLASM) and then turned out to be a rather superb writer . . . though still only a good artist.
STRAY BULLETS began with a bang. Come to think of it, STRAY BULLETS #1 may be the one of the best first issues ever, telling a chilling and brutal tale of murder, insanity, and unrequited love. I don't want to tell any more about it, for fear of ruining it for any newbies in the audience. Suffice it to say, the story is set in 1997 and features a character, Joey, who appears as a boy throughout the rest of the series. In some ways, the series is about this lad and the unfortunate events that shape the man he becomes.
The main character of STRAY BULLETS, however, is Virginia Applejack. Introduced as a young girl, Virginia's life becomes a long sequence of escalating troubles after witnessing an alleyway murder. Schoolyard violence, sexual molestation, domestic abuse, and family tragedy all contribute to Virginia's need to run away from home. Her wanderings bring her into contact with Orson, Beth and Nina. This trio, whose backstory gets as much "screen time" as Virginia's, consists of three young, confused adults on the lam from a crime boss and his thugs with two suitcases of stolen cocaine. Obviously, involvement with the trio is not going to improve Virginia's quality of life. Virginia's only outlet from her awful reality is through stories she writes of her futuristic outlaw doppelganger, Amy Racecar. (Feature-length Amy Racecar stories appear in issues #6, #10 and a color special.) For me, the point of the series boils down to one question: Will Amy Racecar and Virginia's own sensibility keep Virginia from travelling the same troubled path as Joey?
The story in SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR is not nearly as hard to describe. A down-on-his-luck photographer, Dwight McCarthy is lured by a married ex-girlfriend into a plot full of sex, betrayal, murder and more betrayal. I'm talking tons of hot babes and hotter action here, boys. Literally every other issue features defenestration. (Before those without dictionaries get too hot and bothered, I should point out that defenestration is an act of violence and not a sex act.) For fans of the original SIN CITY mini-series, its protagonist Marv shows up in a supporting role since A DAME TO KILL FOR takes place in time just before and during the events of Marv's own ultra-violent feature. The story is actually pretty irrelevant, but the artwork looks amazing, the narration features wonderfully hard-boiled monologues, and the dialogue is crisp and biting. While the plot is not entirely riveting, Miller's obvious love for the material is sufficiently compelling.
Visceral or cerebral? Which is your pleasure? Frankly, I want them both whenever possible. For me, that's why PULP FICT- . . . um, STRAY BULLETS, I mean, wins in this showdown. Sure FACE/O- . . . ahem, SIN CITY is exciting to look at while I'm reading it, but once I've put it away in a box I don't dwell on it. STRAY BULLETS, however, stays with me. It has the thrills and violence to keep me on the edge of my seat while I'm reading it, it has the complexity that challenges me to unravel its secrets, and it has the themes and ideas which linger in my brain long into the night. Now, if only Frank Miller would consent to draw STRAY BULLETS under Lapham's scripting I think I'd be in heaven. (Tarantino and Woo together might not be too bad either . . . )
STRAY BULLETS Grade: A+
SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR Grade: B
October 18, 2017
It's been over a decade since I first read Stray Bullets. I've really missed this comic!
July 27, 2016
Suburban darkness in black and white. What if Pettibone did sequential art? His name might be Lapham. The issues get better and better -- as the story begins to fold in on itself and tear around the edges.
November 7, 2019
The dialogue is the best thing about this comic. It feels so real and human. The next best thing are the stories which feature some extraordinary events that will push the characters to extreme measures involving violence and murder. They are loosely linked, but so much so that they might as well be one-shots. All in all, a solid read, if you don't mind the black and white artwork.
Joey and Frank are transporting a Harry's ex-girlfriend'sÌýdead body in the trunk. A flat tire forces them to stop and a police officer stumbles onto them. Joey panics and kills the officer.
YoungÌýGinny witnesses wise guys settling debts by killing each other. She starts behaving violently as a result and gets in trouble at school. She atacks a boy who provokes her and puts him in the hospital.
A love affair between Led and Nina shows that this comic can also focus on feelings. He is a soon-to-be made man in Harry's employ. She wants to get away from it all. Their story is left open, probably to be revisited.
Ginny or Virginia ran away from home after her beating. She meets a man who drives her around. He is a bit on the pedo side. He works for Harry and teaches Ginny the tricks of the trade - handling a gun, robbing a store.
Joey and Frank are transporting a Harry's ex-girlfriend'sÌýdead body in the trunk. A flat tire forces them to stop and a police officer stumbles onto them. Joey panics and kills the officer.
YoungÌýGinny witnesses wise guys settling debts by killing each other. She starts behaving violently as a result and gets in trouble at school. She atacks a boy who provokes her and puts him in the hospital.
A love affair between Led and Nina shows that this comic can also focus on feelings. He is a soon-to-be made man in Harry's employ. She wants to get away from it all. Their story is left open, probably to be revisited.
Ginny or Virginia ran away from home after her beating. She meets a man who drives her around. He is a bit on the pedo side. He works for Harry and teaches Ginny the tricks of the trade - handling a gun, robbing a store.
May 27, 2017
This came out of nowhere. It was included in a subscription service I pay to read a bunch of free comics each month. It's old (90s I think) so I suppose that's why it was free. It is outstanding. Even if you are not into comics but appreciate a dark, disturbing, well-told story. Check this one out. You won't be disappointed. I thought these were real stories at first which made them more disturbing but I do not believe they are. Even so, brilliant writing and the black and white illustrations are some of the best in the business. Very adult themed stuff, so... you know... it's not a Spiderman comic.
February 28, 2019
Solid beginning to Lapham's now classic "Stray Bullets" series, that leaves you a bit hanging, definitely hooks you. The various stories are tense and nicely gritty, with crisply realistic art from the get go. He also manages to surprise you with where the story goes, such as the tense car ride an adolescent Amy Racecar has with a stranger. However, later issue that a strange, science fiction turn that throws the serious off from it's grittier crime noir. Nevertheless, a nice read to one of the best crime comic book series in recent years.
February 3, 2019
It loses some steam near the end (what on earth was that last one about? She saw God in her coma and then started robbing banks? Is that what happened?), but goodness, that's a measure more bleak than any crime comic you'd read from Brubaker or Aaron. If you're into that sort of thing, check Stray Bullets out.
May 14, 2017
Sets the table nicely for what's to come
February 19, 2018
Brutal tales of losers. I'm afraid to find out who the dead girl in the first issue is.
September 16, 2018
Brutal.
January 19, 2019
A very engaging graphic novel. It's won lots of awards for good reason, the stories are not only well written but brilliantly inked. I'm working through the next volume as I write this.
March 12, 2019
This honestly just really disturbed me, and not in a good way.
September 22, 2019
Title redolent, nostalgia and blood. Tragic and splendid.
January 4, 2020
Very Dark tales.
January 28, 2020
Uma história mais fudida e mais pesada que a outra. Obra prima.
February 27, 2020
This series has really grown on me. Going back to read the older stuff after working through the more recent arc.
August 21, 2020
Maybe it’s that it was Over hyped to me so I expected more but while the plot was alright, the dialogue and panel work and line work was pretty forgettable. Shrug. Was fine.
December 6, 2021
The puzzle of how the stories intertwined was interesting. Otherwise I found the violence and slurs disturbing and unenjoyable.
February 10, 2023
Beautiful and violent. Black and white that keeps me up at night.
January 9, 2014
First, let me say that while the description here on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ says that this book contains the first SEVEN issues of Stray Bullets, but the edition I'm reviewing only contains the first FOUR.
This book was great. I'd heard of Stray Bullets for years, always meaning to read some. I'm glad I finally did.
I've not really read much stuff by David Lapham, but the stuff I have read has been absolutely haunting and memorable. This book is no exception.
Out kind of reminds me of Frank Miller's "Sin City", with maybe a little more day to day life mingled in amidst the crime stories.
This is a book I'd definitely recommend and a series I'll be checking out more of.
*- I read this book as digitally downloaded single issues of Stray Bullets #s 1-4.
This book was great. I'd heard of Stray Bullets for years, always meaning to read some. I'm glad I finally did.
I've not really read much stuff by David Lapham, but the stuff I have read has been absolutely haunting and memorable. This book is no exception.
Out kind of reminds me of Frank Miller's "Sin City", with maybe a little more day to day life mingled in amidst the crime stories.
This is a book I'd definitely recommend and a series I'll be checking out more of.
*- I read this book as digitally downloaded single issues of Stray Bullets #s 1-4.
April 15, 2015
Lapham crafts these stories well, each issue having a specific theme but related to an overarching and recurrent cast of characters. Each time a character reappears, a new facet of their personality is explored.
The stories are sometimes shocking, sometimes disturbing but they are all highly original and I would recommend them to any fan of noir and crime stories.
This is comic writing at its best.
The only issue I have with the stories is that there is an uneven sense of quaity from story to story and the shocking endings might imply one thing while at a later time the story seems to chage into something quite different.
Youll understand what I mean if you read the collection.
Now on to Volume 2
The stories are sometimes shocking, sometimes disturbing but they are all highly original and I would recommend them to any fan of noir and crime stories.
This is comic writing at its best.
The only issue I have with the stories is that there is an uneven sense of quaity from story to story and the shocking endings might imply one thing while at a later time the story seems to chage into something quite different.
Youll understand what I mean if you read the collection.
Now on to Volume 2
December 7, 2014
Black-and-white comic collection
A series of black and white violent stories, all inter-connected, jumping about from one time period to another.
There’s a fair amount of violence, some of it mindless. The stories are all connected but zap aback and forth in time. If this is not read in one go, it’s difficult to remember where everyone fits in because of the flashbacks and flash-forwards.
Quite entertaining but not really my cup of tea.
Recommended to those who like comics about hard living.
A series of black and white violent stories, all inter-connected, jumping about from one time period to another.
There’s a fair amount of violence, some of it mindless. The stories are all connected but zap aback and forth in time. If this is not read in one go, it’s difficult to remember where everyone fits in because of the flashbacks and flash-forwards.
Quite entertaining but not really my cup of tea.
Recommended to those who like comics about hard living.
March 20, 2021
The first volume in a ground breaking and hugely innovative series. I've read a few random issues over the years and enjoyed them all. That's one of the strengths of the series, it cracks that single issue or collection trick.
Whatever way they are read, the art is consistently first class, the mood deliciously evoked and even if the story telling occasionally wobbles, it never falls over. And when it's good, it's very good.
Whatever way they are read, the art is consistently first class, the mood deliciously evoked and even if the story telling occasionally wobbles, it never falls over. And when it's good, it's very good.
September 13, 2015
I thought this started off well but then I found this confusing with all the bouncing around in time and it just did not seem to flow well. I was not sure if this was one story and they were bouncing around it time to fill in the gaps of how everybody got to where they were or if it was separate stories.
May 2, 2017
The artwork is killer, it's super detailed and professional but has a hint of underground grunginess to it. Each issue tells a different story set in the same little world. Most of them are pretty depressing, but they're all exciting and evoke a tone that's unique to this graphic novel, I've never read anything else like it.
January 9, 2016
I really liked this. The digital volume I read had issues 1-4 and even though they jumped around in time the stories do seem to be interconnected. I'm curious to find out more about the mysterious Harry and will probably read more of the series. The art work is simple black and white but works well with the dark theme of the book.
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