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Stray Bullets #1-5
Stray Bullets: Ãœber Alles Edition
The original five story arcs of one of the all-time greatest crime comic series are collected in this GIANT 1,200 page volume. “The Innocence of Nihilism,� “Somewhere Out West,� “Other People,� “Dark Days,� and “HiJinks and Derring-Do� appear in their entirety.
Details Magazine called STRAY BULLETS “[a]s visually distinct as it is gripping to read. It's violent without being voyeuristic, bursting with heart and sadness.�
STRAY BULLETS took the comic book industry by storm when it debuted in 1995—nineteen years ago this month—and won multiple Eisner Awards. Overnight, its harrowing portrayal of contemporary life became required reading and influenced a generation of cartoonists. Too long out of print, STRAY BULLETS is finally back with this ultimate Über Alles edition, reprinting all that came before and setting the stage for STRAY BULLETS: THE KILLERS, the first of many new story arcs to come. DO NOT MISS THIS!
Details Magazine called STRAY BULLETS “[a]s visually distinct as it is gripping to read. It's violent without being voyeuristic, bursting with heart and sadness.�
STRAY BULLETS took the comic book industry by storm when it debuted in 1995—nineteen years ago this month—and won multiple Eisner Awards. Overnight, its harrowing portrayal of contemporary life became required reading and influenced a generation of cartoonists. Too long out of print, STRAY BULLETS is finally back with this ultimate Über Alles edition, reprinting all that came before and setting the stage for STRAY BULLETS: THE KILLERS, the first of many new story arcs to come. DO NOT MISS THIS!
1200 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 84 reviews
April 1, 2015
Stray Bullets: Uber Alles Edition (the subtitle is German for “above all�) collects the first 41 issues of this amazing series. I’ve reviewed #1-29 as four separate volumes - Volume 1: Innocence of Nihilism,Volume 2: Somewhere Out West, Volume 3: Other People, and Volume 4: Dark Days - so this review is for #30-41 aka the fifth story arc, Hi-Jinks and Derring-Do.
I want to get this out of the way at the top of the review because this is the only truly negative thing I will say about Stray Bullets and it’s entirely to do with the format, not the comics themselves which are near flawless: for the love of criminy, David and Maria Lapham, GET AN E-BOOK OPTION!!
This paperback, which runs to nearly 1200 pages, is a fucking BEAST. It’s so heavy and unwieldy I can only really read it when I sit upright, leaning over the book with it balanced on my knee or on a desk � an uncomfortable position I don’t like holding for the duration of a book. I can’t sit back on my couch or lie on my bed or take it with me when I travel � I can’t take it anywhere really � like I would if I was reading it on my Kindle or iPad.
As a result, I bought this edition the week before Christmas 2014 and I’ve only just finished it in April 2015. Had this been an ebook, I would’ve knocked this sucker out by Christmas Eve 2014 because the comics are so damn good! Yeesh. I love print too, and I’m not saying don’t bother with it, I’m just saying have an electronic edition as an option for Uber Alles. I would’ve paid the same price for an ebook edition as I did the print because Stray Bullets is worth it, whatever the format. C’mon guys, it’s the �90s.
Ahh, that’s better. I’ve been holding in that complaint for over 4 months now! Onto the Hi-Jinks and Derring-Do.
After the horrors of the last book, there’s a lighter coda to Amy and Bobby’s story in California as Amy rescues Bobby’s dad’s magnum from a group of older kids who nicked it off poor clueless Bobby. That final splash page is fantastic and kinda sweet too. It’s somewhat bittersweet though as it’s dated before their abduction and subsequent abuse.
I can’t believe it’s taken me this many comics to realise something this obvious but Ginny, Virginia Applejack, Amy, and Amy Racecar are all one and the same person! The entire series has been about her life from when we see her outside a movie theatre showing Star Wars in 1977, watching Spanish Scott and Monster killing a dude in an alley, up to the final page (the Amy Racecar sequences are her imagination/comics she made with Bobby).
It’s a helluva character portrait, sustained for so long from when the series began in the mid-90s to a couple years ago. If you’ve been following her adventures, it’s easy to see how she became such a hardened person, capable of literally fist-fighting with guys twice her size in the schoolyard. In a way Ginny’s become her heroic, rogueish alter-ego, Amy Racecar, by the end of the book. Bruce Wayne fought as viciously and he became Batman!
The Hi-Jinks storyline is Amy’s return to life back east as Virginia Applejack, back to a mother who resents her, a sister who dislikes her, and a stepfather with a secret. She makes the acquaintance of a nerd who gets picked on, Leon, becomes his protector, and causes chaos amongst the jocks and burnout gangs at school. Along the way she continues her development as a burgeoning vigilante, helping out an innocent pair of lovers from an avaricious rival, and defeating a psychotic football player. We also meet another of Harry’s enforcers, The Finger, who embroils some of Amy’s rivals in a drug blackmail scheme. And, like in all of the Stray Bullets books, there’s an Amy Racecar story, this one placing her in the world of Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai!
I didn’t love the storyline here as much as I did others like Somewhere Out West and Dark Days. Part of that might be that this is the longest arc yet but also because the storyline isn’t as intense. It is exciting at times and still a fine book, but the schoolkids gone crazy story doesn’t measure up to the action we’ve seen from when the gangsters and the loonies get stirred up. Mike Hussey, the psychotic football player and Amy’s nemesis, wasn’t that great a villain either despite a promising start to his descent into madness. In the end it’s just a dumb teenager with a handgun, the image of which is a bit underwhelming, especially given the more powerful figures around him.
I’d give Hi-Jinks and Derring-Do four stars, like Volume 3: Other People, partly for the reasons above, partly because it’s not as varied or imaginative as the other volumes have been, all of which are a solid five stars across the board.
As for the series as a whole? Without question Stray Bullets is one of the best comics titles I’ve ever read, up there with Sin City, Scalped, Transmetropolitan, and Hellboy. David Lapham has created an extraordinary world of fascinating characters with simple black and white art on an eight panel grid. He’s an incredibly talented writer who writes convincingly realistic and white-hot dialogue, memorable and fully-fleshed out characters who get thrown into fast-paced, totally gripping storylines that run parallel to and intersect with each other in the most wonderful ways. They’re dark stories but are told in the most tasteful and compelling way.
He’s also a brilliant artist capable of a wide-range of expression in his figures from their faces to their body language. And he knows precisely how to make the stories fit within the eight panel format � not a single panel is wasted and each one is used to effectively advance the plot. Quite simply, David Lapham is a born comics creator who can do everything to an enormously high artistic standard.
I recommend Stray Bullets to all comics fans everywhere � but maybe wait for a more manageable edition/s to pick up the series, unless you’re into weight-training!
I want to get this out of the way at the top of the review because this is the only truly negative thing I will say about Stray Bullets and it’s entirely to do with the format, not the comics themselves which are near flawless: for the love of criminy, David and Maria Lapham, GET AN E-BOOK OPTION!!
This paperback, which runs to nearly 1200 pages, is a fucking BEAST. It’s so heavy and unwieldy I can only really read it when I sit upright, leaning over the book with it balanced on my knee or on a desk � an uncomfortable position I don’t like holding for the duration of a book. I can’t sit back on my couch or lie on my bed or take it with me when I travel � I can’t take it anywhere really � like I would if I was reading it on my Kindle or iPad.
As a result, I bought this edition the week before Christmas 2014 and I’ve only just finished it in April 2015. Had this been an ebook, I would’ve knocked this sucker out by Christmas Eve 2014 because the comics are so damn good! Yeesh. I love print too, and I’m not saying don’t bother with it, I’m just saying have an electronic edition as an option for Uber Alles. I would’ve paid the same price for an ebook edition as I did the print because Stray Bullets is worth it, whatever the format. C’mon guys, it’s the �90s.
Ahh, that’s better. I’ve been holding in that complaint for over 4 months now! Onto the Hi-Jinks and Derring-Do.
After the horrors of the last book, there’s a lighter coda to Amy and Bobby’s story in California as Amy rescues Bobby’s dad’s magnum from a group of older kids who nicked it off poor clueless Bobby. That final splash page is fantastic and kinda sweet too. It’s somewhat bittersweet though as it’s dated before their abduction and subsequent abuse.
I can’t believe it’s taken me this many comics to realise something this obvious but Ginny, Virginia Applejack, Amy, and Amy Racecar are all one and the same person! The entire series has been about her life from when we see her outside a movie theatre showing Star Wars in 1977, watching Spanish Scott and Monster killing a dude in an alley, up to the final page (the Amy Racecar sequences are her imagination/comics she made with Bobby).
It’s a helluva character portrait, sustained for so long from when the series began in the mid-90s to a couple years ago. If you’ve been following her adventures, it’s easy to see how she became such a hardened person, capable of literally fist-fighting with guys twice her size in the schoolyard. In a way Ginny’s become her heroic, rogueish alter-ego, Amy Racecar, by the end of the book. Bruce Wayne fought as viciously and he became Batman!
The Hi-Jinks storyline is Amy’s return to life back east as Virginia Applejack, back to a mother who resents her, a sister who dislikes her, and a stepfather with a secret. She makes the acquaintance of a nerd who gets picked on, Leon, becomes his protector, and causes chaos amongst the jocks and burnout gangs at school. Along the way she continues her development as a burgeoning vigilante, helping out an innocent pair of lovers from an avaricious rival, and defeating a psychotic football player. We also meet another of Harry’s enforcers, The Finger, who embroils some of Amy’s rivals in a drug blackmail scheme. And, like in all of the Stray Bullets books, there’s an Amy Racecar story, this one placing her in the world of Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai!
I didn’t love the storyline here as much as I did others like Somewhere Out West and Dark Days. Part of that might be that this is the longest arc yet but also because the storyline isn’t as intense. It is exciting at times and still a fine book, but the schoolkids gone crazy story doesn’t measure up to the action we’ve seen from when the gangsters and the loonies get stirred up. Mike Hussey, the psychotic football player and Amy’s nemesis, wasn’t that great a villain either despite a promising start to his descent into madness. In the end it’s just a dumb teenager with a handgun, the image of which is a bit underwhelming, especially given the more powerful figures around him.
I’d give Hi-Jinks and Derring-Do four stars, like Volume 3: Other People, partly for the reasons above, partly because it’s not as varied or imaginative as the other volumes have been, all of which are a solid five stars across the board.
As for the series as a whole? Without question Stray Bullets is one of the best comics titles I’ve ever read, up there with Sin City, Scalped, Transmetropolitan, and Hellboy. David Lapham has created an extraordinary world of fascinating characters with simple black and white art on an eight panel grid. He’s an incredibly talented writer who writes convincingly realistic and white-hot dialogue, memorable and fully-fleshed out characters who get thrown into fast-paced, totally gripping storylines that run parallel to and intersect with each other in the most wonderful ways. They’re dark stories but are told in the most tasteful and compelling way.
He’s also a brilliant artist capable of a wide-range of expression in his figures from their faces to their body language. And he knows precisely how to make the stories fit within the eight panel format � not a single panel is wasted and each one is used to effectively advance the plot. Quite simply, David Lapham is a born comics creator who can do everything to an enormously high artistic standard.
I recommend Stray Bullets to all comics fans everywhere � but maybe wait for a more manageable edition/s to pick up the series, unless you’re into weight-training!
July 24, 2021
Stray Bullets: Uber Alles Edition collects issues 1-41 of Stray Bullets.
I've read a few hundred crime books and a few thousand comics but somehow I've read less than 100 crime comics all told prior to this. I wasn't reading many comics when Stray Bullets was coming out but I remember how favorably people in the know looked upon it and I was already a fan of David Lapham through his Valiant and Defiant work. Anyway, I found this for $35 not very long ago and it was worth every damned penny.
Told out of chronological order, Stray Bullets features a lot of lowlifes like Joey, The Finger, Spanish Scott, Monster, and some people who are lowlife adjacent like Beth, Nina, and Orson. When the smoke clears, though, the book is really about the life of Virginia Applejack and those whose lives she intersects with.
The stark black and white artwork is a far crime from the superhero stuff Lapham did at Valiant and Defiant. It's moody as hell and is more akin to Jaime Hernandez or Alex Toth. His use of black perfectly sets the mood. Even the sunny days are dark in Stray Bullets.
I don't want to give too much away about the various plots packed into this almost 1200 page kitten squisher. Little Virgina Applejack runs away from home and winds up in a web of drug, money, and murder, meeting shitheels and lowlifes at every turn. There's weird shit, sick shit, dark shit, twisted shit and violent shit in this. There are homages to crime movies and detective stories but a lot of the book is about the violence and betrayal hiding just around the corner. No one is safe and no one can be trusted completely.
By the end of the book, I was sad that it was over but also kind of relieved. This wasn't an easy read but I still couldn't put it down for long.
Stray Bullets. Five out of five stars. Go buy the son of a bitch.
I've read a few hundred crime books and a few thousand comics but somehow I've read less than 100 crime comics all told prior to this. I wasn't reading many comics when Stray Bullets was coming out but I remember how favorably people in the know looked upon it and I was already a fan of David Lapham through his Valiant and Defiant work. Anyway, I found this for $35 not very long ago and it was worth every damned penny.
Told out of chronological order, Stray Bullets features a lot of lowlifes like Joey, The Finger, Spanish Scott, Monster, and some people who are lowlife adjacent like Beth, Nina, and Orson. When the smoke clears, though, the book is really about the life of Virginia Applejack and those whose lives she intersects with.
The stark black and white artwork is a far crime from the superhero stuff Lapham did at Valiant and Defiant. It's moody as hell and is more akin to Jaime Hernandez or Alex Toth. His use of black perfectly sets the mood. Even the sunny days are dark in Stray Bullets.
I don't want to give too much away about the various plots packed into this almost 1200 page kitten squisher. Little Virgina Applejack runs away from home and winds up in a web of drug, money, and murder, meeting shitheels and lowlifes at every turn. There's weird shit, sick shit, dark shit, twisted shit and violent shit in this. There are homages to crime movies and detective stories but a lot of the book is about the violence and betrayal hiding just around the corner. No one is safe and no one can be trusted completely.
By the end of the book, I was sad that it was over but also kind of relieved. This wasn't an easy read but I still couldn't put it down for long.
Stray Bullets. Five out of five stars. Go buy the son of a bitch.
November 12, 2018
Holy fuck, this is one BIG ass book. We're talking over 1200+ pages. Saying that, this is one of the best comics ever created.
This is a story which takes place through various years and all connecting throughout. Stories of murder, suicide, cheating, child abuse, and more. It keeps going and going with two main characters. Amy and Beth. The story spans 20+ years so with that we get different view points of both characters. Beth teen years to adult, and Amy's child years to teens. The way they eventually overlap and become together is amazing.
What works so so so well here is the gripping storyline of each individual issue. you can read 90% of these issues by itself, no need to read anything else, and still get emotion. This is a heavy book (not just literally) and it really is hard to read all in one sitting even if you're loving it. Some stories strike close to home, things we've been through, or know someone has. This is a bit like pump fiction, a bit like IT (In terms of the kids at school and them being through hell), and a bit of every crime story ever created but in the best ways.
Good: Love, love, love the hell out of the storylines with Amy and Beth. Both intriguing and heartbreaking, these stories never stop being interested. I also loved 95% of the storylines that are individually told. Side characters talking about their sex life, or cheating, or whatever is STILL so damn good. I also thought the art was great and fit the tone of dialogue perfectly.
Bad: I didn't love all the Amy Racer stories. Some went on a bit long. I get what they were there for but took me out of the story sometimes.
Overall I loved it. This will stick with me as one of the best stories in comics of all times for me. A 5 out of cool beans 5.
This is a story which takes place through various years and all connecting throughout. Stories of murder, suicide, cheating, child abuse, and more. It keeps going and going with two main characters. Amy and Beth. The story spans 20+ years so with that we get different view points of both characters. Beth teen years to adult, and Amy's child years to teens. The way they eventually overlap and become together is amazing.
What works so so so well here is the gripping storyline of each individual issue. you can read 90% of these issues by itself, no need to read anything else, and still get emotion. This is a heavy book (not just literally) and it really is hard to read all in one sitting even if you're loving it. Some stories strike close to home, things we've been through, or know someone has. This is a bit like pump fiction, a bit like IT (In terms of the kids at school and them being through hell), and a bit of every crime story ever created but in the best ways.
Good: Love, love, love the hell out of the storylines with Amy and Beth. Both intriguing and heartbreaking, these stories never stop being interested. I also loved 95% of the storylines that are individually told. Side characters talking about their sex life, or cheating, or whatever is STILL so damn good. I also thought the art was great and fit the tone of dialogue perfectly.
Bad: I didn't love all the Amy Racer stories. Some went on a bit long. I get what they were there for but took me out of the story sometimes.
Overall I loved it. This will stick with me as one of the best stories in comics of all times for me. A 5 out of cool beans 5.
September 28, 2023
What a fantastic volume of comics.
I wish more comics were compiled like this. I remember back in the day it was hard to get friends into comics because the $ vs time aspect just wasn't there. You'd spend $20 on a half-hours worth of reading. Probably less of an issue these days because comics are easy to get for cheap digitally and the library stocks way more. But 1200 pages of some of the best comics you'll ever read for $60 is great.
I wish more comics were compiled like this. I remember back in the day it was hard to get friends into comics because the $ vs time aspect just wasn't there. You'd spend $20 on a half-hours worth of reading. Probably less of an issue these days because comics are easy to get for cheap digitally and the library stocks way more. But 1200 pages of some of the best comics you'll ever read for $60 is great.
June 17, 2020
I began buying and reading Stray Bullets with the first comic book issue in 1995 and followed it over the next decade, but with its irregular schedule and a hiatus, I'm not sure I ever got the final issue of the first series. Thanks to this giant omnibus from the library, I am finally able to re-read the first 41 issues as one big ass and awesome graphic novel.
My thoughts on the first 14 issues from a review I wrote in 1998:
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.
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?
Twenty-five years later, I think the book holds up pretty well. And reading it all together for the first time, I can see the through line clearly and tell all the characters apart and see the connections as they appear and reappear in the story. There's too much of the imaginary Amy Racecar and there are some digressions in the middle that weren't necessary, but the closing arc with an older and harder Virginia Applejack facing a truly awful high school experience sends the book out on a high note.
I need to catch up on the sequel series now, and ooh, there they are on Hoopla. Soon!
My thoughts on the first 14 issues from a review I wrote in 1998:
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.
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?
Twenty-five years later, I think the book holds up pretty well. And reading it all together for the first time, I can see the through line clearly and tell all the characters apart and see the connections as they appear and reappear in the story. There's too much of the imaginary Amy Racecar and there are some digressions in the middle that weren't necessary, but the closing arc with an older and harder Virginia Applejack facing a truly awful high school experience sends the book out on a high note.
I need to catch up on the sequel series now, and ooh, there they are on Hoopla. Soon!
March 25, 2014
The Innocence of Nihilism (1-7). This is an amazing first volume. I love the structure of the book, with its kaleidoscope focus on some many characters in some many timeframes. More than once I found myself flipping back and forth to make sure I understood the connections. The storytelling is also very strong, with most of the issues ending with rather shocking moments of the sort that a more traditional comic would be afraid to include, because they'd create too much change.
With that all said, it's the characters that really make the volume. In particular, this is Ginny's story, as she's beset by too many young tragedy. However, we also get an interesting focus on Joey (and his mother Rose.) As we see this young people grow up, it's easy to reflect upon what we learn by what we see.
The one issue I didn't love was #6, with Amy Racecar. It's a wacky and violent future story that only gains context when you realize that it must be a story written by Ginny. Read in that context, it has some additional weight (and even sets up some things in issue #7).
Overall a very readable and rereadable comic! [10/10]
Somewhere Out West (8-14). Not nearly as strong as the first volume, primarily because it focuses on a much more linear story. Still, it gains weight as the story goes on, to the point where the last (50 page!) story is tense & otherwise brilliant. The way that various characters come together is excellent & Ginnie offers some fun metatextuality. Overall, this is still quite an enjoyable read. [7/10]
Other People (15-22). I was happy to see a return to the fragmented storytelling of volume 1, but this volume just doesn't have the same heft. I think there's a lot of factors in this: there's not as much crime and not as much shock; the stories are less connected; and there's no particular finale. Nonetheless, these were more enjoyable stories to read, thanks primarily to the characters and to the delightfully terrible situations they end up in [7-/10].
Dark Days (23-30). This is a nice composite of Lapham's earlier styles. Like Somewhere Out West (#2) it tells a cohesive story and like The Innocence of Nihilism (#1) it plays with structure and time. But it combines the two methodologies. The result is the strongest volume of Stray Bullets since the original. There are great characters here and (more importantly) great tension. The result is lovely (and leaves many of our characters in states where we want to know more about what happens to them!). [8/10]
Hi-Jinks & Derry-Do (31-41). A rather surprising return to normalcy, though it's obvious from the start that Ginnie's no longer up for the normal world (and that's part of the delight of this arc). Lapham continues to play with form, sometimes with great success (in Ginny's diary story which parallels much of the other action), and sometimes less so (in the hearing aid story, which doesn't feel dramatic because it's so over the top). [7/10]
Overall, this is a pretty great comic, and it's great to read it through from cover to cover, to see all of the interrelations. Lapham has never regained the breezy style of interrelating characters that he pioneered in the first volume, but the stories continue to be addictively readable.
With that all said, it's the characters that really make the volume. In particular, this is Ginny's story, as she's beset by too many young tragedy. However, we also get an interesting focus on Joey (and his mother Rose.) As we see this young people grow up, it's easy to reflect upon what we learn by what we see.
The one issue I didn't love was #6, with Amy Racecar. It's a wacky and violent future story that only gains context when you realize that it must be a story written by Ginny. Read in that context, it has some additional weight (and even sets up some things in issue #7).
Overall a very readable and rereadable comic! [10/10]
Somewhere Out West (8-14). Not nearly as strong as the first volume, primarily because it focuses on a much more linear story. Still, it gains weight as the story goes on, to the point where the last (50 page!) story is tense & otherwise brilliant. The way that various characters come together is excellent & Ginnie offers some fun metatextuality. Overall, this is still quite an enjoyable read. [7/10]
Other People (15-22). I was happy to see a return to the fragmented storytelling of volume 1, but this volume just doesn't have the same heft. I think there's a lot of factors in this: there's not as much crime and not as much shock; the stories are less connected; and there's no particular finale. Nonetheless, these were more enjoyable stories to read, thanks primarily to the characters and to the delightfully terrible situations they end up in [7-/10].
Dark Days (23-30). This is a nice composite of Lapham's earlier styles. Like Somewhere Out West (#2) it tells a cohesive story and like The Innocence of Nihilism (#1) it plays with structure and time. But it combines the two methodologies. The result is the strongest volume of Stray Bullets since the original. There are great characters here and (more importantly) great tension. The result is lovely (and leaves many of our characters in states where we want to know more about what happens to them!). [8/10]
Hi-Jinks & Derry-Do (31-41). A rather surprising return to normalcy, though it's obvious from the start that Ginnie's no longer up for the normal world (and that's part of the delight of this arc). Lapham continues to play with form, sometimes with great success (in Ginny's diary story which parallels much of the other action), and sometimes less so (in the hearing aid story, which doesn't feel dramatic because it's so over the top). [7/10]
Overall, this is a pretty great comic, and it's great to read it through from cover to cover, to see all of the interrelations. Lapham has never regained the breezy style of interrelating characters that he pioneered in the first volume, but the stories continue to be addictively readable.
May 3, 2014
I bought the first two Stray Bullets collections when they were reissued a few years ago but for some reason didn’t complete the run, so when I saw this "Über Alles Edition� collating all 41 issues of the original comic into one enormous book I snapped it up. At 55mm thick it’s a behemoth of a book, and any thicker and you’d have distinct trouble holding the thing open to read it, but it is manageable, well presented and so full of promise.
Stray Bullets gives us a succession of interlocking, overlapping stories from various characters' perspectives that sit over a 20 year period and are presented in a stuttering chronological order depending on the needs of the narrative. Largely they’re consecutive, but will sometimes jump backwards to fill in aspects of story or to explain motivations. There are a core of characters at its centre, but Lapham skilfully blends supporting parts with their very own foibles, kinks and woes in and out of the story all the way through.
The tone is a little bit Cohen Brothers, a little bit Tarantino, as it explores the seedier side of life and those that get caught up in it because they know of no other way. At the heart of it many of them aren’t bad people, but they’ve fallen into a way of life very much rooted and supported by crime that they don’t really seem to recognise an alternative. There are plenty of despicable, brutal and unpleasant souls, from vicious bullies to organised crime enforcers, and it’s the people who are rubbing shoulders, or just rubbing bruised shoulders, with these hoodlums that we begin to follow as their lives intertwine with one another.
There are a number of acts, freshening up the cast list and the setting each time, even though the change of scenery never manages to offer the fresh start it should promise from the protagonists. But its real triumph is that it’s a gripping illustration of tragedy and cruelty overlaid with hope and determination. It’s gritty and shocking, but funny and uplifting too. You’ll come to love Beth and Amy/Ginny, fear Scott and Monster, and sympathise with the lost cause that is Joey as the pulp-crime stories spill from one desperate situation to another and impact upon the lives of those they encounter.
Stray Bullets is a modern classic, and if you’re a fan of the current slew of high-quality TV box sets then grab this quick and get in one the ground floor because presenting it in this fashion shows off just how brilliant it would work if approached in the same vein as Breaking Bad. I’ll say it again: a modern classic.
Stray Bullets gives us a succession of interlocking, overlapping stories from various characters' perspectives that sit over a 20 year period and are presented in a stuttering chronological order depending on the needs of the narrative. Largely they’re consecutive, but will sometimes jump backwards to fill in aspects of story or to explain motivations. There are a core of characters at its centre, but Lapham skilfully blends supporting parts with their very own foibles, kinks and woes in and out of the story all the way through.
The tone is a little bit Cohen Brothers, a little bit Tarantino, as it explores the seedier side of life and those that get caught up in it because they know of no other way. At the heart of it many of them aren’t bad people, but they’ve fallen into a way of life very much rooted and supported by crime that they don’t really seem to recognise an alternative. There are plenty of despicable, brutal and unpleasant souls, from vicious bullies to organised crime enforcers, and it’s the people who are rubbing shoulders, or just rubbing bruised shoulders, with these hoodlums that we begin to follow as their lives intertwine with one another.
There are a number of acts, freshening up the cast list and the setting each time, even though the change of scenery never manages to offer the fresh start it should promise from the protagonists. But its real triumph is that it’s a gripping illustration of tragedy and cruelty overlaid with hope and determination. It’s gritty and shocking, but funny and uplifting too. You’ll come to love Beth and Amy/Ginny, fear Scott and Monster, and sympathise with the lost cause that is Joey as the pulp-crime stories spill from one desperate situation to another and impact upon the lives of those they encounter.
Stray Bullets is a modern classic, and if you’re a fan of the current slew of high-quality TV box sets then grab this quick and get in one the ground floor because presenting it in this fashion shows off just how brilliant it would work if approached in the same vein as Breaking Bad. I’ll say it again: a modern classic.
September 23, 2019
For several years I've been slightly pissed off at David Lapham. In the late nineties, Stray Bullets - along with Sin City, Eightball, Black Hole and a handful of other titles - was largely responsible for introducing me to the world of 'alternative' comics, reigniting my childhood enthusiasm for the medium. It remains a masterpiece of hardboiled crime and sequential art in general, with some of the most unforgettable characters and shocking moments I've encountered in over fifteen years of voracious-yet-very-selective comics consumption. After following the individual issues for awhile, I eventually settled on picking up the trade paperbacks instead; when El Capitan, Laphams' independent label devoted solely to Stray Bullets (and related projects, like his mini-series Murder Me Dead), began publishing the over-sized hardcover collections I immediately fell in love with the format (at a time when deluxe oversized hardcovers were rare things, unlike today, when every crappy series gets the deluxe treatment), and purchased the first three volumes as they appeared. After a brief hiatus from comics, completing my collection of Deluxe Edition Stray Bullets hardcovers was a top priority. Unfortunately, I discovered Lapham had released only one more hardcover, instead of the two or three necessary to collect the entire series, and apparently the print run of volume four was a very limited one... leading to a scarcity that made acquiring a copy near impossible. Worse, I discovered he had abandoned Stray Bullets mid-storyline and shut down El Capitan entirely, leaving no hope for the series ever being completed OR collected.
My irritation stemmed, of course, from the fact that Lapham could let such amazing work languish in a publishing limbo; and by not finishing the final storyline, it appeared he was willing to negate all that had come before. While I can't condemn Lapham for trading the hardships of self-publishing for the better income and stability of work as a writer for various comic imprints, I still resented the fact that someone so talented was squandering his abilities on crappy video game adaptations and D-list superheroes. While he did create some excellent work for Vertigo, most notably the graphic novel Silverfish, and some other projects that benefited from his uniquely stylized art (only Guy Davis and Paul Pope possess vaguely similar styles, easily adapting to whatever genre and mood is appropriate, be it crime, horror, or parody), his writing jobs varied wildly in terms of quality. It was obvious that supporting his family meant that cynical hack work was an unfortunate necessity, and that was that. It seemed assured that Stray Bullets would be forgotten.
I was more than surprised, obviously, to learn that Lapham had finished the final storyline, and would release the last issue through Image. Even better, he was going to resuscitate Stray Bullets, beginning with a new mini-series sub-titled 'Killers', which would focus on one of the series' most charismatic and mysterious characters, Spanish Scott. Lastly, of course, Image published this massive omnibus containing the entire 1300+ page series (as opposed to the 1194 pages listed in the product details), weighing 8 pounds; the product description on Amazon lists the dimensions of the book as 11" x 14"...It is actually a standard-size, 7" wide x 10" tall, roughly the same as the original comics. 11" x 14" would have made this book unwieldy anyway (still, you've gotta love ridiculous KE7/Little Nemo-type formats, however unpractical). One thing I was pleasantly surprised by was the paper -- a thin, yet glossy, high-quality stock that allows for darker, crisper blacks that contrast brilliantly with the arctic-white tone. The only downside is that this book is a direct market limited edition, and might not be reprinted, so grab it while you can (not a single copy was being sold on amazon.ca, I ended up paying 85$ after S & H). Hopefully, Image will decide on a 2nd edition, or finish and publish the five-volume deluxe hardcover set that will collect the entire series.
Make no mistake, this is one of the best comics of the quarter-century, and it deserves to be read and appreciated. Thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Lapham for returning to Stray Bullets. And thanks to Image, which, under the direction of Robert 'The Walking Dead' Kirkman, is finally living up to its potential - ejecting 90% of the crappiest superhero drivel, in favor of creator-owned titles by some of the most talented writers and artists around, known and unknown. It has undergone a drastic transformation; it was only a few years ago that I would mostly ignore Image comics on principle. Now, it publishes Fatale, by Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips, Black Science, by Rick Remender & Matteo Scalera, The Manhattan Projects, by Jonathan Hickman & Nick Pittara, and Jupiter's Legacy, by Mark Millar & Frank Quitely. When it comes to mainstream publishers of creator-owned 'mature reader' titles, Image is probably surpassing Vertigo (DC), the long-running imprint that 'The Sandman' built. Image is taking more chances and reaping the rewards. If Stray Bullets finds a permanent new home at Image, it will be in excellent company.
My irritation stemmed, of course, from the fact that Lapham could let such amazing work languish in a publishing limbo; and by not finishing the final storyline, it appeared he was willing to negate all that had come before. While I can't condemn Lapham for trading the hardships of self-publishing for the better income and stability of work as a writer for various comic imprints, I still resented the fact that someone so talented was squandering his abilities on crappy video game adaptations and D-list superheroes. While he did create some excellent work for Vertigo, most notably the graphic novel Silverfish, and some other projects that benefited from his uniquely stylized art (only Guy Davis and Paul Pope possess vaguely similar styles, easily adapting to whatever genre and mood is appropriate, be it crime, horror, or parody), his writing jobs varied wildly in terms of quality. It was obvious that supporting his family meant that cynical hack work was an unfortunate necessity, and that was that. It seemed assured that Stray Bullets would be forgotten.
I was more than surprised, obviously, to learn that Lapham had finished the final storyline, and would release the last issue through Image. Even better, he was going to resuscitate Stray Bullets, beginning with a new mini-series sub-titled 'Killers', which would focus on one of the series' most charismatic and mysterious characters, Spanish Scott. Lastly, of course, Image published this massive omnibus containing the entire 1300+ page series (as opposed to the 1194 pages listed in the product details), weighing 8 pounds; the product description on Amazon lists the dimensions of the book as 11" x 14"...It is actually a standard-size, 7" wide x 10" tall, roughly the same as the original comics. 11" x 14" would have made this book unwieldy anyway (still, you've gotta love ridiculous KE7/Little Nemo-type formats, however unpractical). One thing I was pleasantly surprised by was the paper -- a thin, yet glossy, high-quality stock that allows for darker, crisper blacks that contrast brilliantly with the arctic-white tone. The only downside is that this book is a direct market limited edition, and might not be reprinted, so grab it while you can (not a single copy was being sold on amazon.ca, I ended up paying 85$ after S & H). Hopefully, Image will decide on a 2nd edition, or finish and publish the five-volume deluxe hardcover set that will collect the entire series.
Make no mistake, this is one of the best comics of the quarter-century, and it deserves to be read and appreciated. Thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Lapham for returning to Stray Bullets. And thanks to Image, which, under the direction of Robert 'The Walking Dead' Kirkman, is finally living up to its potential - ejecting 90% of the crappiest superhero drivel, in favor of creator-owned titles by some of the most talented writers and artists around, known and unknown. It has undergone a drastic transformation; it was only a few years ago that I would mostly ignore Image comics on principle. Now, it publishes Fatale, by Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips, Black Science, by Rick Remender & Matteo Scalera, The Manhattan Projects, by Jonathan Hickman & Nick Pittara, and Jupiter's Legacy, by Mark Millar & Frank Quitely. When it comes to mainstream publishers of creator-owned 'mature reader' titles, Image is probably surpassing Vertigo (DC), the long-running imprint that 'The Sandman' built. Image is taking more chances and reaping the rewards. If Stray Bullets finds a permanent new home at Image, it will be in excellent company.
March 1, 2021
(Zero spoiler review) More in depth individual volume reviews also available on my page.
The only problem with this book is its not a hardcover omnibus. I knew this was meant to be a good one, as it does get a fair bit of praise, when you go looking for it. I feel as though the Brubaker/Philips duo gets the bulk of the praise within the noir genre (and with good reason), though Stray Bullets doesn't seem to garner quite a much acclaim. Having absorbed this series like oxygen in an airlock, I can assure you this rightly deserves to stand alongside the best of the Brubaker runs, if not exceed them on occasion.
This is dark and twisted little (not so little) tale that spans across the best part of a decade, and vast spans of America. Some may criticise this for not being a story that continually flows from one issue to the next, but rather jumps around in time, with characters coming and going from each others arcs. Whilst this is certainly true, David Lapham has managed to surgically craft a story that keeps you on the edge of your seat, always wondering when you'll see that character you enjoyed next. Some of the ideas and plotlines utilised throughout this run are some of the most original and inventive you'll see within the genre. The characters are fleshed out and uber interesting, with dialogue that rings true and keeps the pages turning like nobodies business. In regards to the dialogue, I greatly appreciated its very candid nature at times, with characters repeatedly insulting each other with some big no no words for 2021.... It's glorious to see someone not giving a shit and writing what they want to write.
Do forgive the somewhat bland nature of this review. I reviewed all five individual volumes over the last two days, and despite still being enamoured by this series, I'm struggling to think of things to write, on this, my sixth review. Again, please check out the individual reviews if you are gonna check out the individual volumes. But regardless, be sure as shit to read this series. Essential! 5/5
OmniBen.
The only problem with this book is its not a hardcover omnibus. I knew this was meant to be a good one, as it does get a fair bit of praise, when you go looking for it. I feel as though the Brubaker/Philips duo gets the bulk of the praise within the noir genre (and with good reason), though Stray Bullets doesn't seem to garner quite a much acclaim. Having absorbed this series like oxygen in an airlock, I can assure you this rightly deserves to stand alongside the best of the Brubaker runs, if not exceed them on occasion.
This is dark and twisted little (not so little) tale that spans across the best part of a decade, and vast spans of America. Some may criticise this for not being a story that continually flows from one issue to the next, but rather jumps around in time, with characters coming and going from each others arcs. Whilst this is certainly true, David Lapham has managed to surgically craft a story that keeps you on the edge of your seat, always wondering when you'll see that character you enjoyed next. Some of the ideas and plotlines utilised throughout this run are some of the most original and inventive you'll see within the genre. The characters are fleshed out and uber interesting, with dialogue that rings true and keeps the pages turning like nobodies business. In regards to the dialogue, I greatly appreciated its very candid nature at times, with characters repeatedly insulting each other with some big no no words for 2021.... It's glorious to see someone not giving a shit and writing what they want to write.
Do forgive the somewhat bland nature of this review. I reviewed all five individual volumes over the last two days, and despite still being enamoured by this series, I'm struggling to think of things to write, on this, my sixth review. Again, please check out the individual reviews if you are gonna check out the individual volumes. But regardless, be sure as shit to read this series. Essential! 5/5
OmniBen.
January 21, 2018
Stray Bullets is the definition of making it up as you go along. With a name like “Über Alles Edition� and 1200 pages, you’d think that you’ve got the whole thing. But a couple of chapters before the end, you realise that it’s not going to wrap, and you look it up: there was a nine year gap between chapters 40 and 41, and somewhere out there there are ... maybe 39 more chapters under two different names that don’t seem to have been collected yet.
There are good moments in Stray Bullets, but Lapham’s thesis is hard to discern, and at 41 chapters in he never got far enough to meet back up with his opening chapter. It’s a big investment for no reward - and the journey itself is not reward enough.
If there’s an easy way to read the rest, I’ll get there, but it was hard enough finding out that there was more in the first place. Don’t read Stray Bullets without knowing what you’re in for - and be prepared for a hell of a lot of nihilism, endless kinky sex, and actions that have either no consequences or extreme, super-fatal ones.
There are good moments in Stray Bullets, but Lapham’s thesis is hard to discern, and at 41 chapters in he never got far enough to meet back up with his opening chapter. It’s a big investment for no reward - and the journey itself is not reward enough.
If there’s an easy way to read the rest, I’ll get there, but it was hard enough finding out that there was more in the first place. Don’t read Stray Bullets without knowing what you’re in for - and be prepared for a hell of a lot of nihilism, endless kinky sex, and actions that have either no consequences or extreme, super-fatal ones.
July 25, 2019
Violence knows no age and has no filter in this book. The story so far spans over 1000 pages and kicks you in the nuts page after page. It never gets dull and surprises you in many beautiful ways. I'm looking forward to reading the next brick a few years from now.
January 6, 2021
This omnibus edition of the original Stray Bullets story arch is an impressive tour de force by David Lapham. It's frankly amazing he was able to pull this off. Perhaps my favorite part of the series is that the beginning starts so well. Immediately, I didn't feel like I was going to have to stick with an admittedly long series until it got good, which is often the case with series like this. The first several stories are good stand-alone issues that almost feel disconnected but are nevertheless excellent. After about 4 issues, you are finally getting a glimpse of how interwoven each of these stories will be and how you're actually reading one long epic tale of violence, debauchery, and tragedy. I'm not going to spoil the story at all, but I do have to admit that I was kind of disappointed to see some of the stories end when they did, and I started losing interest when there was about 1/5th of the volume left. I also found some of the storyline to be almost cartoonishly over the top, but, hey, it's comics.
I highly recommend it.
I highly recommend it.
June 28, 2019
An extremely large collection of slightly connected stories that range from mundane weirdness to outright insanity. It's at times funny, disturbing, and constantly surprising. Lots of hoodrat shit to appreciate in this one. Most characters are living on the peripheral of society and the law, and most of them enjoy living there. The art feels natural to the types of stories being told -- the high contrast black and white that brings to mind the art of punk posters and DIY zines.
May 5, 2014
Holy shit. I read Jimmy Corrigan right before I read this and I am THOROUGHLY devastated/depressed. Gonna have to read something light next, like the Frank Miller DAREDEVIL run staring me down from my nightstand. That'll be nice and chipper...
November 16, 2018
Wow... Wooooooow!!!!!!!!
Una obra maestra por David Lapham.
Son tantas las cosas que disfruté de estos comics, intentaré empezar por...
El dibujo. Los trazos durante toda esta serie de comics son PRECISOS, no hay mas ni menos de los que se necesitan para representar lo que está en los páneles. Los personajes en la serie son simples pero inconfundibles, las expresiones coporales las podrÃa leer hasta el miembro mas disfuncional de la sociedad y en los fondos solo hay lo necesario.
Secuencia. Las secuencias de acción fluyen tan bien que hacen que tus ojos pasen por los páneles como cuchillo por mantequilla y si hay algo más difÃcil de hacer que una secuencia de acción es una secuencia de diálogo y la tensión de esas en estos comics está POR LOS CIELOS!
Trama. Esto hace ver a obras como Sin City o Kick Ass como una cosa de niños, Stray Bullets is the real deal. La trama está tan aterrizada con la realidad que en ocasiones resulta aterrador leerla, es muy difÃcil leer varios de estos comics seguidos, te saturas de tanta corrupción, realidad y violencia. Lo mejor de esto es que no todo en la serie es malo, durante todas las historias se mantiene la bondad de cierta forma, esto hace la historia mas atractiva.
Estructura... +392764785365812 puntos por eso. La estructura de estos comics es por lo que para mi es una gran obra. La forma en la que historias que no parecen tener nada que ver se cruzan en pequeños puntos. El detallado en la motivación e historia de los personajes en cada uno de los números. COMICS DENTRO DE COMICS!!! Un poco de metanarritiva siempre es bienvenida. La oportunidad de disectar a los personajes gracias a que el escritor te presenta los mas obscuros pensamientos de algunos de ellos.
En resumen... es un MUY BUEN COMIC. Un comic ESPECTACULAR. Una obra merecedora de los Eisners que ganó en su tiempo.
Solo un pequeño detalle negativo, los manuscritos de Virgina Applejack son difÃciles de leer. Aunque le agrega esencia a la obra, no dejan de ser algo molestos de descifrar.
RECOMENDABLE!! Solo si te gustan los comics de crimen y puedes tratar con temas MUY SENSISIBLES. Repito... temas DEMASIADO SENSIBLES y FUERTES!!!! No Spoilers, pero en un punto de la serie las cosas se ponen MUY FEAS y tristes. Tardé aproximadamente un año en leerlo debido a lo pesado de las temáticas que maneja.
Una obra maestra por David Lapham.
Son tantas las cosas que disfruté de estos comics, intentaré empezar por...
El dibujo. Los trazos durante toda esta serie de comics son PRECISOS, no hay mas ni menos de los que se necesitan para representar lo que está en los páneles. Los personajes en la serie son simples pero inconfundibles, las expresiones coporales las podrÃa leer hasta el miembro mas disfuncional de la sociedad y en los fondos solo hay lo necesario.
Secuencia. Las secuencias de acción fluyen tan bien que hacen que tus ojos pasen por los páneles como cuchillo por mantequilla y si hay algo más difÃcil de hacer que una secuencia de acción es una secuencia de diálogo y la tensión de esas en estos comics está POR LOS CIELOS!
Trama. Esto hace ver a obras como Sin City o Kick Ass como una cosa de niños, Stray Bullets is the real deal. La trama está tan aterrizada con la realidad que en ocasiones resulta aterrador leerla, es muy difÃcil leer varios de estos comics seguidos, te saturas de tanta corrupción, realidad y violencia. Lo mejor de esto es que no todo en la serie es malo, durante todas las historias se mantiene la bondad de cierta forma, esto hace la historia mas atractiva.
Estructura... +392764785365812 puntos por eso. La estructura de estos comics es por lo que para mi es una gran obra. La forma en la que historias que no parecen tener nada que ver se cruzan en pequeños puntos. El detallado en la motivación e historia de los personajes en cada uno de los números. COMICS DENTRO DE COMICS!!! Un poco de metanarritiva siempre es bienvenida. La oportunidad de disectar a los personajes gracias a que el escritor te presenta los mas obscuros pensamientos de algunos de ellos.
En resumen... es un MUY BUEN COMIC. Un comic ESPECTACULAR. Una obra merecedora de los Eisners que ganó en su tiempo.
Solo un pequeño detalle negativo, los manuscritos de Virgina Applejack son difÃciles de leer. Aunque le agrega esencia a la obra, no dejan de ser algo molestos de descifrar.
RECOMENDABLE!! Solo si te gustan los comics de crimen y puedes tratar con temas MUY SENSISIBLES. Repito... temas DEMASIADO SENSIBLES y FUERTES!!!! No Spoilers, pero en un punto de la serie las cosas se ponen MUY FEAS y tristes. Tardé aproximadamente un año en leerlo debido a lo pesado de las temáticas que maneja.
March 13, 2021
Pretty cool comic in a lot of ways. Maybe a bit too gangster orientated and generally preferred the stuff that was more focused on random one off characters. The stories focused on Virginia Applejack were probably my favourites. Only fault I have with the art work is that it's often hard to tell what's supposed to be going on during the fight scenes... as characters just become this weird karma sutra of twisting limbs, punching fists and kicking legs. There's a sort of realism to this though; and characters often just get killed senselessly and unexpectedly. Kind of like a lot of the stories in this end unexpectedly and it's hard to tell what's supposed to have happened or why it's significant. Though I feel like that's intentional and builds ambiguity. Also it's a huge book with something like 1000 pages, so after a whole evening of reading it I had the art style imprinted on my light receptors. Always fun.
June 18, 2022
100% correcte samenvatting van de verhalen... je moet alleen niet de fout maken om ze allemaal achtereen te lezen, want dan is er op een gegeven moment echt geen ene *censuurpiep* meer aan. Helaas had ik geduld niet om het lezen van dit boek over het jaar uit te spreiden omdat er de hele tijd een beetje dun stemmetje in mijn hoofd zei: 'Lees het nu uit, wel direct, want dan kan je je lekker op fijnere, leukere en vooral interessantere boeken concentreren zonder dat deze klepper je de hele tijd aanstaart!".
Hebbie soms. Stemmetje tot zwijgen gebracht en hoopvol op naar de volgende!!!
July 29, 2023
I don't know, maybe people don't notice this or something giving it less than 5 stars, but it's almost IMPOSSIBLE to find a writer as capable as Lapham in the world of comic books. The way he tells the story and furthers the plot of so many characters is nothing short of brilliant. Maybe this is not your cup of tea, but the cohesion of this magnitude was maybe only produced by Kirkman in Invincible.
The voice of Lapham is as singular as Spade's, Wagner's or Villigan's in the world of the greatest tv-shows. But this is not Moore's high-brow shit, it's entertaining as hell like the best works of Tarantino.
***
I never liked 5 issues stories, or one-shots, cause they are generally underwritten, forcing me to quickly engage, feel sth and be satisfied.
Here, the art of containing a story (or piece of it on the canvas of an episode) is brought to a level of mastery. When the book threads the marriage territory, it becomes the poignant satire like some Mike White's 'White Lotus' and it's just so God damn real and funny. The issue #21 will live in my head forever.
***
I don't know what kind of life the writer had to live to write like that, but the way he delivers it, it's just the highest level.
***
This has become my top 3 of all time. What. A. Read.
The voice of Lapham is as singular as Spade's, Wagner's or Villigan's in the world of the greatest tv-shows. But this is not Moore's high-brow shit, it's entertaining as hell like the best works of Tarantino.
***
I never liked 5 issues stories, or one-shots, cause they are generally underwritten, forcing me to quickly engage, feel sth and be satisfied.
Here, the art of containing a story (or piece of it on the canvas of an episode) is brought to a level of mastery. When the book threads the marriage territory, it becomes the poignant satire like some Mike White's 'White Lotus' and it's just so God damn real and funny. The issue #21 will live in my head forever.
***
I don't know what kind of life the writer had to live to write like that, but the way he delivers it, it's just the highest level.
***
This has become my top 3 of all time. What. A. Read.
December 12, 2019
Wow. I don’t even know where to start. Stray Bullets by David Lapham is a book that does absolutely everything right. It’s constructed with quality and care in a way a very very small list of books can compare to.
So, what is it about? Stray Bullets is a crime comic, but it’s more than a crime comic. Each issue is more less a standalone issue, but each issue explores a character that will appear later (or prior) or it will advance the main narrative of Virginia Applegate. Speaking of Virginia, I think she might be in the running for best explored and written character in all of comics. The reader understands her every action and line of dialogue throughout the course of these 41 issues. I love her with all of my heart and she ranks among my favorite characters in any form of fiction ever.
The stories themselves in Stray Bullets transcend crime fiction. They’re human stories at their core and Lapham does a brilliant job exploring every range of emotions that humans feel day to day. My favorite thing about these stories are the consequences. Each “bad person� gets what’s coming to them. In a world of rapists, murderers and drug dealers, it’s never glorified in Stray Bullets the way it is in other comics and I love that. These are lifestyles you do not want to live. It isn’t fun and it isn’t rewarding, Stray Bullets does a fantastic job showing that.
The art of Stray Bullets might be my favorite part. Lapham’s character’s all have distinguished looks and show a full range of emotions. His characters always match the emotions that he’s trying to convey on the page. The choice to leave the book in black and white gives it a certain charm, I love it. The layouts Lapham uses throughout a large majority of the book is the 8 panel grid. This allows for a set-up/punchline flow to the book that allows the reader to fly through pages. With this layout, Lapham hooks the reader in without them knowing. Lapham’s paneling is masterclass, and the art he showcases in these panels are expressive and fluid. The reading experience of Stray Bullets is definitely enhanced by Lapham’s expert grasp on the medium.
This series is sort of a quiet masterpiece of graphic literature. Anyone that’s read it will tell you it’s fantastic and it’s influence over crime comics of the 21st century is pretty apparent. Lapham’s human centered crime stories allow the characters to take the drivers seat and steer this book into a revered and worshipped classic.
10/10, one of my favorite comics ever created. Lapham is a master of the medium.
So, what is it about? Stray Bullets is a crime comic, but it’s more than a crime comic. Each issue is more less a standalone issue, but each issue explores a character that will appear later (or prior) or it will advance the main narrative of Virginia Applegate. Speaking of Virginia, I think she might be in the running for best explored and written character in all of comics. The reader understands her every action and line of dialogue throughout the course of these 41 issues. I love her with all of my heart and she ranks among my favorite characters in any form of fiction ever.
The stories themselves in Stray Bullets transcend crime fiction. They’re human stories at their core and Lapham does a brilliant job exploring every range of emotions that humans feel day to day. My favorite thing about these stories are the consequences. Each “bad person� gets what’s coming to them. In a world of rapists, murderers and drug dealers, it’s never glorified in Stray Bullets the way it is in other comics and I love that. These are lifestyles you do not want to live. It isn’t fun and it isn’t rewarding, Stray Bullets does a fantastic job showing that.
The art of Stray Bullets might be my favorite part. Lapham’s character’s all have distinguished looks and show a full range of emotions. His characters always match the emotions that he’s trying to convey on the page. The choice to leave the book in black and white gives it a certain charm, I love it. The layouts Lapham uses throughout a large majority of the book is the 8 panel grid. This allows for a set-up/punchline flow to the book that allows the reader to fly through pages. With this layout, Lapham hooks the reader in without them knowing. Lapham’s paneling is masterclass, and the art he showcases in these panels are expressive and fluid. The reading experience of Stray Bullets is definitely enhanced by Lapham’s expert grasp on the medium.
This series is sort of a quiet masterpiece of graphic literature. Anyone that’s read it will tell you it’s fantastic and it’s influence over crime comics of the 21st century is pretty apparent. Lapham’s human centered crime stories allow the characters to take the drivers seat and steer this book into a revered and worshipped classic.
10/10, one of my favorite comics ever created. Lapham is a master of the medium.
February 1, 2024
This gigantic, thousand-page tome is simply amazing. Worthy of Eisner’s narrative style, plus the violence. It gets convoluted and messy at times, but it certainly is an excellent graphic novel. Amazing storytelling and thrill.
September 23, 2023
Cool Beans. This ongoing crime anthology epic explores the interrelated narratives of various career criminals as they stumble through an expansive journey of hedonistic destruction and everday immorality. It's a cruel, cruel world and everyone's a filthy bastard eager to stake their claim in their own little slice of suburban hell.
I came into this series fully expecting to emerge from the other side proudly exclaiming that 'Brubaker did it better' but alas I can't. This shit is brilliant. Issue after issue of violent, pulpy chaos that has some of the best crime storytelling I've ever read. The narratives are near universally crime-of-passion stories, the surreal issues featuring 'Amy Racecar' are not my bag, and the Seaside episodes aren't very strong, but the vast majority of the issues are simply excellent. My favorite issue of these first 41 is probably "Little Love Tragedy" which was gripping, hilarious, and perfectly nailed a surreal crime story in a grounded setting. The tone of the series feels both Tarantinian and Scorsesian and yet also completely its own beast, something both evocative of the best works of the genre and also refreshingly unique.
I also really enjoyed the art, even though it can sometimes get a bit cluttered in action scenes. There's something about crisp black & white inks with thin lines and blocky shadows that just makes my heart sing. While the art isn't particularly impressive in terms of style and has extremely traditional panelling, the composition is thoroughly excellent and Lapham is perhaps the best artist I've found in rendering faces (maybe second only to Urasawa).
I came into this series fully expecting to emerge from the other side proudly exclaiming that 'Brubaker did it better' but alas I can't. This shit is brilliant. Issue after issue of violent, pulpy chaos that has some of the best crime storytelling I've ever read. The narratives are near universally crime-of-passion stories, the surreal issues featuring 'Amy Racecar' are not my bag, and the Seaside episodes aren't very strong, but the vast majority of the issues are simply excellent. My favorite issue of these first 41 is probably "Little Love Tragedy" which was gripping, hilarious, and perfectly nailed a surreal crime story in a grounded setting. The tone of the series feels both Tarantinian and Scorsesian and yet also completely its own beast, something both evocative of the best works of the genre and also refreshingly unique.
I also really enjoyed the art, even though it can sometimes get a bit cluttered in action scenes. There's something about crisp black & white inks with thin lines and blocky shadows that just makes my heart sing. While the art isn't particularly impressive in terms of style and has extremely traditional panelling, the composition is thoroughly excellent and Lapham is perhaps the best artist I've found in rendering faces (maybe second only to Urasawa).
May 23, 2014
David Lapham has gotten a lot of praise for 'Stray Bullets' and rightfully so. I loved reading this mammoth volume containing the first 41 issues of this classic comic. The bad : I didn't like 2 Amy Racecar issues and in my opinion the last two comics feel a bit rushed. The good : everything else.
February 4, 2022
Man, what a ride. It almost feels like this book had a Stockholm syndrome effect on me because it's pretty rough in some parts, some off putting characters and decisions, and the book itself is heavy and hard to read but I was completely in it by the end and just want to know what's going to happen to Ginny!
January 5, 2023
The best crime series I've read
April 24, 2023
Underrated masterpiece.
Read
September 3, 2023A stray bullet is a bullet that, after being fired from a gun, hits an unintended target. As the name suggests this story is about how actions of other people affects the lives of people around them for better or worse (mostly worse). A non-linear story which begins in the 90's and jumps back to the 70's and lands in the 80's to again jump back to the 70's.
Black and white art and story from David Lapham. The artwork is amazing with beautiful well defined lines and huge brush strokes to make the blacks pop. The composition and framing of each panel is eye catching and David does a wonderful job of laying out panels where a single panel stands out, out of a double page spread (which is done intentionally to emphasize the importance of the panel). His experiments with lettering pay off well as they stand out especially the SFX.
The story cannot be described in a single sentence or a paragraph but let me try. A very unique story which likes to jump genres. It begins as crime story set in Baltimore and in the next issue it might be a sci-fi story set in space and in the next one it might be a slice of life story with early Americana culture set in a small town. A scary antagonist named 'Harry' who is never shown in the entirety of the series. This jumping of genres is very organic and does not feel jarring at all. The changing of genres leads to slight changes in the art style and we see even more experiments from David.
This description does no do justice to the story, you have to read it to experience this. Give this book a try and if you have already read it please let me know your thoughts on it.
Black and white art and story from David Lapham. The artwork is amazing with beautiful well defined lines and huge brush strokes to make the blacks pop. The composition and framing of each panel is eye catching and David does a wonderful job of laying out panels where a single panel stands out, out of a double page spread (which is done intentionally to emphasize the importance of the panel). His experiments with lettering pay off well as they stand out especially the SFX.
The story cannot be described in a single sentence or a paragraph but let me try. A very unique story which likes to jump genres. It begins as crime story set in Baltimore and in the next issue it might be a sci-fi story set in space and in the next one it might be a slice of life story with early Americana culture set in a small town. A scary antagonist named 'Harry' who is never shown in the entirety of the series. This jumping of genres is very organic and does not feel jarring at all. The changing of genres leads to slight changes in the art style and we see even more experiments from David.
This description does no do justice to the story, you have to read it to experience this. Give this book a try and if you have already read it please let me know your thoughts on it.
May 30, 2018
For many years (since the 90's as a matter of fact), "Stray Bullets" has been one of those titles I've always come across, but never really gave it a shot. As I have gotten older, and my feelings for the cape genre have changed, stories like "Stray Bullets" is breath of fresh air and sort of a time capsule into what the independent film scene felt like in the mid 90's with Miramax films like "True Romance", "Pulp Fiction", or the early 2000's classic "Crash" to name a few.
"Stray Bullets" is a raw story. Meaning, it deals with believable characters in believable situations. Situations that can be harsh, cruel and or disturbing. Sometimes taking away innocence, seeing how one might grow in an environment that never gave a damn, or where one's choice in life can have critical ramifications.
I choose not to go into detail with the story/stories because I feel finding out about this world with fresh eyes and a clean slate mind would be more appreciative. If you're a fan of the aforementioned films, and you're also a fan of the "Sin City" books or the pulp genre, then "Stray Bullets" is right up your alley!
"Stray Bullets" is a raw story. Meaning, it deals with believable characters in believable situations. Situations that can be harsh, cruel and or disturbing. Sometimes taking away innocence, seeing how one might grow in an environment that never gave a damn, or where one's choice in life can have critical ramifications.
I choose not to go into detail with the story/stories because I feel finding out about this world with fresh eyes and a clean slate mind would be more appreciative. If you're a fan of the aforementioned films, and you're also a fan of the "Sin City" books or the pulp genre, then "Stray Bullets" is right up your alley!
April 16, 2020
Como me pasó con los Next Men de John Byrne, he podido terminar ahora una lectura que no puede completar en la universidad. La publicación en España se interrumpió por entonces y hace poco se ha culminado. Lo he disfrutado enormemente. La estructura episódica y con saltos temporales tiene una evidente influencia de Pulp Fiction, que se estrenó un año antes del primer número de este comic, pero los personajes son mucho más realistas, en la lÃnea de Vidas Cruzadas. Eso sÃ, me resulta más interesante cuando va dando saltos en el tiempo y el espacio en la primera época que cuando sigue una narración más lineal en los últimos números. El dibujo, sin ser virtuoso, es ideal para contar estas apasionantes historias del lumpen, si bien en el último número (dibujado más de una década después del penúltimo) se aprecia una extraña pérdida de calidad.
February 23, 2020
The uber collection of the indy hit Stray Bullets, one of my old favorites. It collects the initial run of 40 issues with an additional issue, printed much later, to finish the cliffhanger that the original series ended on. This crime noir series is highly recommended and comes with a large cast of interesting characters, who all feel real. The story effortless mixes childhood innocence with the bloody reality of the criminal underworld. While the price may be daunting to some, there is 1200 pages of material here with no filler, which adds up to around a dollar an issue. Well worth the price for what you receive.
January 25, 2025
I read this when it was originally published probably 20 years ago, but never finished the original run. This reminds me of a tarrintino movie, with all sorts of plot threads and not being told in order. I felt it got better when the story moved away from the disjointed telling and the “major event� had been resolved. Virginia acclimating back into her family (if you can really call it that) and returning to high school was the most interesting part of this whole series. Latham has apparently picked this back up and has been writing new stories for Stray Bullets, I look forward to reading them.
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