100 Bullets: The US of Anger #4: The Conversations We Need to Have

Let’s start with the artwork. The cover is unique with the bullet holes in the back of the head. I cannot say I truly understand this imagery, and I will be honest, the only theory I have is that America will stab you in the back the first chance it gets. Which is why the bullets are in the back of the head; I think this a play off the final panel in this issue. This issue is black and white, and this choice is perfect as the multiple stories they are telling are complex, dark, and true to life.

These are the conversations that many people do not want to have, nor do they want to keep going, but they are stories that we must talk about no matter if we want to or not. There is race, politics, PTSD. When I think of this issue, it reminds me of the movie Crash. We are all connected; we just forget that sometimes, or refuse to see it.

There is a panel where one of the gentlemen says, “Don’t mind him; that’s my kid.” And it is a black kid, and the friends are surprised. I still find these conversations interesting and funny because we are more mixed now than ever, and when people are racist or prejudiced, they may not want to accept their blood. Most of the time they cannot; they end up loving that child, seeing it as an opportunity for the better or worse. But it is still funny that people are surprised that we are a mixed nation.

Moments like this really make this story hit hard and in the right places. I also want to get back to art because every single page is packed full of details. I love it, because on a reread it makes you want to look around the entire page to make sure you do not miss a detail. If there are newspapers on the wall of a scene, I want to read as much of the newspaper as possible because it goes with who is in the scene. Another example is old men showing a young guy their way, and as they talk, a storm is coming through, and at the end of the issue the storm has knocked the power out.

The storm is a great metaphor for the scene because the tension was building and building until finally the lights went out, and now what do we do next? I am genuinely excited to read the next chapter to be fully immersed in this world that these wonderful and talented people have created.