Showcase: 100 Bullets, Hellboy: The Chained Coffin, and All-Star Superman Vol. 2

[Stephanie]

Welcome to another graphic novel Showcase! This time we'll watch bullets fly in 100 Bullets Vol. 1, smack around the grotesque and colossal in Hellboy: The Chained Coffin and Others, and bask in the radioactive sunshine of All-Star Superman Vol. 2.

100 Bullets Volume 1: First Shot, Last Call

What would you do if you could be put above the law? Brian Azzarello's 100 Bullets Vertigo series shoves one hundred untraceable bullets and a gun in your hands, arms you with a flawless vendetta, and points you in the right direction. No harm, no foul.

Illustrated by Eduardo Risso, the first volume—First Shot, Last Call—explores the aforementioned possibility through various characters with a score to settle. Meet Isabelle "Dizzy" Cordova, fresh out of prison with the hopes of shedding her old ways in exchange for a new life and much cleaner slate. A strange man called Agent Graves, on the other hand, can't help but remind Dizzy of what she lost: her lover, Hector, and her child, Santiago, whose lives came to a violent end when they were shot down on the pavement in a drive-by. Promising her a guiltless chance at revenge, Graves offers her a briefcase full of solid evidence and the assurance that the line known as the law has been erased for this moment only. Dizzy soon learns that Graves or someone more powerful indeed pulls the invisible strings, making sure to wash any blood from her hands without a misstep. All she has to do is take the shot, but the price of perfect murder costs more than a finger on the trigger.

As Dizzy slips into the rain-soaked car with her untouchable informant, who hints at further secrets and impenetrable assignments, Graves visits another wronged soul in "Shot, Water Back"—a short even more enjoyable than the first run-around. Once again, the cards are perfectly stacked, but even with the aid of such expertise, not everyone nabs that happy ending. Each bullet hole deepens the mystery of Graves' origins, allowing the reader a small glimpse into the conspiracy that lays the foundation for the entire comic series. The final chapter reveals that there's no amateurism pinned to Agent Graves' name, either.

100 Bullets blends crime and detective fiction together with a dash of modern mystery and paints it from different angles. It's hard not to find yourself wrapped in the thickening, bullet-stricken plot of 100 Bullets as it tests your morality and gut courage ... but sooner or later you realize the story's the one holding the smoking gun.

Hellboy: The Chained Coffin and Others

Any lover of the paranormal and mythological should appreciate Hellboy comics, and The Chained Coffin and Others lathers on the ancient spooks and chills in a collection of Hellboy-centered shorts written by creator Mike Mignola. Each tale puts the red devil with the gigantic right fist in a trying situation, bound by faith and demons alike. Mignola provides a small excerpt about each inclusion, too, for background's sake.

The first helping of paranormal adventures comes in "The Corpse," which challenges Hellboy to bury a chatty skeleton named Tam O'Clannie on Christian grounds before sunrise. The available options are all in reasonable distance of one another, but the angry dead (or perhaps undead), a bitter demon intent on revenge, and a monster or two block Hellboy's path—and a couple's chance at ever seeing their baby again. "The Iron Shoes," which follows, has much less oomph to it, but the quick romp does poke fun at the sometimes over-dramatized of legends. "The Baba Yaga," based on a witch in actual Russian folklore, proves surprisingly curious and true to form. The ending isn't neat and tidy like "The Iron Shoes," so it's virtually guaranteed to pique your interest—and make you keep a careful eye on the number of spoons and fingers you own.

"A Christmas Underground" bends the quality of the engrossing "The Baba Yaga" and the mundane "The Iron Shoes"; although wonderfully written and presented, some of it doesn't add up to anything logical. Meanwhile, "The Chained Coffin" sets out to explain more pieces of Hellboy's strange origin, and it quickly becomes one of the best in the colorful medley of stories. "The Wolves of Saint August" is another hit that's sure to send chills up your tingling spine. A few stories co-star B.P.R.D. expert Kate Corrigan, which makes them simultaneously more rounded and slightly irritating. For all her brains, Kate can't seem to hold her own very well, so she becomes a sort of knowledgeable damsel in distress. Finally, "Almost Colossus" threatens the fire-starter Liz Sherman's life; the paradoxical magnitude and triviality coursing through the tale solidifies it as yet another Hellboy classic—and a perfect touch to top off the book.

All-Star Superman Volume 2

The Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely team-up comes to a finish in the second volume of All-Star Superman, an alternate look at the Man of Steel, his Earthly nemesis Lex Luthor, and the people Clark Kent cares about the most. Previously, Luthor successfully devised a plan to poison Superman with the excessive strength of their own yellow sun; slowly dying as Lex patiently waits for his turn in the electric chair, Superman learns he will accomplish twelve grand tasks before he meets his demise.

While the premiere volume flourished with humor and genuine humanity alike (despite it's laggard beginning), Volume 2 takes Superman to worlds big and small and filled with creatures both benevolent and malicious. As Bizarros swarm Earth in order to copy it and absorb its energy, Superman finds himself banished to the underverse—where the glare of the red spectrum penetrates through the yellow light of Earth's sun, dooming Superman to the withering domain as he loses his sun-given powers one by one. With the help of a rare intelligent Bizarro form named Zibarro, who longs for companionship and understanding, Superman manages to return to Earth in one piece. The speech and ways of the Bizarros seem a bit silly at first, but Morrison's excellent craft of storytelling wipes away any traces of the ridiculous.

As Earth loses its hero for two months, new saviors are summoned to replace him: the first astronauts from Krypton, Bar-El and Lilo. The duo, however, lack the protective and loving urges for Earth that Superman possesses, and they scorn Kal-El for his traitorous and lowly perspective and mannerisms. This part of the story arguably embodies the weakest, for the solution to the tale wraps up as somewhat cliched. At the same time, it adds another intriguing chapter in the final days of Clark Kent's existence—and it opens possibilities and alternate realities to him that alter his thinking and behavior toward his mission for the better. The most cherished moments in All-Star Superman are the little touches of human compassion that Morrison sprinkles throughout the work; they act as the book's underbelly, housing its weight and worth. As the comic reaches its height, something clicks—an unlikely individual gives us a true glimpse of the world through Superman's eyes, and suddenly we understand how the Man of Steel got so ... well ... legendary. He experiences the bizarre, pulls off the impossible, and all the while never loses sight of the miraculous life that knits the universe together.

You can find all of these trades over at the Impulse Creations shop. Know a book that deserves a place in the Showcase spotlight? Send an email to wita.gen@gmail.com with the subject line: “Showcase Suggestions.