Between Loveless Vol. 3 and 100 Bullets Vol. 12 I have definitely read enough Brain Azzarello this week. He can be an excellent storyteller (the greatest complement a comic-book artist or writer can receive), but the myriad of convoluted twists and turns can cause one to yearn for the straightforward "Hulk Smash!" storylines of yesteryear.
As 100 Bullets is nearing its end, I will leave a review of that for another time, but for now we will talk about Loveless, a gritty, hard hitting western for mature audiences only. I mention the intended audience only so my readers are aware that this isn't some white hat vs. black hat kiddy western. This is a twisted tale of revenge full of graphic violence, sexual situations, brief nudity, and copious amounts of coarse language. All of that being said Azzarello doesn't abuse his use of R rated material. It does fit the story, which is much more than can be said for many comics since the abolishment of the code (I was never a fan of the code, but I think that sometime writers are just putting in swearing and breasts because now they can).
Set after the American Civil War, the story follows Wes Cutter and his wife Ruth Cutter as they seek revenge on the townspeople that wronged them. To achieve this grisly task they must navigate their way through a wide range of disreputable characters, murderers and rapists all in order to ensure that the town gets the comeuppance that it deserves.
I won't reveal too much more of the plot, but I will say that it is convoluted. But then we would expect no less from Azzarello. The series was cancelled prematurely, and that has contributed to the bizarre final issues, which feel tacked on and borderline redundant.
The art is perfect for the story and on occasion can be quite avant garde. Flashbacks are used quite frequently in the story when a location triggers a distant memory for a character. The problem is that at times it is difficult to tell what is a flashback and what isn't, causing you to flip the pages back and forth to try to make sense of it all. Couple all of this with a cast of unrepentant characters that we never really end up caring for and you end up with a pretty lacklustre comic book.
So is this lurid tale of wild west revenge worth your hard earned cash? At 3 volumes ringing in at $50 it will take you about 5 hours to read. $10 an hour is a bit steep for a series that never quite finds its mark, so unless you are some kind of Azzarello completist I would stay away. For those of you who want to find some great western comics, check out John Ostranders' Blaze of Glory mini-series for Marvel.
As 100 Bullets is nearing its end, I will leave a review of that for another time, but for now we will talk about Loveless, a gritty, hard hitting western for mature audiences only. I mention the intended audience only so my readers are aware that this isn't some white hat vs. black hat kiddy western. This is a twisted tale of revenge full of graphic violence, sexual situations, brief nudity, and copious amounts of coarse language. All of that being said Azzarello doesn't abuse his use of R rated material. It does fit the story, which is much more than can be said for many comics since the abolishment of the code (I was never a fan of the code, but I think that sometime writers are just putting in swearing and breasts because now they can).
Set after the American Civil War, the story follows Wes Cutter and his wife Ruth Cutter as they seek revenge on the townspeople that wronged them. To achieve this grisly task they must navigate their way through a wide range of disreputable characters, murderers and rapists all in order to ensure that the town gets the comeuppance that it deserves.
I won't reveal too much more of the plot, but I will say that it is convoluted. But then we would expect no less from Azzarello. The series was cancelled prematurely, and that has contributed to the bizarre final issues, which feel tacked on and borderline redundant.
The art is perfect for the story and on occasion can be quite avant garde. Flashbacks are used quite frequently in the story when a location triggers a distant memory for a character. The problem is that at times it is difficult to tell what is a flashback and what isn't, causing you to flip the pages back and forth to try to make sense of it all. Couple all of this with a cast of unrepentant characters that we never really end up caring for and you end up with a pretty lacklustre comic book.
So is this lurid tale of wild west revenge worth your hard earned cash? At 3 volumes ringing in at $50 it will take you about 5 hours to read. $10 an hour is a bit steep for a series that never quite finds its mark, so unless you are some kind of Azzarello completist I would stay away. For those of you who want to find some great western comics, check out John Ostranders' Blaze of Glory mini-series for Marvel.
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