Written by: David Lapham
Art by: David Lapham
Publisher: Image
Now that Stray Bullets has been renewed, Image has decided that it’s the perfect time to release a collection of issues #1-7. Stray Bullets has often been described as a cult crime comic that thematically fits nicely with films like Natural Born Killers and Taxi Driver.
So how’s the collection?
People who have already read the series will be happy to hear that it’s a nice collection that fits together comics by story arc, this one centering around Ginny, a young girl who ends up accidentally watching a murder take place. Throughout the issue we end up seeing more about her life and the various people who walk in and out. It’s a neat little thing, especially as you begin to link up the various characters and events, and does a lot to exemplify the idea that every person we pass also has a whole life they’re living.
The number one thing that jumps out about Stray Bullets as a whole is how dark it is. The comic is violent, it’s gory, and sexual situations are found throughout. However, the comic tends to present it in a more truthful and depressing way rather than a fun-filled gorefest. The first two stories in particular were probably the most dark and depressing and it starts the series off with a gigantic bang.
There really are no weak stories here because each one encompasses a pretty different spectrum of the cult crime genre. And when you begin to pick up small clues that place them within this fictional universe that Stray Bullets has created it makes them even better. Stories turn into tragic back stories and it makes the characters even more realized when get it all at once as opposed to needing to wait for issues.
David Lapham both writes and does the art for Stray Bullets which makes it even more remarkable. His art isn’t necessarily earth-shattering but it will remind you of older cult comics of all genres. It’s drawn in a nice, crisp black and white with heavier shading in spaces to emphasize things like shadows. Lapham is especially great showcasing emotion and his faces are some of the best in the industry. He isn’t afraid to overdo it and have people ride the line between caricatures and real people which fits remarkably well in this hyper-violent reality Stray Bullets sits in.
But this is why I think Stray Bullets does so well. It’s shockingly violent, yes, but besides the stories about Amy Racecar, it’s not too hard to believe that any of these could actually happen. It’s a dark, gritty look at the criminal underworld but more importantly it’s about how many of these criminals are people we’ve probably interacted with. And in the case of Ginny, it’s an interesting look at the small occurrences that can shape people beginning from when they were young. Ginny is by no means a bad person and her stories do a remarkable job at showing off that sometimes people do bad things out of desperation.
Image timed this perfectly as this is a perfect way to introduce people to the series so they can start reading the new run. I instantly wanted to read more Stray Bullets, so I’d say it did its job and it did it well. Fans over hyper-violent cult crime media will find Innocence of Nihilism a perfect addition to their collection.
