100 Bullets Vol. 3: Hang Up on the Hang Low [Paperback]

Brian Azzarello (Author), Eduardo Risso (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2001 | Series: 100 Bullets (Book 3)

Signed by Johnson

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Vertigo (December 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563898551
• ISBN-13: 978-1563898556
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 0.3 x 10.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #266,639 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #18 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Comics & Graphic Novels > Graphic Novels > Mystery

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Issues #15-19 focus on a young man and his estranged father in Philadelphia, January 23, 2010

By 

K. W. Schreiter (Conshohocken, PA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 100 Bullets Vol. 3: Hang Up on the Hang Low (Paperback)

This third TPB collects issues #15-#19 of the acclaimed Brian Azzarello/Eduardo Risso crime series. This is the longest story arc thus far in the series, focusing on a young man and his estranged father. The story opens at a murder scene on the streets of North Philadelphia, where Agent Graves reveals himself to the young man and offers him the famed attache and information on his father's whereabouts. Carlo and Daphne (the thug and cafe waitress couple from issue #8) visit from Miami as connections to the previous issues continue to appear. Fans of the first two volumes will almost certainly enjoy this one as well. I especially appreciated the references to Philadelphia throughout all five issues and the trip to see the Phillies game.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not up to Split Second, but still strong, January 22, 2002

By 

Michael Meaney (Mamaroneck, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 100 Bullets Vol. 3: Hang Up on the Hang Low (Paperback)

100 Bullets: Hang up on the Hang Low (Issues 15-19)
By Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso
Review by Patrick Meaney

Hang up on the Hang Low takes 100 Bullets in a new direction, using the basic premise as only a setup, and spending most of its time on the relationship between a father and son. This TPB does not do much to expand the mythology of the book's world, but it tells a strong standalone story.

The main relationship in this story arc is between Loop and his "Pops." Loop's father had left him before he was born, and, thanks to Agent Graves, Loop gets a chance to find out what his father is like. Their relationship is the core of the story, its essential to the arc that it works. Azzarello once again demonstrates his incredible skill in creating characters. Loop is well defined, and his relationship with his father is developed well. It seems legitimate, and realistic considering they don't know each other very well.

Once the relationship is set up, Azzarello destroys it. The second half of the arc is extremely well done, with Loop's rage coming through. What could have been a simple tale of revenge becomes an emotional journey, that is fulfilling when it comes to its conclusion.

The final issue ties a lot of things together. Lono returns, seeking vengeance on Loop's cousin, who assaulted him in Miami, back in Split Second Chance. What was a confusing background subplot comes to the foreground here, and nicely ties everything together, connecting Loop's story to the larger plot. One of Azzarello's greatest skills is his ability to turn silent background plots into major events in later issues. New readers aren't left out of anything, and long time readers get an added bonus.

Overall, this collection doesn't add too much to the overall story, but it's a great standalone. However, Hang Up doesn't reach the heights of the second book. There's nothing really wrong, but the ghetto story has been done before in the book, and it lacks the potent originality of some previous stories. It's still a great collection, and a thrilling read.

8 out of 10

3.0 out of 5 stars Tries to be a crime novel with familial overtones but kind of fails, April 9, 2011

By 

Timothy W. Lieder "racapowski is rapacowski" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 100 Bullets Vol. 3: Hang Up on the Hang Low (Paperback)

This is a fairly compelling story about a father and son coming to terms with each other as the son, a nasty little gangbanger, is given the titular gun and his father's file and learns that his father is an old gangster who is part of the mafia. THe fact that both father and son are gansters gives this some resonance as well as the feeling that they are both ultimately doomed. The storyline in which the father tries to impart some lessons to his son as long as he's going to be in the life is pretty cool as the father is probably the least qualified to impart any lessons.

When the violence begins it doesn't end. While I can respect a book for showing violence as ugly and non-glamorous, the actual violence is too casual to really be believed. One wonders how these guys could have survived so long as criminals when they keep pulling out guns to start shooting whenever anything goes south.

By the end, agent Graves has basically messed with everyone's head in a mystery that I'm sure Azzarello teased out throughout the series and all that was gained by the characters is lost.