Much has been said of 100 Bullets, crime fiction, espionage thriller, conspiracy theory. 'Gritty' is a word that's used, as is 'Noir'. It is very dark, and mysterious. Dark because that's how it's drawn, mysterious because, although there's a big picture, we haven't seen it all, though there have been glimpses of it. All stories need a premise, and the basis of 100 Bullets is excellent. The wider picture becomes evident as the series develops, as suited up, gnarly old bastard Agent Graves approaches ordinary citizens who's lives have hit rock bottom and offers them an opportunity to exact revenge on the person, or persons, that  ruined them. He gives his clients an attaché case containing irrefutable proof of the deed, a gun, and 100 bullets. These bullets will never be traced. He guarantees his clients carte blanche for all of their actions, including murder. Any investigation will be dropped once the bullets are recovered. This poses a few questions. Who is Agent Graves? Agent of what? A Government? The Secret Service? The FBI? We don't know, but we do find out that he's no agent of any recognised Agency. Why does he pick these seemingly random people, to give them a gun and the chance to even the score? Again, no idea, as some cases seem to have a higher purpose, but some appear almost meaningless.

Throughout the series we learn a little at a time about Agent Graves, his counterpart Mr. Shepherd, the mysterious Minutemen and the all powerful Trust. We see the beginnings of a significant incident in Atlantic City, but we don't know who it involves or why it happened. Seemingly worthless characters hang around the periphery of the story, awaiting their moment with the attaché case. Former allies of Graves and Shepard are introduced, and occasionally get themselves killed. The relationship between Graves and Shepherd is never transparent, but what we do know is that the Trust, a syndicate of thirteen families, created the Minutemen to police their actions, and then betrayed them when they felt that they were no longer useful. Graves, as head of the Minutemen, wants revenge for this. Shepard is seemingly an agent of the Trust and therefore an enemy, but is the reason Graves is still alive. Not all of the Minutemen are gone though. They lead hidden lives as 'sleeper agents', awaiting a post hypnotic keyword to wake them from their inactivity. Double-crosses are many, mystery follows the main protagonists around. Betrayal and death feature heavily. Through it all, the theme of the attaché case and Agent Graves remain the only constant, and even then, you have to doubt his motives.

Enough outline, time for some detail...