100 Bullets #9

The ninth volume of Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso's Vertigo crime series arrives subtitled *Strychnine Lives*, its stark black cover dominated by a hazard-diamond emblem bearing a raised hand marked "XIII" above crossed bones — a symbol that radiates menace and secret-society intrigue in equal measure. Faint figures from interior pages ghost through the dark background, hinting at the morally complex cast navigating the series' world of power, revenge, and consequence. If you've been following the slow-burn machinations of *100 Bullets*, this 2006 collection makes a compelling case that the tension is far from finished.