List of 100 Bullets characters
100 Bullets is a fictional crime drama published by Vertigo imprint of DC comics. As with other noir and pulp characters, both protagonists and antagonists of 100 Bullets are deeply flawed.[1]
The Trust
Notable members
Augustus Medici
(Deceased)
First appeared in issue #4. The Trust's most powerful member. Augustus is the de facto leader of the thirteen families and has plans to bring peace to the rivalries that plague the Trust. Since the death of Daniel Peres, Augustus became even more powerful and has consolidated his position by removing the Peres family from power. Other family heads are now plotting against him. Through Shepherd, Augustus monitored Graves and his schemes, as well as his son. Later events have forced him to deal directly with Graves and accede to Lono's suggestion to pardon Kotias and Vasco for their participation in a failed scheme to assassinate him. It seems that his power is ever increasing, with all the remaining houses dominated by his position. It seems that he had an agreement with Graves and Vasco about protecting Rothstein.[2] It is eventually revealed that Augustus, Graves and Vasco were the masterminds behind a decades-long plan to assume control of the Trust, a plot which drove most of the series' events and many characters' motives. With the death of Vasco, both Augustus and Graves agreed to a sit down with the remaining houses, with Augustus prepared to discuss the terms of what he termed his "surrender" to the newly-aligned Trust power of Megan Dietrich, Thibo Vermeer, and Joan D'Arcy. Augustus then negotiated the appointment of the House of Vasco to Agent Graves, before stepping down to hand the House of Medici to his son, Benito. In issue #100, Benito is killed by the remaining houses, minus Graves. Graves confronts Augustus, stating that he knew his actions would lead to his son's death. Graves then executes the unarmed Augustus.
Benito Medici
(Deceased)
First appeared in issue #20. Augustus' son and heir apparent, mentored by Mr. Shepherd, Benito is a spoiled and reckless young man with a seeming excess of luck who is more interested in gambling than in his responsibilities towards life or the future of the Trust. A botched attempt made on his life on the orders of Fulvio Carlito, as well as Mr. Shepherd's death later on, led him to reassess his priorities. He was pursued by Megan Dietrich but appeared enamored with Dizzy Cordova, who he tracked down to Mexico. There, he spent time living with Dizzy, Wylie Times and Mr. Branch. After his incapacitation at the hands of Victor Ray and an interrogation by Lono, Benito was reminded of his importance within the Medici Family, and to the Trust at large. Returning to the Medici estate in Florida, Benito seemed to have given his future inheritance more thought. He ordered Lono to capture a Minuteman as a gift for his father; however when Lono returned with a beaten and bound Dizzy Cordova, Benito shot Lono in the face, an attempt to kill his own family's warlord. Benito then tended to Dizzy's injuries. After Javier Vasco's assassination, Augustus returns home to meet with the remaining leaders of the Trust, from the houses of Dietrich, Vermeer and D'Arcy. The meeting resulted in Augustus' removal of himself from power, and the elevation of Benito to head of the House of Medici. Benito was then immediately found strangled and drowned to death in issue #100, a response by the newly-aligned Trust to prevent the house of Medici from continuing. Benito's death is revealed to have been engineered intentionally by his father.
Megan Dietrich
(Deceased)
First appeared in issue #4. The series' femme fatale; a charming, confident yet deadly member of the Trust. Megan had risen to become the head of the Los Angeles-based Dietrich family, also running the family securities firm following the death of her father. A seemingly staunch supporter of the House of Medici and a close friend of Augustus, Megan had a hidden agenda and was not above murder to protect her own interests, also displaying more than a passing interest in Benito Medici. Megan was shot in an intentionally unsuccessful assassination attempt by Victor in San Diego (in issue #66). Soon after, she consummated a deeper partnership with Augustus Medici, who was able to convince Megan to not seek retribution for the attempt on her life. Megan's relationship with Augustus appeared to be headed towards a possible marriage, but the relationship was terminated by Augustus. Megan then teamed up with Vermeer and D'Arcy as they plotted a plan against Medici and Graves that would realign the Trust under her leadership. In issue #99, she was seen seducing Benito (the brand new head of the house of Medici) in the pool where he would be found dead in the next issue. She was shown to be possibly both racist and sexist in issue #100, when she reacted to Graves' naming of Dizzy Cordova as the new Agent of the Minutemen.[2] Megan was killed in a gasoline explosion along with Cole Burns in issue #100.
Roland Dietrich
(Deceased)
First appeared in issue #69 (in a flashback). Roland was Megan's father and the Head of the House of Dietrich around the time of the Atlantic City incident. He was present in the 1962 meeting at which he and Axel Nagel approved Graves's ascension to the role of Agent and leader of the Minutemen. He voted in favor of the Trust's dissolution of the Minutemen, on the advice of Graves and despite his reservations. Ultimately, this led to his capture at the hands of the Minutemen in Atlantic City.
Javier Vasco
(Deceased)
First appeared in issue #25. Javier Vasco's Seattle-based family has historically been viewed as aggressors within the Trust. They have had problems with the Nagel family which were dealt with by the Minutemen, but a rivalry was still evident. Javier was seemingly quite suspicious of the intentions of the House of Medici in restructuring the Trust and eliminating the Minutemen. He had formed a trio of dissent along with Helena Kotias and Fulvio Carlito, planning to eliminate Augustus Medici with the apparent agreement of Graves, in return for his reinstitution. Javier persuaded Axel Nagel to commit suicide, apparently as a consequence of some obligation. It was recently revealed that Augustus, Graves and Vasco were the masterminds behind a decades-long grand plan that is only now becoming clear, which included Vasco feinting the opposition role. He was eliminated by Will Slaughter in issue #98, who was contracted for the hit by Joan D'Arcy. His House is eventually handed over to Graves in the Trust's realignment.
Helena Kotias
(Deceased)
First appeared in issue #25. Based in Aspen, Colorado, Helena was unhappy with the leadership of the Trust. She was part of the alliance between the Kotias, Carlito and Vasco families determined to remove Augustus Medici from power. The trio met with Agent Graves, offering him to reinstitute the Minutemen in exchange for his help. It appeared that Helena was a very close ally of Javier Vasco and Lono even referred to her House as a wing of the House of Vasco. Killed by Victor in issue #86 along with another Trust head known only as Constance.
Mia Simone
(Deceased)
First appeared in issue #24. Based in Dallas, she was another ally of Medici. Graves considered the Simones to be the weakest of the families of the Trust. Mia was close to both Megan Dietrich and the late Daniel Peres, and seemed dismissive of the aggressive influence of the Vasco family within their organisation. She was killed in issue #76 in a fatal fall mysteriously arranged by Remi Rome.
Tibo Vermeer
(Deceased)
First appeared in issue #25. Based in Omaha, Nebraska, it was first speculated that the House of Vermeer was in alliance with the House of Vasco after Vermeer and Javier Vasco approached Lars Nagel in issue #72. Vermeer's true allegiances and motivations are unclear, but seem to be largely based in self-preservation. He was last seen with Megan and D'Arcy, preparing to sit down with Graves and Augustus. He is Killed by Cole Burns in issue #100.
Daniel Peres
(Deceased)
First appeared in issue #23. Daniel Peres was head of the Peres family and powerful within the Trust. During a summit meeting, Peres delivered a message to Augustus Medici from Graves. Peres tried hard to prevent a war between the former close friends, but thanks to Graves and Cole Burns, became the next message to the Trust (in issue #25). The House of Peres was then absorbed by the other then-12 families.
Peres was killed on the same bench in Atlantic City and by the same method (stabbing) as Mr. Branch.
Anwar Madrid
(Deceased)
First appeared in issue #25. Based in New Orleans. Father of Rose Madrid and a supporter of Augustus Medici in the elimination of the Minutemen, Anwar also had a personal ax to grind against the Trust's former soldiers because of Wylie's doomed relationship with Rose and her subsequent death. Wylie Times killed Anwar Madrid (in issue #56) shortly after being reactivated as a Minuteman.
Rose Madrid
(Deceased)
First appeared in issue #52 (in a flashback). Daughter of Anwar Madrid and heiress to the House of Madrid, Rose was also secretly romantically involved with Minuteman Wylie Times. This relationship, which broke the rules of both the Trust and the Minutemen, was doomed due to Rose's involvement with a conspiracy against the House of Medici. Rose was executed by Wylie upon Shepherd's orders, causing a rift between the two men. Rose's relationship with Wylie and her death was one of several reasons why the Trust voted in favor of eliminating the Minutemen. It was revealed in a flashback that Rose's plot against Medici was being manipulated by someone within the Trust, which prompted Wylie to agree to Graves' plan to fake the deaths of the Minutemen.
Fulvio Carlito
(Deceased)
First appeared in issue #25. Fulvio Carlito had been openly critical of the direction in which the Trust was heading. He had formed an alliance with the Kotias and Vasco families to terminate Augustus Medici. The trio induced Agent Graves to not interfere with the achievement of their goals. It was revealed that Carlito was behind a failed assassination attempt of both Augustus and Benito in Miami. Lono's first overt action as the Trust's new Warlord was to capture and torture Fulvio for information concerning the alliance (in issue #65), and to subsequently to eliminate the House of Carlito upon his death.
Axel Nagel
(Deceased)
First appeared in issue #25. An elder member of the Trust, he seemed as skeptical as Vasco about the abandonment of the Minutemen. His family apparently had disagreements with the Vascos which had to be adjudicated by the Minutemen (presumably in a brutal fashion). He was considered an ally of the House of Medici and his family was based in New York City. Axel was instrumental in approving Graves' elevation as the head of the Minutemen in 1962. This was against the wishes of the Trust's then liaison, Mr. Shore, who distrusted Graves' closeness to the Houses of Medici and Vasco. Axel Nagel died in issue #69 after willingly taking poison given by Vasco, who promised Axel to pass the House of Nagel onto his children rather than fold.
Lars and Anna Nagel
(Deceased)
First appeared in issue #70, they were the twin heirs to the House of Nagel. Before they could decide who will lead the House of Nagel, Anna was deceived by Lono. After Lars finished an unexpected business dinner with Vasco and Vermeer, Lono told Anna that Lars was there trying to ally himself with the men who killed their father. Back at their hotel room, Lars unknowingly drank champagne that Anna spiked with lethal pills. When Lars tells his sister that he had decided that she should assume control over the House of Nagel, Anna tried to stop him from drinking his champagne. Already too late, she swallowed the rest of the pills after her brother's death, an act of suicide. The House of Nagel was absorbed by the other Houses soon after.
Sigmar Rhone
(Deceased)
First appeared in issue #25. Based in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, Sigmar was a loving husband and father as well the head of the House of Rhone. He also had covert extramarital affairs with some of the female members of the Trust. Instantly recognisable by his white beard and love of cigars, he owned a casino, record label, media outlets as well as other business interests. He received confirmation of the duplicity of Graves and other Trust leaders from Megan's bodyguard, Kate (who was another one of Sigmar's sex partners.) Rhone was then forced to witness the cold blooded murder of Kate, as well as his wife and young children by Minutemen Victor Ray and Remi Rome, acting on Agent Graves' behalf. He himself was then executed.
Joan D'Arcy
(Deceased)
First appeared in issue #25. The head of the Chicago-based House of D'Arcy was alleged to be allied to the House of Medici. In the wake of the elimination of eight Trust families, Joan D'Arcy approached retired Minuteman Will Slaughter to perform hits on Abe Rothstein, a covert ops specialist who assisted Agent Graves with intelligence, briefcases and "magic bullets," as well as Javier Vasco. She has survived two attacks by Remi, and was being targeted by Victor, until Graves called him off. She participated in a sit down with the remaining houses and Graves. She was apparently suffocated by Cole Burns in issue #100. Her name is derived from Joan of Arc.
Constance
(Deceased)
First appeared in issue #25. She is killed by Victor in issue #86 along with Helena Kotias. Like Helena, she had a clandestine affair with the late Sigmar Rhone. No other information exists regarding her House.
The Minutemen
Led by Agent Graves, the Minutemen are seven killing machines who policed The Trust, originally thirteen rich, corrupt, and powerful families. Mr. Shepherd, himself a former Minuteman, held the position of Warlord (liaison between the Trust and the Minutemen) and trained Lono and Wylie personally though it is unknown if he trained the rest. The Minutemen were supposed to be killed off on the Trust's orders - instead, their deaths were faked and the members hypnotically hidden in new lives by Graves and Shepherd.
The Atlantic City Minutemen
Agent Graves
(Deceased?)
The main protagonist of the series, Agent Philip Graves is a mysterious and enigmatic old man who presents wronged individuals with the opportunity for revenge without consequences. He is first introduced in the eight page story in the 1998 Vertigo Summer special "Silencer Night", before appearing in 100 Bullets issue #1. Graves is a man in his mid to late sixties who appears like a police or government agency official.
Philip Graves was a Minuteman until he was elected to the position of Agent in the early Sixties after the death of Agent Neil Walker. His new position was contested by then-Warlord, Mr. Shore, who implicated Graves in the death of Walker and as being in league with other Trust members, but Shore was overruled by Trust leaders Roland Dietrich and Axel Nagel. As Agent, Graves was the head of the Minutemen up until their apparent demise in Atlantic City. Graves himself was believed dead by the Trust until his re-emergence, shortly before the beginning of the series.
After his presumed death, Graves retained his access to the attaché cases containing evidence of a crime, a gun with 100 untraceable bullets, and immunity from law enforcement to give to whomever he pleases. Many of the people he approached were being given an opportunity to deliver justice as they see fit. In some instances, the person was unknowingly used for the Trust's purposes. In other cases, Graves uses the attachés to test the person's morality and constitution for varrying purposes (such for potential recruitment into the Minutemen.) Graves' access to the attachés was eventually halted due to the death of his supplier, Abe Rothstein.
His true motives were unclear for much of the series, but it became apparent that Graves was looking to avenge his betrayal by taking down the Trust. It eventually revealed that Graves, along with Augustus Medici and Javier Vasco, had masterminded a decades-long grand plan to assume power over the other houses of the Trust. After Vasco's death, Graves and Augustus agreed to sit down with the remaining members of the Trust where, as part of a peace agreement brokered by Augustus, Graves was forced to resign as Agent, only to assume rule over the vacant House of Vasco. Graves was required to select a new Agent from the remaining Minutemen: Cole, Victor, Jack, Dizzy, and Loop.
In issue #100, Graves appointed Dizzy as the new Agent and tasked her with punishing those responsible for the death of Benito. He then goes to confront Augustus, blaming him for his son's death. When Graves finds Augustus he chooses to punish him personally, shooting the unarmed Medici in the chest. This accidentally sets off an explosion with kills Megan Dietrich and Cole Burns, and appears to seriously injure Dizzy. The series concludes with Graves cradling Dizzy's body in the middle of the burning household, as she presses a gun to his head, his punishment for killing Augustus and moving against another family of the Trust.
Their ultimate fates are not shown. Throughout the series, Graves is always shown to be meticulous and calculating, rarely showing any outbursts of emotions. In some rare instances, he is shown to very much care personally for certain characters (such as in his almost fatherly relationship with Dizzy.) Although he does not appear in every issue or story arc, Graves' presence dominates most of the action and intrigue that occurs in the book.
He was described by series creator Brian Azzrelo as "the only character who never lies." The character was nominated for the Squiddy Award for Best Character in 2000. The character appeared as an easter egg in the panels of Azzarello's run of Batman "Broken City". He is based on a composite of actor Lee Marvin and writer Brian Azzarello's grandfather, a Massachusetts police officer.[2]
Lono (aka "The Dog")
(Deceased?)
First appeared in issue #5. A dangerous, larger-than-life man of Hawaiian descent; Lono is presented as the series' most unredeemable character. A Minuteman at the time of the events of Atlantic City, Lono is an ultra-violent, sadistic man prone to such cruelties as torture and a rape. He is preternaturally tough, and on multiple occasions is shown to have sustained apparently deadly injuries (such as shootings), only to reappear in a later issue. He is suggested at times to be insane, or possibly psychopathic, but is shown as the series progresses to be somewhat more intelligent and cunning than he is first given credit for.
Lono was the only Minuteman not to be in Atlantic City, a matter later revealed to have been engineered by Shepherd, who wanted Lono to succeed him as the Trust's Warlord in the event of his own death. Believing his comrades dead, Lono served his own interests until Graves came back into his life. Lono was framed for robbing a bank by Shepherd at Graves' request as punishment for killing Milo Garret. While in prison, Shepherd told Lono he was to train the already incarcerated Loop Hughes to become a Minuteman as his personal penance.
Before his death, Shepherd told Lono to assume his place, revealing that he had never trained Lono to remain as a Minuteman and had always intended him to become Warlord of the Trust. Lono threw himself into his new role with characteristic enthusiasm and somewhat uncharacteristic brains and guile, covertly recruiting several Minutemen as his team and seeking to recruit new ones such as Loop Hughes. At one point, he even attempted to bring Crete, the Medici family's bodyguard into his group of new Minutemen.
Lono anticipated that Graves would attempt to kill Augustus Medici, and worked to position himself as a confidant of considerable influence over Benito. When Lono finally met Dizzy Cordova, he stated that he blamed her for killing Shepherd, which lead to a brutal fight between the two. Lono captures Dizzy and offers her (bound and beaten) to Benito, who responds to Lono's act by shooting him in the face. The bullet fails to kill Lono, who then fled the Medici property and sustaining multiple severe injuries in the process.
Lono contacted Loop while in the midst of a standoff with remaining Minutemen Milo, Cole and Jack, and in a rage encouraged them to kill each other because that's what Graves and the Trust wanted them to do. In issue #100, he breaks into the Medici grounds, and confronts Graves before being shot by Dizzy. Though he takes multiple rounds to the chest at a fatally close range, it is unknown whether Lono was actually killed, as his body is never shown after falling out a window when shot.
Since he was not present for the events of Atlantic City, Lono did not need to be reactivated.
Milo Garret (aka "The Bastard")
(Deceased)
First appeared in issue #27 (and previously, in a flashback sequence in issue #10). Milo was reputed to be perhaps the most ruthless of the Minutemen, earning him the code name "The Bastard". After Atlantic City he was deactivated, and assumed the life of a hard-boiled and heavy drinking private detective in Los Angeles, reminiscent of the antihero character types popular in "pulp" stories and genres. His face appears fully wrapped in bandages for much of his part in the series.
Milo was hired on a case involving a painting owned by Megan Dietrich that was targeted by Lono and Echo Memoria for purposes unknown. Neither Lono nor Megan recognized Milo, due to bandages and frequent usage of pseudonyms. After his reawakening, Milo, having previously been quite open in his dislike and distrust of Graves, was unwilling to re-adjust to life as a Minuteman, preferring his new life and all that it involved to the prospect of returning to the Minutemen. To that end, he engineered his own demise being beaten by Lono's hands, the full story of his role in Graves' plans only becoming clear to Milo in his dying seconds.[2]
Milo was reactivated in issue #34 after seeing the painting "La Morte dil Cesare" (and it's depiction of the word "Croatoa" above a doorway) in Megan Dietrich's house.
Cole Burns (aka "The Wolf")
(Deceased)
First appeared in issue #9. Cole was the first Minuteman shown to be reactivated, shortly after he accepted Graves' offer to avenge his grandmother's untimely death. Prior to his reactivation, he worked as an ice cream salesman, and was running small deals for a local racketeer in New Jersey. He had a girlfriend, Sasha, but the events of his resumed life as a Minuteman left anything between them finished. Cole was once described as Graves "right hand man" and was shown to be fiercely loyal to him even when not fully understanding Graves' plans himself. This loyalty led him to carry out the murder of Daniel Peres, and to assist Remi Rome in the killing of Mia Simone. He was sent with Mr. Branch to retrieve the La Morte dil Cesar painting from Ronnie Rome, only find Branch dead once that mission was completed.
Following the deaths of Branch and Wylie Times (whom, if never explicitly called "friends," Cole purported to personally like and/or respect) he became disillusioned with Graves' plans. He took the painting then met up with Jack and Loop and seemed to be considering changing sides. Lono, who refused to trust Cole after his years of loyalty to Graves, ordered Loop to terminate him, his attempt being prevented by Jack. Cole and Jack led Loop to a secluded rural area, apparently to execute him. At this point Jack turned on Cole, knocking him out, and allowing Loop to escape. It is later revealed that Cole's intention was supposedly never to kill Loop and the two leave the woods together.
A short while later, Cole and Loop run into Jack at a motel, where he is found with Echo Memoria. Cole shoots Echo whilst she and Jack are engaged in sexual intercourse, killing her to avenge Mr. Branch. After assessing their roles and the motives their respective bosses, Cole and the remaining Minutemen (Jack, Loop and Victor) set out to the Medici estate to confront Graves and the Trust.
In the final issue, Cole covertly killed Tibo Vermeer and Joan D'Arcy, before confronting Megan Dietrich. Trapping her in a room doused with gasoline, he taunted her with his lighter. The sound of an unexpected gunshot, fired by Agent Graves, caused Cole to accidentally drop the lighter, incinerating both Megan and himself.
Cole was reactivated in issue #9 when a rock musician, paid by Graves, whispered the word "Croatoa" to him. He was fully "awakened" after his ice cream truck exploded and he was caught by the blast.[2]
Wylie Times (aka "The Point Man")
(Deceased)
First appeared in issue #28 (and previously, in Cole's flashback sequence in issue #10). A seemingly unimportant gas station attendant and part time smuggler in El Paso, Texas, Wylie was revealed to have once been thought of as the most intelligent and focused of the Minutemen. Before his deactivation, he was widely considered the most skilled of the group and served as their field leader. He attracted the attention of Dizzy Cordova after an unsuccessful attempt by Shepherd to reactivate him. Some time after that, Graves offered to Wylie an attaché whose contents implicated Shepherd in the murder of Rose Madrid, a deceased girlfriend of his and a member of a family of the Trust.
After being reactivated by Graves in New Orleans, he briefly flared with purpose in order to confront his demons, finally making peace with Shepherd shortly before the latter was slain. After New Orleans, Wylie reverted to being a waster, tagging along behind Dizzy in the Mexican desert. Wylie told Graves off when Graves requested he bring Dizzy into the fold, and was forced to kill Coochie and his men when they confronted him upon Graves' orders. Wylie, after encountering Victor Ray, decided to meet Graves and exchanged words with Cole and Remi, suggesting he had figured out Graves' plan, mentioning that Graves was possibly attempting an atonement for a dark deed in his past. Tragically, Remi mistook Wylie's reaching for matches as him going for a gun and shot his former leader through the chest (although Victor suspected other possible motivations.) Graves rushed to him in shock and horror, but it was too late to save him. As Wylie died, he had a vision of Rose coming to greet him.[2]
Wylie was set apart from the other Minutemen by his skills and leadership. In the completed Atlantic City flashback, he is shown as being the leading figure of the Minutemen in Graves absence, and seems at various times to exhibit the Agent's capability and vision for coordination and planning. He is one of the more redemptive characters in the series, having shown a greater capacity for empathy and care for people than several of his fellow Minutemen. Wylie became particularly close with Dizzy Cordova, and their relationship carried several parallels to Wylie's with tragically lost love, Rose Madrid.
Wylie was reactivated in issue #53 by a musician telling him the title of a song he had written, called "Blue Day for Croatoa." The title was suggested to the musician by Graves.
Victor Ray (aka "The Rain")
First appeared in issue #50, where he recounted the story of Roanoke and the origins of the Trust (and previously, in a flashback sequence in issue #10). Graves activated Victor while on his way to meet Dizzy in Chicago for the first time, although this fact is revealed later on in the series. Victor remained unaffiliated with the rest of the Minutemen, for reasons known only to him and Graves.
Recruited by Lono and Loop shortly after they were released from prison, he carried out the apparent assassination attempt on Megan Dietrich in San Diego and escaped unnoticed. It was later revealed in issue #79 that Lono engineered the purposely botched assassination attempt to solidify power amongst members of the Trust. During this time, Victor also served as a mentoring partner of Loop. Eventually, Victor deserted Lono's group in Mexico in favor of Graves, apprehending Branch and Dizzy and leaving an unconscious Benito for his former comrades.
"The Rain" (along with Remi) struck again in issue #84, gunning down the wife, children, and associates of the House of Rhone before killing family head Sigmar Rhone himself. He also assassinated Helena Kotias and another Trust family head. Later when Remi was hospitalized, Victor visited him in the hospital, and was the only witness to Remi's suicide.
A short while later, Victor was also seen in Omaha, targeting a gun at the household where Thibo Vermeer, Megan Dietrich and Joan D'Arcy were meeting, but was called off by Graves due to Vasco's death. He was then made aware of Loop, Cole and Jack's whereabouts and confronted them in an armed standoff. His loyalty to Graves shaken by Cole's defection, Victor has teamed up with the remaining Minutemen to confront Graves.
Victor leaves the series with Loop and his father, Will Slaughter, driving away from the burning house of Medici.
Though the killing of the Rhone children is a brutal crime, the exact triggerman of the Victor/Remi pair is left ambiguous. In issue #86, Victor's rescue of a child may be an indication of his uninvolvement with killing the kids. However, it is equally unclear as to whether the child's rescue was the purpose of his attack (issue #86) or just a coincidence of circmstance. Whatever the case, The Rain has consistently shown an utter control of his emotions and complete dedication to his work. He is notable among the Minutemen for his apparently high intelligence and tremendous precision in executing his missions. Victor is also a highly accurate shot, able to shoot Megan Dietrich just above the heart, as ordered. While Victor remained the most unquestioningly loyal to Graves of anyone through most of the series, he ultimately chose to side with his intuition before the climactic events of issue #100. Unlike the less redemptive characters of the series, it is intimated that Victor cares very deeply for the people in his life.
Victor was reactivated immediately prior to the events depicted in issue #1. Agent Graves whispered the word into Victor's ear moments before he first approached Dizzy.
Jack Daw (aka "The Monster")
(Deceased?)
First appeared in issue #21 (and previously, obscured in a Cole's flashback sequence in issue #10). Jack' life was ruled by a heroin addiction while he worked occasional odd jobs as a bouncer in Boston. He was given an attaché by Graves, that essentially prompted him to commit suicide, as it was (apparently) the only one containing a picture of its recipient. After receiving the attaché, Jack carried on with his life of crime and addiction.
Jack and his friend Mikey later made their way toward Atlantic City, where they run across a business run by Mikey's cousin: a zoo full of wild animals that, for a fee, could be "hunted" by mafioso. When a caged tiger brought back vague memories of his previous life, it is revealed that Jack was a Minuteman at the time of the events of Atlantic City, and that after being deactivated, he had merely descended into a pattern of self-abuse that apparently had been established long before.
Jack kicked the habit once and for all and took up bareknuckle street boxing in Atlantic City. Graves, openly scornful of the waste that Jack has made of his life, seemed reluctant to reactivate him before he could fully overcome his self-destructive tendencies. Lono then reactivated him, though whether this was under instruction from Shepherd, Graves or by his own inclination is unknown.
After working for Lono for a while and traveling with Loop and Victor Ray, Jack bolted on his own after receiving the La Morte dil Cesar painting from Cole. He was later found with Echo Memoria by Loop and Cole. Jack then joined the surviving Minutemen as they went to confront Graves in the series' finale. In issue #100, Jack was confronted by Crete, who attempted to stop him from entering the Medici household. The two fought and ultimately tumbled into the alligator pit during their struggle, where they were apparently both eaten (though their actual deaths are not shown.)
Jack is physically the largest of all the Minutemen which makes him able to inflict and sustain large amounts of damage. Lono himself stated that Jack was the one most capable of taking out any of the other Minutemen, hence his "Monster" nickname. Before the series' final issue, Jack reveals that he's developed a distaste for killing having after lived the life of a Minuteman. Despite this sensitivity, he ultimately dies engaged in a brutal act of violence with the powerful Crete.
Reactivated in issue #68/69 when Lono got the word Croatoa tattooed onto his stomach and approached Jack.[2]
Remi Rome (aka "The Saint")
(Deceased)
First appeared in Cole's flashback sequence in issue #10 with his full appearance in issue #70. The seventh Minuteman was concealed by Graves himself, following the Atlantic City incident. Remi's life after being deactivated consisted of working as a meat packer and living at home with his mother and brother in Cleveland. Following his reawakening and an assault on some meat thieves, Remi went back into Graves' fold and was shown to be remarkably sadistic, displaying cruel tendencies on the level of Lono, as when he volunteered to kill Mia Simone.
There seemed to be some bitterness between Remi and Cole as they both went out of their way to insult the other. In Mexico, Remi was responsible for murdering Wylie Times when he ostensibly mistook Wylie's reaching for matches to be going for a gun. The subsequent elimination of the Rhone faction culminated in the murder of Rhone's family and mistress (both of which Sigmar Rhone watched, helplessly, until his own elimination occurred). Remarkable to this is the presence of Rhone's children at the scene of the crime, all killed with precise, purposeful shots by Remi and Victor.
Remi lost both hands in an explosion during his second botched attempt to terminate Joan D'Arcy. Because of this career-ending injury and possibly due to some lingering guilt over Wylie's death, he jumped from the roof of the hospital he was staying in, an act of suicide. His brother, Ronnie, was being carted into the same hospital from an ambulance after an automobile accident. It is unknown whether or not Remi lands on his brother, but Ronnie opened his eyes just in time to see Remi descend. Although his impact not actually shown, it is strongly intimated that at least Remi would be killed by his fall.
Remi seemed to annoy lots of people with his couldn't-care-less attitude. His own brother, Ronnie, claimed to have hated him (even as he loved him), and Graves himself confronted Remi violently about his behaviors. Remi was a relatively young and immature member of the Minutemen- likely the youngest member at the time of the team's dissolution in Atlantic City.
Reactivated in issue #73 by Bobby after Agent Graves paid a bum to write "Croatoa" in the snow on Remi's car.
New Minutemen
Isabelle "Dizzy" Cordova
(Deceased?)
First appeared in issue #1. The first person to be visibly approached by Graves, Dizzy was an ex-gangbanger who accepted his offer to avenge the deaths of her husband and child at the hands of crooked cops, after her release from prison. She was subsequently recruited by Shepherd on behalf of Graves and sent to Paris, ostensibly to be briefed by a reticent Mr. Branch on the nature of her employers.
Dizzy was undergoing training by Shepherd to replace Milo as a Minuteman (perhaps the first female one), and was contested for control between Shepherd and Graves. When she refused to go with Graves, her apparently accidental activation by Wylie led to Shepherd's death at her hands. Grief stricken, she sought solace in the desert surrounding Juárez with thoughts of revenge against Graves until she was soon confronted by the attentions of three men- Wylie, Branch and Benito Medici.
Following Wylie's death, she was taken to Graves by Victor Ray, and agreed to become a Minuteman. From that time forward, she accompanied Graves until finally running into Lono at the meeting of Graves, Augustus Medici and Javier Vasco. Lono (who blamed her for Shepherd's death) then captured Dizzy, and delivered her personally to Benito. When Benito shot Lono, he took Dizzy inside to tend to her injuries.[2]
In issue #100, Dizzy was named as the new Agent of the Trust by Graves and was tasked with punishing whoever killed Benito. She confronted Megan, but was interrupted by Cole, who had prepared to deal with Megan himself. After Dizzy left Megan to Cole, the pools of gasoline in the room were accidentally ignited by Cole's dropped lighter, and the resulting explosion seriously injured Dizzy. She was thrown from the balcony, possibly with a spinal injury. Graves found her laying on the ground in the burning house, and told her that he had killed Augustus Medici. In the final scene of the series, Graves cradles Dizzy's body in the burning house, and she pressed a gun to his head. As Agent, she says that she must punish him for taking action against another house. Their ultimate fates are not shown.
Louis "Loop" Hughes
First appeared in issue #15. Loop was a relatively well adjusted teenager living in Philadelphia, foregoing the gangster life-style of his peers. He was re-united with his estranged father, Curtis, and was tutored by him for a short while, thanks to an attaché from Graves.
Despite his being the target in Graves' attache, Loop reconciled his differences with his father before Curtis' death. Soon after, hie was sent to prison for murder (an outcome intended by Graves, after Loop's declining an offer to work for him.) While imprisoned, he was trained to become a Minuteman under Lono, at Mr. Shepherd's request. The two were released following Shepherd's death, who had an unfinished agenda requiring their attention.
Loop's first assignment as a Minuteman was to act as spotter for Victor Ray in the assassination attempt on Megan Dietrich. With Lono promoted to Warlord, Loop found a new mentor in Victor. He was ordered to kill Cole by Lono but was stopped by Jack. After several more attempts by Lono to break the remaining Minutemen apart, Loop eventually joined Victor, Cole and Jack to confront Graves and the Trust.
In issue #100, Loop kills several body guards in the climactic events at the Medici residence before finally deciding that he did not want to be a Minuteman. He then hot-wired a car, and was shown leaving the burning house of Medici with Victor Ray and Will Slaughter.
Former Minutemen
Mr. Shepherd
(Deceased)
First appeared in issue #2. An equally mysterious associate of Graves, Joseph Shepherd was a former Minuteman who became their trainer and liaison with the Trust when he was appointed as its Warlord. He was ordered by the Trust to eliminate the Minutemen, but instead worked with Graves to conceal five of the seven that were present at Atlantic City. His true loyalties remained unknown as he maintained his own agenda somewhere between that of Graves' and the Trust's. Vying with Graves for control of Dizzy Cordova, Sheperd was mortally wounded when Wylie activated her, but he managed to appoint Lono as his successor and entrust him with Loop's training before succumbing to death in the desert somewhere near Juarez. He also cited Dizzy specifically as the replacement for Milo Garret, which suggests that Milo's death may have been manipulated more intentionally than previously thought.
In the Tarantula story arc, Mr. Shepherd's origin story revealed him to be a New York park basketball player who had served in Vietnam before being dishonorably discharged. Agent Graves recruited Shepherd for the Minutemen after he was unable to prove Shepherd murdered a young man whom the story intimates had beaten another man into a coma. Graves was impressed by Sheperd after his own inability to prove the young man's guilt, as Shepherd seemed totally unrattled by any intimidation. Graves' decision to recruit Shepherd appeared to be the last straw for Loop's father Curtis Hughes, who was excluded from the Minutemen because of his race, but had remained in service to Graves in the apparent hope that an exception would eventually be made if he proved himself capable and loyal.[2]
Will Slaughter
First appeared in issue #87. A retired Minuteman, Slaughter has been working as a contract killer in order to support his young wife and three girls. According to himself, his replacement as a Minuteman was someone he raised himself (a son or otherwise). He has recently been brought back into the activities of the Trust by Joan D'Arcy, following the elimination of three Trust heads within one week. He killed Mr. Rothstein on D'Arcy's orders, and later assassinated Vasco. He was next seen sneaking into Lono's room, and appeared ready to kill him, but Slaughter quietly walked away when he overheard Lono's phone conversion with the remaining Minutemen. Slaughter was revealed to be the father of Victor Ray (the Rain) in issue #100, and is seen leaving the Medici estate with Victor and Loop Hughes during the climactic melee.
Mr. Shore
(Deceased?)
Shore was the Trust's Warlord during the Fifties and Sixties, when the late Neil Walker was the Minutemen's Agent. Shore was described by Graves as a "Company Man", disliked by Graves and the likes of Vasco and Medici. He opposed Graves' elevation to the position of Agent in 1962, believing that Graves had allegiances with the young family heads, and a separate agenda of his own which would taint the Minutemen. Shore is no longer active, and probably dead, but this is not confirmed.
Supporting characters
Mr. Branch
(Deceased)
First appeared in issue #12. Branch was a journalist who was offered the attaché by Graves. He chose to investigate the origins of Graves' power and uncovered the existence of the Trust. This earned him a traumatic visit from Lono, as well as an encounter with Shepherd, who revealed to him the history of the Trust and the Minutemen. Branch fled to Paris, and continued to research his obsession at great personal risk. He was briefly scared off the case by Cole Burns during Dizzy Cordova's visit to Paris, but developed an infatuation for her, which led him to accept a dangerous request by Megan Dietrich to return to the States. Diverted from meeting with Megan, he was compelled by Cole to track down Echo Memoria in Europe, but reneged on the deal in order to chase after Dizzy. He found Dizzy in Mexico along with Wylie Times and Benito Medici. The quartet lived together until Victor captured Dizzy and Branch and brought them back to the States (with Branch losing a finger in the process). Cole then forced him to help recover the stolen La Morte dil Cesar painting from Ronnie Rome. He met his end in Atlantic City in issue #88, apparently at the hands of Echo Memoria. Cole would kill Echo later to avenge his friend.
Curtis Hughes
(Deceased)
First appeared in issue #15. Curtis was the father of Loop Hughes. He left his family when Loop was very young, and was working as a collections man for small time mobster Rego in Philadelphia. Curtis was a past acquaintance and operative of Graves, and he enjoyed at least token respect from most of the Minutemen. He was selected by Graves to become one himself, but the Trust blocked his appointment because he was black and as a consequence his role was restricted to assisting Graves in the recruitment and training of the Minutemen including Mr. Shepherd. His disillusionment with the restrictions based on his race lead to him eventually leaving Graves for Rego.
He became acquainted with his son, whom he mentored for a brief period of time, thanks to Graves, but refused Graves' offer of an attaché and another chance to become a Minuteman in his advanced age. Covering for his son Loop over some stolen money owed to Rego, Curtis was killed by Rego's henchmen in an arson attack.
Echo Memoria
(Deceased)
First appeared in issue #26. An art thief of Italian origin, Echo was first seen in Paris, touting herself as a prostitute to Branch in order to extract information about the Trust from him. She was next seen with Milo Garret as part of a scheme to steal the La Morte dil Cesar painting. She disappeared with Lono and the painting after Garret's death, but grew bored with him and left. She was arrested at the airport, trying to buy a plane ticket with some of the stolen money that was used by Shepherd to set Lono up. She was apparently released from custody and, according to Cole Burns, returned to Europe. Later, Graves sent Ronnie Rome to Europe to retrieve the La Morte dil Cesar painting from her. After that she was in Atlantic City in issue 88 talking to Mr. Branch, and he is later found dead at the same spot. Echo them met with Jack, who currently had the La Morte dil Cesar painting, before she is killed by Cole Burns in retaliation for the murder of Mr. Branch. Her body is wrapped in the painting she had so long sought, and both were dumped into a swamp.
Ronnie Rome
(Deceased?)
First appearance in issue #70. Brother of Remi Rome, he was an enforcer for small time mobster Mimo Pallidino in Cleveland. Ronnie was handed an attaché from Agent Graves, with Remi as his target. Remi found the attaché before it could be used, and confronted Ronnie about it but the gun was not used until a gun battle between the Rome brothers and meat thieves (a battle that left Ronnie crippled). Following the assault, Remi disappeared and Ronnie was eventually visited by Agent Graves. Graves made use of Ronnie, sending him to Italy to recover the La Morte dil Cesar painting from Echo Memoria. Ronnie delivered the painting to Cole Burns, who came close to shooting Ronnie in revenge for Remi killing Wylie. Ronnie was on his way to visit Remi in the hospital when his taxi was overturned in a road-rage-related accident. Ronnie was last seen on a stretcher outside of the hospital where Remi committed suicide by jumping off the roof of the hospital. It is unclear if Remi fell on his brother or not, but Ronnie did witness the jump.
Crete
(Deceased?)
First appeared in issue #23. Crete is the silent and bulky, but preternaturally quick, bodyguard of Augustus Medici. Crete is shown to possess great skills at his job, is an excellent fighter and tracker. He declined Lono's attempt to recruit him as warrior in service to the Trust at large, preferring instead to continue to provide his services to the House of Medici. He seems to be incredibly loyal to the Medici family and sill stop at nothing to protect them. He openly detests Lono and has repeatedly stated that he will kill him if he does anything to harm the Medicis. It is revealed that Crete was once recruited to join the Minutemen themselves, but he chose to become the Medici's bodyguard instead.
In issue #100, Crete stops Jack Daw from entering the Medici household, fighting him until they fall into the alligator pit, where they are apparently both eaten (though their actual deaths are never shown.)
Coochie
(Deceased)
First appeared in issue #29, his real name was Mik Kuchenko. A rough but earnest Russian smuggler and gunrunner based in Juárez (and apparently a good judge of character), Coochie was an old friend of Shepherd who became acquainted with Dizzy and Wylie during a border smuggling scheme gone wrong and provided them with shelter when they drifted across the border again after Shepherd's death. Displaying the same equanimity, he was paid by Benito Medici to take him to Dizzy. He was hired by Graves to kill Wylie after Wylie refused to turn in Dizzy, but was killed in issue #77 by Wylie.
Abe Rothstein
(Deceased)
A very well-connected arms dealer with substantial ties to local organized law enforcement, FBI, CIA and "higher". He was an ally of Graves, and is the apparent source of all of Graves' attaches, guns, untraceable bullets and legal immunity. He was tortured and killed by Will Slaughter in issue #91 at Joan D'Arcy's request, thus terminating Graves' game.
References
- ^ Mclaughlin, Jeff (2005). Comics as Philosophy. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi. ISBN 9781578067947.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Irvine, Alex (2008), "100 Bullets", in Dougall, Alastair (ed.), The Vertigo Encyclopedia, London: Dorling Kindersley, pp. 11–17, ISBN 0-7566-4122-5
External links
- 100Bullets.co.uk fan site, on material from which parts of this article were based