REVIEW: Richard Stark’s “The Hunter” adapted by Darwyn Cooke.
The Hunter cover by Darwyn Cooke
When this book was first announced at Comic Con International last summer I nearly flipped at this idea. When I got the book in my hands six weeks before the release I flipped again.
If you’re expecting the bright colors and sharp superhero designs that came along with Cooke’s “The New Frontier” and “The Spirit” than you’re going to be shocked because you’re not going to get it. This is so different from that. It uses two colors (blue and white), has no dialogue for pages upon pages and is a tight 140-page hardcover with maybe three spread pages total. This design sensibility is directly conducive to the story.
In “The Hunter”, we follow Parker, a gun for hire who has been double-crossed by his wife and partners. Left for dead, Parker survives and stalks across the country in search of his share of a job and to kill the people who double-crossed him. The story is that simple and displays a cold 1962 New York City and its finite organized crime enterprises that Parker infiltrates with violence that would make Charlie Manson squirm.
The blue pages (similar to the design used by Fabio Moon in the Image Comics series “Casanova”) displays a cold feeling to the story, and the silent pages makes you focus on the tight panels used predominantly in the first section of the book. By using these tight panel grid pages and no dialogue, Cooke is literally making you see 300 pages of narrative, without dialogue there to hold your hand, packed into a 140 page hardcover graphic novel.
For those unfamiliar, Richard Stark was an alias of Donald Westlake considered to be one history’s very best mystery writers. His most popular character, Parker, has been featured in films young and old, and now in graphic novel form. The character has been personified by Mel Gibson in “Payback” and 1967’s “Point Blank” played by Lee Marvin. However, this edition notes that the name of the character has never been allowed to be used in the film versions. Westlake was nominated for an Academy Award for his screenplay of “The Grifters”. In 1993, the Mystery Writers of America named Westlake a Grand Master, the highest honor of that society. Westlake passed away in late 2008 to many feeling the loss of who was counted as one of the best, if not the best, mystery writer of a generation.
Darwyn Cooke’s stellar adaptation of this book hits stands today, and is worth every one of your pennies. It can be found on Forbidden Planet USA.com.
Not going to Comic Con? Hang with us.
John Parker had a great little piece over at Comics Alliance yesterday regarding solutions to those of us not going to Comic Con, and Mark Batty Publishing’s own Adri Cowan and I went ahead and ran with it.
ARRANGE A NERD PROM OF YOUR OWN
Why not? Get in touch with the folks at the comic store, post on forums, start a chain e-mail, and just get together with other comics people. Use the Comments Section if you feel like it. This happened several years ago in Kansas City and resulted in 24-Hour Comics parties, a four-gallery exhibition of sequential art, and two anthologies. Even if one isn’t interested in making comics, one always has a chance to meet interesting people, have a few laughs, or glom on to that potential next big star. After they make it, you’ll be there to feast on the scraps of their comic book lifestyle, and will be so coked-up and partied-out that Comic-Con just sounds like a drag. “Oh, Comic Con,” you’ll say flippantly. “That old thing?” and like an Ouroboros biting its tail, your journey will be complete.
So, Saturday night starting at 9pm join Adri and I and other comic book types not going to Comic Con as we get together at Botanica Bar on 47 E. Houston Street near Mulberry.
If you’re coming, give us a show of hands in the comments, or RSVP on the Facebook page.
Going to Comic Con? Here are some tips.
io9’s Graeme McMillan has done this thing for years: steps to surviving Comic Con. Frankly it would be presumptuous for me to tell you how to survive the convention, considering I’ve never gone and I’m not going this year. However, that does not mean that I won’t be bringing you highlights from the con as there are a number of things going on our end here. So, you along with me, can live vicariously through this blog on what’s going on there. As for me, here is what I would be checking out if I was going:
There are many, many things going on, but I’ll try to keep it to a bare minimum. Comic Con is generally seen to have literally something cool going on every hour on the hour, so if you resign yourself to the belief that there is no way you’re likely to make it to everything you’ll be better off.
- 10:15-11:15 Summit Entertainment: Astro Boy Room 6BCF: With stars Freddie Highmore and Kristen Bell they’ll be showing footage from the the upcoming animated movie that looks ridiculously gorgeous. I say that’s a great way to start your Thursday.
- 11:15-12:15 The Middleman Cast Reunion and Lost Episode Table Read, Room 6A: The show has been canceled, but the cast are reuniting to do a table read of an un-aired episode which was published in comic book form by Viper Comics. The show may be gone, but the complete series will be available on DVD soon, and you can always get the fantastic comics.
- 12:00-1:00 LongBox Digital Comics— Rantz Hoseley, Room 32AB: Spotlighting the iTunes of comics and how its going to work, I’m truly fascinated in what this will bring to the table. And how it will change how comics are distributed.
- 1:00-2:00 Mondo Marvel, Room 6DE: It wouldn’t be Comic Con without having to attend at least one of the Big Two’s panels as I’m sure all kinds of juicy tidbits will be coming up around this panel.
- Most importantly, I love virtually all the comics Will Dennis edits, and coming soon is his Vertigo Crime Line of comics, so I would be making a bee-line to room 5AB for the panel discussing this line. The panel starts at 5pm.
- 9:30-12:00 Halloween Comes Early: Trick ‘r Treat Screening: The final thing I would think about checking out is Mike Dougherty’s screening of “Trick R Treat” his indy horror flick. Dougherty is one of the two writers behind “X-2: X-Men United” and “Superman Returns.” The screening involves the entire cast including Anna Paquin (”True Blood”), Tahmoh Penikett (”Battlestar Galactica”), and Brian Cox (”The Bourne Identity”)
We’re getting you there later, especially after the screening.
- 11:30-12:30 AMC: The Prisoner— Jim Caviezel. Room 6BCF: I am very much so looking forward to seeing what they do with this remake of the classic, but short, television series. Before you do that I feel like its my civic duty as a blogger to bring to your attention: the entire original series is available for free on AMC’s website. Go. Watch. Scram. Do it now.
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12:30-1:30 Spotlight on Fábio Moon. Room 10 Fabio Moon is easily one of my favorite artists working today, and this is an opportunity I’d likely jump on because its just as unlikely that I’d ever get the opportunity to see him on this side of the coast.
- 2:00-3:00 IDW: Darwyn Cooke, Room 4 In which my favorite working artist today (next to Paul Pope and Fabio Moon/Gabriel Ba) talks about his latest work, adapting Richard Stark’s novel The Hunter. Which I will have a review for you coming up today.
- 3:00-4:00 DC Nation. Room 6DE: Like I said, its necessary to make it to at least one panel where you can check out what’s going on in the Big Two’s universe.
- 5:15-6-00 Spotlight on Joss Whedon: I’m a Joss Whedon fanboy. So if there is an opportunity to see him speak, I’m all over it like a cheap suit.
Friday night is also the Eisner Awards, which is like the Oscars for comics, so if I could get into it, I would go. And probably live blog it for you all here.
I’m beginning to think five panels a day is probably going to get pretty tedious. So, I think limiting them now with two days still left to go is advisable.
- 11:00-12:00 Lost: The Final Season Begins, with Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, Hall H: I know, I know! I should have walked away from this show forever ago, but with its final season I just have to see how terrible it can get. Now that Brian K. Vaughan is gone, I’m sure all sense of coherent storytelling has left with him. So, like watching a car crash, I just want to see how they sweep the bodies under the rug.
- 2:45-3:45 Sony Pictures: Zombieland and 2012 (Also in Hall H, I think): No, not for 2012, for Zombieland you guys, that movie looks righteous and 100% awesome.
- 5:30-6:30 American Original: Birth of an Original, Room 7AB: Friend of the blog, Jeff Katz plans to have some big announcements in regards to his new production company American Original, and I want to see what shakes out of this.
I think its safe to say that if I were there, Sunday would be a dragging my feet day.
- 10:00-11:00 Dr. Who, Ballroom 20: This would be a toughie, I think, I know there is going to be something said at this one, but considering the night before was Saturday night. I think I would find myself hard-pressed to roll myself out of bed in time for this panel, but I would at least set my alarm to try to make it. If I did go, there would probably be a nap figured in somewhere later in the day. That’s fascinating to all of you, I’m sure.
The rest of the day, I think I would probably spend wandering the Con floor, as it is the last day of the convention. Generally, on the last day of any convention, retailers on the con floor starting giving out great deals, so Sunday is generally a good day to go shopping.
If you are going to the convention, let us know what you checked out over the period. Have a safe and fun time. I’m sure it will be a blast. Regardless, even though I’m not going, I will be bringing you updates of what I’m sure is con full of goings-on.
