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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is old-fashioned pulp turned into a graphic novel.
It's pretty good although it's pretty dated.
Overlooking that, the plot is enjoyable.
This is a breezy read.
It's pretty good although it's pretty dated.
Overlooking that, the plot is enjoyable.
This is a breezy read.
Classic crime fiction with evocative artwork by Darwyn Cooke-- what's not to like?!?
Good noir story but sometimes it rely feels as if you're reading an illustrated novel instead of an comic book. That is meant to be the case as these series is advertised under "Graphic novels" but i guess i wasn't in the mood for that right now. Particularly not after finishing the Tyler Cross series where i prefer Brünos colorful style over Darwyn Cooke's more wishy washy lines.
All joking aside, I really enjoyed this book.
4½
This book is all around entertaining and a good paced story. The art is fantastic, a style I really like.
Also, yes, most of you shouldn't understand why I started this review with, "All joking aside"...
4½
This book is all around entertaining and a good paced story. The art is fantastic, a style I really like.
Also, yes, most of you shouldn't understand why I started this review with, "All joking aside"...
Donald E. Westlake is a well-known name in the crime fiction arena. His work can be found not only in books but also on the silver screen. He took up several pseudonyms during his writing career, including that of Richard Stark. One of the series the author wrote under that name featured Parker, a cold-blooded professional thief in New York City. Westlake wanted to create a character who was very much a bad guy, but who, by then end of each book, the reader would sympathize with. The Hunter was the first in the series. It was later given a new title, Point Blank, which was also the name of the movie based loosely on the book.
Working closely with Westlake before his death in 2008, artist and comic book writer Darwyn Cooke took to adapting The Hunter to graphic novel format. His intention was to stay as close to the original story as possible. Unfortunately, I am unable to make a comparison, having not read Westlake’s novel. I can at least say that I found the graphic novel everything my husband said it would be when he recommended I read it. It is dark and suspenseful. And Parker is a character that is hard to like right off the bat, and only grudgingly after that. Still, by the end of the story, I was rooting for him just as Westlake would have wanted me to.
Not having a creative bone in my body when it comes to drawing, I can only speak in general terms at the skill Cooke possesses. The attention to detail, the shading and overall images captured the mood and feel of the story, moving it along and making it all the more interesting. I can see why Westlake gave Cooke his blessing in adapting his novel to the graphic novel format. It works, and it works well.
Working closely with Westlake before his death in 2008, artist and comic book writer Darwyn Cooke took to adapting The Hunter to graphic novel format. His intention was to stay as close to the original story as possible. Unfortunately, I am unable to make a comparison, having not read Westlake’s novel. I can at least say that I found the graphic novel everything my husband said it would be when he recommended I read it. It is dark and suspenseful. And Parker is a character that is hard to like right off the bat, and only grudgingly after that. Still, by the end of the story, I was rooting for him just as Westlake would have wanted me to.
Not having a creative bone in my body when it comes to drawing, I can only speak in general terms at the skill Cooke possesses. The attention to detail, the shading and overall images captured the mood and feel of the story, moving it along and making it all the more interesting. I can see why Westlake gave Cooke his blessing in adapting his novel to the graphic novel format. It works, and it works well.
Having no prior exposure to this character in other media (something I intend to rectify ASAP), I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. Darwyn Cooke is a great artist (and I'm a big fan of his New Frontier books for DC) but this is wildly different in tone and style. I loved the two-tone look and while the storytelling isn't always spot-on, it generally works very well.
In any event, this story of revenge (which is basically a straight path from start to finish, with not much in the way of twists) won't appeal to everyone. It's best enjoyed as a brief glimpse into this very hard edged world of thugs, mobsters and prostitutes. It's not much of a mystery, and Parker himself is sort of an enigma, but that's all part of the charm. Either you'll buy into it or you won't. I definitely did, and plan to pick up the second volume immediately.
In any event, this story of revenge (which is basically a straight path from start to finish, with not much in the way of twists) won't appeal to everyone. It's best enjoyed as a brief glimpse into this very hard edged world of thugs, mobsters and prostitutes. It's not much of a mystery, and Parker himself is sort of an enigma, but that's all part of the charm. Either you'll buy into it or you won't. I definitely did, and plan to pick up the second volume immediately.
Really excellent, but it's hard to root for an antihero (Parker) that I genuinely don't like.
I wanted to like this one for the mid-century style artwork, which is good — but man — why make your protagonist so unlikeable? At first, I just didn't care about Parker; by the end of it, I wanted him dead. When your hero commits violence against women, he's not a hero. Maybe that's the point. Maybe I'm just not grasping the point of noir storytelling — but I think a much better ending would have been for the hairdresser's sister to show up and put Parker in the ground. Skip it.