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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
Love Darwyn Cooke, love noir-ish crime fiction, but this just wasn't to my taste.
Loved this to bits. Even though I've been reading crime fiction and novellas for years, I'd never touched on 'Stark'. Won't be the last time.
Full review http://ifthesebookscouldtalk.com/2014/08/06/parker-hunter/
Full review http://ifthesebookscouldtalk.com/2014/08/06/parker-hunter/
This book was not what I was expecting. I'd heard nothing but positive reviews, and it definitely lived up to them. The story is fast-paced and I like the way it unravelled. The best part was the art, though. Darwyn Cooke's retro style fit in perfectly and really made the characters and setting come alive.
dark
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
I read this in one sitting. I could not put it down. The art was fantastic and the story had me interested from the word go. I'm going to have to check out the novel this was based on.
I wavered between 3 and 4 stars on this. I agree with pretty much everyone that the art is phenomenal, and not just visually but in the way it conveys the story - the angles, the zooming in and out, the way time flows between panels - everything Scott McCloud outlines in his books. And the style does such a good job of conveying mood - I could hear the muted trumpet noir soundtrack as I read.
That said, the story and the characters were just okay. I'm not sure if it's because I was truly indifferent or if it's simply related to the fact that I don't read much noir or crime fiction. We live in a violent society, we see violence all the time on TV, so the depth of its violence wasn't shocking. But it did make it harder to empathize with any of the characters. It doesn't seem as though it's headed in a "Parker has a softer side" direction. And I can't really fault it for its treatment of women because frankly, I didn't expect much of it on that front. But it wouldn't fare well if subjected to the Bechdel test.
In the end, it is undoubtedly worth it because of the art, the style, and the storytelling, even if it is just okay on the story front.
That said, the story and the characters were just okay. I'm not sure if it's because I was truly indifferent or if it's simply related to the fact that I don't read much noir or crime fiction. We live in a violent society, we see violence all the time on TV, so the depth of its violence wasn't shocking. But it did make it harder to empathize with any of the characters. It doesn't seem as though it's headed in a "Parker has a softer side" direction. And I can't really fault it for its treatment of women because frankly, I didn't expect much of it on that front. But it wouldn't fare well if subjected to the Bechdel test.
In the end, it is undoubtedly worth it because of the art, the style, and the storytelling, even if it is just okay on the story front.
The art is absolutely beautiful. The story is one of the most-known in the "hard boiled"/noir genre, having been made into film three times (Point Blank, Full Contact, and Payback), but it doesn't really hold up well today, imo. The main character is a typical anti-hero, to the point roughing up women, but that's supposed to be ok, because they double-crossed him, or simply have information about those who did. Also, the crime organizations in the story are woefully incompetent caricatures, so it's not really very engaging. Going to read more of these to see if they improve (I figure they must), and as I said at the beginning: The art is beautiful.
Its Darwyn Cooke, so it pretty much *has* to be good, but this comic just succeeds on every level. Intense, clear story-telling, coupled with intense steely-eyed characters and a ripping narrative make this story just leap off the page. And the art is just amazing, as always.
