Richard Stark's Parker: The Outfit

by Darwyn Cooke (adaptation and illustration), Richard Stark (a.k.a. Donald Westlake, original novel), 152 pages

Parker's just trying to enjoy getting back to his old routine of periodic thievery and living off the spoils between jobs, but the Outfit, the syndicate from which earlier he extorted his rightful share of a past heist (originally withheld and used by a backstabbing partner to pay off his own debts to the organization), won't just let bygones be bygones.  Silly Outfit.  They didn't think Parker was serious when he said if they didn't leave him alone, he wouldn't leave them alone, either.

Sneaky, clever devil, that Parker.  This second adaptation of one of Westlake's classic crime novels is just as cool and dark as the first, with perhaps a few more giggles courtesy of some newly introduced associates and a fun segment in the middle of the book depicting the breakdown of a series of Parker-inspired hits against the Outfit.  The art (with more blue than grey, this time) is nicely old-school in a way that doesn't feel dated in the least, as it so perfectly fits the story and its iconic lead.

Richard Stark's Parker: The Hunter

by Darwyn Cooke (adaptation and illustration), Richard Stark (a.k.a. Donald Westlake, original novel), 140 pages

Betrayed by a partner and left for dead following a successful heist, career criminal Parker goes on the cold, methodical warpath to exact his revenge.

Ooh, this is fun--if dark, dry, noir-ish stories of morally less-than-upstanding anti-heroes who don't (generally) go out of their way to kill people but aren't too concerned if they do sound like fun to you.  Cooke was granted permission by the now-late Westlake to adapt in graphic novel form a handful of his classic gritty crime novels with the title character's name intact (the only time such permission was ever granted--all other adaptations have had to change "Parker" to something else).  I haven't read the original novels, but I'm enjoying the graphic versions for their atmosphere, tone, stony protagonist, unpredictable plots, and impressively period-appropriate artwork.  The first Parker novel takes place in 1962 New York and the three-tone visuals (all in heavy black ink, yellowish white space, and blue-grey washes) never let that just-out-of-the-50's feeling fade.  Parker's a square-jawed, thick-eyebrowed, broad-shouldered tower of a man and I would not want to mess with him.  Nor would I like to be anywhere in his general vicinity, as just being in the wrong place at the wrong time can get people around him killed--and he doesn't seem bothered by this in the least, except as it puts crimps in his carefully laid plans.  And yet I still root for him....

Three Men in a Boat

by Jerome K. Jerome (original novel), Nidhi Verma (adaptation), K.L. Jones (art), Prince Varghese, Vikash Gurung, and Debu Payen (color), Bhavnath Chaudhary (letters), (Amit Tayal (cover art), Pradeep Serawat (cover color), 71 pages

Three bored Englishmen and one fox terrier go for an eventful float along the Thames in this rather awkward graphic adaptation of Jerome K. Jerome's comedy classic.

For more details, please see my full review at NoFlyingNoTights.com!

Soulless

Gail Carriger, REM (art and adaptation), 228 pages

Headstrong Alexia Tarabotti worries more than she cares to admit that spinsterhood may very well be in her future. But when she gets caught up in a rogue vampire case that lets her be useful to Queen and country (and a certain handsome if infuriating werewolf), the prospect of not settling down for a secure life of domesticity and social calls loses its ominous edge. Adventuring and putting her quick mind, silver-tipped parasol, and unique unnatural ability to good use sound rather exciting to her, actually. Much to the werewolf's displeasure.

Yay, the manga adaptation of the first Parasol Protectorate book is out! And, yay, it's about as much fluffy fun as the novel. The art's a fine fit and everybody looks like themselves, although Alexia's a little tinier-waisted than expected and looks about to spill out of her scandalously low-cut bodice most of the time. Otherwise, though, I'm quite pleased, as it's rare for an adaptation to work out so nicely and maintain as much of the original's personality. I look forward to the next one.

The Last Unicorn

original story by Peter S. Beagle, adaptation by Peter B. Gillis, art by Renae De Liz, 167 pages

An immortal unicorn goes in search of her missing brethren.

This graphic adaptation of Beagle's classic fantasy novel sports lush, attractive artwork (though it's more contemporary American comic book style and less classically illustrative, which I would have preferred, but that's just my personal taste talking) and does a decent job of transferring the original's wondermous text into a more visual medium. However, I think the compression required to squeeze the tale into 167 pages makes the narrative read awkwardly, even for someone familiar with the original story. This is particularly problematic once the unicorn and her companions arrive at Haggard's castle, where gaps of time--in which relationships are forged and clues are searched for--are so glossed over that the uninitiated reader has no idea how things arrived at point B from point A or what exactly the characters are talking about so eloquently in any given panel (for instance, the sleepwalking scene on the stairs). Also, there's a noticeable lack of beat panels. Reaction shots help give rhythm and flow to a narrative, textlessly smoothing transitions in mood and scene. But here, they are missing. For example, there is a scene in which someone shoots an arrow that narrowly misses another's chattering head before planting itself in a tree trunk behind him. The almost-shot man's dialogue bubble in which he comments on the offending arrow is above the just-landed shaft, rather than below it (or, better yet, in a separate panel below it, which would have left his surprised, wordless face to say volumes before he responded out loud) and so it appears he's talking about it before it happens and that he never stops yammering and has no physical or emotional reaction to being irately cut-off and nearly killed. If the adaptors, who clearly love and respect the source material, had had more pages to work with, and the artist had worked in a few more visual beats, I think this could have been wonderful, but as it is I am a little disappointed. It's like skipping a stone across the water and only getting random glimpses of the depths where the stone skims the surface.

If you haven't read the original novel, I can't recommend you pick this up unless you just want to look at the pretty pictures, as it will make very little sense. For fans of the book, however, this adds another facet to the richness of the story, but only because you'll be able to bridge the gaps and fill in the blanks for yourself.