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A History of Violence (Panini Noir)

by John Wagner, Vince Locke (Illustrator)

3.4 of 5 stars 3.40 · rating details · 1,092 ratings · 139 reviews

A new edition of the hard-hitting graphic novel that inspired the Academy Award-nominated 2005 motion picture starring Viggo Mortensen, Ed Harris and William Hurt.

In this suspenseful crime story, Tom McKenna is a family man who becomes an instant media celebrity when he thwarts a robbery at his own diner – a robbery attempted by wanted murderers. McKenna’s newfound fame dr

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Paperback, 286 pages

Published December 1st 2004 by Vertigo (first published 1997)

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Dec 21, 2011 Chuck rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: prose_poetry

Original graphic novel upon which the David Cronenberg film of the same name was based. Black-and-white artwork, which employs a kind of agitated single-line stroke and hatching to build up textures and shadows, is well done and effective. As far as the story goes, this is a clear example of the film adaptation being the more coherent and effective version. The biggest drawback of the book's plot is too many pages devoted to the details of Tom's criminal past. This dilutes the air of mystery and...more

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Mar 06, 2013 Helmut Barro rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: comics

Die Gewalt ist der Dreh- und Angelpunkt

Man sollte schon mit etwas rechnen, wenn ein Comic mit dem Titel "A History of Violence" daherkommt. Wagner, 2000AD- und Judge-Dredd-Altmeister, schon immer nicht gerade für seine Kuschelcomics bekannt, zeigt sich hier aber von seiner ernsteren Seite. Während bei Judge Dredd die Gewalt meist humorisiert ist und gegen Bösewichter, die es eh nicht anders verdienen, geht, wird in diesem Titel ein Mensch gezeigt, der in die Mühlen der Mafia gerät. Was man dies...more

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Aug 21, 2012 Anna rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: comics-graphic-novels, three-stars

I haven't seen the movie yet, but because the director's David Cronenberg and the figure lines would be a lot more defined than the artwork, I imagine people who have seen the movie first would be either disappointed that the book doesn't seem to exude as much edge as its title suggests, or considerably satisfied. My doubt that there are few who prefer the original over the movie stems from the idea that movies usually change things up to attract a bigger audience. With the exception of the endi...more I haven't seen the movie yet, but because the director's David Cronenberg and the figure lines would be a lot more defined than the artwork, I imagine people who have seen the movie first would be either disappointed that the book doesn't seem to exude as much edge as its title suggests, or considerably satisfied. My doubt that there are few who prefer the original over the movie stems from the idea that movies usually change things up to attract a bigger audience. With the exception of the ending scenes where Richie is revealed, the comic isn't very striking or hard-hitting.

The story is about a man whose hidden past is revealed when a couple of men thought they could rob his diner. The man, Tom McKenna, becomes famous after killing one of the men and holding a gun to the other. When you learn about Tom's past, it still doesn't explain why he has catlike reflexes and is able to take down two guys; he's a smart man but no means anything that signifies the skills of a secret agent or a man who has been through training of the sorts. In fact, the probable reasons for Tom to really take down those guys are that he has been paranoid for twenty years of hiding his secret and that they didn't expect a man with one expression to be so cold (but really, what could you expect?).

The story is an easy story to comprehend, and the meaning of the title can be figured out halfway through the first part of the graphic novel. The developments of the characters only really go so far, and there isn't really much of a wow factor as much as there is a lot of disbelief when his wife decides to go along with it. I would imagine that a lot of people would find the artwork unfavorable, and at times, it's almost like fighting than reading the pictures. But I tried to look at Vince Locke's art as the type you would see at newspaper or court sketches: messy but decipherable. However, what really is the most promising part of the comic is the introduction that John Wagner wrote about ordinary people placed into dangerous situations - a promise that was never fulfilled in this book.(less)

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Jun 30, 2012 Don rated it 4 of 5 stars

This graphic novel, basis for the film of the same name, is very well done.

The basic story is that a small town diner's owner handily thwarts two stone cold killers who are attempting to rob his diner and plan to kill him. This draws media attention, attention which leads to a criminal act that he committed against the NY mob in his youth coming back to haunt him. The story is well done and captures the sudden, jarring nature of violence and a past that wil not stay buried. And the drawing in th...more

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Jun 10, 2012 Brad rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: comic-books, curiousity-killed-the-bananas, graphic-novel, hopes-dashed-like-an-egg-on-cement

As a person, I have my own history of violence, and that history has led me to become obsessed, as a thinker and author, with violence as a concept. I see it everywhere. I dwell on it, am awed by it, wonder about it, write about it, dream about it, nightmare about it, loathe it and love it in turns. Thus, when I pick up a book with the title A History of Violence, I expect to read something that engages with violence consciously, something that doesn't simply use violence for visceral gratificat...more As a person, I have my own history of violence, and that history has led me to become obsessed, as a thinker and author, with violence as a concept. I see it everywhere. I dwell on it, am awed by it, wonder about it, write about it, dream about it, nightmare about it, loathe it and love it in turns. Thus, when I pick up a book with the title A History of Violence, I expect to read something that engages with violence consciously, something that doesn't simply use violence for visceral gratification but has a plan for the violence, is using it to say something (even if that something is something I don't like).

John Wagner's A History of Violence says many things about violence, but what bothers me is that I never once felt like the things being said were intentional. I felt like Luke in the cave on Dagobah: everything in the cave was there because I brought it with me.

Wagner's writing left me hollow and sad. He was merely telling a story, one he needed to tell, perhaps, but only to move a plot B to C, then back to A, then C to D. He seemed totally disconnected from the thematic life of his work, and I felt abandoned by him as I made my journey through the text. As I write this I think that in itself, that abandonment by the author, is a unique and potentially powerful authorial authorial -- but I don't like being the object of that action.

Moreover, I despair that someone could use the sort of violence that appears in this graphic novel with what seems to be flippant disregard of its power. Similar violence occurs in David Fincher's film Se7en (in fact, Wagner blatantly stole one of the seven killings from that movie for this book), but Fincher's use of violence feels conscious, pointed, thematically aware, and that makes all the difference for me.

Vince Locke's is scratchingly, noirishly lovely, well suited to the bleak world Wagner has written, but it only added to the alienation I felt.

I know I am going to have to come back to this book in the future and give it another read simply because it made me feel so strongly. I didn't enjoy this book at all. I put it down feeling angry, isolated and disgusted. I wish I felt like those feelings were intentional rather than incidental.(less)

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May 29, 2012 Mark rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: death-and-dying, crime-and-punishment, family, graphic-novels, psycho-killers, suspense

"I was fourteen when they murdered Richie's brother. They took him down under the Brooklyn Bridge adn blew his brains out. Word was he got smart with the wrong people. But, that was Steve all over - Mr. Bigshot. Anyway, that's how it all began...with Richie's brother."

Tom McKenna lives in a small town in Michigan, where he lives with his family, and runs a small diner. When he acts in self-defense to stop two men from robbing the diner, he becomes an instant media sensation, even though he tries...more

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May 18, 2012 Kristen Fiore rated it 4 of 5 stars

I’m not sure if this is the graphic novel, or the novel itself, but either way, I read the book and liked it a lot. The story was complex, but understandable. Tom McKenna was a family man who ran his own diner. One day he had customers who were out to hurt the people in the diner, including him. Tom ended up hurting the men with violence. Come to find out, they were after him because of a crime he committed back when he was a kid in Brooklyn, NY. The men that came into the diner were looking for...more

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Sep 27, 2011 Matt rated it 3 of 5 stars

It's tough to review this book having seen the movie first except to say that despite my respect for Cronenberg the movie was, in my eyes, a massive failure at portraying the events laid out in this graphic novel. The Vision alone is so vastly different: the art here is so gritty and perfectly sets the tone and atmosphere for the coming and occurring violence; the story flows much better here, and takes its time unfolding while still keeping a straight pace (where I felt that the film seemed to...more

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Jan 22, 2011 Sarah Payok rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: comics

When I first saw the David Cronenberg film, A History of Violence, based on this graphic novel, I knew nothing of the book. I found the movie deeply disturbing and as a result, once I learned about the book, I was a bit apprehensive about reading it. I already knew the topic and did not feel any driving need to become disturbed again by the same material. However, I picked the book up this week on a whim and was pleasantly surprised. The things in the movie that disturbed me to such an extent ar...more

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Jan 16, 2011 Kaion rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphic-novel, adventure, seen-adapt

Graphic novel that became a movie. Two thieves attack/ try to rob a diner owner (who happens to be a well-liked family sort of guy in a small town), only to be efficiently neutralized by him. Said story hits the media, attracting unsavory types who think they know him from the past.

Verdict: Okay. I wasn't thrilled about the artwork. It was serviceable and I liked the pacing, but all the characters looked the same to me (they need weird hairstyles! and implausible outfits!)- which kind of takes a...more

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May 28, 2012 Tfitoby rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: black-as-night, graphic-novels

A family man dragged in to a violent situation, which as that old cliche states only begets more violence. The story of an ordinary man dealing with underworld figures in an attempt to protect his family. It's all good noir stuff. Even the opening recalls the excellent Ernest Hemingway short story (fatally adapted in to two mediocre at best noir movies) The Killers found in Men Without Women: Short Stories. Hopes they were high.

I wasn't a fan of the scribbly line drawing style of art chosen for...more

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Jan 08, 2012 Aidan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: comicbook

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I came to this novel out of a curiosity to see how closely Cronenberg stuck to the original graphic novel for his film adaptation. Of course, having seen the film I was aware of some of the story's big revelations although there are some significant differences between Wagner's original and the picture, and so it did not have some of the surprise factor that I am sure grabbed readers when it was first published.

Really the thing that struck me most reading this was how much I liked Locke's frenet...more I came to this novel out of a curiosity to see how closely Cronenberg stuck to the original graphic novel for his film adaptation. Of course, having seen the film I was aware of some of the story's big revelations although there are some significant differences between Wagner's original and the picture, and so it did not have some of the surprise factor that I am sure grabbed readers when it was first published.

Really the thing that struck me most reading this was how much I liked Locke's frenetic, line art. Much of the story is action and this anxious style is both expressive of emotion and of movement, while lending the story a nice gritty feeling that fit the tone of the story perfectly.

As for that story - it moves at a fair clip making it a very fast, page-turning read. The story is split into three segments, each of which have distinct tones and journeys for the main character - family man Tom who begins the story thwarting a robbery attempt at his diner and becoming something of a hometown hero.

It is the first segment of the novel that Cronenberg's film stuck to most closely and with good reason - the story does a good job of cultivating a sense of mystery about the men who turn up in Tom's diner and in building a sense of anticipation for its revelations (even if I did find them to be ultimately disappointing).

The second segment, in which Tom relates his past to his family, was the least familiar part of the novel to me and felt overly simple and at points downright corny - particularly when his motive for doing what he did is revealed. Those expecting the ambiguity of the film will be disappointed, as will those who expect some sort of struggle to accept these revelations from the character's family.

The story ends with a segment that fell somewhere between the first and the second in terms of my enjoyment and that does a decent job of tying everything up.

All in all, I am glad I gave the novel a try as I did appreciate the striking artwork and the build-up of tension in the first third of the story. While I did end up feeling that Cronenberg's film was more effective than the source material it was drawn from, it did strike me that it was through the removal of some of the cornier aspects of the story and that it did stay true to the premise of the story - namely that we could live with someone for years and never truly know them. While I cannot recommend it wholeheartedly, it is a fast and interesting read.(less)

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Dec 15, 2012 Robert Kristoffersen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Everybody remembers the film adaption of this graphic novel from Director David Cronenberg and starring Viggo Mortensen, but few know of its graphic novel counterpart. The original book, written by John Wagner, best known for the creation of Judge Dredd, and drawn by Vince Locke, of Sandman and Batman fame, details the life of Tom McKenna or Joey, owner of a Michigan diner and of a secret past.

The story begins its history of violence with the murder of two hitchhikers. A random and brutal act of...more Everybody remembers the film adaption of this graphic novel from Director David Cronenberg and starring Viggo Mortensen, but few know of its graphic novel counterpart. The original book, written by John Wagner, best known for the creation of Judge Dredd, and drawn by Vince Locke, of Sandman and Batman fame, details the life of Tom McKenna or Joey, owner of a Michigan diner and of a secret past.

The story begins its history of violence with the murder of two hitchhikers. A random and brutal act of violence that is re-payed shortly but Tom. Early in the story, Tom is portrayed as this small town, family man who owns a diner. Your typical blue collar worker, just trying to make a living and support his family. Shortly, Tom proves that he’s not afraid to get his hands dirty, and that he can do it with intellect and some skill. In small town USA, people don’t die this way and more, simple men don’t respond with a set of skills that most don’t have. In short, Tom kills one of them and injures the other greatly. This event brings him notoriety and a trio of people from the past that come to investigate. Including a man named John Torrino.

The story that unfolds takes the reader back to Brooklyn, when Tom was known as Joey, and where he got even for the death of a friend, Steve. Along with his buddy, Richie, the pair hash a plan to make quick cash and strike a blow to the mob. They do just that, but that doesn't mean there aren't repercussions. What happens to Richie in the aftermath, revealed toward the end of the story, still gives me chills. Joey has to run, and slowly takes on a new identity with the nest egg he had. The final act of the story take Tom back to Brooklyn to settle this once and for all.

In a culture of violence, the culture that American’s and a lot of other people live in, the violence here is shocking. It’s more creative, especially as the character of Richie is concerned. Locke’s stark visualizations make it all the more impactful, some of these images will stay with you long after you've read the last panel and the book is closed. This is a book that also proves death doesn't have to be dealt at a distance to be effective. If you’re cunning enough, it can have a great impact on events unfolding in the story, as well as add to shock value. Locke’s ability to take this to small town U.S.A. and make it realistic is a credit to his keen writing ability. These mobsters aren’t just the murdering type, but they play within the rules too, making this more real, and frightening to a small town resident like me.

Wagner and Locke have created a really affecting novel, one that speaks to a culture of violence. Everyone, and I mean everyone, can relate to this book, and with the events of yesterday, it hits home more than ever. A must read for sure!(less)

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Oct 23, 2012 Nathaniel Bertram rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: favourites, comics

When a violent encounter pushes small town café owner Tom McKenna into the media spotlight, three members of a New York mafia family show up bringing with them implications of McKenna's dark past. Vince Locke creates an appropriately dreary world full of stark, claustrophobic shadows encroaching over wide panels and empty landscapes, the visuals being the primary vehicle for the underlying theme. There is a definite sense of encroaching darkness on a previously bright and unassuming world, howev...more When a violent encounter pushes small town café owner Tom McKenna into the media spotlight, three members of a New York mafia family show up bringing with them implications of McKenna's dark past. Vince Locke creates an appropriately dreary world full of stark, claustrophobic shadows encroaching over wide panels and empty landscapes, the visuals being the primary vehicle for the underlying theme. There is a definite sense of encroaching darkness on a previously bright and unassuming world, however Wagner's writing doesn't entirely hold up against the sophisticated visual weight. Though the book is titled "A History of Violence", Wagner's writing is often overly concerned with the history and less with the present violence. The story starts off incredibly well, the inciting incident propelling a neo-noir style mystery into action as the mafia begins prodding into Tom McKenna's quiet and peaceful family life. The problem is that the mystery itself does not entirely pay off. Where I would have liked to see the cat and mouse game in the novel's present play out with more rawness and tension, the scene is quickly truncated for an inserted chapter detailing at length the event's of McKenna's past while his family sits idly by and listens with little to no real emotion in their reactions. The story ultimately focuses on McKenna and makes little use of the surrounding characters in the sleepy rural community. I want to see how the sudden insertion of violence and death into this peaceful rural world changes things, if it does at all. Does this shake the townspeople's trust in one another and with the law? Does the event alienate the town against other outsiders? There are a lot of questions the might have been invoked within the events of the story, but ultimately it is allowed to devolve into a more simplified crime drama, albeit a good one and one with a rather interesting protagonist. Perhaps this is merely the limits of the medium, or perhaps this was simply not the story Wagner wanted to tell. Either way, A History of Violence is a compelling thriller that tells its story well, maybe not as insightfully as it could have, but well told nonetheless.(less)

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Jul 08, 2010 Patrick rated it 1 of 5 stars

Stayed up all night reading this, and now that it's over I wish I hadn't. It started out alright I guess, with sort of a western/cape fear feel, but the stilted comic book dialogue didn't grip me and I found the crosshatching art claustrophobic (probably deliberate) and unfocused, sort of like a muddy snowstorm.

But this book became truly stupid after the first act- after an okay setup nothing but joyless, nihilistic violence happens, in a sort of bastard child of Death Wish 3 and Saw IV way. I'm...more

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Jun 22, 2011 Mark rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: in-possessions, comics-graphicnovels, adult-fictions

This is the graphic novel that inspired the Academy Award nominated motion picture starring Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello, Ed Harris and William Hurt. Prior to watching the film, I never heard of this book.

In A History of Violence, Tom McKenna is a family man, a diner owner in a nameless small town in America who got his 15 minutes of fame when he thwarts a robbery at his establishment. His new-found fame draws attention of mobsters who have been looking to settle a score with him for 20 years....more

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Dec 14, 2008 dara rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphic-novel, read-in-2008, reviewed

I watched the movie before I even realized it exists as a graphic novel. The two differ extremely. The movie took the main character Tom, a few aspects of plot, and moved in an entirely different direction. I'm glad for this, because it was more believable--I don't think it would've translated well into a film otherwise. For example, when someone reveals to his wife that he has murdered people and lied about his entire past for over a decade, I wouldn't expect her to accept it without the slight...more

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Dec 21, 2011 Ben Loory rated it 2 of 5 stars

i love the cronenberg adaptation and had been meaning to read this for a while just to see if it ended the same way (i like the movie's ending but always had a hard time believing that a graphic novel would end in such suspension)... well, it doesn't end the same way... it also doesn't middle the same way... beginning's the same, though, pretty much. it's much cleaner and simpler and more black-and-white than the movie; ties up all the loose ends and makes the main character likable (he was tryi...more

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Feb 01, 2012 Jo Bennie rated it 5 of 5 stars

I must admit I've never seen the film, and I can see that this is a graphic novel that could be easily translated into a gore fest with little delicacy. However, the graphic novel treats what could be quite a sterotypical story with great deftness and feeling. Tom McKenna is in hiding, outwardly a pillar of his local small town, married with a little girl, the proprieter of a diner in an idyllic close knit neighbourhood. But when he shoots and kills one of a pair of predatory killers who try to...more

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Oct 09, 2012 Daniel Holmes rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fans of mob style gangster stories.

Just finished it. Picked it up at the local library a few days ago when I was returning something else. It was in a 'Not banned (yet)' display next to a bunch of other banned books. I enjoyed the movie, and didn't realize it was a graphic novel, so I picked it up.

I'm glad I did. I read it through in just a few hours. The first 2/3rds follow the movie very closely, but then it takes a different turn. It works well though. The characters are very believable, the situations are understandable. The...more

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Sep 23, 2011 Tom rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: comics

The art in this didn't do a whole lot for me. Black and white illustration, and it was often times hard to see which character was whom on the page. The story starts with a fun conceit of the ordinary man swept into something sordid and dangerous and in that way Tom McKenna is a fairly good protagonist. The first two chapters I enjoyed but the third gets a bit silly and gratuitous. In other words, it went off the Frank Miller deep end.

I had seen the movie previously, and if I recall it correctly...more

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Aug 05, 2012 Jordan rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is a decent enough graphic novel on its own merits, but it is truly overshadowed by the movie adaptation. The two are fairly similar in a lot of ways initially, but later divergences decide the quality hugely in favor of the movie. Other small details, such as how terrific actors such as Ed Harris and Viggo Mortenson took somewhat interesting but fairly one-note characters and made them into unforgettable images of the tapestry of A History of Violence. Additionally, the movie enhances them...more

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Apr 09, 2012 Hugo Resendiz rated it 4 of 5 stars

Dibujo en blanco y negro, al estilo boceto, pero bien realizado. Este cómic fue la inspiración de David Cronenberg para su película homónima. En si solo fue el primer capitulo y parte de los siguientes los que se considero para el tratamiento de la película, pero tiene un giro diferente que me pareció mejor en la película. Sin embargo la historia es buena también, en esta novela, Tom McKenna no es un hombre tan letal, pero tiene un pasado tormentoso, y la relación con su ex-vecino y amigo es un...more

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Jun 13, 2012 ame lee rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

okay, pet peeves first: saya terganggu dengan kebiasaan penerjemahnya yang menyingkat kata 'dengan' menjadi 'DNG'. Beberapa istilah juga diterjemahkan/tidak diterjemahkan, sehingga menjadi aneh. Seperti ',man'. Tapi selain itu, 2.5 bintang untuk hasil terjemahannya.

The story, weeeelll.. I'm disappointed.
Not because it's bad, the disappointment came more from the high expectation I've got for this book.
David Cronenberg, Viggo Mortensen, Oscar and Palme d'Or, were in mind. Not to mention the oh...more

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Aug 29, 2010 Deborah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphic-novel, a-z-titles

This graphic novel has a very suspenseful, interesting, and disturbing story. It begins with a random act of violence, which eventually introduces the reader to Tom McKenna, small town diner owner in Michigan with some big secrets from his past. When the mafia comes to town, things spiral into ever-increasing violence while Tom and his family try to escape it. What kept me from giving this 4 stars was the illustration style. It was more sketchy than I like, sometimes making it difficult to follo...more

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Apr 17, 2013 Aaron Arnold rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2013

I'd seen the Cronenberg movie when it came out, but had no idea it was based on a graphic novel at the time. I have to say I prefer the movie - the novel seems less suspenseful because it spends a long time on flashbacks to Tom's past that the movie wisely compressed, and there's a twist involving Richie that doesn't come off well. Illustrator Vince Locke's artwork isn't anything special, and overall I think Viggo Mortensen did a better job as a quiet badass in the film than his equivalent in th...more

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May 05, 2012 Cameron rated it 3 of 5 stars

I would have like to rate this book higher - the story is great and knows when to stop.

However the graphics let it down. It is either amarture hour or fake "squiggly / inconsistent" style - both of which I don't like. Given that a very good movie was made out of it it is not surprising that to a certain extend it reads and looks like film script story board.

I read it in paperback format, some thing I would like more comics in - it is good for 1 handed reading on the train!

I am looking forward t...more

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Jan 11, 2009 arashi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: finished-reading, mystery

Bukunya…udah baca.
Filmnya…belum nonton.

Kekerasan tidak hanya diawali dari kekerasan, tapi kadang dimulai dari suatu kebaikan. Niat Joey yang ingin membantu neneknya malah membuatnya terlibat dalam kekerasan yang tidak ada akhirnya. Ketika dua buronan kejam menyerang di suatu kota kecil, secara perlahan sejarah kelam kekerasan masa lalu Tom McKenna alias Joey mulai terkuak.

Buku ini sudah difilmkan dengan judul yang sama dan dibintangi oleh Viggo Mortensen dan Ed Harris, my favorite villain. Film...more

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Jun 21, 2012 Artur Coelho rated it 3 of 5 stars

Não há redenções, o passado regressa sempre para nos morder. E por vezes o melhor é pegar em armas e resolver de vez os problemas, custe o que custar. A History of Violence é um livro sem piedade, onde a libertação de passados tenebrosos se faz na ponta da arma de fogo. Nesta história de um homem que tenta fugir a um passado de crime mas é identificado por acaso pelos criminosos que o perseguem não há finais felizes, apenas os sentimentos que violência gera violência e que a alma humana desce co...more

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Jul 22, 2011 Frank rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: american-comics

As a taut thriller it will do, I guess. I could do without the gruesome Saw-type of horror at the end (doubtless exactly the kind of thing that attracted director Cronenberg to this story). And why does dialogue in comics often have to be so lacklustre, wooden and melodramatic? What person in real life ever says of himself: "I'm a decent law-abiding citizen, I don't have to put up with this"? Nobody calls himself a law-abiding citizen, unless ironically. And irony isn't exactly what you should l...more

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About John Wagner

John Wagner is a comics writer who was born in Pennsylvania in 1949 and moved to Scotland as a boy. Alongside Pat Mills, Wagner was responsible for revitalising British boys' comics in the 1970s, and has continued to be a leading light in British comics ever since. He is best known for his work on 2000 AD, for which he created Judge Dredd. He is noted for his taut, violent thrillers and his black...more

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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/159929.A_History_of_Violence?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327994323l/159929.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/159929.A_History_of_Violence?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]A History of Violence by John Wagner[/url]

A History of Violence (Panini Noir)

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