And Then I Read: RICHARD STARK'S PARKER, THE OUTFIT

Art © Darwyn Cooke.

I've never been a fan of crime fiction, but Darwyn Cooke's fine adaptations of the Parker novels make me realize what I must be missing. The characters are honed down to their essential archetypes, the plot is a chessgame of clever moves, the language is precise and accurate, the world of the story is 1950s mobsters and con men brought to life with knowing familiarity and cruel honesty. Parker is in trouble, someone's put a price on his head. Rather than trying to run and hide, he fights back, marshalling his resources brilliantly to find and torment his tormenter, all without losing his smart, cool confidence.

Darwyn's art is deceptively simple in two colors, black and blue, without panel borders, and using a variety of page layouts. There are also several sections in the styles of magazines of the period that seem spot on, adding another layer to reading enjoyment. Despite a fair number of wordless panels, this is dense narrative, getting across lots of information in 152 pages, perhaps nearly as much as the original novel. I've enjoyed Darwyn's work for DC Comics, but this series seems even more of a labor of love, and a perfect vehicle for his obvious talent. Highly recommended.