Gangland [Paperback]

Joe R. Lansdale (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2000

From isolated but deadly hit men to extra- terrestrial enforcers packing otherworldly weapons, from suburban punks with bad attitudes to gangstas with lethal solutions to their credit problems, this new bullet-riddled collected edition provides chilling stories about bad guys banding together to wreak havoc on society. Suggested for mature readers.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Some of DC's best writers and artists (Brian Azzarello, Tim Bradstreet, et al.) get downright freaky in this trade paperback compiling Vertigo's Gangland series, issues one through four. Presuming (correctly) that we're fascinated by the surreal and often ugly side of crime--"we" being "mature readers"--Gangland drags us through toilet stalls, shallow graves, coke-whore hotel rooms, and even suburban, '70s Orange County for a bloody, postmodern crime spree. With 14 stories in all, the collection delivers all sorts of worthwhile weirdness, including a tongue-in-cheek Mafia wedding, an every-dog-has-its-day K9 tale, and one sketchy transient's perceived(?) struggle against the Worldwide Gangster Robot Radio Brains. --Paul Hughes

Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Vertigo (April 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563896087
• ISBN-13: 978-1563896088
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 0.2 x 10.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,511,026 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful tales of gruesome violence, August 3, 2003

By 

Itamar Katz (Ramat-Gan, Israel) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gangland (Paperback)

This trade paperback collects the first four issues of Vertigo Comics' Gangland series - 14 short stories altogether, by some of the leading artists and writers in the field. The stories in Gangland are all stories about organized crime and gang life, but they all share a sarcastic, sardonic, post-modernistic kind of view, which makes them fascinatingly fresh and original. As these short story collections often do, Gangland has stronger bits and weaker ones, and the whole collection can't really be as satisfying as a good full-scale graphic novel (like a good Frank Miller or Alan Moore story), but the stories are often more extreme and more experimental than a full novel can be. Being a comic writer I can tell you myself - short stories give the writer much more room for experimentations and chance-taking. Some of the stories on Gangland really take chances.

My favorite story in the collection, which takes the subject to extreme ends, would have to be `Worldwide Gangster Robots', presumably based on the ranting of a real person (credited in the beginning of the story), is the story of a man's (imaginary... or is it?) battle against the brainwashing of Worldwide Gangster Robot Radio Brains. Danijel Zezelj's artwork and Grant Goleash's (`100 Bullets') coloring are dark and eerie and the mumbling monologue combines for a terrific and creepy atmosphere.

Other highlights include `Clean House' by Brian Azzarello (Hellblazer, Incredible Hulk) and Tim Bradstreet, which takes a rather well-chewed crime-story subject and gives it a nasty twist and a startling punchline. `Big Shot' is another excellent piece written by Jamie Delano (`Batman: Manbat) with wonderful artwork, which is short and fast and makes its point well. `The Big Snooze', with the immediately recognizable inking of the great David Lloyd (`V For Vendetta') tells the story of a very unlikely hero, and is both sarcastic and very, very touching (usually noted as an artist, Lloyd does a great writing job on this one). `Platinum Nights' has great artwork by Paradox Press's James Romberger and a fantastic story, and `Electric China Death', words by Richard Bruning (editor for DC Comics) and pictures by Mark Chiarello (`Terminal City'), takes a surreal look on a classic scene of violence. Finally, the great Peter Kuper's (`The System', `ComicStrips' and a series of Franz Kafka adaptations) `Chains', a very short comic which says a lot more in three wordless pages than some of the others do in fifteen.

I put the rating down to 4/5 because of some of the filler material, the much weaker stories. My biggest disappointment was Dave Gibbons' `The Bear', a poorly written and very expected story. Mr. Gibbons, legendary `Watchmen' artist, doesn't make it as and artist like Lloyd does. `Initiation', `Killer Smile' and `Small Time' are also weak, though they all have good artwork.

The extreme violence shown on the pages of Gangland is poetic violence, like that of Quentin Tarantino or David Fincher. It shows violence and lawbreaking at its most beautiful and its most horrific at once. Gangland is meant for mature readers, and ones who are not easily offended. If you enjoy works by artists like Frank Miller, Garth Ennis, Alan Moore, Peter Kuper or Robert Crumb, Gangland is well worth adding to your collection.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Underrated Vertigo Anthology Series, August 21, 2008

By 

Andrew Shaffer "Author, Blogger" (Iowa) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gangland (Paperback)

"Gangland" #1-4 was first published over 10 years ago, in 1998, but didn't make a lasting impression on readers--it didn't receive any sequels, and Vertigo's crime output has slowly decreased over the years. It's too bad, because "Gangland" remains a great collection of comic writers and artists at the top of their game. A few of the stories are duds, but most of the 14 tales collected here will bring a wicked smile to your face. If you're a fan of old EC crime comics, you'll find yourself at home in "Gangland."

4.0 out of 5 stars Revelstroke and Corben's "Killer Smile" is worth a second look, August 24, 2011

By 

INTP-CG - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gangland (Paperback)

Revelstroke and Corben's "Killer Smile" is one of the more interesting stories in this graphic novel, because things are not always what they seem to be on the surface. If you want to know what is REALLY going on here, as opposed to what the narrator says is going on, you will have to pay attention. (The narrator is not necessarily being one hundred percent candid about everything.) Nothing is an accident--every detail of the scenery, every nuance of the characters' facial expressions, and most especially the choice of words...a lot of the phrases have more than one possible meaning.

"Killer Smile" may look a lot like an old EC Comics horror tale, suitable for reading at Halloween--but the story actually takes place on Christmas Eve. In all of the best Christmas stories, miracles happen and wishes come true for one or more characters...sometimes in unexpected ways. This one deserves to be read twice.