The Hunter, the first book in the Parker series, is the story of a man who hits New York head-on like a shotgun blast to the chest. Betrayed by the woman he loved and double-crossed by his partner in crime, Parker makes his way cross-country with only one thought burning in his mind - to coldly exact his revenge and reclaim what was taken from him! Richard (Donald Westlake) Stark's groundbreaking Parker books are adapted for the first time as a series of graphic novels by Darwyn Cooke. The initial graphic novel brings to life the first Parker book, The Hunter, which introduces readers to the dangerous anti-hero's cold and calculated world of criminals, thugs, and grifters.
Parker: The Hunter
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Cooke has transformed the first volume of the late Donald Westlake's long-running Parker series (written under the pseudonym Richard Stark), about an indomitable outlaw, into a smashing graphic novel, making its ferocious mood and retro aesthetics the stars of the show. Parker belongs to the bottom of the urban jungle's economic strata, but the top of its food chain—anyone who stands between him and his revenge is doomed, whether they're trying to resist him or just happen to be in the way. As the book begins, he's returning to New York City in the Kennedy era with murder in his eyes: double-crossed by his wife and partners, he's come back to kill whoever needs killing to get his money. Cooke has a real affinity for the tough-as-hammers tone of Westlake's story. His Parker doesn't seem to enjoy or dislike slaughter (or anything else); he's just doing what it takes to reach his goal, with a certain dispassionate savoir faire. And Cooke's delicious two-color artwork nails the look of the early '60s, from hairstyles and tiki bars to the illustrative technique that defined the era everywhere except for comics: angular caricatures that capture his characters' motion and expressions with a bare minimum of elegantly rugged lines. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
Cooke's a powerful enough cartoonist that his images do most of the heavy lifting here. His version of the story opens with a bravura, nearly wordless 20-page sequence. It's 1962, and Parker is stalking across a bridge into New York City, preparing to scam his way into a new identity. When we finally see his face (a revelation Cooke cunningly delays), his disheveled hair and expression of cold-eyed fury reveal as much about his cruelty and unknowability as any description Westlake could have written. --Douglas Wolk in The Washington Post
It s July and this may well be the book of the year. A must for anyone with a penchant for Chandler-esque heroes and hard boiled storytelling. The great news is that this is just the first of four planned Parker graphic novels by Cooke. Book 2 is out in 2010 I ve no idea when, but I ll be eagerly awaiting it. Something this near perfect will no doubt be worth the wait. --Richard Burton in the Forbidden Planet Blog
There's no question in my mind that The Hunter is one of the best comics I'll read this year. As an unabashed fan of both the Parker novels and of Darwyn Cooke's comics, I've looked forward to it with the same kind of anticipation I imagine a million young women have for a glimpse of the greasy locks of Robert Pattinson. --Tucker Stone in Comixology
There's no question in my mind that The Hunter is one of the best comics I'll read this year. As an unabashed fan of both the Parker novels and of Darwyn Cooke's comics, I've looked forward to it with the same kind of anticipation I imagine a million young women have for a glimpse of the greasy locks of Robert Pattinson. --Tucker Stone in Comixology
It s July and this may well be the book of the year. A must for anyone with a penchant for Chandler-esque heroes and hard boiled storytelling. The great news is that this is just the first of four planned Parker graphic novels by Cooke. Book 2 is out in 2010 I ve no idea when, but I ll be eagerly awaiting it. Something this near perfect will no doubt be worth the wait. --Richard Burton in the Forbidden Planet Blog
It s July and this may well be the book of the year. A must for anyone with a penchant for Chandler-esque heroes and hard boiled storytelling. The great news is that this is just the first of four planned Parker graphic novels by Cooke. Book 2 is out in 2010 I ve no idea when, but I ll be eagerly awaiting it. Something this near perfect will no doubt be worth the wait. --Richard Burton in the Forbidden Planet Blog
There's no question in my mind that The Hunter is one of the best comics I'll read this year. As an unabashed fan of both the Parker novels and of Darwyn Cooke's comics, I've looked forward to it with the same kind of anticipation I imagine a million young women have for a glimpse of the greasy locks of Robert Pattinson. --Tucker Stone in Comixology
There's no question in my mind that The Hunter is one of the best comics I'll read this year. As an unabashed fan of both the Parker novels and of Darwyn Cooke's comics, I've looked forward to it with the same kind of anticipation I imagine a million young women have for a glimpse of the greasy locks of Robert Pattinson. --Tucker Stone in Comixology
It s July and this may well be the book of the year. A must for anyone with a penchant for Chandler-esque heroes and hard boiled storytelling. The great news is that this is just the first of four planned Parker graphic novels by Cooke. Book 2 is out in 2010 I ve no idea when, but I ll be eagerly awaiting it. Something this near perfect will no doubt be worth the wait. --Richard Burton in the Forbidden Planet Blog
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
"Parker: The Hunter"
Written by Richard Stark
Adapted by Darwyn Cooke
(IDW, 2009)
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Wow. I'm already a fan of comicbook artist Darwyn Cooke (wish he had more books out!) but I gotta say, this adaptation of a gritty noir novel by author Richard Stark really floored me. The first chapter of the book is told almost entirely without words, transforming the taut, cynical prose into pure imagery, as we are introduced to the book's steely, taciturn, utterly immoral antihero -- Parker -- who counterfeits and backstabs his way through the recesses of New York City, circa 1962, hellbent on revenge. It's a real tour-de-force of visual storytelling, but even when the text kicks in, the book never feels cluttered. From start to finish, this graphic novel is a real page-turner... Hopefully there'll be a follow-up soon! (Joe Sixpack, ReadThatAgain book reviews)
Written by Richard Stark
Adapted by Darwyn Cooke
(IDW, 2009)
----------------------------------------------
Wow. I'm already a fan of comicbook artist Darwyn Cooke (wish he had more books out!) but I gotta say, this adaptation of a gritty noir novel by author Richard Stark really floored me. The first chapter of the book is told almost entirely without words, transforming the taut, cynical prose into pure imagery, as we are introduced to the book's steely, taciturn, utterly immoral antihero -- Parker -- who counterfeits and backstabs his way through the recesses of New York City, circa 1962, hellbent on revenge. It's a real tour-de-force of visual storytelling, but even when the text kicks in, the book never feels cluttered. From start to finish, this graphic novel is a real page-turner... Hopefully there'll be a follow-up soon! (Joe Sixpack, ReadThatAgain book reviews)
21 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Darwyn Cooke is a modern master of graphic storytelling , just one look at his Eisner awarded works and you know why ...and thats why its no small thing for me to honestly say that The Hunter is one of the finest works of his career.
If you are a Richard Stark fan, this is a fantastic addition and homage to the man's work on every level.
It's a hit from page one and will turn anyone not into graphic art or the crime genre right into an instant fan.
If you are a Richard Stark fan, this is a fantastic addition and homage to the man's work on every level.
It's a hit from page one and will turn anyone not into graphic art or the crime genre right into an instant fan.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Beautifully adapted version of the classic Richard Stark thriller, "The Hunter", the first in the long-running crime novel series featuring the hardnosed professional thief known simply as "Parker". Darwyn Cooke's detailed art- stylish yet gritty- and the dark prose- mostly sparse, sometimes dense, always sharp- draws the reader right in as Parker undertakes his visceral, often shocking mission of revenge following a doublecross that left him for dead. This is the first of a proposed series of illustrated adaptations, with Mr. Cooke cherry picking his favorite installments from the "Parker" novels and adapting them into handsomely-produced hardback graphic novels of generous length (this one's about 170 pages). After reading this graphic novel, readers may be tempted to immediately pick up the prose novels featuring Parker's next adventures (recently reprinted in new editions) instead of waiting for Mr. Cooke's next adaptation. Do yourself a favor: get both.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Remarkable
Hard boiled through and through. Darwin Cooke captures the essence perfectly. The movie, with Lee Marvin, is brilliant and intense, but this is equally so. Read more
Published 2 days ago by Thingone
3.0 out of 5 stars
The movie version Payback was better.
Gritty.
No other book has ever tried to convey the tone of noir in frames and succeeded like this one. The art makes the comic better than the novel. Read more
No other book has ever tried to convey the tone of noir in frames and succeeded like this one. The art makes the comic better than the novel. Read more
Published 6 days ago by Illuminati
5.0 out of 5 stars
The START
Parker gets his start in this graphic novel adaptation of Richard Stark's books. Donald Westlake used the Stark name to write the Parker stories. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Gift Card Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cooke got it right.
As a Parker uber-fan, meaning I own all the books and reread them almost on a regular cycle, as well as owning almost all the films (one isn't available on DVD yet), I am pleased... Read more
Published 3 months ago by D. Plante
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant Visual Adaptation
I've never read any of Richard Stark's (aka Donald Westlake) 24-book Parker series, but I have seen a few of the films based on the character (including Point Blank and Payback,... Read more
Published 5 months ago by A. Ross
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great story.
Anyone that has seen the movie "Payback" with Mel Gibson will immediately recognize the story. Depicts life in the extremes.
Published 5 months ago by Charles Baird
5.0 out of 5 stars
one of the best GN's hands down
If you enjoyed movies like 'Payback' and 'Get Carter' and want to know what inspired them; then look no further! Read more
Published 17 months ago by J. Davis
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fun nasty little book with Darwyn Cook really selling it
Richard Stark is Donald Westlake's pseudonym and Stephen King used it as an example of a writer using an alter ego to get some truly dark stuff out there. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Ricky Pooski
3.0 out of 5 stars
Artwork good. Story? Average.
This adaptation of Richard Stark's hard-boiled novel is, in my opinion, not worthy of all the accolades that it has received both here and everywhere else within the comic book... Read more
Published 21 months ago by UltimateFan
4.0 out of 5 stars
Stark Recognized!
Richard Stark often did not receive the kind of praise worthy of him while he was alive. This graphic rendering of the first Parker book does more than make up for lost time. Read more
Published 23 months ago by J. Smallridge
