On the Road to Perdition: Detour (Paperback)

~ Max Allan Collins (Author), Steve Lieber (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This compelling volume is the first in a new series of three graphic novellas that build on the successful 1930s-era Road to Perdition graphic novel and film. Together, they chronicle a six-month period unexplored in the original story. Once again, the protagonist is Michael O'Sullivan, a hit man in John Looney's Irish mob. When O'Sullivan's son and namesake, Michael, witnesses his father's on-the-job activities, Looney's son responds by slaughtering O'Sullivan's family (save for O'Sullivan and his son). O'Sullivan swears revenge, and he and young Michael set off on a cross-country journey, robbing banks of their mob "blood money" and pitting them against the forces of the Looney mob and those of Al Capone. Their journey to Perdition, where young Michael's aunt and uncle live, is fraught with tragedy, violence and death. Veteran author Collins has returned to graphic novels to continue this tale, and he's clearly comfortable with this material and era. In this volume, readers learn how the O'Sullivans rob banks and how their time together allows them to grow closer. Their bank jobs are hindered when young Michael gets scarlet fever and O'Sullivan must avoid the mob hit men and find someplace for his son to recover. Will Michael's illness slow them down enough to allow their pursuers to stop them both permanently? Although Garcia-Lopez and Rubinstein's highly detailed b&w art isn't as meticulous as that of original series artist Richard Piers Rayner's, it still has a realistic cinematic style and winning characterizations.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From Booklist

With Detour, Collins completes a graphic trilogy that expands upon The Road to Perdition (1998), the basis of the hit movie. Hitman Michael O'Sullivan, the "Angel of Death," continues putting the squeeze on the Capone gang by robbing banks across the Midwest in which it has stashed its loot. The heists are designed to force the Capones to turn over mad-dog killer Connor Looney, who brutally murdered O'Sullivan's wife and younger son, and who is out to kill O'Sullivan and his older boy, the narrator of the film and this story. Fast-paced action leads to a suspenseful confrontation in Kansas City's red-light district between O'Sullivan and the pair of bounty hunters Capone's right-hand man Frank Nitti has dispatched to eliminate the O'Sullivans. As best demonstrated in his prose-only PI series featuring Nate Heller, Collins is a past master of period crime stories, and if superhero mainstay artist Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez isn't nearly as successful with the Depression-era setting as director Sam Mendes was in the Perdition movie, at least he conveys the story clearly. Gordon Flagg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: DC Comics; First Thus edition (July 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401201741
• ISBN-13: 978-1401201746
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,154,722 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Somewhat interesting but unnessecary, May 5, 2003

By	joshua (nc) - See all my reviews

This review is from: On the Road to Perdition: Oasis (Paperback)

If your a fan of the filmed adaptation of Max Allan Collins' "Road To Perdition" but haven't read the graphic novel upon which the movie is based, I suggest you pick up a copy today. The story is masterfully told by Collins and features gritty, brutally realistic artwork by the great Richard Piers Rayner that effectively captures the essence of the 1930's. "On The Road To Perdition: Oasis" is the first of three new graphic novellas written by Collins that are intended to serve as a continuation of his original story and also written presumably to cash in on the popularity of the movie adaptation. Rather than serve as sequels to the story presented in both the original graphic novel and the film, the new "On The Road To Perdition" series instead features three untold tales of adventures that Michael O'Sullivan and his son had as they made their treacherous journey to Perdition, Kansas. For fans of the original, "Oasis" is a somewhat interesting affair but pales in comparison to the original story. Collins seems to be on autopilot with this one, scripting a story that feels rushed. Fans of the original graphic novel will also be disappointed to learn that Richard Piers Rayner does not return to do the artwork for this story and his presence is sorely missed. On the upside, Collins introduces three new endearing characters not previously seen in the original story and the relationship between Michael and his son is explored further with results that are quite touching. The subplot involving the three bounty hunters feels a tad redundant if your familiar with Jude Law's character in the movie (who does not appear in the original graphic novel) but it does add an interesting element to the story. All in all, this is one is for diehard fans of the original graphic novel only. It's far from terrible, but Collins should have left well enough alone.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Graphic SF Reader, September 3, 2007

By	Blue Tyson "- Research Finished" - See all my reviews

This review is from: On the Road to Perdition: Sanctuary (Paperback)

Michael Sullivan is a gangster that they call the Angel of Death. Having crossed Al Capone and Frank Nitti, he is on the run, taking with him his son Michael.

Having escaped capture so far, Nitti hires two bounty hunters to do the job. They track the two Michaels down, but two past relationships influence the outcomes.