Our Favorite Things: Parker: The Outfit by Darwyn Cooke

Parker: The Outfit by Darwyn Cooke
MSRP: $25
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Good For: People who love thoughtful graphic novels like 100 Bullets and American Splendor
Could Be Good For: Mystery and thriller fans.
Not for: Anime fans

The Outfit by Darwyn Cooke is based on Richard Stark’s Parker novels. Set in the roaring ’50s, Parker is a career criminal who only hurts the folks who deserve it. The closest cultural analog would be a noble ninja, righting wrongs and getting a piece on the side for himself. This book takes one of the early books in the series and turns it into a graphic novel that takes its artistic queues from 1950s poster art, road maps, and advertising. It is, in short, one of the best comic adaptions of a novel I’ve read.

The same artist created a version of The Hunter,, the first Parker book. If you’ve seen the movies Point Blank with Lee Marvin or Payback with Mel Gibson, you’ve basically seen this story. If you’re not into graphic novels, check out the books. Great stuff.