Road to Perdition - Max Allan Collins
I haven't yet seen the movie (it's on my list), but I happened upon the graphic novel at the library and decided to go ahead and read it. It's a powerful story, and it's easy to see why they wanted to make it into a movie. Michael O'Sullivan as drawn in the book, however, looks less like Tom Hanks than Joaquin Phoenix, perhaps. Collins creates a story inspired by actual events and people—Al Capone, the Looneys and the loyal lieutenant they betrayed—and the juxtaposition of extreme violence and the tender relationship between Michael and his son works very well.
The artwork is done by Richard Piers Rayner, and it's amazing that he and Collins never actually met in person while working on this book. The artwork fits the story perfectly; most of Rayner's drawings are done with a scribbly zigzag shading, which he makes look easy; but other types of shading are interspersed throughout the book.
I'm interested in seeing the movie still, but the book was definitely worth it.
Fed to jhliu's brain | November 25, 2003
