Review 209: PARKER, of Darwyn Cooke, according to Richard Stark 
Reviews grouped for the first two volumes Parker, adapted from novels Richard Black Stark (aka Donald Westlake ) by Darwyn Cooke : The Hunter (The Hunter in vf, Delcourt) and The Outfit ( Organization in vf, by the same publisher ).
Talk little, talk much: two slaps!
Now, develop a little.
Parker: The Hunter is the first novel in the series of Parker, created by Donald Westlake
under the pseudonym Richard Stark
, adapted and illustrated by Darwyn Cooke
, published by IDW Publishing in 2009.
*
1962, New York. A strong man disturbing and wanders about the George Washington Bridge. This quasi-vagrant is quick money through a scam and found a distinguished look. But this gentleman is going to unveil a major killer.
This man is Parker, a thief of genius, but also a criminal relentless in pursuit of vengeance: the first stage of stalking his ex-wife he bluntly asked him about who pays his rent each month. Then he meets other informants that allow it to locate the one he seeks. We realized that Parker was betrayed by an accomplice after a break and it is less about recovering a loot to punish one who has left for dead after having doubled.
However, its target under the protection of the powerful Organization, who heads the organized crime, and if Parker was a member, it is now the man to beat. But the determination of Parker is such that nothing will stop ...
*
In the work of Donald Westlake abundant (1933-2008), an American author of detective fiction's most amazing and most jubilant of the second half of the twentieth century , two characters stand out, like two sides of same coin: on one hand, there Dortmunder, a hapless robber, involved in hold-ups twisted and hilarious, and the other, there is Parker, another ed master circle, but cold and brutal, the twin dark Dortmunder.
is on Parker, which has signed the adventures Westlake under the pseudonym Richard Stark, that Darwyn Cooke, the author of the brilliant miniseries The New Frontier (which revisits the Silver Age of Superheroes DC Comics), has set her sights. A choice that has the strength of evidence for Cooke after comics as Catwoman - The Big Blow of Selina Kyle or its episodes Spirit of Will Eisner .
The Hunter previously known film adaptations of the honors, with Point Blank (1969) by John Boorman with Lee Marvin and Angie Dickinson a masterpiece, and Payback (1998), Brian Helgeland with Mel Gibson , much more uneven. This series of black crude argument - a thief is betrayed revenge - is a fascinating block that Cooke as an inspired writer could draw a cartoon or deploy its inventiveness visual.
And indeed, what is striking is that, from the first pages - a good fifteen, mostly silent, subjective camera - Cooke captures the essence of the book and its hero with remarkable power.
This showpiece is not free: it presents the character with the brevity which symbolizes, through his eyes, in a series of simple actions, dryly narrated - he appropriates a bank account without using violence, with an economy of gesture that signals his professionalism, his coolness, his will. This long sequence is like a manifesto Cooke for his company because it identifies: a narrative uncluttered, efficient, going straight to the point, the atmosphere tense.
When finally we find Parker's face is like the click annunciator vendetta to come, a settlement of accounts and chilling twilight, like its protagonist. Cooke meets the spirit of Westlake: he never tries to make nice Parker, but he returns with his great intelligence tactical simplicity, rigidity frightening. Abused, the gangster gets revenge without scruples of the battlefield, any notion of honor is not absent, Parker is fighting for principle. In his universe, middle, lawless, since we have been deceived, you are entitled to compensation for the brutal extent of what we suffered. He cares little while to reach a man, he faced a flaw organization (which we guess more important you can not see, only the frames appear): its objective is clear and either hit it or he will die.
*
As in the novels of Westlake / Stark, Cooke reflects brilliantly the genius of Parker as a chess champion, always a step ahead of his opponents - and the reader. His cruelty is horrific and pleasurable both because it takes advantage of this monster want to see him succeed in his project.
If writing is knowing how to make choices, to adapt the novel material, that is to say, evoking images of text and "statements" (as named Nathalie Sarraute), emotions , then it pays Cooke with total perfection as it does not impose the reader with narrative voice-over cobblestones. It relies primarily on the conduct of the action and economic dialogue, in the purest tradition of "Hard Boiled", without falling into clichés a Frank Miller Sin City with (visually breathtaking , screenplay but rude). This book of over 150 pages devours more than he reads, we turn the pages quickly and greed - to the point we can return once the story ended, admire the compositions of the designer, where by recognizing its past cartoonist virtuoso (Cooke worked with Maestro Bruce Timm ).
The graphic style evokes indeed cartoons from Warner, with a formalism stripped of square figures, geometry and spatial sense incomparable. In a few strokes, Cooke captures expressions, scenery, places its characters in an environment immediately identifiable.
It reduced the colorization three categories: the original white of the page for the brightness, black outlines and-dishes, and blue appears as a color change from gray detective films of the era , referring to the night (dusk or dawn), the dream, the coldness, suggests an almost dreamlike atmosphere, very elegant.
*
As it began, the book ends with another sequence of quasi-mute anthology where Parker reaches almost legendary stature, whose silhouette appears exceed that of the organization he has defied, and sums up his fate.
Transforming this anti-hero almost supernatural demon but really unique here is that synthesizes this adaptation and allows him to avoid falling into parody or the umpteenth version of the Punisher vigilant kind.
A ledger whose simplicity along with aesthetics in fact a work apart, placed in a specific genre it transcends the codes. And to think that the next volume surpasses it ...
Parker: The Outfit is the second adaptation of the book series written by
Donald Westlake , illustrated by Darwyn Cooke
, published by IDW Publishing in 2010.
*
1963, Miami. Parker is having a good time with a hen in a luxury palace when attacked by a hitman. But the thief dominates his murderer and makes him confess the names of those who send him. After the shooter has assured his patron that he had fulfilled his mission, Parker fired.
Exasperated, especially as he was careful to change the face through surgery, he chose not to flee but to face the mob boss, although he has already defied the pundits before. But at the same time, he knows: 1 / that is his last revenge it is retaliation, and 2 / that this case can only be resolved by arms.
Parker hit where it hurts so by committing loyal accomplices with a series of robberies bold reach his enemy's fortune while pointing the weakness of his empire (and its security systems). The effectiveness of Parker earned him the respect of others simultaneously barons of the Organization, particularly Karns, who agrees to leave with Bronson cons explained his promise to stop attacking the interests of underworld.
* For its second foray into production "parkerienne" Westlake / Stark, Cooke is firing on all cylinders by adjusting either one but two texts ( The Man With The Getaway The face and outfit), to intrigue more sophisticated than The Hunter. And again, the result is dazzling, even exceeding in quality and invention, the first volume.
As before, Cooke has kept the insensitivity of his hero embarked on a new mission which is both the victim and the head (his past catches up) but added a dose of humor (black, that goes without saying) the company, quite in the tone of Westlake.
For this, he introduced supporting roles, who will become familiar figures in the series of novels (including actor Grofield, the gigolo Salsa, shooter Handy McCay), which give a relief to Parker again: it is more a lone wolf, but a gangster with a network of loyal friends and as seasoned as him, each with special talents employed for a purpose and specific circumstances. I dream of what Cooke would do with a title like The Handle ( Parker takes all ) where Park Opera with a real gang in a dramatic break ...
*
Graphically, this new volume is in line with the first: the line recalls the cartoon and speaks with a disarming ease the design of the 60's, with the furniture "atomic" cars in the car bodies retro clothing geometrical cuts.
The ease of Cooke to restore these elements in a drawing at once very simple, sometimes brief, the limits of abstraction, and sophisticated, where nothing is left to chance, where everything contributes to the recall of This vintage look so familiar is fascinating.
The cutting is again a model of its kind: in an apparent classic, what we see with concern the artist chooses his angles, plays with the rhythm, alternating small thumbnails and double-page panoramic (sometimes splash-page) , unframed scenes, highlights the close-ups. It's really masterful.
Yet despite his know-how, Cooke not only the same income and dares to break the narrative and visual, after briefly confused the reader, adds to the jubliation adaptation. So it pastiche newspaper articles illustrating several pages consist mainly a text describing a robbery, then he connects with boards in the style of "Reader Digest" with a design reminiscent of Saul Bass generic or the animated series The Pink Panther by Friz Freleng with or without bubbles. Exercise helps to narrate several breaks without repetition and with a bold graphic that meets the strategic audacity of Parker.
*
The Outfit, with all these treasures of imagination, therefore escapes the trap of the repetition, even virtuoso, to access a higher level. Following Announced 2012 is already awaited with impatience, even though Cooke will have to overcome to dazzle us all. But something tells me we will not be disappointed - you bet?
MARVEL STARS 2: 
MARVEL HEROES 2: 
MARVEL ICONS 2: 
ULTIMATE AVENGERS 6: 
MARVEL UNIVERSE SPECIAL EDITION 9: 
