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RICAHRD STARK’S PARKER THE COMPETE COLLECTION by Dawyn Cooke

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Richard Stark’s Parker The Complete Collection by Dawyn Cooke gets my highest rating.  If you’re a fan of great crime fiction, then this is for you!

The groundbreaking and multiple award-winning graphic novels by Darwyn Cooke, collected in their entirety for the first time in one softcover volume.

Collecting the four Parker graphic novels (The Hunter, The Outfit, The Score, and Slayground) as well as two shorts (The Man with the Getaway Face and The Seventh). These stories encompass all Darwyn Cooke’s sequential stories of Parker.

“He Cooked His Goose” (1952) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

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He Cooked His Goose (1952)

Director:  Jules White

Screenplay: Felix Adler

Stars: Shemp Howard, Larry Fine, Moe Howard and Diana Darrin

Tagline:  The boys need rumpus room when the love ‘n’ laughter bug bites them!

The Plot…

Larry is a pet shop owner and a womanizer.  He’s having an affair with Moe’s wife at the same time trying to start a romance with Shemp’s girl!  When Moe shows up at the pet shop, Larry says, it’s Shemp who’s trying to make time with Moe’s wife.  Moe leaves ready to give Shemp a beating.

Larry quickly hires Shemp as a door to door underwear salesmen.  Larry sends Shemp to Moe’s house to model underwear for Moe’s wife.  Larry then calls Shemp’s girl and tells her that Shemp’s with another woman.  Moe’s on his way home.  Shemp’s girl is on the way as well.  What could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

He Cooked His Goose is one of the rare Stooges shorts where the boys aren’t brothers, partners or a team.  It is also one of the few where Larry has the lead.  Larry as a lady’s man is funny enough, but add Shemp as an underwear model and things really take off.

He Cooked His Own Goose earns 4 of 5 stars.

“Naked Singularity” starring John Boyega and Olivia Cooke – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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Finally a poster that uses art instead of photos!  I like it and the trailer for Naked Singularity starring John Boyega and Olivia Cooke.  Deal me in.

Naked Singularity tells the story of Casi (John Boyega), a promising young NYC public defender whose idealism is beginning to crack under the daily injustices of the very justice system he’s trying to make right. Doubting all he has worked for and seeing signs of the universe collapsing all around him, he is pulled into a dangerous high-stakes drug heist by an unpredictable former client (Olivia Cooke) in an effort to beat the broken system at its own game.

Cooke & Stark’s Parker: The Martini Edition Volume 1 is Available for Pre-Order Now!

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Darwyn  Cooke created the art above for Richard Stark’s Parker: The Martini Edition which collected Darwyn Cooke’s first two Parker books, The Hunter and The Outfit… 

…in a tremendous, special, oversized hardcover edition — with an additional 65-pages of content — encased in a beautiful slipcase!

Richard Stark’s Parker: The Hunter graphic novel debuted in July 2008 to instantaneous popular and critical acclaim. It made the New York Times bestseller list and won coveted Eisner and Harvey awards. The second graphic novel, The Outfit, was released in 2010 and was met with similar response, and won the 2011 Eisner for Best Writer/Artist.

The Hunter and The Outfit tell the story of Parker, Richard Stark’s classic anti-hero, as he returns to New York to settle the score with his wife and partner in crime after they betray him in a heist gone terribly wrong. After evening the field and reclaiming his prize, the Outfit decide to do some score settling of their own… and learn much too late that when you push a man like Parker, it had better be all the way to the grave.

Also contains the short stories The Man With the Getaway Face and The Seventh.

I had ordered a copy of The Martini Edition when it was published in 2011, but it arrived damaged.  When I returned it for a replacement, I was sad to learn The Martini Edition had sold out.

Until  now.  (Actually April 28, 2020.)

IDW is reprinting Richard Stark’s Parker: The Martini Edition.  It’ll have a different cover but the same contents.  I’m betting this edition will sell out quickly.  I’ve put in my pre-order.  If you’re interested, I wouldn’t wait long before doing the same.

The Twilight Children #4 by Hernandez and Cooke / Z-View

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The Twilight Children #4 is part of a four-issue mini-series published by Vertigo Comics.

Writer: Gilbert Hernandez
Artist: Darwyn Coole
Colorist: Dave Stewart
Cover Artist: Darwyn Cooke

*** Beware – spoilers may be found below ***

The mysteries have been piling up for 3 previous issues and while we get some of them answered, many of the answers are going to be left to reader interpretation.  That could be a good or bad thing depending on your, uh, interpretation.

The story ends with the mysterious woman on the beach with the young scientist, one of the CIA agents, and Nicholas.  One of them is not what he seems.  If you’re looking for a totally satisfying happy ending, I didn’t find it… although it wasn’t a totally sad or terrible ending either.  I have no doubt I will find more hints of what’s to come and things to like with each re-reading of the series.  Then again, it could be one of those stories where the journey to the ending is more important than the ending itself.  I guess it is all in how you interpret it.

Rating:

The Twilight Children #3 by Hernandez and Cooke / Z-View

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The Twilight Children #3 is part of a four-issue mini-series published by Vertigo Comics.

Writer: Gilbert Hernandez
Artist: Darwyn Coole
Colorist: Dave Stewart
Cover Artist: Darwyn Cooke

*** Beware – spoilers may be found below ***

Ok.  The mysteries continue to pile up.  Who is the beautiful woman?  Why does Tito go from man to man? What are the beautiful woman’s powers?  Where is she from?  Why did she freeze the CIA (are they?) agents?  Why did those that touch the agents also become frozen?  When the orbs appear and drop people off why do they quickly teleport them away again… and where do they go? What cause the town people appear to be sleep walking/talking at night?  When the beautiful woman says she’s here to save us, can we trust her?

The plot grows ever thicker.  I’m hoping for an ending that will satisfy the many questions that have been raised throughout the series.  Darwyn Cooke’s art continues to highly entertain.

Rating:

The Twilight Children #2 by Hernandez and Cooke / Z-View

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The Twilight Children #2 is part of a four-issue mini-series published by Vertigo Comics.

Writer: Gilbert Hernandez
Artist: Darwyn Coole
Colorist: Dave Stewart
Cover Artist: Darwyn Cooke

*** Beware – spoilers may be found below ***

The town sheriff has his hands full this issue — there’s the new beautiful woman in town, who just may be an alien.  Then there’s two guys who just arrived and we’re pretty sure they’re CIA.  Tito (who was cheating with the fisherman) is now coming on to the young scientist.  Her husband Nicholas is more upset over that than Tito’s cheating with Anton so he enlists Anton’s aid to kill the scientist.  The children blinded by the orb last issue can remarkably see again, and for some reason (that we know) the scientist ends high up in a tree unconscious and in the nude.

The plot thickens as orbs secretly appear, people disappear and a murder attempt is set in motion.

Rating:

The Twilight Children #1 by Hernandez and Cooke / Z-View

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The Twilight Children #1 is part of a four-issue mini-series published by Vertigo Comics.

Writer: Gilbert Hernandez
Artist: Darwyn Coole
Colorist: Dave Stewart
Cover Artist: Darwyn Cooke

*** Beware – spoilers may be found below ***

A mysterious white orb appears on the shore of a remote Latin American village.  This has happened before, but the orbs always disappear before anyone can figure out what they are or where they come from.

When word gets out about this new orb many of the town folk come to see it.  They include Bundo (a drunk with a tragic past), Anton (a fisherman having an affair with) Tito (a local hottie who is married to the oblivious) business man Nicholas, the Sheriff and a young scientist new to the town.

The orb disappears and later reappears in a cave being explored by three small children.  When the children approach the orb it explodes, leaving the children blind. Not long after a beautiful young woman (alien?) appears in town.  You know the CIA can’t be far behind — and they’re not.

This issue is beautifully drawn and well written.  It reminds me of an episode of The Twilight Zone which is high praise, indeed.  I look forward to issue two.

Rating: 5 of 5 stars.

Darwyn Cooke – R.I.P.

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When I read yesterday that Darwyn Cooke was battling an aggressive cancer, it was like an unexpected gut shot.  Truth be told, I only knew Darwyn through his art, stories and the several times I met him at comic shows… but I was such a fan and Darwyn always treated me (and other fans) with such respect and kindness, it sure seemed I knew him better than I did.

I’ve always loved Darwyn’s art and when he began adapting Richard Stark’s Parker novels, I thought it could never get better than that.  Each time I caught up with Darwyn at a show I’d have his latest hardcover for him to sign and he always included a quick headsketch with the signature.  I loved talking to Darwyn about his latest project and what was coming.

Sadly it was announced today that Darwyn passed at 1:30 this morning surrounded by friends, family and aware of all of the well-wishes that had been pouring in since the news about his illness had been announced.

My thoughts, prayers and best wishes go out to Darwyn’s family, friends and fans.  Rest in Peace, Darwyn.