Darwyn Cooke's Parker

[droidofages]

Oh man... I've been really excited for this one!



"Darwyn Cooke steps up to the noir plate on July 22nd with "Richard Stark's Parker: The Hunter." It's 140 pages of noir bliss published by IDW, feeling as authentic and as period-specific as your gut tells you a tale from this school of storytelling ought to be." - Newsarama

[Mike]

When, j, WHEN?!!

[droidofages]

Not friggin' soon enough!!! July is the latest date I've seen.

Click the pic for a preview:

[mannypeters]

Maybe it'll be in stock for me to pick up when I come to town. *wink-wink*

[droidofages]

I put a bug in Cal's ear regarding the rabid anticipation of the book for a number of us here in Fredericton. He's frequently in touch with Darwyn himself, so I'm sure as soon as it's available, we'll have some in stock!

[droidofages]

Hee hee heee! I'm squealing like a little school girl, because sitting right next to me as I type this, is an advanced reading copy of this phenomenal project!!! Man oh man, what a beautiful book!
It kind of reminded me of something I heard about recently, which is now officially open to the public. There's a greedy little voice warning me that there is some heavy weight talent on this forum that could kick my ass in this contest, and that I should keep it to myself, but I just have to share my excitement:

You could win a special signed edition of "the Hunter" (the first in a series of Parker books) if you impress Darwyn enough with your drawing/painting/image of the main character Parker! For more details, check out Darwyn's blog HERE.

[droidofages]

Newsarama has provided an article on the soon to be released, first Parker book: the Hunter HERE:

"Darwyn Cooke’s take on The Hunter will likely surpass your expectations. The first adaptation to officially use the Parker name, The Hunter, bursts off of the page, capturing the tone, the feel, the attitude of Stark/Westlake’s prose. Much of the success here is owed to Cooke’s uncanny ability to translate entire eras from history to the page; his 1962 New York City is a well-mapped wonder.
...
Parker knows all about horribly wrong. Betrayed by partners in crime both business and romantic, and believed dead, he’s come back to settle the score. Really, that’s all you need to know. Parker’s a shark, constantly moving through an ocean of betrayal and murder. If he has redeeming qualities, they aren’t on display. And really, that’s part of the kick. Much like its modern cousin, The Shield, The Hunter makes you root for a protagonist that you wouldn’t necessarily want to see succeed in real life."

[droidofages]

Since all the entries are in now, and the draw will be happening soon, I thought I'd post my attempt at capturing the essence of Parker here in the forum.

My intention was to tell a little story with the single image. The early sketch was done straight on, but I added the tilt at the last minute, adding to the horror of the scene (I hope). My intent was to convey the idea that Parker has kicked in the door, killed the dood on the floor (for revenge, money or whatever) and then took the guy's last smoke before heading out into the rain. The guy is a cold, hard sonuva bitch.

Although I'd love to get my grubby little paws on the art-book prize, just the thought of Darwyn taking a look at some of my art and forming an opinion one way or the other is reward enough!

Anywho, here's my humble little drawring which you can click on to see the gallery of other images submitted:

[droidofages]

"Parker - the Hunter" sold out of it's first run (although both Strange Adventures were smart enough to stock pile a bunch!) and is due for a second printing in September! More from Newsarama HERE:

"With two consecutive weeks on The New York Times best seller list, The Hunter has earned high praise for Cooke’s compelling interpretation of Parker and has been critically lauded nation-wide by The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and Entertainment Weekly."

[droidofages]

SNEAK PEEK from the next Parker book!!!