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Preview: Richard Stark’s Parker: Slayground

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Richard Stark’s Parker: Slayground

Richard Stark, Darwyn Cooke (w) • Darwyn Cooke (a & c)

The award-winning graphic novel series adapting one of crime-fiction’s most famous and hard-boiled characters continues in this beautifully illustrated and stylized masterpiece. Parker, whose getaway car crashes after a heist, manages to elude capture with his loot by breaking into an amusement park that is closed for the winter. But his presence does not go unnoticed–a pair of cops observed the job and its aftermath. But rather than pursue their suspect… they decide to go into business for themselves, with the help of some “business associates.” From then on it’s a game of cat and mouse, one played out through the closed rides of the abandoned carnival… a game that slowly starts to favor the mouse. Includes the Eisner Award-winning short story “The 7th.”

TPB • PC • $14.99 • 96 pages • 6” x 9” • ISBN: 978-1-68405-126-7

Darwyn Cooke Takes Aim at The Hunter in a New Way

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It’s no secret that Darwyn Cooke has garnered wide acclaim, including multiple Eisner and Harvey awards, adapting Donald E. Westlake’s world of Parker into graphic novels. But what should catch your attention is that the acclaimed writer/artist is providing all-new illustrations for the classic Parker novels by Richard Stark (Westlake’s pen name), presented for the first time in a deluxe format. The series will be released in chronological order, and launch with The Hunter, the inaugural Parker story. Each book will contain 10 gorgeous paintings by Cooke, and, with the design and typography overseen by the renowned artist, this series promises to be a stylish tour-de-force.

Parker: The Hunter, will be available everywhere this June. But the debut of the book will come earlier as it makes a special advance unveiling on May 10th & 11th
at the Toronto Comic Arts Festival. Cooke, a special guest of the show, will be appearing both days to the sign the book, which features a unique dust jacket and signature plate.

The Hunter debuted in 1962. Stark’s resilient creation would become one of the most influential American literary characters of the 20th century. The crime-infested world of Parker has been translated to the screen multiple times feature films like Point Blank, Payback, The Outfit and, most recently, Parker.

Darwyn Cooke and IDW Publishing have teamed up to release four graphic novel adaptations thus far: The Hunter, The Outfit and The Score. The fourth, Slayground was released in December 2013 to high praise and critical acclaim

Lauded as a classic of the genre, The Hunter follows Parker on a cold-blooded mission of revenge. Betrayed by those closest to him, Parker sets out for retribution in a world of corruption, violence, and retribution. Whether you’re a fan of Stark, Cooke, or both, Parker: The Hunter will be an essential addition to any library this June.

Cover of the TCAF Limited dust jacket

NYCC 2013: Darwyn Cooke to Illustrate Parker Prose Novels at IDW

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IDW Publishing announced its plan to expand their relationship with Darwyn Cooke and the Estate of Donald E. Westlake to include illustrated Parker novels. Cooke, who will continue producing his award-winning Parker graphic novel series for IDW, will now also illustrate Westlake’s ground-breaking crime novels. For the first time, the Parker novels will be published in a deluxe, hardcover format, and with Cooke designing the series, as well as providing stunning color illustrations to accompany Westlake’s (AKA, Richard Stark’s) crime classics! The first book, The Hunter, will arrive in the first half of 2014. Additional editions will be released in chronological order thereafter.

Darwyn Cooke and IDW Publishing have released three Parker graphic novels to date, with the trio winning multiple Eisner and Harvey Awards. The fourth graphic novel, Richard Stark’s Parker: Slayground, will be released in December.

Richard Stark was the most famous pseudonym of world-renowned author Donald E. Westlake. In 1962 he created the master thief Parker and began a series of novels that have been recognized as seminal works in crime fiction. Several of Westlake’s books have been adapted by Hollywood, including Parker earlier this year. He has won numerous awards for his fiction, including being named Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America, that prestigious society’s highest honor

Parker Will Return in Slayground!

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SLAYGROUNDCVRDarwyn Cooke’s acclaimed Parker series from IDW continues to expand with the classic Slayground. In this newest graphic novel, Parker is put to the test against crooked cops and sleazy gangsters after a heist goes south and he finds himself trapped in an amusement park closed for the winter, and embroiled in a deadly game of cat and mouse… a game that slowly starts to favor the mouse.

Based on the influential novels by Richard Stark, AKA, Donald Westlake, Parker is a coldly calculating master criminal, one with a very rigid code. The IDW adaptations by Darwyn Cooke of The Hunter and The Outfit have received multiple Eisner and Harvey  awards. The Score, released last year, was nominated for an Eisner Award at last week’s San Diego Comic-Con International. Slayground will be the fourth Parker adaptation in the popular and much lauded series.

Darwyn Cooke’s distinct style has made him a premier writer and artist in the comic book industry. A former animator, Cooke entered mainstream comics in 2000 with his critical hit Batman: Ego for DC Comics.

Donald Westlake, writing as Richard Stark, was the acclaimed author of the Parker series. He was a three-time Edgar Award winner, as well as being named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America, that prestigious societies highest honor.