Book Review: Return to Perdition by Max Allan Collins

My rating: 2/5

From Amazon: "The time is America in the early 1970’s and our third generation hero, Michael Satariano, Jr. is a Vietnam vet recently returned to the States. He doesn’t know that his father’s real name was Michael O’Sullivan, and is unaware of the conflict between his dad, his grandfather and John Looney – the criminal godfather of Rock Island, Illinois. But when he’s recruited by the Mob as a hit-man, he’s going to learn the hard way that you can never outrun (or outgun) your past."

Color me immensely disappointed.  Though I really enjoyed the first two, this fifth installment of the Road to Perdition graphic novel series felt unedited and possibly rushed (similar to the first one, but much worse; Michael's girlfriend calls him by her uncle's name at one point for goodness sake, and it's not the character's mistake). There was nothing very unique about the story, though I was surprised by something near the end and probably shouldn't have been, and I did appreciate that fact. Some parts were rushed through in only a few frames when they should have been much more detailed, and other parts dragged on. I admit I got bored but did finish it, since it isn't terribly long. Some sections appeared to be an excuse to draw naked women, which can be fine if there's a good story to go with it; but when there's not, it comes across as a 13-year-old's pornographic fantasy. Having this one take place in the '70s would have been fine too, even though I really liked the Prohibition-era setting of the first two; but all this felt like was a watered-down version of a '70s gangster film.

The artwork wasn't badly done, and I did appreciate the part that surprised me, so I at least gave it two stars.  This book doesn't lessen my love for the second book of the series or the movie based on the first, but I have no desire to go back and read numbers 3 and 4 (Road to Purgatory and Road to Paradise).

Book Review: Road to Perdition 2 by Max Allan Collins

My rating: 4/5

Road to Perdition 2: On the Road is not a sequel, but instead three small books in one that describe additional events from the time Michael Sr. and Michael Jr. were on the road (and on the lam) in Road to Perdition.

I enjoyed this one more than I did the first, though both are very good. In the beginning of this book, the author explains (on top of the fact that he liked the movie's interpretation of Mr. Looney/Rooney better than his, which I agree with) that he had intended to include all of this in one book, but was basically rushed to finish and couldn't include everything. And in this book's style of fuller story-telling, occasional humor, and better drawing to distinguish one character from another, I think it shows that he (and the artists) had more time.

I'm excited to read the rest of this series. The first two were both quick, enjoyable reads, and I just love the fact that one of my favorite movies was based on such a good book series. It isn't often you find both done right.

Book Review: Road to Perdition by Max Allan Collins

My rating: 3.75/5

From Amazon: "Depression-era Chicago: a city riding a tide of liquor and blood, ruled by guns, graft, and gangsters. At the top of the heap is Al Capone... and Capone's most feared hitman is Michael O'Sullivan, known to friends and enemies alike as the "Angel of Death". But when Sullivan's eight-year-old son witnesses a gangland execution, father and son find themselves facing off against the most merciless gangster of all time."

This is the graphic novel on which the movie of the same name (which is awesome) is based.  I didn't even know until recently that the movie was based on a book, so, it being one of my favorites, I decided to read the original story.

This is one of the best graphic novels I've read, though I'm not big into them (so, small pool from which to compare).  But, and maybe if I hadn't seen the movie first I wouldn't feel this way, the book makes for a more realistic plot, while the movie makes for a better story.  The ending isn't as good (though I'm still looking forward to reading the sequels), and some key plot points are, in my opinion, done better in the movie. And even though there's no way I'd ever be able to draw as well as Richard Piers Rayner, I had a hard time following along sometimes because some characters were drawn too similarly, or some frames of the same character were not drawn similarly enough.

Still a good, quick read, and I'd recommend it to fans of the movie.