The Collection - Parker: The Hunter
A classic story, with a unique look.
A much-loved and much-read book, Parker: The Hunter introduces us to the world and has a brilliant style from IDW Publishing.
The Hunter is the story of a man who hits New York head-on like a shotgun blast to the chest. Betrayed by the woman he loved and double-crossed by his partner in crime, Parker makes his way cross-country with only one thought burning in his mind ― to coldly exact his revenge and reclaim what was taken from him!
by Richard Stark (Author), Darwyn Cooke (Author, Artist)
First up, a bit of a confession. I was unaware of the Parker series, and that was even after I had seen and enjoyed Payback with Mel Gibson.
That movie is one of my favourites, and many years later, I got into the Parker series on the iVerse/Comics+ app and really enjoyed it. After that, I started building my collection of all the Parker books from the legendary Darwyn Cooke.
First, the first few pages it’s like watching a silent movie. Yes, there is some dialogue, but it is minimal. It’s all about the emotion and buildup to that panel with Parker looking at himself in the mirror. We don’t know how we got here, but he’s unhappy about the whole situation. What makes this interesting, too, is the other people’s reactions to him. The women are swooning, and the men are afraid of him. There is something about Parker…
As the story progresses, we get to understand why Parker is so angry. There are those who have wronged him and those who owe him. And they are going to pay one way or another.
The cast of characters is brilliant as Parker works his way through the underworld of the crime of the city. There is ‘The Outfit’ who are like the big corporate overlords of crime. They are the ones who begin to feel the brunt of Parker’s rage, but even on the lower levels, there are some interesting characters. There are escorts and bent cops with their own ideas and wants.
The artwork in the story leads you along with some excellent panels which would look amazing by themselves on a wall. The washed-out style of the colours is brilliant and can portray the heat of the action and the cold fury of Parker as the story progresses.
The conclusion to the story is well played, and Parker lives to fight another day, but this world is excellent, and I do think that the Payback movie isn’t a bad adaptation of the comic.
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