a piece of a review I did from the original book by Richard Stark:

"This one goes sour fast, and Parker finds himself trapped with the satchel of loot in an amusement park called Fun Island that has been closed for the offseason! But, they give him too much time, and he is able to “booby-trap the whole damn park against them...”! Then it's a cat-and-mouse game till the end! Don't go into the house of mirrors!"

What makes this graphic novel such a treat is the artwork. And, for me, the map of Fun Island was awesome! I definitely could have used that when I read the original! It might be 'fun' to re-read that, with this map opened beside it!

AND, a nice bonus surprise, for me, at the end! Cooke gives “The Seventh” the graphic novel treatment! Super short, but sweet! ( )

This was a fantastic adaptation of the original Parker story by Richard Stark, aka Donald Westlake. The artwork especially captured the grit of the original and Cooke has managed to adapt the work to the graphic novel format flawlessly.

Interestingly, after Slayground is a short based on the Parker novella The Seventh (see my review here). In just a few pages Cooke has managed to capture much of the story. I look forward to reading more of these adaptations. ( )

Wow Wow Wow. This was an excellent book. It was interesting to read this book after seeing Her. Two works of art that have the main characters that are almost always by themselves. I'm so sad that the next Parker installment will not be until 2015. It cannot come soon enough. ( )

Darwyn Cooke’s Eisner Award winning series continues with the fourth installment, Slayground. Following a botched robbery, Parker escapes to an amusement park closed for the winter. Boxed in by gangsters and crooked cops, will Parker be able to devise a successful escape route or has his number finally come up?

I received an advanced copy from IDW Publishing and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Cooke’s adaptation of Richard Stark’s iconic character Parker has been nothing short of tremendous. I was actually a little shocked to see it completed so soon, considering that back in August, when I had the good fortune of meeting Mr. Cooke, he had indicated he was still working on it and he had in fact left it at home on his kitchen table to attend the Dartmouth Comic Arts Festival.

It goes without saying that the artwork continues to impress. In keeping with the atmosphere of a cold winter’s night, Cooke selected various shades of blue and black as the predominant colors, giving us a perfect backdrop to the conditions endured by Parker as he plans his escape. Cooke’s signature style is tailor made for a period such as the 1960s so there’s no doubt that given this is his fourth installment, he’s here for the long run.

There’s not much else to say about this other than if you’re not already reading the series, you’re missing out. Slayground may be his strongest effort yet so get caught up before Christmas Eve and grab this when it hits store shelves. ( )