Richard Stark’s Parker: The Outfit

Parker: The Outfit by Darwyn Cooke
Format: Original Graphic Novel
Published: 2010
Publisher: IDW Publishing

This is the second Donald E. Westlake novel that Darwyn Cooke has adapted. The previous book was great, and this one is just as fun. Both follow Parker, who is essentially James Bond as a ruthless criminal. What could be better than that? Very little.

In The Hunter, Parker was left for dead after being betrayed and spent the book hunting down those responsible. Since then, he’s recieved a new face through surgery and has been anonymously enjoying the rich life. Unfortunately, someone blows his cover and squeals to the Outfit, a mob-like organization he crossed paths with in the last book. They decide to come after him and learn pretty quickly that you don’t try to shoot Evil James Bond.

Parker’s dropped the lone wolf act in this book and uses a small team to pull off multiple heists against the Outfit, costing them an awful lot of money. I love me some heist action, and that was one of my favourite things about this book. Cooke details a few of the hits, using a unique art style for each one.

This book is a lot meatier than the first, story-wise, but it’s also not quite as tightly plotted, which is maybe to be expected. He experiments a little more with the art this time around, always keeping a cool, retro-cartoony feel. I’m looking forward to the third installment of this four book series, which is due to come out next year.