Books for the News, Fiction

Parker at the Smithsonian

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As we’ve previously noted, Donald Westlake’s (1933-2008) early Parker novels—the hard-boiled noir thrillers he wrote under the name Richard Stark—have been making a comeback since we began reissuing them in ’08.
But we can’t take all the credit for the resurgence of the ruthless Parker. In the summer of ’09 Eisner Award-winning comic book artist Darwyn Cooke released his graphic adaptation of one of the first books of the series—The Hunter—at the 2009 Comic-Con International in San Diego where it made a big splash amongst the comic book world’s elite tastemakers. And now it seems that the federally sanctioned tastemakers in Washington have taken notice too. According to Almost Darwyn Cooke’s Blog Darwyn is scheduled to discuss his graphic adaptation of The Hunter at the Smithsonian American Art Museum on Saturday January 30, 2010 starting at 4 PM. Mr. Westlake, I’m sure would be pleased to see such an enthusiastic reception of his classic character of crime fiction from all corners.
For more about the event see Calum Johnston’s Almost Darwyn Cooke’s Blog or check the event listing on the Smithsonian website.
For more about Darwyn’s graphic adaptation of The Hunter check out his publisher’s website at www.idwpublishing.com.
And finally, check the Press’s website to find out more about the Parker novels and read this interview with the author.