By: John Wagner, Vince Locke Publisher: Vertigo Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Vertigo Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 286 Publication Date: December 01, 2004 Release Date: December 01, 2004
Product Description: It was just another quiet day at McKenna's Diner--until a couple of wanted killers walked in looking for trouble. Instead, they got bullets, and Tom McKenna got to be an instant media celebrity. That got him a lot of attention from some people he thoughthe'd escaped long ago. The kind of people who never forget a face--even after twenty years...Now Tom must confront a group of cold-blooded mobsters intent on settling the score. As much as he tries to deny it, he's a man with a history of violence--and with the lives of his family hanging in the balance, he'll do anything to make sure his secretpast stays buried...forever.
2.5 stars Like so many others, I only picked this up long after seeing David Cronenberg's film, and I must say, the film is superior in almost every way. As written by John Wagner, "A History of Violence" is the passable but generally lightweight (and emotionally inert) tale of Tom McKenna, a small-town soda-shop owner who thwarts a robbery, becomes a local celebrity, and draws the attention of mobsters who claim to know him from long ago; this triggers a new chain of violence that stems from a decades-old crime from Tom's youth and threatens the safety of his family. While the film follows this general outline, it wisely junked much of what Cronenberg called "not very believable mob stuff" in favor of a character study that, while sometimes flawed, was much more effective. The graphic "History" reads well and quickly, but the artwork (by Vince Locke) is another story; I once had a high-school art teacher who taught me how to discern between "shading" and simply darkening a drawing, and Locke's sloppy, scribble-heavy style (though I'd go out on a limb and say I can draw better) is not only confusing to look at (with a lack of consistency in character appearance and detail in hectic scenes), but seems like an incorrect tonal match for the story Wagner is telling. Even Cronenberg (well after he'd sculpted the "History" script into a different beast with Josh Olson) admitted that the graphic novel wasn't strong enough visually to have any bearing on his own directorial vision, and it's easy to tell why. Perhaps those who go into this "History" dry will have a better appreciation of it, but for me, it simply pales in comparison to the film.
Leave the book, take the movie I saw the film first and usually in an adaptation, there are things that are naturally lost such as internal thoughts. And so I read it with the idea that there would be nuances and depth that couldn't be caught on film. Instead of juxtaposing the killers actions against lazily checking out of a motel, Wagner just has them shoot down two kids. Yawn! And instead of the vast improvement Cronenberg took in making Tom's character a dangerous man, the novel's Tom is the good guy who got mixed up in a bad scene because of his allegiance to a friend. YAWN! All the other characters in the novel, including Tom, come across as uninteresting and wooden, the family adding no conflict to Tom's dilemma. All in all, a tepid, uninteresting, too long story gratefully remedied by an excellent film.
talent borrows, genius steals The other night I was listening to old time radio and an episode of Suspense came on called "Night on Red Mountain". Listening to the episode I came to know that the author(s) of this graphic novel/film borrowed HEAVILY from this episode. You can listen to it yourself to find out. It's too funny really.
I found you out John Wagner!
Fake casts do more than get you out of work. When I watched A History of Violence earlier this way, I was impressed. It took the "American Dream" family, and threw them into a terrible situation, yet wasn't entirely predictable. Unfortunately, it suffered from a bit of lack of interest, for lack of better term, about 2/3 through, and kind of lost itself. Regardless, I loved the movie, and made sure to check out the source material it was based on. Imagine my surprise when I read even 1/4 of the book and discovered that the movie took out TONS of things. Finishing the book, I've come to the conclusion that when placed next to it, the movie pretty much pales in comparison. But I'm not one of those people that freaks out and claims that one has to be better than the other- they're both good in their own right, offering things the other doesn't. Though I do admit, the book kept me interested 100% through, from beginning to end. A History of Violence is an extraordinary title, and as the intro by the author explains, is better than any fantasy epic could be if only for the fact that this sort of thing happens every day in real life. Unassuming normal, everyday people get tossed into terrible scenarios, and it's not pretty. That's scarier than some bald guy in purple and green trying to take over the world any day. Imagine getting death threats via someone next to you while you're taking a break at lunch getting shot right through the head, then a call later saying that it was just a warning, and they're watching your every move. What would you do? This book does just that, and then some.
Tom McKenna is your average Joe, living in a small town where everyone knows everyone else on a first name basis. He runs a small diner, and gets along with everyone quite well. It's a dream city if you ask me- never any trouble, everyone goes about their own business, has manners, etc. But one night, just as he's about to close up the shop, two men come in demanding coffee, despite being told that they're about to close. One of the people leaving the diner automatically knows that these two men are dangerous, and calls for the police. She was right- the two men just killed two people earlier that day, and have planned on a stickup for some quick cash. What better location than a town in the middle of nowhere? Unfortunately, for them at least, Tom knows how to handle the situation. Being held at gunpoint, he gives them their coffee alright- splashing some in one guy's face, then breaking the coffee pot over another's. He reverses the gun on one man and blasts him several times, shooting him right through the glass door. Who knew he had it in him? Certainly not the townsfolk, much less his family. News about the situation gets out, though Tom lays low and insists everyone go back to their daily lives. It's almost like he knew something bad would come of it, as soon after he's shown on tv, some very serious, shady characters begin to follow him around town in a black car. One of them says that he knows Tom, but calls him Joey. The man is clearly dangerous- missing an eye and covered in scars, and gives Tom a scare once he walks through the door. Yep, they know each other, especially since the man has Tom's finger that he claims was lopped off in a boating accident. From here on, it's Tom's word against theirs, as he tries to keep his family safe. But they're not safe- they're being followed around as well, and things go downhill from there. Even after the situation is seemingly taken care of, Tom still has to explain his past- who he really is and what it is that he did to make these people come after him...and come face-to-face with the root of the issue, involving someone who he thought was long dead.
A History of Violence is divided into three chapters- Tom dealing with the thugs, explaining his background, and the resolution of him dealing with the problem head-on. And each chapter keeps you excited, never wanting to put the book down. I made the mistake of bringing the book to work, reading it on my breaks, and often found myself taking somewhat extended ones all too often, and even a few extra ones. The book is that good. There's never a dull moment, the pacing moves fast yet steady, and there's always some new twist to spark your interest just in case you might have gotten tired. I actually recommend watching the movie first just so you don't get disappointed seeing it with the full book in your memory, and seeing that most of it is left out. Everything here blends together so well, it's hard to compare it to any other Stateside graphic novels. Some have claimed that the book is incredibly graphic in terms of violence, but I strongly disagree. Compared to a series like Sin City or Berserk, AHoV is nothing. Presented in black and white, most of the blood is done in a nice spotted ink look, which blends in with most of the scenery and characters. There are also a lot of cutaways from those especially violent moments, such as when a thug gets his hand removed via an elevator. Just as he realizes that it's about to be taken off, we go from a face shot of him screaming in agony, then immediately to another location. It would've been rather boring for them to stay on it for so long, wouldn't it? When people are shot, which happens frequently, they just get shot, and it's done. No multiple panels showing the wound or guts flying everywhere. Once it's done, it's done, like an old western movie. But, there was one panel, that took up an entire page actually, that literally had me say, "oh my god" when I saw it. It was something I didn't expect, and I sure won't spoil it here. When you think of someone being tortured, I'm sure you expect just a bunch of cuts, bruises, and maybe some broken bones. Trust me when I say that the torture results here are by far the most extreme I've ever seen. Also worth mentioning is how Tom and one of his buddies take care of a mob boss, literally wiping the smile off his face, ten fold.
If I had any complaints, and it really caused me to reconsider giving this a 5 star overall rating, it's the art style. It's not that it's BAD by any means, just...well, it looks like story boards done by a high school art student. Literally, the characters and scenery are all sketchy, and it's hard to tell some characters apart most of the time unless they're wearing distinctly different outfits. During Tom's flashback, I really couldn't tell the difference between him and Richie during close-up shots. In the book's introduction, the writer explains that the book was a bit rushed, done without any real thought aside from some quick inspiration. Not to insult his vision, but it shows through the art. But, at the same time, had anyone else done it, I don't know if it would've turned out as good, like what I just mentioned about the quick cuts from gun shots and everything. I don't know, it'd be interesting to see AHoV redone with a different artist, keeping each panel the same regarding content. Everything else though, such as the text, is easily readable and I have no other gripes...aside from the book ending. I really want to see more of these characters. They're all so real, especially the mob guys. The way they talk is somewhat typical, yet they're a blast to read.
AHoV is definitely worth your time and money, especially with how cheap it is now. It's a prime example of how comics aren't "just for kids" like some would have you believe. Again though, if you have any intention of watching the movie, watch it before reading so you won't end up hating it for everything it's worth. I can't wait to read this again, which I plan on doing multiple times.
Interesting Read After watching the film and being disappointed in it I decided to check out the book. To my surprise the book is much much better. The movie just felt like the producers tried to throw shocking graphics in, such as all the sex scenes, and there was many holes to the story. The graphic novel goes into more detail of all the events including how things got to where they are currently. The movie never tells the past of Tom or what exactly he did so we have to assume. The book is just as graphic as the movie, if not more Graphic, at least as graphic as a Graphic Novel can get. The images are very sketchy and in black and white. It is a quick read but if you dislike Comic Book style of writing or violence this book obviously is not for you.
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