- Paperback: 250 pages
- Publisher: Dark Horse; Signed edition (Dec 30 2002)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1569718296
- ISBN-13: 978-1569718292
- Product Dimensions: 22.3 x 17.3 x 1.6 cm
- Shipping Weight: 318 g
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #2,082,317 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
This well-crafted collection of comics adaptations of stories by Vachss, creator of the popular Burke mystery series and a former federal investigator, is an unlikely artistic triumph. Vachss, who wrote an authorized novel based on Batman in 1995, is not shy about moralizing; he operates in an ethical gray area, where traditional lines between good and bad, cop and criminal, are constantly blurred and broken. While highlighting the law's ambiguities, Vachss also teases out lessons and consequences for his characters, usually in the form of unexpected endings. No matter how hard the characters try, they can't escape brutal victimization. An unbalanced hostage negotiator, having successfully freed a captive, shoots the unarmed kidnapper at the end of "Hostage," and in "Replay," an over-eager phone sex operator realizes the man whose pedophilic fantasies she's entertaining is her own father, and she was his first victim. A young gang member, bragging of his successful (and bloody) initiation rite, is killed by associates of his victims; and so on. Left alone, a few of these stark, graphic stories go a long way, but enhanced by artwork contributed by a group of superb cartoonists, they come alive in new and unexpected ways. The artists include David Lloyd, Bruce Jones and Warren Pleece, who share a shadowy pen and ink style particularly well suited to these pieces' mood and the subject matter. George Pratt's expressionistic work illuminates the despair at the heart of these stories, while Gary Gianni's accurate line work superbly depicts the urban landscape. Such a diverse group of art styles keeps the anthology from groaning under its own weight and provides different interpretations of Vachss's otherwise fairly similar stories.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Book Description
Andrew Vachss’ writing has been described as "red-hot and serious as a punctured lung" (Playboy), "hypnotically violent ... made up of equal part broken concrete block and razor wire" (Chicago Sun-Times), and "short and choppy, like the ticking of a time bomb" (Seattle Post-Intelligencer). In this graphic novel, dozens of comics writers and artists bring to life 20 of Vachss’ trademark life-at-ground-zero stories. This new edition of Hard Looks contains all of the stories from the first Dark Horse edition as well as Half Breed, a never-before-published prose story by Vachss, the opening round in a new series, with illustrations by Geof Darrow, conceptual designer for the motion pictures The Matrix I, II, and III; Darrow also provides a new cover illustration.
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Look Down, or Look Hard",
By Marc Ruby™ "The Noh Hare™" (Warren, MI USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Hard Looks: Adapted Stories (Paperback)
Andrew Vachss is a problematic short story writer. His style is so frontal and minimalist that often the stories are over before they have penetrated intellectually. Instead, the reader experiences a sudden burst of emotion or horror, leaving a stunned silence in its path. To be honest I prefer his novels, which give the reader a grace period before the roller-coaster starts down the first big drop.'Hard Looks' is really a compilation - 15 stories extracted from a Dark Horse comic-book series of the same name. Most of these stories actually appeared originally in two short story collections - 'Born Bad,' and 'Everybody Pays.' Six of the stories are strait text, the rest are adaptations of Vachss' stories to the graphic format. The largest percentage were adapted by Neal Barrett, Jr., but a broad spectrum of other authors are represented, from Joe R. Lansdale to Charles de Lint. Each story, graphic or not, is as tough as one can make a recreation of Vachss' work. The stories are about people who are suddenly brought face to face with the reality that underlies their fantasies, whether it is a kid who dreams of being a big tough in the neighborhood or a woman working in a phone-for-thrills studio. The only goodness that happens is on those rare occasions when evil loses the struggle. In Vachss' world, that isn't often enough. The illustration is pure pen and ink, by a variety of artists. While the general styling is gritty and noir, there is considerable variation. One of my few irritations with the book is that while the artists and adapters are given credit, they deserve a better introduction. Especially since only a small part of Vachss' readership is familiar with the modern comic as art. Like any experiment, some stories work better than do others, but over all, this is a very successful effort. Fans will enjoy the graphic insight into a dark work, and, hopefully, this will mark the introduction of one of the our most intense writers to an entirely new readership.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Book - Why not both covers?,
By "rmm33462" (Florida) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Hard Looks: Adapted Stories (Paperback)
This is a really nice graphic novel, and I'd expect no less from Vachss and his team of talented artists and writers. But how come we can't get the comics cover by Geof Darrow? I think Amazon should be offering both covers as a special "buy with" option (instead of the old Predator stuff!).Anyway, the book is great, the story HALF BREED is tight and tense and the drawings by Darrow just suck you into it. The differing styles in the artwork add a nice touch and seem to match the individual stories perfectly. And there really is something for everyone in this book!
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hard Looks Rules! (where is the Darrow cover?),
By D W (the diner around the corner) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Hard Looks: Adapted Stories (Paperback)
I learned about this new edition from the Andrew Vachss website. But Amazon, for *whatever* reason, doesn't have the ultra-hype Geof ("The Matrix") Darrow cover! Hey, Amazon, why can't we have a CHOICE? I mean, this photo cover is very good, but not everyone is so high-art -- some of us Vachss fans WANT the graphics cover!I got my Darrow cover edition at my local comics shop, and paid full price, which totally [was bad]. Get a move on, Amazon!
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