I read a lot of comics, graphic novels and collected editions, but really, there's no way to get through everything, and sometimes, even landmark works slip by me. One of those landmarks is Road to Perdition -- haven't even seen the movie, to be honest -- so it was with some trepidation that I approached this second sequel story. I questioned whether or not it would have much to offer someone who wasn't on board from the beginning. Fortunately, Collins provides a thoroughly accessible read. One needn't have read the previous books or have seen the film that earned Paul Newman an Oscar nomination. This is a diverting crime story that makes the most of its historical setting, but Collins spells things out a little too clearly with the narration.
Michael O'Sullivan and his son are still on the run from his one-time employers in the mob, and O'Sullivan Sr. is determined to keep his son safe even though they're living a life of crime and violence. Unfortunately for father and son, a pair of bounty hunters are hot on their trail. Meanwhile, a bank robber learns of his brothers' death at the hands of the same bounty hunters, and he vows revenge.
If Steve Lieber's name didn't adorn this book, I wouldn't have believed this was his artwork. Sure, the same grounded, gritty tone is to be found here, and that works well in this genre and with the atmosphere Collins tries to establish. But the art reminded me more of the styles of such artists as Steve (Generation X) Pugh, Gene (Tomb of Dracula) and Guy (The Marquis) Davis than Lieber's. Don't get me wrong... the storytelling here is clear and I enjoyed it. I'm just puzzled as to why Lieber's usually strong style only shines through periodically in this book.
Collins provides some sharp, clear writing here that enables schlubs like me catch up on what they've been missing in the world of Perdition. It's quite easy to delve into this Depression-era crime story. Furthermore, I love the multi-faceted approach that's take here, how the flashback story, set in New Mexico, fits in with the tension unfolding in the Midwest, and how it all comes together with the subplot that's introduced in the opening sequence.
Clarity in storytelling is definitely one of Collins's trademarks here, but he's too clear in some respects. When it comes to the characters -- what they're thinking, what they're feeling -- Collins overdoes it. The narration, in various characters' voices, leaves nothing to the imagination. I don't want to be told what the characters are feeling. I want to see it; I want to discover it. Collins takes his reader by the hand walks them through this story, and it makes for a rather verbose script at points when silence might have served the story and the mood better.
