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Richard Stark's Parker: The Complete Collection
The groundbreaking and multiple award-winning graphic novels by Darwyn Cooke, collected in their entirety for the first time in one softcover volume.
Collecting the four Parker graphic novels (The Score, The Outfit, and Slayground) as well as two shorts ( The Man with the Getaway Face and The Seventh ). These stories encompass all Darwyn Cooke’s sequential stories of Parker.
Collecting the four Parker graphic novels (The Score, The Outfit, and Slayground) as well as two shorts ( The Man with the Getaway Face and The Seventh ). These stories encompass all Darwyn Cooke’s sequential stories of Parker.
520 pages, Paperback
Published October 17, 2023
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62 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
November 30, 2025
A dream of a book for fans of noir fiction who also happen to love graphic novels. The art is absolutely gorgeous. The prose is mesmerizing. Darwyn Cooke’s drawing has a 60s pulp aesthetic that perfectly matches the tough tone of Donald Westlake’s (aka Richard Stark) writing.
Parker (no first name, no nickname, just Parker) is the antihero of 24 crime novels, a solitary professional robber who specializes in large-scale, high-profit heists. He fends for himself, relies on his instincts and doesn’t hesitate to kill - but only for good reason, namely his own survival. He’s also exciting reading material and has inspired quite a few film adaptations from the 60s onwards.
Glenn’s review of the first book of the series, that is also the opening story of this tome, perfectly describes the fictional character and its author.
This is a collection of graphic adaptations of four of the novels and two shorts by comic-icon Darwyn Cooke, an artist known for his bold style that evokes a sense of nostalgia. Having never heard of the artists or the character, I bought it on a whim, intrigued by its retro cover. Not only have I not regretted it, I am now smitten with the storyline and determined to read more. The University of Chicago Press has recently published the whole series, and the covers alone are to die for. As Parker would have attested, it doesn’t hurt to occasionally trust one's gut feeling.
Parker (no first name, no nickname, just Parker) is the antihero of 24 crime novels, a solitary professional robber who specializes in large-scale, high-profit heists. He fends for himself, relies on his instincts and doesn’t hesitate to kill - but only for good reason, namely his own survival. He’s also exciting reading material and has inspired quite a few film adaptations from the 60s onwards.
Glenn’s review of the first book of the series, that is also the opening story of this tome, perfectly describes the fictional character and its author.
This is a collection of graphic adaptations of four of the novels and two shorts by comic-icon Darwyn Cooke, an artist known for his bold style that evokes a sense of nostalgia. Having never heard of the artists or the character, I bought it on a whim, intrigued by its retro cover. Not only have I not regretted it, I am now smitten with the storyline and determined to read more. The University of Chicago Press has recently published the whole series, and the covers alone are to die for. As Parker would have attested, it doesn’t hurt to occasionally trust one's gut feeling.
August 7, 2024
This is a compilation of Darwyn Cooke's work adapting several of Richard Stark's Parker novels. I cannot put into words all of the things I like about it but it is a visual masterpiece and one of my favorite comics of all time. Instead of using every crayon in the box, Cooke uses one color per story. His art is Alex Toth influenced, minimalist and powerful. Every panel is designed to perfection. Like I said, visual masterpiece.
August 30, 2025
Just a spectacular set of adaptations. Such gorgeous stuff. Using the idiom of sixties spot illustration, with incredible command of panel set up for storytelling. And the expressiveness of the faces! Top tier.
November 6, 2023
Cooke will always be remembered for The New Frontier, which is arguably the greatest DC comic ever made, but Parker is where he shines. His art is on fire here, and he brings these characters to life. What a talent.
November 7, 2023
Recent Reads: Richard Stark's Parker - The Complete Collection. Darwyn Cooke's adaptation of Donald Westlake's hard-boiled crime novels is a masterwork. His neo-60s art matches Westlake's prose and the complexity of Parker's heists. Six novels in one glorious omnibus. Read this.
abandoned
November 22, 2023Unfamiliar with the Richard Stark novels. Couldn't get past the first dozen or so pages of this dude just beating the shit out of this woman before killing her.
April 27, 2025
So much 1950’s noir style. Richard Stark's Parker: The Complete Collection
By Darwin Cook; was published as a serial and I recommend that you read it as one. Because I was binge reading, it began to lose its push with the last episodes reading like just another. This is very slick, extremely 1950’s all of a time and a style.
Our man Parker is s very slick, deep-thinking criminal. He is an independent, but early on he is pushed way to far by someone connected. A mob man. Bottom line, avoid the organization, but Parker is not a man to be pushed. A crime version of an irresistible force meeting an immovable object. Something has got to give. Or in this case bleed. Fatally.
Graphic novel is very correct as it applies to violence, marginally so as it refers to sex and, for some reason 1950’s hard core criminals have occasions to use bad language. Therefore not for the kiddies.
If you were a fan of movies like Oceans 11, Parker is how it is done if you do not have to observe the niceties. Parker is rarely one for niceties. Maybe he tends to be gentle with the innocent person at the wrong place, but like I said, do not push.
Bottom line, I found my interest and enjoyment waning by the second half. Yes, the gigs were slick and Parker was continuously forced to deal with the unexpected, but ultimately, he is a criminal and these are crimes and at some point, the next one is not much more than the next one. The art work throughout is as slick and as period and mood setting as only a better artist can draw.
You better like this kind of graphic novel and even so try reading it over time.
By Darwin Cook; was published as a serial and I recommend that you read it as one. Because I was binge reading, it began to lose its push with the last episodes reading like just another. This is very slick, extremely 1950’s all of a time and a style.
Our man Parker is s very slick, deep-thinking criminal. He is an independent, but early on he is pushed way to far by someone connected. A mob man. Bottom line, avoid the organization, but Parker is not a man to be pushed. A crime version of an irresistible force meeting an immovable object. Something has got to give. Or in this case bleed. Fatally.
Graphic novel is very correct as it applies to violence, marginally so as it refers to sex and, for some reason 1950’s hard core criminals have occasions to use bad language. Therefore not for the kiddies.
If you were a fan of movies like Oceans 11, Parker is how it is done if you do not have to observe the niceties. Parker is rarely one for niceties. Maybe he tends to be gentle with the innocent person at the wrong place, but like I said, do not push.
Bottom line, I found my interest and enjoyment waning by the second half. Yes, the gigs were slick and Parker was continuously forced to deal with the unexpected, but ultimately, he is a criminal and these are crimes and at some point, the next one is not much more than the next one. The art work throughout is as slick and as period and mood setting as only a better artist can draw.
You better like this kind of graphic novel and even so try reading it over time.
February 24, 2024
This book was disappointing to the point that it pissed me off. I've read Richard Stark's Parker series multiple times because I love them. I know I'm not alone there. When I saw that someone had done a graphic novel for the Parker stories I was excited for a new way to enjoy some old favorites. Unfortunately, it doesn't work. I think the art really lets these stories down. Each story is inked in black and shaded with a single color. I was intrigued when I saw the first page, and I'll admit that it has a cool look to it. But it's not menacing enough. It's cartoonish. The panels kept giving me the feeling that a Jack Lemon punch line was coming. In my opinion this treatment of the work is a fail and a disappointment.
I know that a lot of people won't agree with me on this. The book won seven Eisner awards. Maybe if I'd never read any of the original stories I'd feel differently. This is right there with season two of Reacher for me. It's just wrong.
I know that a lot of people won't agree with me on this. The book won seven Eisner awards. Maybe if I'd never read any of the original stories I'd feel differently. This is right there with season two of Reacher for me. It's just wrong.
September 4, 2024
I've read all of the Parker novels, and now I've read all of the graphic novels! And I'm happy I did! I loved seeing the four novels translated into this format, and I think the author stayed true to the originals while also making it his own! I really liked all of the panels without words, letting the art tell the story! Worked beautifully! Since I tore through this book this time around, maybe I'll revisit it in a few years to enjoy it again!
I liked seeing my birth date on page 21!
Page 292 is gorgeous! Another childhood memory!
Great last page too! - "For the first hour, he just drove."
I liked seeing my birth date on page 21!
Page 292 is gorgeous! Another childhood memory!
Great last page too! - "For the first hour, he just drove."
March 12, 2024
Darwyn Cooke is a legend for a reason. He elevates these pulpy crime novels and doesn't pull any punches. When Hollywood glosses over the warts of Parker's personality, Cooke leans into them.
Cooke's art is simply next level and his style is perfect for these 50s style stories.
Cooke's art is simply next level and his style is perfect for these 50s style stories.
February 3, 2024
It feels like Cooke's 60s inspired art was destined to be paired with the stone cold crime thrills of Parker.
December 27, 2024
Fantastic work. Great stories, extremely well told in comic form.
February 18, 2025
Hell yeah
May 12, 2024
So funny to have read this right after New Frontier having not realized until after I bought it that it’s the exact same author. This is the type of book Darwyn Cooke was meant to write. New Frontier used the actual publishing history of the DC universe to map 50s aesthetic and values onto it which made characters who are otherwise monoliths of ethics feel a little grimy, misogynistic and generally 2D. Parker uses stories originally written in that same era by Richard Stark and edits them into something I can only presume is significantly more palatable to a modern audience. This story shines because it’s all about the terms of engagement. What makes a respectable crook. And how one needs to operate in order to succeed. Parker himself is practically invincible in terms of know how. He doesn’t really change or grow. But his circumstances are always getting more complicated so reading is all about understanding how in the hell he’s going to navigate out. It’s like a well written mystery. Excellently plotted. Builds so well. And there are no cheap answers. I loved it.
May 9, 2025
A stylish, faithful adaptation of Donald Westlake's hard-boiled Parker novels, the series follows a cold, efficient thief as he moves through a world of betrayal, double-crosses, and quiet brutality. The retro aesthetic, minimal colour palette, and bold linework give the violence weight without excess. It's smart, lean, and visually distinct, a masterclass in graphic noir storytelling.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews