Road to Perdition 2: On the Road

Road to Perdition #2

by Max Allan Collins

Set between the chapters of the original ROAD TO PERDITION, this new edition of the PERDITION sequel collects three stories. In "Oasis," Michael Jr. contracts a life-threatening illness, forcing him to hide out in a small town. The story continues in "Sanctuary" as the O'Sullivans seek a hiding place from the bounty hunters on their trail. And in "Detour," Michael O'Sullivan heads for a showdown with a kingpin's heir whose history – and destiny – is entangled with his own.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Crime, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Dc Comics, Comic Book

294 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Received the Shamus Award, "The Eye" (Lifetime achievment award) in 2006.

He has also published under the name Patrick Culhane. He and his wife, Barbara Collins, have written several books together. Some of them are published under the name Barbara Allan.

Book Awards
Shamus Awards Best Novel winner (1984) : True Detective
Shamus Awards Best Novel winner (1992) : Stolen Away
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1995) : Carnal Hours
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1997) : Damned in Paradise
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1999) : Flying Blind: A Novel about Amelia Earhart
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (2002) : Angel in Black

Japanese: マックス・アラン・コリンズ
or マックス・アラン コリンズ

Reviews

[Ill D · Rating 3 out of 5]

In spite of all it’s flaws and underwhelming lack of complexity, I did generally find Road to Perdition to be a worthy read. So, it was quite natural to dig up yet another offering in the series. Contrary to what one might expect, On the Road to Perdition is neither a sequel, nor is it a prequel. Smack dab in the middle of Collins’ Tommy-Gun toting era opus is this interquel that tells its own tale, quite literally in the middle of things (in media res for all you Latin scholars out there).

Seemingly catching a whiff of Lucas’ Shadows of the Empire franchise (the most (only?) recent interquel (that I’m aware of) in pop culture) Collins’ caught and inhaled deeply of those vapors and crafted a tale that is unremarkable in it’s unabashed commerciality. Like SOTE’s ultimate unimportance to the (original) Star Wars Trilogy, as (just another) an avenue to sell more shit, it’s existence was. As above, so below, and Max learned well at evil Jorge’s alter of lucre and lust.

Sacrificing the potential depth that was expected of the first (which was sorely lacking in the themery department) On the Road to Perdition could have been better titled On the Road to Filler. And filler indeed is the approach du jour in a 3-issue series that spends at least ~30-40 pages merely recanting the recollections of the past offering, as well as repeating it’s own internal yarns to boring effect.

Toss in some lackluster ancillaries that, for the most part, merely exist to get blasted, there really isn’t much to be said about this road. Better left untraveled, what good is there (and there certainly is some) is disappointingly overshadowed by dumb new characters that are as uninteresting as they are impotent. A stunning example of this unimaginativeness well regards the not-so-dynamic duo of the Jack Brothers; not-quite bounty hunters, their surely watered roles as mere trackers remains as impotent as they are forgettable.

Forgettable below and so forgettable above. With nothing really added to the series overall, unsurprisingly, this interquel reduces to a mere grab for cash. And perhaps all the more damning is the fact that the Perdition arc still is lacking in the complexity department. Despite the importance of the father-son relationship, never are any important lessons gleaned and exposited nor does the relationship ever grow in change in any way beyond that in regards to the movement of time. Nor are the themes of religion explored beyond that of the occasional visit to the church. Toss that in with a gooey moral core (which is bizarrely opposed to a relatively violent protagonist) most everything works out here with good guys winning and bad guys losing.

On the Road to Perdition is another via better left untraveled.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Violence, vengeance, fatherhood, and a fatalistic fate penned by MAC, a grandmaster of mob influenced noir in all its complexities and criminalities. Linear, apt by design; the drama enhanced by family values and makeshift mateship. Enjoyable from the first to the last spent casing.

[Shaun Stanley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Road to Perdition 2: On The Road collects graphic novels Oasis, Sanctuary, and Detour written by Max Allan Collins with art by José Luis Garxía-López, Steve Lieber, and Josef Rubinstein

Road to Perdition was originally planned to be a serialized crime series that would be approximately 900 pages long. During the production of the series, the Paradox Press label was shut down and the creators decided to release the crux of the story: Road to Perdition. Fast forward a couple years, the graphic novel was turned into a successful movie and Max Allan Collins was able to convince publishers to release more of the stories that would have been told in the middle of the original story. In the graphic novel collection, we get former mobster enforcer Michael O'Sullivan and his son battling the Two-Jacks bounty hunters, reunite with an old-flame, and commit the robbery of the century: a police station full of crooked mob cops.

This book lacks some of dread from the original series as you know the two protagonists are going to make it out okay. But I just love the late 20s/early 30s setting of the book and O'Sullivan's story weaving through real life mobster history. Richard Piers Raynor does not return as the artist for this collection and each volume has a different artist. All of the art is solid but it is still a bummer not getting Raynor's beautiful line work. Even though some of suspense is gone, it's still fun to see more of the Angel of Death.

[M · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unnecessary stories that take place in the middle of the first graphic novel. Different artists than the original. Michael Senior looks so different and boo to that. Not a page-turner. It's just fine.

[David Dalton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Saw the movie. Read the first novel, then read the first graphic novel, and now this 1nd graphic novel. Loved them all.
Soon I will tackle the 1nd Roas to Perdition novel. With young Michael Sullivan all grown up.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

It in quite the same league as the first book, with three stories all of which take place within the overall time frame of the main story in book 1. Weaknesses are, firstly too much repetition, and secondly, more cartoony art. Not an essential read even if you enjoyed book 1.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Πολύ καλό κόμικ. Και ο πρώτος και ο δεύτερος τόμος.

Είναι τέτοια η ροή και το σασπένς του που δεν σε χαλάει το μικρό μέγεθος και το εφημεριδόχαρτο της Vertigo, ίσα ίσα. Δίνει και άλλη αίσθηση στην ανάγνωση. :)

Τώρα για το σχέδιο να με σχωράτε αλλά δεν καταλαβαίνω τον όρο "διαδικαστικό". Παρόλο που δεν θα μου μείνει, το βρήκα αρκετά λεπτομερές και το στιλ του είναι ότι καταλληλότερο για νουαρ δράση. :D

Για όσους έχουν δεύτερες σκέψεις, να το πάρουν αμέσως. Γκανγκστερικό δράμα στην Αμερική του '30 που δεν επικεντρώνεται στην femme fatale. Γι'αυτό και μόνο αξίζει.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, this is a continuation of the story first started in Road to Perdition, and shows Michael O’Sullivan Sr and Jr, still trying to bring down the Looney and Capone gangs whilst still travelling to Perdition to where they have family.

I’ll be honest and say that I didn’t remember a whole lost about the first graphic novel, my memories coming more from the film which I think I have watched about 100 times because I love it so much, but I found this one really easy to get into, and I was able to follow what was going on with ease.

But, I’m still very fond of these characters and the story that Collins has created here and I’m pleased to have been following along again on their journey.

The illustrations are immaculate and I found myself lingering over certain ones because there was just so much to take in that I wanted to be sure I had seen everything. I don’t know whether it is a coincidence or not, but some of the illustrations looked like the actors who played those characters in the film. Especially John Looney, who looked more and more like Paul Newman with every appearance on the page.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

Basically just fanfiction for the original, despite being written by the original author. A naked cash-in, the plots and dialogue never hang together the way the real Road to Perdition does, and nothing bad ever really happens to any of the good guys in this miniseries. For being a story about vengeance, a bunch of side stories about honorable bank robberies with narration that sounds like a pastiche of the original is hard to enjoy.

The final third, Detour, is the only one that kept my attention at all; there were a few intersecting plot lines, a lot of negotiation, and a bit of daring-do that injected some freshness into the series. It still never once made the reader feel tension or danger, but at least it was better than the first 200 pages, which were just clumsy all around.

The art is consistently good, however. That alone saves it from my trash heap, and I don't mind going back to it from time to time.

[Zachary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Turns out, you really can have too much of a good thing. The Road to Perdition is, in my opinion, an essentially perfect book, telling a thematically complete story that needed no addition. This second chapter fits narratively and appropriately into the story told in the first book, but each of the stories just feels unnecessary. They're nice enough stories, particularly the last one, but they never feel like they add anything significant to the initial story or its characters—likely because in that book it never really felt like anything was missing to begin with. It's also a shame that the art is different; it's understandable, and Collins explains it nicely in the book's introduction, but it just takes an already tepid experience and waters it further down. There's a bit of fun to be had in this book, but I'm not sure it's worth potentially souring one's memory of the original to have it.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second installment is, in many ways, like three separate novellas combined into one longer tale. At the beginning of each of the three sections, the author recalibrates the story and the characters. The alliances that emerge throughout the course of the text are one of the most intriguing pieces of the story line. The hell hounds that are on the trial of Michael Sullivan are given a more nuanced character presentation than most bad guys receive. I wish Connor would have receive some of the same treatment, yet enhancing Connor as a villain plays better to the vengeance at the center of the story. I enjoyed the art of the first installment better, but that is a matter of opinion. There are an impressive number of drawing panels in the novel, especially striking are some of the full page works.

[John Benschoter · Rating 2 out of 5]

In Collins' introduction to the original Road graphic novel, he says working with the artist Richard Piers Rayner forced him to work at a slower pace making him rethink dialogue and plot and ultimately make a better story. After reading Perdition 2, I see what he means. The stories seem quickly written to capitalize on the success of the movie. They could easily be bits from Collins tenure writing Dick Tracy. Little stands out. The father-son situation that made the original so interesting, no longer seems fresh, rather only a means of getting us into the plot or tugging at our emotions. Only the second story, Sanctuary, rises to anything like the original, much better drawing than the other two, and a more interesting story. Read the original, don't bother with this.

[Tom Gase · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad, but not too much of a story in this graphic novel that takes place during the Road to Perdition movie. In the movie all the bank robbing scenes take a few minutes but in real life of the story, it takes at least six months. This is that story. If you like the other books and graphic novels, you'll like this (the drawings are really good) but I'm not sure there was enough of a story to warrant a novel. Still, it was fun to read a little more about the character Michael Sullivan and his son one last time (I read them out of order, there are a total of five books/graphic novels on the subject/universe).

[Chad Jordahl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty disappointing, actually. The author says these stories were meant to be part of the original, but they felt grafted on... forced incerts.
The plots are fine, but the writing is very uneven. Some of the dialog is awful.
The art in the first and third stories, by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez is technically excellent. However in the first story something about the art felt retro, like it belonged in old time newspaper action/drama strips. It felt less like that in the third story... The two stories have different inkers, I wonder if that could contribute? I didn't much like the art in the second story mainly for style reasons.

[Kieran McAndrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Road to Perdition: On the Road

While the O'Sullivans are travelling through the Midwest, continuing their Robin Hood raids on Capone and Looney's money, young Michael falls ill and Michael senior must turn to old friends to help his son recuperate.

While the artwork is not as striking as in the original story, it is still good and recalls a film noir sensibility which helps add weight to this story, which lightens the son's view of his father as he begins to grow up.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

An expansion to a story that isn't a profiteering sequel but rather an attempted fulfillment of unrealized plans beyond the authors control. A name dropping introductory essay is also worth reading for the many ideas for other authors to read it provides.

[Bill Coffin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well illustrated and filled with nicely done gunfights, this interstitial tale of what happens between the chapters of the original masterpiece, Road to Perdition, ultimately doesn't add much to that tale, and has little room to maneuver. Fun, but forgettable.

[Óli Sóleyjarson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Þessi gerist á sama tíma og fyrri sögurnar og með sömu söguhetjunum. Góð en hálf óþörf.

[Colin Sinclair · Rating 5 out of 5]

Filling in the blanks of the long road trip to Perdition. Even more comic-bookesque than the previous volume, but just as entertaining.

[Jason Holtzman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly enjoyed this one more than I thought. I figured it would end up being a little derivative given it all takes place within the same time frame the main story takes place in. Nevertheless, the stories were entertaining, built on the relationships between the father and son, and I enjoyed the continued references to pulp magazine and real-world occurrences.

[Shannon Mawhiney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Road to Perdition 2: On the Road is not a sequel, but instead three small books in one that describe additional events from the time Michael Sr. and Michael Jr. were on the road (and on the lam) in Road to Perdition.

I enjoyed this one more than I did the first, though both are very good. In the beginning of this book, the author explains (on top of the fact that he liked the movie's interpretation of Mr. Looney/Rooney better than his, which I agree with) that he had intended to include all of this in one book, but was basically rushed to finish and couldn't include everything. And in this book's style of fuller story-telling, occasional humor, and better drawing to distinguish one character from another, I think it shows that he (and the artists) had more time.

I'm excited to read the rest of this series. The first two were both quick, enjoyable reads, and I just love the fact that one of my favorite movies was based on such a good book series. It isn't often you find both done right.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

My son picked this up at the library knowing how much I had enjoyed the first book. And I am very glad that he did. The very lengthy introduction of the book goes a long way towards explaining the order of all of the Perdition literature, some of the history of the story and how it all came together. What this book consists of is three separate yet interconnecting stories about the winding road trip taken to Perdition. As explained in the intro, two separate artists, not the one who did the first book, were used in drawing this collection of stories. This did cause a bit of a loss to the feel of the stories. Yet thankfully not a lot was lost as these stories really are first rate. For anyone who enjoyed the first book this one will help fill in a bit more of what happened during the actual road trip itself.

[Literatemoose]

Let me start off by saying I know next to nothing about graphic novels, but having read the first "Road to Perdition" I will say this:
Quite simply, this graphic novel should not exist. I'm firm in the belief that the first installment stood fine on its own, and should have stayed that way. The story goes in circles, quite literally, wasting time with back-story repetition and an ending that was pointless and lackluster, considering we all knew how the first one finished. It hardly kept my attention and definitely didn't impress me enough to bother reading the third one. The fact that they plan on making the film adaption into a trilogy to accompany it seems like a complete waste of artistic energy.

[Norman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book - a compilation of three - as it represents a world of gangsters but also a father and son and how they interact. The art is clear and standard shapes/panels which these days is unusual so perhaps there is a homeliness in that - as comics used to be like that when I was a kid. The story takes place in the time of the first book(s) 'On the road to Perdition'. Read further information for details of what that means! This particular edition contains an extensive intro by Max Allen Collins, the author which outlines how he wrote these and was asked to adapt the film which was taken from his comics - confused? so was I until I read the intro

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

first off and I personally think this is not a spoiler but even though the book is titled Road to Perdition2 it is really a filler - there is a 6 month "gap" in the events of the original book which they have taken the opportunity to add in new tales - now yes parts of these tales flesh out and explain the interactions and characters you see in the original but all the same it does not change the original story. So my opinion - its a great read but you really need to read it to appreciate the first book. lets see what the third title has to offer.

[Timo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tykkäsin kovasti alkuperäisestä Road to Perditionista. Odotin vissiin ihan liikaa tältä, kun ei siitä niin kauan ole kun lukaisin yhden Max Allan Collinsin kirjan josta pidin.
Katkerahko pettymys. Ihan liikaa takaumia, ihan liikaa true-crime-faktoja.
Mutta kuvitus puoli toimi kerrassaan loistavasti, varsinkin Steve Lieberin osuus.

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art wasn't as gritty in book 2 as in the first volume. Also, a lot of the story seemed rushed due in a large part to recapping volume 1. It was still a good fun read, though. If you liked vol. 1, you'll enjoy vol. 2.

[Courtney · Rating 2 out of 5]

This series didn't seem necessary. The new stories were formulaic and repetitive, and didn't add any new insight into the original storyline. There's no sense of danger when we know that the main characters have to live.

[Maggi Rohde · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first one was excellent, but this one was just so-so.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was unaware of the depth to this story