A History of Violence

A History of Violence is Graphic and Realistic. The suspense and story build and there are many surprises. It is enjoyable to watch a relatively average individual react to an extra ordinary set of circumstances. The Graphic Novel and Movie are different enough that each should be experienced. I thoroughly enjoyed both.

A History of Violence was a shocking tale of a small-town man with a shady past. The visuals were excellent and horrifying, and the writing was great. This graphic novel tells the story of Tom McKenna, who shoots two gangsters when they hold up his diner. A suspicious group of men come looking for Tom, claiming he is someone called Joey Giuseppe. As Tom deals with the problems building up around him, an expertly crafted thriller unfolds. The depiction of the New York hoods, of which there are many, from the crew who comes looking for Tom to New York's biggest crime boss, are quite accurate and portray the antagonists in all their cold-blooded cruelty. As the pieces of Tom's back story fall into place like an intricate jigsaw puzzle, we find ourselves wondering if there really is a hero, or if everyone who enters the book has already crossed over to the dark side. With the book having the title it does, there is bound to be a plethora of blood and gore. The violence, however, does not detract from the novel, but merely adds to the disgust we feel whenever we encounter one of Tom's old nemesises. The blood starts almost immediately, when two hitchikers are shot for money the killers do not have, and ends with a gruesome scene involving blowtorches, drills, a chainsaw, and various body parts. The most shocking thing I have ever seen in a graphic novel appeared in this book, showcasing the horrible transformation of Tom's old friend Richie. The supporting character's add to the story greatly. Tom's daughter brings empathy for his family, his wife joins us in the state of fear we are experiencing, while trying to keep her children calm, and Tom's son Buzz's look of fear is powerful enough to freeze blood. The wannabe robbers which Tom takes care of are eerily foreshadowing what Tom will be up against later on. Though Johnny Torrino's henchman look innocent and boyish, they show their cruel side later on. And the typical cop tries to do his job in this book. I have not yet seen the film, but you can never beat the original for shock value. A History of Violence is an excellent book for anyone looking for a good social commentary or teenage boys obsessed with violence themselves.

Looking ever so forward to the David Cronenberg-directed adaptation of _A History of Violence_ to arrive at my local theater, I found it of the utmost exigency to buy the 1997 graphic novel that inspired it. And let me tell you, it does not disappoint one bit. _AHoV_ tells of a small-town Michigan diner owner named Tom McKenna. McKenna is a nice guy with a loving wife, an adorable preschool daughter, and a quirky but still likable teenage son. Life is just one uneventful day after another - just as Tom likes it. Until one day that should have been like every other, two thugs with robbery and murder on their minds enter Tom's diner for the first (and last) time. The hoodlums decide to push their luck until Tom is forced to kill one and badly injure the other. The press catches wind of the incident of course. While Tom is hailed as a hero by his friends and neighbors, he does whatever he can to downplay his newfound fame. It doesn't work. Shortly after the failed robbery attempt, three mobsters from New York City come to the diner. All three of them have rap sheets with just about everything on them except broadcasting without the expressed written consent of Major League Baseball. Johnny Torrino, the leader of the three, is an aging assassin with failing eyesight looking for someone named "Joey", whom he needs to settle a score with. Torrino wears a necklace with a Joey's severed finger as a pendant. Mckenna, curiously enough, is missing one of his little fingers. Soon, it becomes evident that McKenna lived another life before settling down to small-town family life. What makes _AHoV_ stand out from all the "edgy" graphic novels on the shelves is how it reads more like a great crime novel than just another graphic novel. It has a cinematic atmosphere that feels like what would happen if Martin Scorsese and Sam Peckinpah were to collaborate on a film. Make no mistake about it, this is one grisly read. Even with the borderline minimalist black and white artwork, the violence elicits more than a few cringes. Characters are either done in with or injured by bullets, axes, chainsaws, axes, power drills, etc. Take that "Suggested for Mature Readers" label seriously here. But even with all the bloodshed, there is plenty of heart here as well. Tom and his family are presented as people just trying to keep their heads above water when faced with an unexpected and hostile situation. Tom does everything he believes he can do to keep his family of danger. You can't help but feel for the McKennas. I love everything that _AHoV_ represents. There are no super"heroes" who are more attitude than personality, no superheroines who look like Playboy centerfolds, and no absurd comic book cliches. It's just a nice little (albeit graphically violent) tale of how the average American is anything but. For all those aspiring comics artists and writers trying to figure out how they are going to reinvent Superman the 16,549th time, read _AHo

As other reviewers have noted, David Cronenberg's movie adaptation of "A History of Violence" will be released at the end of the year. This is the primary reason I picked up this graphic novel tha I passed on when it was first published. I'm glad I did pick it up, because John Wagner and Vincent Locke have crafted a gut-wrenching story of violence and revenge that transcends its lurid subject matter. Wagner's premise is simple. Tom McKenna, husband and father of two, is closing up his diner when a couple of killers attempt to rob and murder him. Tom foils them, killing one in the process. Naturally, he receives a great deal of publicity, which he seeks to avoid. In short order, some very tough looking types come around looking a guy named Joey, a guy, it seems, who resembles Tom, right down to missing a finger. What follows is a hard-boiled tale in the best tradition of Ross MacDonald or Jim Thompson, as Tom finds his past catching up to him, and trying to eat him and his family alive, while Tom does everything in his power to beat that monster back (including killing a few people). John Wagner is a British comic book writer, most remembered as a co-creator of Judge Dredd. That early work shows to some extent. "A History of Violence" is, well, violent, often appallingly so, as Tom is witness to, and himself inflicts, all manner of cruelty upon human beings. However, Wagner imbues his work with a soul. Tom and his wife, Edie, are good people, and Wagner makes it clear that whatever Tom has done, he has paid his dues. He deserves his happiness. That is underscored by the appalling antagonists Tom fights. Wagner further makes it plain that for Tom to win the final showdown, he still has to pay one last due. Vince Locke's art is an interesting moody and sketchy style. It is highly detailed on the one hand, and yet his line work has an almost surreal quality, reminiscent of a woodcut. While it goes without saying the acts of violence are vivid (and almost difficult to view at times), Locke also depicts the more mundane aspects of the McKennas' lives, underscoring the everyman quality of Tom and the essentially average existence he leads. Cronenberg has admitted in interviews that he did not know that the script for "A History of Violence" was originally a graphic novel until he and the screenwriter had gone through several drafts. Still, the advance reviews are good. The key to a successful translation of this GN to film is maintaining the central point: you have a gun in your face-what do you do?