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Fans of noir have so much to love in Darwyn Cooke’s Parkerseries. Richard Stark’s seminal series of crime fiction books are being lovingly reborn in the comics format by the redoubtable Cooke, whose artwork simply continues to get better and better.

 

The Score is a Parker story from 1964. It’s a big story, too: Parker and a dozen other crooks attempt to rob an entire town. A plan as bold as this requires a lot of people, and Parker’s not sure he can trust all of them (it wouldn’t make a whole lot of noir sense if he could). As the story juggles the multitude of characters and personalities, Cooke (and his illustrations) shine. The rugged action is fast-paced, thrilling, and, most of all, always fun. This type of crime writing is never dull. In fact, it’s a perfect book for a beach read or a plane ride, as is the rest of the Parker series.

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