The Road to Perdition

I saw the film The Road to Perdition first and whilst it was good it didn't leave me with a hankering to read the graphic novel upon which it was based. That came much later when some friends recommended it to me with the warning that while it's good it is violent.

The artwork is is black and white and has a retro feel to it, it's not printed on shiny new white paper but the old slightly rough paper that is more akin to newspapers and old books. Emotions are expressed through minute details in each frame.

Michael O'Sullivan, the Angel of Death for gangster Looney, is on a bloody trail of revenge that is started by his bosses betrayal and the murder of his wife and youngest son by Looney's lunatic son Connor. As a true and honourable soldier he will avoid killing the ‘innocent' but if your hands are dirty, there is no place you can hide from a man who is hell bent on revenge with a gift for killing and surviving. Most of which is graphically illustrated in the novel.

The story is told through his surviving son's eyes, so there is a slight sense of wonder and at times innocence lost. There are aspects of this story that are true and some that are the artist using his creative licence - for instance there was an actual gangster called Looney who was in business with Al Capone. I would definately recommend The Road to Perdition, it is very different from the film, it has more heart and soul in it, more anguish and more understanding, and ultimately was more fulfulling.

Artwork by Richard Piers Rayne