Max Allen Collins and Richard Piers-Rayner's graphic novel The Road to Perdition never received the attention it deserved in the comic market, but it did raise eyebrows in Hollywood, where this depression-era saga of a hitman's revenge has been developed into a starring vehicle for Tom Hanks (see 'The Swami Looks at Movies in 2001').  Location shooting for The Road to Perdition took place in the Chicago area this summer, and the film should be ready for a holiday release. Given Tom Hanks' track record and the cinema's long-lasting love affair with gangster films, The Road to Perdition, which will open against the blockbuster first episode of the Lord of the Rings trilogy this December, could easily prove to be the choice of those who prefer their heroes 'full-size.'  Since The Road to Perdition is based on a graphic novel, pop culture retailers should be able to exploit this connection, and possibly interest civilians in other cinema-inspiring graphic novels such as the Alan Moore/Eddie Campbell collaboration, From Hell (see 'From Hell Previews in Vegas') and Daniel Clowes Ghost World (see 'Ghost World Earns Rave Reviews').

 

DC Comics originally published The Road to Perdition for the direct market as a Paradox Press book, and Pocket Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, did the bookstore edition.  So far DC has been mum on the prospect of reprinting their edition of the graphic novel, which has been out of print for some time.  Fortunately, Pocket is reprinting The Road to Perdition, and their new edition should appear sometime in September.  FM International has listed The Road to Perdition in its September shipping Request Line catalog, which is available now (for info on how to receive the FM catalog, see 'FM International Company Profile').