Upon being informed Vachss' next Burke would be the last,
Nathan wrote:
> That's only 10 years overdue.
So... how long before some puffball inevitably asks:
> Out of curiosity, Nathan, what's your background?
Anything
> interesting at all?
>
> As you know perfectly well, Nathan, vitriolic
attacks on eminent
> authors with no bearing on any of their actual
writing does not
> constitute an "opinion." It is in fact the contents
of the books I'd
> be more interested to hear you critique. I'll be
fascinated to hear
> how you'd improve them.
Hee hee hee....
Actually, kidding aside, Nathan, I more or less agree with
you. I liked the early Burkes, as a sorta pure pulp wrap
around a serious theme, but they got a little too cartoony
and didactic for me after a while. I wasn't sure if I was
supposed to laugh or take notes.
Ironically, his actual comic book work at about the same time
was taking a decidedly grittier, less GEE WHIZ tone, more
street level and less West Side Story. He had some truly
memorable stories about killers, thugs, hookers, junk yard
dogs and the like; short nasty little vignettes that stood in
sharp contrast to his increasingly fat novels.
In fact, I think his comic book short stories were rounded up
a few years back in a collection called HARD LOOK or HARD
LOOKS. Something like that. They might still be available.
And he even did a Batman graphic novel, about abused children
of course, that was pretty good
-- and less goofy than some of the Burke novels of the era.
Also worth looking for, if you're a Batman or a Vachss
fan.
I know plenty of people here love the Burke books, so how do
the more recent books stand up? Maybe Burke will go out with
a real bang.
By the way, before some royal pain misreads YET ANOTHER of my
posts, my criticism of some of Burke's work DOES NOT mean I
condone child abuse.
Kevin Burton Smith www.thrillingdetective.com
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