Graphic novel adaptation of the Head Games novel . This atmospheric noir thriller attempts the a style reminiscent of the golden age of dime-store paperbacks. While somewhat compelling I really struggled to enjoy this graphic novel.

I enjoy the works of Poe and this graphic novel does very well at combining the works with visual art and making it jam-packed with action/thriller.

Based on the novel, this graphic adaptation is an action-packed thriller. I've not read the original but this has piqued my interest in McDonald's series. It has a noir feeling to it like an old Bogey movie, but this character is an adventurer as he takes a Kerouician road trip to Mexico with a young journalist friend. Mission: bring the missing head of Pancho Villa to the buyer, but others are trailing him to get that skull including a certain Yale fraternity with a penchant for skulls. As an introduction to the series this gave me a feel for all the characters and was a tight plot with lots of twists. I'll be looking out for McDonald's work in the future.

When a story references Heart of Darkness, you know it gonna be weird. And this story is weird. Told in three parts, we begin in 1957 following Hector Lassiter, a pulp fiction novelist, screenwriter, and adventurer as he stumbles into a scheme that will consume the rest of his life—selling the skull of Pancho Villa. With him is the poet and would-be journalist Eskin “Bud” Fiske, who becomes his partner and friend. As if running from murderous fraternity boys who want the skull for their dark rituals isn’t enough, the story also veers into Lassiter’s back story and his friendships with Orson Welles, Ernest Hemingway, and Marlene Dietrich. And like any good pulp fiction story, Lassiter picks up a beautiful dame who needs his help.

In addition to being a great noir thriller, the book features a foreword and afterword by the author that reveals some fascinating details.

This graphic novel adaptation of an Edgar-nominated novel gives us a little Hollywood and a whole lot of pulp fiction. Hector Lassiter is a hard-drinking, hard living novelist in 1957; he thought he was done adventuring, but an offer he can't refuse drops into his lap: the chance to recover the lost skull of Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa. Villa's people want the skull, and so does the infamous Yale secret society, Skull & Bones; and they're all willing to do anything to get it. Lassiter, poet Bud Fiske, and aspiring actress Alicia Vicente take a road trip across the American Southwest as they search for the highest bidder and dodge bullets.

I've never read Craig McDonald's Lassiter books, so this was new to me. If you like pulp, or noir fiction, you'll dig right into this book. It borders on satire at times; it seems like a send up of the Hollywood studio system, the Feds, and pulp noir. Lassiter is a larger-than-life figure that appears to be popped straight from Hemingway's mold - and then you discover that Lassiter and Hemingway were contemporaries in this story. Marlena Dietrich is here, and Bud Fiske is so thoroughly written into the story's mythology that I had to Google him to see if he was a real-life figure (go find out for yourself, I'll never tell). Two-color yellow and black artwork give this an old-school, faded feel; you know this is a story that's seen things. Head Games is crazy, over-the-top, and compulsively readable. There's violence, alcohol abuse, and sex aplenty, so it's not a graphic novel for the children's room.

Craig McDonald’s classic noir novel Head Games is adapted into a graphic novel in this impressive release by First Second Books.
Set in 1957 and following the story of Hector Lassiter, an author turned screenwriter who finds himself embroiled in a wild Hollywood crime caper over the hunt for a former Mexican rebellion leader’s skull, it’s an entertaining pulp noir that blends history with fiction.
Kevin Singles stylised black and white artwork captures the era perfectly and is very much a homage to the panelwork of the times.
The story, again penned by McDonald, ticks over nicely with a fun cinematic style and is a fun throwback to the age golden comics.

This is a great graphic novel version of Head Games. I recommend this to anyone who likes a good, gritty noir story!

Redolent of Hemingway and the great old pulps, this is an entertaining piece of work that examines masculinity in the face of age. Hector is aging, probably diabetic, and losing his manly ability to shoot straight. At the same time, he runs into a high-stakes chase for Pancho Villa's head, involving some honest to goodness buried gold, a beautiful young woman, and a man who becomes his mentee in all things poetic and hypermasculine. It's a great chase balanced by Hec's personal struggle with time, but I couldn't enjoy it completely. That's not for lack of trying, nor is it specific to this book. I'd love to lose myself in a Hemingway or something by one of his contemporaries, but I always run into the same problem with how these manly writers treat women. The girls always seem to be beautiful and sexy and easily broken. What they aren't is well rounded. Here, Hec's love interest has little backstory that doesn't involve either sexuality or motherhood. She's a tag-along. The men are the real heroes. She just seems to get stuck with all the kids. A fun book if you can get past that.

This is a fun take on pulp and the graphic novel works well for that type of story. I really enjoyed the pure pulp aspects of it. However, the story falls apart in the last fifty pages. It jumps from pulp/campy/smart to ridiculous, and that was the impression that (unfortunately) has stays with the reader.

That said, I definitely still plan to pick up more novels by Craig McDonald featuring the main character, hoping that the pacing pick ups a bit and the ridiculousness is more toned down.

**I was provided an e-copy of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.**

A cool story. Stark and dynamic art style throughout. Fans of Frank Miller should check it out.