Friday Reads: True Believers

CORMAC McCARTHY IS DEAD

I wrote a short obituary of Cormac McCarthy, a writer considered by many to be the greatest American novelist of the last century. I am not as big a fan of McCarthy as some of my friends.1 But I admired his uncompromising dedication to his work and his vision, and his prose that was both hallucinogenic and stark. He wrote America as a horror movie in sentences that seemed animated by malign spirits, and he told only the stories he wanted to tell. We will not see his like again. RIP.

SAD NEWS, TRUE BELIEVERS

I’d be lying if I didn’t admit I’m more saddened by the death of John Romita Sr., the comic-book artist who drew some of the most influential moments in the world of the Amazing Spider-Man. Romita passed away on Monday also, so his loss was overshadowed somewhat by the departure of McCarthy. As much as I’d like to say that my life as a writer began with McCarthy or some other literary titan, it really started when I read Spider-Man. Romita took over the art on the book from Steve Ditko, who co-created the character with Stan Lee, and made the stories his own with his distinctive, modernized designs and clean lines. Peter Parker went from a guy who dressed like a 1930s bookkeeper to a handsome college student, surrounded by beautiful girls like Mary Jane Watson and Gwen Stacy. And it was Romita who suggested the idea that became the second most pivotal moment in Spider-Man’s life: the death of Gwen at the hands of the Green Goblin.

And he knew how to frame a sequence and build the drama panel by panel, when other Marvel artists would simply cram word balloons over static images.

Here’s the famous moment where Mary Jane tries to comfort Peter after the death of Gwen.

Nine panels. A whole story right there.

Romita was art director for Marvel for more than 20 years and also designed iconic looks for the characters Black Widow, Wolverine, and the Punisher. At a time when comics were mostly static images, his work leaped off the page. By all accounts he was a kind and decent man who taught other artists, shared credit, and gave his time to fans. My friend Beau Smith wrote him a letter as a kid, and Romita called him and they talked for 30 minutes. He brought readers like me into a bright and colorful world where anything seemed possible. RIP.

FRIENDS AND WELL-WISHERS DEPT.

And now for some good news. My friend Tod Goldberg’s upcoming novel Gangsters Don’t Die received a starred review in Publishers Weekly this week. This concludes the story of Sal Cupertine/David Cohen, the hitman-turned-rabbi hiding from his former life in Las Vegas. What I’ve always loved about this series —aside from Tod’s patented combination of violence and dark humor— is the way in which Sal/David grapples with the question of whether he’s a good man who does evil, or an evil man who only pretends to be good. Tod has the same gift as Elmore Leonard: he makes criminals into fascinating characters despite their worst deeds. If you haven’t picked up the first two books in the trilogy yet, you have until September 12 to catch up.

The best story you’ll ever read about the destruction of the world. If you haven’t read Ben H. Winters’ The Last Policeman trilogy, you no longer have any excuses. All three books are on sale for $1.99 apiece, which makes the entire trilogy cheaper than many greeting cards. (Honestly, people.) The series is about a cop who has to solve a murder while everyone else is distracted by the giant meteor that will end all life on Earth. It’s a gripping crime story about what counts when nothing counts, and how we choose to live when we’re about to die.

That’s it for this week. Tell me your choice for Greatest American Novelist or your favorite Spider-Man story in the comments.

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