Luna Park, the latest release in Vertigo's superb line of original graphic novels, is a tale not all that unfamiliar, but presented with harrowing visuals and a narrative that lures the reader in with the promise of redemption for the main character, but soon descends into an avant garde fit of madness.
Kevin Baker, author of the New York Times bestsellers Dreamland, Paradise Alley, and Strivers Row, sets forth the story of Alik, a Russian immigrant who came to America with hope in his heart, leaving behind a history of violence and war. Unfortunately, the land of opportunity only brings Alik the chance to be an enforcer for a local mob goon based out of Brooklyn, New York. Set predominately in the fantastic Coney Island of Brooklyn, Alik soon realizes that his hopes of saving the woman he loves and their mutual life in the slums are somehow connected to the life in Russia that he left behind.
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Luna Park seemed to be divided in half for me. The first half sets up Alik's situation and his relationship with his girlfriend, Marina, as well as the seediness of the Coney Island that the reader is able to experience through the character's eyes. While these scenes are well written and perfectly adequate, much of the content here feels like a well traversed tale of the dystopic life of a struggling immigrant. Which is why, when the reader falls upon the second half of Luna Park, they are in for one hell of a surprise.
