A History of Violence #[nn]

This Vertigo Crime edition of John Wagner and Vince Locke's *A History of Violence* arrives with a striking cover by Dave Johnson that layers silhouettes against a stark black background — a bespectacled everyman looms large in the foreground, flanked by a blood-drenched axe and a cheerleader, while a group of armed figures cluster ominously below. The overlapping, translucent color palette brilliantly captures the collision of ordinary small-town life and lurking menace at the heart of the story. At $14.99, this graphic novel is a compelling showcase of what the Vertigo Crime imprint did so well in 2011: crime fiction with genuine weight and atmosphere.