Road to Perdition

Max Allan Collins and Richard Piers Rayner crafted this taut, Eisner-nominated crime graphic novel for Pocket Books in 2002, adapting Collins's own novel into a single, self-contained issue. Set during the Great Depression, it follows a Mob enforcer's quest for vengeance after his family is betrayed, told with Rayner's moody, period-accurate art. Though a standalone story, its stark exploration of loyalty and violence has made it a touchstone of the crime comics genre.