Al Capone

by Swann Meralli, Pierre-François Radi (Artist)

Overview

Based on truth, lies, myths, and rumors, this is the story of the greatest gangster of all time: Al Capone. Family man, community leader, industrious smuggler, or vicious killer? You decide.

 

Born into a poor Italian family in Brooklyn in 1899, little Alphonse didn’t have a lot of options, so he’d have to get creative in order to make a name for himself. A bit of cards, some enforcing, maybe a little protection are a great start. A man’s gotta provide for his family, capisce? But, when prohibition starts up in 1920, Al Capone will discover his golden ticket to untold fame and fortune.

 

Now, nobody’ll ever forget the name Capone.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781990521164
Publisher:	Black Panel Press
Publication date:	10/16/2023
Pages:	172
Sales rank:	118,091
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	16 - 18 Years

Editorial Reviews

09/18/2023

The fast and furious life of one of America’s most infamous criminals is rendered in this arresting semi-fictional graphic novel by French comics team Meralli (Algériennes) and Radice. Capone narrates his story from a cell at Alcatraz, where the diminished and syphilis-ravaged legend tries to convince his mother’s ghost he was not such a bad guy. Raised by poor Italian immigrants in Brooklyn, Capone grew up stealing food to eat. He turned to more advanced crime as a teenager, graduating from card cheating to enforcement work for the Irish mob. Following his mentor Johnny Torrio to Chicago, Capone gets his nickname (“Scarface”) from boss “Big Jim” Colosimo, who puts the hot-tempered 21-year-old to work running his bootleg liquor operation. As Capone’s ambition grows, so does his paranoia, appetite for violence, and need for euphemisms—anodyne clichés (“You can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs”) are laid ironically over scenes of slaughter. Radice’s art is colorful and nicely detailed, though the juxtaposition between the cartoonish aesthetic and the often bloody subject can be jarring. Meralli plays loose with the historical record by drawing on Capone’s highly embellished autobiography to shine a light on his self-glorification, which becomes more detached from reality as the book nears his collapse. This stylish page-turner will pique the interest of classic true crime buffs. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

"Al Capone is a solid introduction to Scarface and his rise and fall with solid art." - Graphic Policy

"The story is quite good here. It is heavily researched right on down to the dialogue which is on point. The artwork is equally impressive, both cinematic and sharp. The whole thing works out to be an impressive book, one that is worth rereading and revisiting." - Forces of Geek

“This stylish page-turner will pique the interest of classic true crime buffs.” – Publishers Weekly

"a very readable and distinctive biography of a man whose legend continues to fascinate." The Slings and Arrows

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