Overview
Alik is a former Soviet soldier who has relocated to Coney Island only to become a gangland enforcer. He's haunted by memories of his past, and the only thing that soothes his angst is booze, heroin and his lover, the prostitute Marina. But as much as Alik encourages her to break away from the ganglord who owns her, Marina can't because of her daughter, who never leads the ganglord's side. So Alik comes up with a desperate plan to save all three of them, and in doing so, he'll find he's destined to repeat the past over and over again, including a past or two he might not even be aware he has, in a story that flashes from present- day run down Coney Island to the Russia of 10 years ago during the Second Chechen War to turn of the 20th century Coney Island, when the area was at its peak amusement park glory and wonder.
Synopsis
Alik is a former Soviet soldier who has relocated to Coney Island only to become a gangland enforcer. He's haunted by memories of his past, and the only thing that soothes his angst is booze, heroin and his lover, the prostitute Marina. But as much as Alik encourages her to break away from the ganglord who owns her, Marina can't because of her daughter, who never leads the ganglord's side. So Alik comes up with a desperate plan to save all three of them, and in doing so, he'll find he's destined to repeat the past over and over again, including a past or two he might not even be aware he has, in a story that flashes from present- day run down Coney Island to the Russia of 10 years ago during the Second Chechen War to turn of the 20th century Coney Island, when the area was at its peak amusement park glory and wonder.
The Washington Post - Dan Kois
Spare and thoughtful, Luna Park is a reverie on the horrors of Russian history masquerading as a gritty New York crime story. It tells a noir tale through muscular language, vivid scenes and arresting images drawn by Croatian-born Danijel Zezelj…a ghostly and interesting book.
Editorials
Dan Kois
Spare and thoughtful, Luna Park is a reverie on the horrors of Russian history masquerading as a gritty New York crime story. It tells a noir tale through muscular language, vivid scenes and arresting images drawn by Croatian-born Danijel Zezelj…a ghostly and interesting book.—The Washington Post
Publishers Weekly
Taking a break (mostly) from his powerful and painstakingly constructed stories of historical New York in novels like Dreamland and Paradise Alley, Baker takes a welcome dive into the graphic novel field with this punchy and ghostly modern-day noir. The setting-today's rusted and listless landscape of Coney Island-fits the dead-end daydreaming of his protagonist. Alik Streinikov is a former Russian soldier fleeing nightmares of the cruelties he witnessed in Chechnya and now working as an enforcer for a sideshow mob fragment that's about to get pushed out by a more vicious gang. Alik's already iffy toehold on society's ladder is complicated by a serious drug habit and worse addiction to Marina, a hooker/fortune teller whose every card reads like bad news. Marina keeps reminding Alik of his nightmares, and before long he's spiraling through alternative pasts (from early 20th-century New York to the Russian civil war), which repeat the same inescapable tragedies. The artwork by Zezelj (Northlanders) has a windswept, slashing quality to it that captures Coney Island's bitter, salty ocean air on the page. A tough-nosed crime story redolent with magic and sadness, Luna Park serves as a fine showcase for two great artists working to the best of their abilities. (Nov.)
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