W2m Network

In this episode of Comic Stripped, Evan Bevins and Mark Radulich take a deep dive into A History of Violence, comparing the 1997 graphic novel written by John Wagner (Judge Dredd) and illustrated by Vince Locke (Deadworld), with the 2005 film adaptation directed by David Cronenberg. Originally published by Paradox Press, an imprint of DC Comics, the graphic novel is a gritty, pulp-inspired crime thriller following Tom McKenna, a small-town diner owner whose violent past resurfaces after he thwarts a robbery and is outed as a former mob hitman. Wagner and Locke craft a tense, noir narrative grounded in bloody realism and identity crisis.The film adaptation stars Viggo Mortensen as Tom Stall, with Maria Bello, Ed Harris, and William Hurt rounding out a powerhouse cast. Screenwriter Josh Olson reworks the core premise, shifting the story’s focus from pulpy crime fiction to psychological drama. Cronenberg transforms Wagner’s narrative into a meditation on suppressed violence and the duality of human nature, ancho