SDCC 2022: Jimmy LaRossa Memoir To Become A Dynamite Graphic Novel
by Erik Amaya
Dynamite continues to diversify its lineup with an upcoming graphic novel based upon the book Last of the Gladiators: A Memoir of Love, Redemption, and the Mob by the Son of the Legendary Trial Lawyer Jimmy LaRossa. It tells the tale of Jimmy LaRossa, who defended mob figures like Paul Castellano in court during the crackdowns of the 1980s and strained his family life as consequence until, long after he retired, he began to explain to his son just what his life was really like.
The company announced Monday it has partnered with LaRossa’s son — James M. LaRossa Jr., who also wrote the book — to bring the story to a new audience as part of Dynamite’s upcoming True Crime line. “If one were to choose a trial lawyer whose life reflected the unique characteristics of America’s ‘Wild West’ of a criminal justice system in the latter half of the Twentieth Century, that person likely would be my father, Jimmy LaRossa,” LaRossa Jr. said in a statement. “As his son and confidant, my dad revealed to me at the end of his life the secrets of his courtroom dramas and eccentric clients, which included the most feared Mafia chiefs, assassins, counterfeiters, money launderers, defrocked politicians of every stripe, and bankers arriving in the dead of night in their private jets. These clients sought the counsel of one man — my father. All I can say is, you better buckle up for the ride.”
The creative talent assembled to adapt the book has not been announced and Dynamite added the title and format may be altered when it is published. It is also not yet scheduled for release.
“This is an incredible book that James wrote about his father and his father’s experiences, and it draws you in. The best comparison I can make is that it’s Law and Order meets Goodfellas, and draws you in as much as the original Godfather novel,” Dynamite CEO and Publisher Nick Barrucci added in a statement. “Everyone involved felt this was a unique piece of not only important history, but a powerful story about family, sacrifice, and living a full life.”
