Maids

Maids is a crime tale based on the Papin sisters, Christine and Léa, who worked together as maids until they murdered their employer's wife and daughter. This is a slow burn of a book, only six chapters long, with the first five establishing background and subtly ramping up tension. The events occur mostly in the Lancelin residence, where Christine began work as a maids. She advocated for her younger sister Léa to be hired on as  cook, and the two were reunited in service.

Over the course of the book, we get insights into the young women's lives, from their troubled upbringing to their years in a convent. They were unusually close and frequently got into trouble. As maids, they often were up to some form of chicanery, pilfering items, messing with food, and trying to enjoy some of their employers' finery for themselves. They worked everyday from 6 AM to 7 PM and were also treated shabbily by the Mrs. Lancelin and their spoiled daughter Genevieve. On February 2, 1933 after being blamed for a power outage in the house due to a faulty iron, the sisters brutally murdered Mrs. and Miss Lancelin.

The artwork in this book is spare but masterfully laid out in ways that build suspense to a crescendo. The color palette is warm, which contributes to a muted, dark ambience that lend a drabness to scenes of everyday life and also a sinister edge to the violence. It's a beautifully affecting book, and Skelly gets every ounce of nuance and feeling from her economical imagery. This book is gorgeous and horrible as well as a clinic in storytelling.

And what an opening page!

 This book is the creation of Katie Skelly whose prior comics include My Pretty Vampire, Operation Margarine, Nurse Nurse, and The Agency (NSFW). She speaks extensively about her work on Maids in this interview.

The reviews I have read of this book have been positive. In a starred review, Publishers Weekly summed up, "This subversive horror story will satisfy readers who like their crime stories served with gender and class analysis and a pretty whipped topping." Writing about Skelly's art, Etelka Lehoczky opined, "It's a style that invites you to take it at face value while mocking your inclination to do any such thing. The theme Skelly expresses in every layer of this book is our tendency — or need, really — to underestimate anyone and anything we can't immediately assimilate: maids, girls, comics, comics about girls." Tom Murphy had a different take on the visuals, writing, "Its strong structure and narrative get as close as possible to the bond of blood between the sisters, but the bubblegum realisation on the page creates an uneasy dissonance."

Maids was published by Fantagraphics, and they offer a preview and more information about it here. Due to violence and adult subject matter, I suggest this book for mature readers.

Dark Knight: A True Batman Story

This book's author Paul Dini should be very well known to superhero fans. He was one of the writers and producers of the much beloved Batman: The Animated Series and he co-created the uber-popular Harley Quinn. He has also written a bunch of comic books and had a hand in many animated series/features starring DC Comics characters over the years. But in Dark Knight: A True Batman story he tells an account from his life that happened while he was at the early height of his success. One night, while walking home after a bad date he was mugged, attacked, and brutally beaten. The events left him scarred both emotionally and physically. Here, he uses some of the characters he is most associated with, including Batman and the Joker, as kind of angels and devils to tell his tale and also sort through his personal baggage.

I think overall that this book works well. I thought the actual account is compelling and seeing the aftermath of such a violent act told in frank manner was eye-opening. Dini does much soul-searching in this book, and I could certainly relate to many of his ruminations on being a fanboy with issues relating to specific types of people.

Still, I wonder how much of his storytelling is for effect, as a couple of moments really stand out in my mind as potentially problematic. One, the opportunistic, narcissistic woman he thinks he is dating, while she regards him as a friend who might be a connection for her own career, comes off as utterly the worst person. I have heard about lots of opportunistic Hollywood-wanna-bes and what they will do to further their careers, and maybe she was utterly horrible, but her portrayal seems two-dimensional and skirts misogyny. Second, there is a moment during his recovery where what seems to be the only African-American who works on the show asks if his assailants were black. I think this moment is supposed to show racial solidarity in some way, but it comes off as tin-eared and ham-handed. I know that superheroes at the time this story takes place were largely the province of white males, and maybe this book accurately portrays the problematic outcomes of that situation. Still, as a present day reader, I felt that both scenes play badly.

Collaborating with Dini on this book is Eduardo Risso, a very talented artist who employs multiple styles and color palettes in visually telling this tale. Risso is an accomplished artist who has won an Eisner Award for his work on 100 Bullets, and he has more recently been at work on the werewolf/gangster drama Moonshine. Dini is also a multiple Eisner Award winning author, most notably for the book Mad Love. He speaks about his work on this book in this interview.

All of the reviews I have read about this book have been positive. Jesse Schedeen concluded, "It offers a very personal and heartfelt look at how the character helped guide Dini through a terrible time in his life, and it proves all the more that both Dini and Risso are among the most talented storytellers ever to work within Gotham City." Bryan Young gushed, calling it "a truly unique comic storytelling experience that has to be seen to be believed." Gregory Paul Silber wrote, "Dini may have been through a terrible ordeal, but he is a lucky man to have such wonderful people to collaborate with."

Dark Knight: A True Batman Story was published by Vertigo, and they have more info about it here.

In addition to the violence, this book features some profanity and adult themes, so it is recommended for readers mature enough to handle those things.

The True Death of Billy the Kid

While reading this book I realized that pretty much all I know about Billy the Kid I know from popular versions of his story, like Young Guns or Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, which means I have really only been acquainted with lots of legends and lies about the guy. This book, The True Death of Billy the Kid, is not a full biography of the infamous outlaw, but it is a well researched and fully realized account of his last days: After being captured, tried, and found guilty, Billy enacts a daring escape and goes on the lam for a time before he is finally tracked and gunned down.

As you can see from the excerpt above, this book features lots of action and intrigue. It is a relatively short work and a page-turner as well. The art is crisp and beautiful to behold. And unlike most books by this author, this one features larger pages, which help feature the maps, floor plans, and lots of other details that help bring the story to life. I feel that this book is pretty economical in terms of storytelling, but it is still affecting and fascinating. It was a fun read, plus it taught me a bunch to boot.

Long time readers of this blog may have realized that I am a huge fan of Rick Geary's work. He has been making comics for decades now, winning major awards for his efforts, and telling all kinds of historical tales in graphic novel format. He is meticulous in detail and research, and I love his specific art style. He is especially known for his Victorian Era and 20th Century series of murder tales. Go check out these reviews and see what I have written about them over the years. He talks about his work on this newest book in this interview.

The reviews I have read about this book have been positive. Publishers Weekly concluded, "While the Kid has been treated to ample renderings in film, television, and prose, Geary makes his story feel fresh." Johanna Draper Carlson stated that "Geary’s art is well-suited for this kind of reporting, as it’s straightforward in showing expression and setting. With its pen-and-ink, old-fashioned flavor, the reader feels transported back to an earlier time." R.C. Harvey wrote, "As always, he is scrupulous in covering the known as well as the unknown ground."

The True Death of Billy the Kid was published by NBM, and they have a preview and more info about it here. This book was funded in part by a Kickstarter campaign a few years ago.

The Hunting Accident: A True Story of Crime and Poetry

The Hunting Accident is a complex series of tales that are surprisingly true. Overall, it tells a series of stories about fathers and their sons, and the main narrative pertains to Charlie Rizzo and his father Matt. After the death of his mother, Charlie has to live with his dad, who is blind and lives in Chicago. Charlie did not know much about his father, but over time he learned of how he lost his sight in a hunting accident when he was a teen. He also begins to help his father in editing literary reviews and commentaries, primarily about the medieval Italian poet Dante.

Life in Illinois is much different than life in California, and over time Charlie falls in with an unsavory crowd. When he is implicated in a crime, he learns much about his father's murky past, including the real reason he went blind and also that he served time in prison. Of course, these revelations cause quite a stir. But the accounts of the truth that come from this discord are full of surprises and unexpected turns, including the strange fact that part of Matt's redemption in prison came from the circumstance that his cellmate was Nathan Leopold, a thrill killer whose exploits were once termed "the crime of the century."

Overall, this graphic novel is one that makes me appreciate reading comics. The story is full of twists and turns as well as plenty of emotion and the artwork is exceptional, with dark flourishes and nightmarish imagery, both combining to make a narrative that could only really be told via comics. I read a lot of graphic novels, and this one is impressively well crafted.

The Hunting Accident is the first graphic novel by both writer David L. Carlson and artist Landis Blair. The duo originally produced a limited run of a slightly different version of this book with a Kickstarter campaign. Carlson is a Renaissance man, and Blair is a painter and illustrator who has also illustrated the book From Here to Eternity by writer Caitlin Doughty. Carlson speaks more about his work on the book in this interview.

All of the reviews I have read of this book have been very positive. In a starred review, Publishers Weekly called it an "ambitious debut graphic novel" and added, "Blair’s exceptional pen-and-ink work, which mixes the tangible world with the psychological, brings all the strands together seamlessly and powerfully." Seth T. Hahne elaborated that this tale could have been very dry but that Carlson "twists it into something ranging and delicious, a complexity revealed by pieces and parts through visions and allusions." Oliver Sava called it a "gorgeous nonfiction tale" that "is filled with innovative layouts and stunning rendering."

The Hunting Accident was published by First Second, and they have a preview and more information about it here. There is also a separate official website devoted especially to the book here.

The Mystery of Mary Rogers

No foray into the spooky and horrific genres of graphic novels would be complete without including Rick Geary's work. He has been making comics for decades now, winning major awards for his efforts, and telling all kinds of historical tales in graphic novel formats (just check out these reviews and see).

This book, The Mystery of Mary Rogers is an entry in his A Treasury of Victorian Murder series. It tells the tale of a beautiful, flirtatious cigar store clerk and her unfortunate demise in New York City in July of 1841. The news of her death was slow to circulate in the days and weeks after her body was found in the Hudson River, but it soon became a public sensation with innuendo about scorned lovers and a potential abortion. The crime was never solved, and the story found some eternal attention due to its being the basis for Edgar Allan Poe's second murder mystery (he invented them, you know) "The Mystery of Mary Rogêt."

Where this book really shines is in its depictions of the life and times of the 1840s. Seeing how information was communicated, how there was really no centrally organized police force, how gangs formed links with the local government, and how limited their crime solving methods were compared to today's was truly fascinating. It was as if this book was depicting an episode of Law & Order: 1841 (dun dun). The amount of research and detail put into this book make it come that much alive, well establishing the historical context and conditions of the tale. He also includes the many possible solutions to this crime, including some miserable post-scripts from the major players in the story.

And speaking of details, these elaborate and well structured plot and settings are only enhanced by Geary's typical excellent, cartoonish yet realistic artwork. His black and white illustrations capture the time period, setting an ominous tone that is tinged with a wry, dark sense of humor. His characters are very lively, the action scenes intense, and all the proceedings seem meticulously and historically accurate. I would not say that this is his most riveting or engaging book, because it somehow feels a bit less substantial or personally involved as some of his other narratives. But, despite this misgiving, I still say that it is a rewarding reading experience.

Almost all of the reviews I have read about this book have been positive. Publishers Weekly praised it and commented that "Geary comes up with his own twist on the mystery and manages to capture the spirit of a booming and boisterous New York City in the 1840s." Kirkus Reviews summed up, "Distinguished by a keen sense of period detail and sharp pacing: Geary serves his subject with dignity and grace." A counter opinion came from a reviewer at Metapsychology who felt that this book was too clean and antiseptic, writing, "This is a story told on the surface, a show and tell, leaving it mysterious not only whodunnit, but also why anyone does anything."

The Mystery of Mary Rogers was published by NBM, who has a preview available here (scroll down, it's there).

The Lindbergh Child

One of the prime contenders for the title "trial of the century" as well as a landmark case in terms of its historical impact, the Lindbergh Kidnapping was a sensational news story. Charles Lindbergh, a national hero internationally renowned for being the first person to cross the Atlantic Ocean solo via airplane was a pioneer in aviation and a hugely public figure. When his firstborn child was kidnapped it drew major attention and attracted many well-wishers, potentially good Samaritans, and shady characters looking to cash in on the situation. The jumbled mess that came of all these figures made for a case that created as questions as answers, and notably led to the use of a central authority to conduct investigations in the form of what would become the FBI.

This books does well in detailing all these various characters and their input into the case. It also does well in accounting for the growing role forensics took in analyzing crime scenes and using evidence to identify suspects. In the end, Bruno Hauptmann, a German carpenter, was convicted and executed for this crime. Even so, he maintained his innocence until his death, and afterward his widow kept up his cause, trying to find ways to exonerate her husband. Today, many of the prime players and evidence of this event are well in the past, and there are those who question whether he was the perpetrator or simply a patsy. And there are also those who claim the Lindbergh baby was not actually murdered, to the point where some have come forward claiming to be that baby all grown up.

The Lindbergh Child is part of Rick Geary's major project, the multiple volumes in the Treasury of Victorian Murder and Treasury of XXth Century Murder series from NBM Publishers. In these books, he presents meticulously researched and excellently rendered accounts of some of history's most famous and infamous events. Geary has received numerous accolades over his long career, and he is considered a comics virtuoso. He posts about his work, providing lots of sneak peeks into his art, on this publisher's blog.

Clearly, there are many moving parts and scenarios involved in telling this tale. I feel like this volume may be a little more text heavy than most, but the story being told is very compelling and full of twists and turns, and Rick Geary lowers the emotional boom with a handful of devastating images. As he has proved fully capable in the past, he balances a journalistic tone and human drama very well (as you can see in the excerpt below).

This book was nominated for an Eisner Award, and it has been very highly regarded. Publishers Weekly gave it a starred review and stated, ""This thoughtful retelling of one of the century's most notorious crimes deserves several readings." Andrew Wheeler called it "another excellent graphic novel about a horrible crime by the master of that very specific form." Greg McElhatton summed it up as "Unforgettable, from start to finish."

The Lindbergh Child is published by NBM Publishers. They provide links to this and many more of Geary's books here. There is a brief preview available from Amazon.

The Saga of the Bloody Benders

Based on shocking true events, The Saga of the Bloody Benders tells of a family that settled in Kansas as a result of the Homestead Act of 1862, calling themselves the Benders. The beautiful young daughter Kate was beguiling to many men, and she also worked as a healer and a medium, displaying a disturbing connection with the spirit world. The family opened a small grocery store and an inn on a main travel route, and many of the people who came through the area with money in their pockets to stake their own claims stayed a night there. Many of them were never seen again. Months later, when investigators finally zeroed in on the goings-on of the Bender family, they disappeared and were never found.

The horrible evidence of their deeds was all that was left, as no one could even determine the family's identity. The murder weapons and grisly corpses contributed to a gruesome, sensational tale that spread across the US. The story of the "Bloody Benders" fascinated many, and legends have arisen about their identities and their final fates. The mystery of the Bloody Benders still continues to intrigue people to this day. Currently, director Guillermo Del Toro is working on a motion picture version of the story.

Rick Geary is an acclaimed and accomplished comics creator whose attention to craft is evident. As with many of the volumes in Treasury of Victorian Murder series, this book is meticulously researched and detailed. I particularly liked his many maps and house diagrams in this book, as well as the many scenarios he presents about the possible circumstances and identities of this "family." Coupling this verisimilitude with expert pacing and storytelling, Geary did an excellent job of creating an ominous, foreboding tone while maintaining a journalistic style.

The Saga of the Bloody Benders has been an well regarded book, with a section excerpted in Best American Comics (2008) and it also being named a YALSA Great Graphic Novel. Accordingly, it has been reviewed well. Andrew Wheeler praised it for Geary's "lively art – particularly the very expressive faces of his characters – and his amazingly useful diagrams and maps makes his work unique and compelling." Publishers Weekly called the art "exquisite" and the writing "riveting." Andy Shaw was a bit more lukewarm about the book, enjoying the art but criticizing the writing's "dry but authoritative tone, which leaves it feeling like a decent dissemination of the known information on this mysterious, murdering family."

Here is a preview from the book's publisher NBM.

The Case of Madeleine Smith

Nowadays, if someone wants to break up and not get married, she might just tell the guy in person, on the phone, by email, or, most impersonally, via text message. She probably would not resort to poisoning. In 1857 Scotland, prospects were not very good for an upperclass woman who wanted to be married respectably when she had an affair with a lowerclass gentleman, and so Madeleine Smith allegedly did treat her amour to some arsenic laced cocoa. Apparently Emile L'Angelier had an inkling about what was happening, and he began keeping a journal about his life and health. He also kept every letter she ever wrote him, more than 190 in all. Those letters, his journal, along with the sensational newspaper accounts of the events offer up much fodder for this adaptation.

As with many of Rick Geary's works, this volume in his Treasury of Victorian Murder series is meticulously researched and detailed. It offers a fascinating look at the courtship practices and legal procedures of the day. It also offers a compelling murder mystery narrative and also balances the tale out with journalistic and encyclopedic accounts. Geary's ability to simultaneously entertain and inform is on full display here.

The Case of Madeleine Smith has received many positive reviews. Andi Shechter praised Geary, writing that "in a relatively short work, he tells a richly layered story in a new way." Jason Sacks admits this is not his favorite book in the series, but he does still conclude that "in its depiction of class and morals and interesting people, this is an interesting and entertaining volume." Nicola Mansfield offered a more positive opinion, briefly summing up that this "book in Rick Geary's fabulous series is no less supreme than the others."

The book's publisher, NBM, offers a brief preview here.

Wizzywig

Kevin Phenicle is a slight, nerdy adolescent who gets picked on by his peers and who lives with his grandmother. He does not look like much of a threat to anyone. But as "Boingthump," Kevin gets into all kinds of mischief and mayhem. He copies and sells pirate versions of popular computer games. He scams the phone company so he can make all kinds of free calls. He gains access to classified databases. He rigs phones so he wins radio station contests. He invents computer viruses and worms. As a hacker, he finds himself the target of FBI sting operations, ends up imprisoned multiple times, and spends much of his life on the run from the authorities.

Boingthump is a fictional amalgam of a character, with attributes of many famous hackers. He is based mainly on former fugitives Kevin Mitnick and Kevin Poulsen, but he also runs some famous scams perpetrated by legends like Cap'n Crunch, Captain Zap, and Phiber Optik. He even gets credited for an infamous TV jamming scheme. Although Boingthump perpetrates many criminal acts, he appears as a sympathetic figure in this book. It is difficult not to root for him when it seems he is really trying to infiltrate and hoodwink monolithic authorities. Having the support of a friendly radio DJ advocate helps make him seem less unsavory, as does the stark contrasts with an oily TV newsman who capitalizes on Boingthump's notoriety and the thuggish figures who antagonize him, embodied by federal agents and prison inmates.

The contents of this book first appeared serialized as a webcomic, which is still available online. Creator Ed Piskor is best known for multiple collaborations with Harvey Pekar on American Splendor as well as The Beats: A Graphic History. A prolific modern creator whose style is reminiscent of underground comix, he is currently working on a Hip Hop Family Tree webcomic. Piskor talks more about his work on this graphic novel in this interview with IFC.

This book definitely has much to add to the discussion about the benefits and drawbacks of technology hacking. Reviews of it I have read have been very positive. Wired Magazine's Steven Levy called this story "a delight, wryly rendered and packed with dead-on details of the hacker life." Comics Should Be Good's Sonia Harris wrote that "the book is beautiful, a lovely experience to read, made with much love and attention to detail" and well worth buying. The Onion's A.V. Club Comic Panel concluded that Piskor's "passion for the subject jumps off the page, making Wizzywig both an entertaining read and a powerful argument-starter."

A preview and more can be found here from the book's publisher Top Shelf.

My Friend Dahmer

When faced with the fact that their friends or neighbors are murderers, we often hear people on the news say things like, "I had no idea. He mostly kept to himself and seemed like a nice man..." The author of this book used to joke that his high school acquaintance Jeff probably turned into one. This book treads a fine line, making us feel some empathy for an adolescent who would go on to be a serial killer, Jeffrey Dahmer. Using copious news stories, investigation notes, and interviews as a guide, this graphic novel delves into his adolescence, showing how a world of childish antics, pranks, strange fascinations, casual alcoholism, and family strife could lead to madness. The author is not asking the reader to feel sorry for Dahmer; he is merely documenting what happened. As he writes very clearly in the introduction, "Once Dahmer kills, however -- and I can't stress this enough -- my sympathy for him ends."

Derf Backderf, the Eisner-nominated creator of this graphic novel did indeed graduate high school with Dahmer. He has been a cartoonist for more than two decades now, and he has also published the graphic novel Punk Rock & Trailer Parks, the comic memoir Trashed, and a 24-page comic book also called My Friend Dahmer that is something of a draft for this book. He talks more about his work on this volume in this interview.

I have been a fan of Derf for decades now, first reading his comic strip The City in the Boston Phoenix while I was in college, and I have never noticed until now how his art style is so reminiscent of Spain Rodriguez's. That is not a bad thing, in my book, because the mix of staid realism with cartoonish faces, bodies, and postures plays to great effect here. The exaggerated grimaces of Dahmer imitating seizures for laughs, the dark moments with faces hidden in shadows, and the generally blank demeanors of the majority of people in the book make for great contrasting scenes where emotion and sensations come through. Not only do we get a strong sense of the characters but also the geography, with its claustrophobic woods and overwhelmingly hilly roads.

Derf also used pacing to great effect in the book. The first few pages, with a telegraphed image of Jeff walking on the side of a street and coming upon a roadkill, really set an ominous, borderline quirky tone for the story.  There are a couple of other sequences, when he takes a neighborhood dog to his private spot in the woods and when he picks up a hitchhiker later in the book, that are quite deliciously tense and suspenseful. Every event and scene deliberately moves toward a dark, inevitable end, and even though I knew how it would end I still thought the journey this book took me on was compelling and very affecting.

The scariest part of the book (and there are several tense sections) for me was just how mundane and additive Dahmer's descent into madness and depravity was. He was not an outcast, mostly a joker on the fringes of class who was not really friends with anyone. Add to that he felt he had to hide and repress his homosexuality in a time and place with little chance of acceptance. He turned to alcohol, which was not so out of place in the more lax attitude toward substances and the lower drinking ages of the 1970s. That no one got close enough to him to notice how much his family life was affecting him is horrific and yet utterly understandable; most people are uncomfortable sticking their noses into others' business. Yet somehow all of these factors combined to lead into a deadly, terrible, and unthinkable series of events.

Reviews I have read of this book have been very positive. The Cleveland Plain Dealer's Karen Sandstrom wrote that the power of this graphic novel is that it "allows the reader to mourn and pity the killer's own wasted life while never losing sight of who's to blame for what he became." The Comic Journal's Brandon Soderberg called it "the definitive piece of literature on the notorious murderer" and added that it is "also about what it’s like to be 16, self-involved, and lack the faculties to empathize." Time's Lev Grossman wrote of the power of the book, "It’s a great thing when you feel that you recognize yourself, deeply and movingly, in a work of literature. It’s kind of unnerving when that work of literature is a graphic novel called My Friend Dahmer." Kirkus Reviews gushed in a starred review, calling it "an exemplary demonstration of the transformative possibilities of graphic narrative."

This book was published by Abram ComicArts. Here is a preview available from The Beat.

J. Edgar Hoover: A Graphic Biography

J. Edgar Hoover was one of the largest public figures in the United States during the 20th century. The founding director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Hoover was responsible for growing the FBI from a small, largely ineffective group to a monolithic organization with advanced crime-fighting methods, one of the strongest governmental agencies there is. This graphic biography traces his life from childhood, through his days fighting gangsters and organized crime, busting communist activities, and engaging in wire-tapping and other questionable surveillance techniques on notable public figures, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The portrait Geary paints here of Hoover is an intricate one, full of nuance and ambiguity. This was a fascinating read about a complex and controversial man.

This graphic biography was written and drawn by Rick Geary, a prolific, well regarded, and veteran comics artist who has produced numerous graphic novels, including a series about Victorian era murders. He received the 1980 Inkpot Award from the San Diego Comic Convention and the 1994 Book and Magazine Illustration Award from the National Cartoonists Society. Although he lacks the level of fame some other graphic novelists enjoy, he is considered a master by his peers. Geary provides a level of historical and artistic accuracy that sets him apart from the pack.

Reviews of this work, which is a counterpart in many ways to Geary's Trotsky biography, have been largely positive. Kirkus Reviews called it "as solid, thrilling and informative a guide to the life of the America’s most powerful authoritarian as one could ask for." John Seven wrote that with this book "Geary has been given another opportunity to shine doing what he does best," namely exposing the abuses perpetrated by overly powerful authorities. Andrew Wheeler was impressed by the art and how well the story was meshed with facts, stating that he "can’t think of any other cartoonist who could have done as good a job with this material."

A truncated preview is available here from the book's publisher Hill & Wang.

The Green River Killer: A True Detective Story

A real life crime story, The Green River Killer is an intimate account of a decades long effort to find and bring to justice a serial murderer in the Seattle, Washington area. The author Jeff Jensen's father was one of the lead detectives on the case so he has access to the inner workings of what went on. This graphic novel gives two accounts, one of Detective Tom Jensen, who at one point was the only person assigned to the case, and the other of Gary Leon Ridgway, a very troubled man who later admitted to killing at least fifty women between 1982 and 2003. This book is compelling and powerful though not lurid or overly graphic, despite its subject matter. It delves in to the interplay between the killer and detectives as they all search for answers for these brutal, senseless killings.

This graphic novel is a collaboration between Jeff Jensen and Jonathan Case. Jensen is a senior writer for Entertainment Weekly. Jensen wrote about his reasons and intentions for writing the book in this blog entry at Dark Horse. He speaks more about his working on the book with his father in this interview. Jonathan Case is an illustrator and member of the Periscope Studio based in Portland, Oregon. 2011 has been a big year for him, with the publication of this book as well as his well-received graphic novel debut Dear Creature. Case speaks about his process in creating this book here in this blog entry.

The Green River Killer has already received a good number of accolades, appearing on Amazon's, The New York Times', and USA Today's Best of 2011 lists. As could be expected, most reviews have been largely positive. Val Victory wrote that it was a "great read, and I highly recommend it for those who love detective stories and thrillers alike." Jeff Baker called the book "contemporary and timeless." Athira commented that it was "very thought-provoking and well-done," and continued, "It had the right amount of mystery, intrigue, and humanity added to the illustration."

A preview is available here from the book's publisher Dark Horse.

Capote in Kansas

A "nonfiction novel," In Cold Blood is a landmark work in that it brought nonfiction writing more into the literary mainstream and established author Truman Capote as a star. Additionally, it was an important work in the tradition/movement that came to be known as the New Journalism, which was most popular in the 1960s and 1970s. The plot of the novel follows the investigation and trial of two men with checkered and troubled pasts. After a bungled robbery that results in the brutal deaths of the Clutters, a family of four, who lived in rural Kansas, Perry Smith and Richard Hickock attempted to cover their tracks and flee, but were eventually apprehended and tried.

That such a crime took place in a quiet and isolated small town created a stir and a sensationalistic news story. Through interviews, court transcripts, and local gossip, Capote amassed a mountain of information to craft the novel, his take on the situation. Capote in Kansas recounts the horrific Clutter family murders and the subsequent investigation but also offers a look at Capote himself. Capote came to the town because he felt the story would make for a powerful The New Yorker piece. The townspeople of Holcomb did not take to Capote and his urban bon vivant tendencies, and they treat him as an outsider. To remedy this situation, Capote calls in some assistance from his childhood friend Harper Lee (yes, the author of To Kill a Mockingbird) who helps to establish that he means well and that he can be trusted with their stories. Along with the events of the novel, the graphic novel also relates Capote's everyday life in Holcomb, including a relationship/dalliance with a local school teacher.

Ande Parks wrote this "drawn novel," and Chris Samnee illustrated it. Parks works as a writer and inker and has done work with all the major comic companies. He is probably best known for writing a recent relaunch of Green Arrow for DC Comics. Samnee is a well-published artist who has also been busy producing works for all the big comics companies. His use of negative space and shadows makes for some very evocative scenes in this black and white work.

This graphic novel has been well reviewed, with most people being divided about how fact and fiction are intertwined. Colleen Mondor writes that Parks "has created a piece of art with Capote in Kansas" in her very thoughtful review of the book. Lee Atchison called it the "stand out comic" of the year. Another positive review comes from Gary Sassaman. Hilary Goldstein admits it may be better received by people who have read the novel first but thinks it would be "enjoyable" to others who had not as well. Gillian Flynn at Entertainment Weekly was not so kind.

A 5-page preview is available from the book's publisher, Oni Press.

The Beast of Chicago

H.H. Holmes is a considered by many America's first serial killer, and his story has been told and retold numerous times since his death in 1896. It was featured in the tabloids of his time, a feature in Harper's Weekly, a number of documentaries, and most famously of late in Erik Larson's Devil in the White City. Born Herman Mudgett, Holmes assumed numerous identities, wives, and avocations. As Holmes he operated a pharmacy on the south side of Chicago that he obtained by murdering the previous owner once her husband died of cancer. Across the street from this site he had a 3-story "Castle" built to house tenants upstairs and businesses, including his pharmacy, on the lower level.

By many accounts a charmer and a lady's man, Holmes lured many people into what was later called his "Murder Castle." The World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 was a celebration of the 400 year anniversary of Columbus's discovery of the New World. It was a huge draw to the city, and put Chicago on the map as a major metropolis and an industrial and cultural mecca. It also drew a great number of travelers to town, people who had no local connections and who needed a place to stay. Holmes was more than happy to accommodate tourists, but some of them were never seen again.

Authorities noticed a high number of missing persons after the Exposition, and many of them were last seen in the south part of Chicago. Facing bankruptcy, Holmes had long left town with his Castle sealed shut. It was not until about a year later when Holmes was arrested and investigated on counts of insurance fraud and suspicion of murder that that the authorities began to piece together his trail and crimes. When they finally got to his Castle and explored what was in it, they were horrified by what they found. Holmes was tried, convicted, and hung. To prevent graverobbers stealing his body he was buried in cement.

Holmes's story is captivating in its gruesome details, and it is told here by Rick Geary as part of his A Treasury of Victorian Murder Series. Geary has been doing illustrated graphic work since 1977, and his work has appeared in numerous publications including works from DC Comics, Heavy Metal, and Fantagraphics. Here, he delves into the historical research necessary to tell this tale with all the touches of the time period. He also provides bibliographic resources and his own maps of the main sites. His crisp black and white art portrays the story boldly and in sharp detail.

Reviews of the book are mostly glowing. Michael Vance says it is "Highly Recommended." Johanna Draper Carlson says it is her favorite volume in the series. On a different note, the reviewer at Top Graphic Novel Reviews says that the storytelling was not appealing, more akin to an illustrated book than a graphic novel. Personally, I felt the story was extremely compelling and well rendered though it did seem more journalistic than novelistic. A wider array of reviews can be found at Goodreads.

A preview is available from publisher NBM.