Fascinating true crime comic.
Its the 1930s and Elliot Ness's new post as Cleveland's safety director coincides with the the rise of the gruesome serial killer: The Torso killer. Based of real events this is a stunning example of why comics can be so good. It helps that the story is so interesting, dealing with the dramatic events of post Untouchable Ness. The comic manages to invoke the social and political framework surrounding the case, so we see the media circus, the high class parties, the slums and their degrading poverty. On top on this we get stunning art, hard black & white images rub shoulders with grainy photos and news clippings of the case. The is inventive use of panel structure to intensify certain aspects: the circular nature of interrogation, the long slog going "door to door". Ok the serial killer has been done before and it's not for the faint hearted but all crime and comics lovers this is a must. It is a graphic novel to show to people as an example of what can be achieved. ( )

There need to be more comic books written in this multi media style. The old photographs and news print give the story a really surrealistlic historical horror tinged feel, it's not quite a cartoon and not quite real life yet it's all routed in a true story (well when I say more comic books I mean stories that are rooted in non fiction or historical events that were somewhat photographed or have surviving relics from. This really changed my thinking on what I feel like a graphic novel should be it seem rather logical yet is really unconventional. ( )