Great story and illustrations by Rick Geary ( )

Beast of Chicago details the life and crimes of Herman W. Mudgett, the conman and serial killer who preyed on men, women and children in his boarding house during the Chicago World’s Fair. Beast of Chicago is another installment in Rick Geary’s Victorian Murders graphics novel series, and delivers on par with his other work. Geary’s style is similar to that of traditional action comic books, with a narrator that hints to titillating and sometimes gruesome conclusions and uses a lot of exclamation points to control the audience’s excitement level. Most of the violence in Mudgett’s story is alluded to by noting that this or that person was “never heard from again,” but there are enough references to sinister happenings to keep readers flipping through the pages. By and large this is not a high-quality historical resource, but it will definitely keep bloodthirsty teenagers entertained from cover to cover. Recommended for all public library (and most school library) graphic novel collections. ( )

This is the story of H.H. Holmes, who was infamous as the monster of the Chicago World's Fair in the late 1890s. He built a large building he named "The Castle" which had secret rooms, gas rooms, laboratories, torture rooms, etc. He is known as being America's first serial killer, though actually he was probably just the first one caught and punished. He is thought to have murdered hundreds of people, especially women by running a lodging house within the castle.

Geary's illustrations are on par with previous books in this series. I often think he gets better as he goes along. The detail in his drawings are amazing and the black and white illustrations capture the mood of the story being told.

My only complaint with this novel is that it seemed to rush through the story only skimming the surface and has left me wanting to read more of H.H. Holmes. I already have two other books on my tbr list about this murderer that I will have to get to shortly. Great introduction to the man though and a perfect starting point for those wanting to know the story of this vicious and unconscionable man. ( )

Fascinating. Horrifying. Saddening. And Maddening. All at once. Rick Geary once more brings to life another age, another time, and another simple, unassuming man who was one of the first serial murderers caught and executed for his crimes. Although a very grisly, ghastly, and gruesome subject matter, it is nonetheless quite a book in Geary's inimitable style. ( )

The true life exploits of Dr. Holmes are presented in graphic novel format with all the macabre details. The author bases his story on primary sources. Rather than pass judgment as to what really occurred, Geary presents the evidence on the case and recreates the story of Dr. Holmes as a narrative. Although the story unfolds as the story goes from chapter to chapter, the author explains the details are not proven. For example, the author reveals that Dr. Holmes earlier confessed to the crimes then later denied that he committed them. Also, Geary makes it clear that the whereabouts of many of his supposed victims were never uncovered. ( )

The Beast of Chicago is a chilling and thoroughly readable account of the dark exploits of a truly unbelievable monster, and yet the measure of the story certainly rings true in the hands of an artist as talented as Rick Geary. The author has proven his ability to pull off this sort of complex narrative before, most obviously in previous volumes of the Treasury of Victorian Murder series. But the familiar elements are deployed with unusual panache in The Beast of Chicago, with both the narrative and the penwork displaying a high level of confidence and formal beauty. The only real downside of this book is the unrelieved grimness of the character and his deeds - it's all so dark as to be almost unbelievable, and yet the man really lived. A troubling paradox delivered (in this volume) by a master artist. ( )