Torso

Eliot Ness, fresh off the defeat of Al Capone in Chicago, comes to Cleveland to clean up its corrupt police force. But he quickly gets sidetracked, as what will become America's first famous serial killer starts operating in the city. We follow him and the two local detectives on the case as this black and white graphic novel depicts the hunt for the gruesome killings and mutilations done by "the Torso Murderer".

The artwork is not quite my thing, let's be clear. It's sometimes tough to follow, and it's so stylized as to not reallly add much when I can. And the re-use of drawings combined with the occasional injection of real photos doesn't quite grabd me, either (though the brutal reminder this makes of the reality of the subject matter show more is admittedly effective). But honestly, that doesn't really matter, because the story, I thought, is good. I cared about the detectives and Ness, and the typical problem I have with fiction based closely on real events (no real sense of ending or closure) is kind of baked into the formula in a good way here.

If you can stomach the (justifiably) horrific depictions of mutilated corpses, and if a 1930s true crime comic sounds like something you might enjoy, I'd happily recommend this. But it's not going to be for everyone. show less

Fascinating true crime comic.
It's 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. Plus we see inventive use of panel structure to intensify certain aspects: the show more 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. show less

I liked Torso, but it was a tough eread for an old lady with cataracts. I gave up trying to read it on my Nook and switched to my desktop, which really cut into the available reading time, so it took a lot longer than it should have. The format gave me a headache. The story was a little pretentious, but good.

Great plot & writing that was essentially ruined by the choice of artwork. Easily could have been 5 stars if only the art wasn't so unpleasant. I understood why they would choose this route but it hindered the enjoyment of it for me. It was very difficult to differentiate characters.

Along with [a:Frank Miller|15085|Frank Miller|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1206594388p2/15085.jpg] and [a:David Lapham|52924|David Lapham|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto/nophoto-M-50x66.jpg], Bendis spearheaded the crime comics movement of the 90s. Throughout the decade, he wrote and illustrated several now-classic thrillers including [b:Jinx|105861|Jinx The Definitive Collection|Brian Michael Bendis|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171560532s/105861.jpg|102042], [b:A.K.A. Goldfish|105859|Goldfish|Brian Michael Bendis|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171560531s/105859.jpg|102040], and Torso. Based on the real life "Torso Murderer," a serial killer who terrorized Cleveland from 1934 to 1938, Torso unveils the last case of show more the post-Untouchables Elliot Ness. Bendis and co-writer Andreyko effectively convey the fear, frustrations, and chaos surrounding the notoriously still unsolved case. The last crime work illustrated by Bendis, who later found more fame as a writer of and shepherd to Marvel's resurgence of the last decade, proved to be not only his most compelling work but arguably one of the finest true crime graphic novels ever produced. show less

Graphic novel or not, the story of Cleveland's Torso Killer is both fascinating and grim. Bendis and Andreyko take its history and present it in one of the most stylish trade paperbacks I have ever seen. The characters jump out at you with crisp pulpy candor Tarantino would drool over; and the pacing builds up to a nail biting climax. Kudos to the two industry veterans.

I liked Torso, but it was a tough eread for an old lady with cataracts. I gave up trying to read it on my Nook and switched to my desktop, which really cut into the available reading time, so it took a lot longer than it should have. The format gave me a headache. The story was a little pretentious, but good.