The Beast of Chicago is the story of America’s first documented serial killer. In this black and white graphic novel, Rick Geary outlines the killing spree of the notorious H.H Holmes.
If you are looking for explicit details on Holmes’ murders, then this is not the graphic novel for you. It is surprisingly gore-free. The writing style is very detached, and the subject matter is presented in a very factual and chronological manner. However, even with the amount of historical research Geary obviously completed, it also feels like a lot of information was left out or glossed over. For example, even though this work presents Holmes’ brutal childhood, three simultaneous marriages, describes his multiple insurance scams, murder schemes, and even illustrates the design and construction of the “murder house” used to kill dozens (or possibly hundreds) of victims, the serial killer never develops into a three-dimensional character. This is a bit of a problem, given the work is meant as a biography.
Perhaps it is the writing style that limits Geary’s ability to reveal Holmes’ character. The Beast of Chicago is not written as a personal journal or as narrative non-fiction, two styles which dominate non-fiction today. The story isn’t told by a sympathetic assistant, or victim, nor through through the eyes of a conflicted anti-hero/villain who wishes to stop killing but cannot. Instead, the writing is almost journalistic (perhaps even almost a transcript) with events and dates laid out in the order they occurred. The writing would have been well-served by a point-of-view and an adjective or two.
If the writing is a bit dry, the art, in contrast, is nicely fluid. The entire volume is practically a master-class in the use of a pen nib—Geary’s lines maximise and minimise, thickening and thinning as they create textures and wrap around shapes. There are very few solid black shapes in the book, and as a result, their use in the form of silhouettes can be extra-sinister.
The Beast of Chicago is also unique in the action and movement that occurs across panels. In many graphic novels, a series of panels is almost like watching a short movie. An object in one panel will also appear in a second panel, serving as an anchor of sorts and allowing you to estimate the dimensions of a particular space. Geary doesn’t follow such practices; his panels are instead a series of jumps. A panel can be connected to the preceding by story, but not by visual features. The two panels may feature completely different objects or even scenes, yet still be tied intricately together. The technique shouldn’t work, but in the hands of a skilled cartoonist like Rick Geary, the work is seamless and almost unnoticeable.
Released in 2003, The Beast of Chicago is a part of Geary’s Treasury of Victorian Murders. It’s important to remember the release date when reading this slim volume, as more recent biographies have raised questions about some of the “facts” we know about H.H. Holmes. This work is not an exhaustive biography, but a good introduction to a terrifying American monster.
The Beast of Chicago
Rick Geary (writer, artist)
NBM Publishing
Released 2003
The Beast of Chicago
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