The Beast of Chicago
The Murderous Career of H. H. Holmes
62 pgs. & $15.95
Fom NBM ComicsLit (www.nbmpublishing.com)

If you think Rick Geary's amazing "Treasury of Victorian Murder" series must be getting redundant, think again. They are getting serial.

Serial murderer H.H. Holmes lived in the 1800s and killed most of his victims in Chicago. He confessed to killing 27 people; he may have murdered hundreds. During Chicago's Columbian Exposition in 1893, his bizarre building called the "Castle" may have been a "murder factory". His motivations are as twisted as the maze of narrow hallways, trap doors, and airtight rooms of the Castle. Thought of as America's first serial killer, his life was marked with indifference to his murders.

Leave it to Geary and his sources to once again untangle Holmes' mystery. It is no secret that Geary is method-ical and careful in his research, not only of the circumstances surrounding Holmes' crimes, but of the clothing, architecture, and events of his day. In addition, the author reports with crisp captions and dialog but does not sensationalize his subject. He creates a feeling of suspense and gnawing foreboding without profanity, nudity, or gore, proving once again that none of those things are necessary in horror. His subject sensationalizes itself.

It is also well-known that this reviewer is a great admirer of Geary's distinctive art. Using careful detail and feathering (parallel lines that create the illusion of gray tones), his thick-lined style is perfect for recreating the Victorian era. His characters are always distinct from one another, often bearing the little physical, and unattractive nuances that make us all human. His internal, visual logic is perfect, and his anatomy believable.

So, here it comes, right? Now the great reviewer reveals what is wrong with Geary, his style, method and The Beast of Chicago.

May I have a drum roll, please?

There is nothing wrong.

The Beast of Chicago is highly recommended.

Michael Vance

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