Violent Cases [Paperback]

Neil Gaiman (Author), Dave McKean (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 5, 2004

An exploration of the trappings of violence and the failings of memory, Violent Cases marks the beginning of the astonishing and award-winning collaboration between author Neil Gaiman and the artist Dave McKean, offered in its first Dark Horse edition, in softcover format with cover flaps. Set only in the memory of its author, this brillant short story meanders through levels of recollection surrounding a childhood injury. After dislocating his arm, a young boy is taken to see a doctor - an aged osteopath who was once the doctor of legendary gangster Al Capone. Through studied observations and painstaking attempts at truthful recall, the author reconstructs his tattered memories of the events surrounding his meeting with the doctor, and delves into the psychological complexities that emerged from the doctor's bizarre tales of Capone's life of crime. Gorgeously illustrated in mixed media by Dave McKean, Violent Cases is a sensuous and thought-provoking meditation on our memories.

Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Dark Horse (January 5, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1569716064
• ISBN-13: 978-1569716069
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.3 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #72,763 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I make things up and write them down. Which takes us from comics (like SANDMAN) to novels (like ANANSI BOYS and AMERICAN GODS) to short stories (some are collected in SMOKE AND MIRRORS) and to occasionally movies (like Dave McKean's MIRRORMASK or the NEVERWHERE TV series, or my own short film A SHORT FILM ABOUT JOHN BOLTON).

In my spare time I read and sleep and eat and try to keep the blog at www.neilgaiman.com more or less up to date.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Compelling Gaiman Story Minus the Supernatural Elements, February 13, 2000

By 

Jeffrey A. Veyera "Jeff Veyera" (Matthews, NC United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Violent Cases: Words & Pictures (Paperback)

The persistence of memory is a common theme in Neil Gaiman's work. His characters often struggle to come to grips with their dimly-remembered pasts (take Rose Walker in "The Doll's House" or any of the characters in "A Game of You" from The Sandman, or even the protagonists of "Black Orchid.")

"Violent Cases" explores the gauzy environs of childhood memory. As he would later attempt with much more poignant effect in "The Tragical Comedy of Mr. Punch," Gaiman here examines a grown man's efforts to make sense out of violence in his dimly-remembered past, in this case revolving around a man who may have been Al Capone's osteopath.

The tale, while simple, is masterfully plotted, allowing the reader to make connections the narrator himself may not make. While the telling is a bit ham-handed in spots (you can almost see Gaiman grinning smugly at certain points; not a good thing), one must reflect that this was written quite early in the author's career, and marked quite a departure from comic book conventions. Even Art Spiegelman felt it necessary to use some of the art's cliches in his groundbreaking "Maus"; Gaiman chooses to ignore them quite audaciously.

The artwork by Dave McKean shows a strong Sienkiewicz influence almost wholly alien to his later work, yet still quite appealing.

I highly recommend "Violent Cases" to anyone with a more mature taste in comic books and to fans of Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean's body of work. Although an early effort, "Violent Cases" clearly presages the glory to come for this most successful comic book collaboration.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inimitable experience, December 7, 2005

By 

Bad Playah Brown Dogg "MilliE" (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Violent Cases (Paperback)

This is the second book that I've read by Neil Gaiman. The artwork blows you away. This is what graphic novels should look and feel like. Violent Cases just captures the awe and fear of the unknown from a child's perspective. It seemed like I could smell the narrator's cigarette smoke and was transported back to the 80s (when this was written) to listen to his story. What is even better about the artwork is that it varies from page to page. Not that every spread is different but to capture the story best, each scene is different. From line drawings to paintings, this book is remarkable. Definite must read.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A chilling and moving tale of childhood, December 30, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Violent Cases: Words & Pictures (Paperback)

Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean are each overwhelmingly talented in their own right. When they work together, their respective skills create a blend of compelling concepts and powerful storytelling. Violent Cases is their first work together, and McKean has called it "The one I got wrong," but it is definitive and unforgettable, nonetheless.
The story is a memory: an adult's recollection of a childhood encounter with a man who claimed to be Al Capone's osteopath. The memory combines fragments of a genteel children's party and a 1920's mob massacre; the child's fears of the present intertwine with the doctor's tales of horror from the past.
Interjections from the adult narrator fit perfectly as a framework to the stunning story. The story opens with the unnerving words, "I would not want you to think I was a battered child..." and, at later points in the book, the narrator's recollection of the osteopath's appearance shifts dramatically. The visuals flow along perfectly with the unstable thoughts, which adds to the atmosphere of memory.
Gaiman and McKean are sharing a wavelength. Although Mister Punch is their masterpiece, Violent Cases is also powerful in story, structure, and design. Not flawless, but still a worthy work of art.