The Beast of Chicago: An Account of the Life and Crimes of Herman W. Mudgett, Known to the World As H.H. Holmes (Treasury of Victorian Murder (Graphic Novels)) (v. 6) (Hardcover)

by Rick Geary (Author) "THE INGLORIOUS CAREER OR THE MAN WHOM THE WORLD CAME TO KNOW AS H.H. HOLMES IS SO SHROUDED IN MYTH AND OBSCURITY THAT LITTLE TODAY..." (more)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
In this graphic novel series, Geary covers some of history's most famous murders in meticulously researched, beautifully drawn volumes. This one takes on H.H. Holmes, one of America's first serial killers, whose "murder castle" shocked and stunned the era. It's 1886, and Holmes arrives in Chicago, a seemingly clean and enterprising young man but actually a murderous con artist with a spectacular ability to talk people into trusting him. Over the next five years, he spins an insanely complicated web of cons and evasions, as acquaintance after acquaintance disappears. He acquires three wives and numerous children-all unaware of each other-and his "boarding house" (aka the "murder castle") becomes a place where tourists check in but don't check out. This boarding house houses everything from a gas chamber to an abattoir for victims. Holmes's murder spree ends with an increasingly desperate flight from the law covering several states and involving the murders of three children. Geary renders all of this in a bouncy pen and ink style, the cheerfulness of which belies the horrid events, complete with maps, diagrams and charts to help readers follow the complex story. Despite its charming outward appearance, Geary's art has a chilling subtext that makes the story even more creepy. He's able to make everyday conversation as unsettling as the gruesome violence that figures prominently in every story. Geary is an underrated master of comics, and this book will equally interest history buffs, true crime enthusiasts and fans of good comics.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Adult/High School-Geary chronicles the man thought by some to be the world's first-known serial killer. Estimates on the number of men, women, and children murdered by the ghastly H. H. Holmes are as high as 200. In fin de siŠcle Chicago, he ran the cruelly efficient "Castle," a twisting maze of secret doors, airtight rooms, gas chambers, and ovens where he secretly dispatched his victims. He was also a con man and fraud, keeping several wives and families, and using any means of deception to further his many nefarious schemes. In a matter-of-fact style, Geary places the unequivocally evil Holmes against the promise then held by the city of Chicago, where the glow of electric lights from the World Exposition turned night into day. In the recounting of Holmes's ever-changing aliases, schemes, coconspirators, families, and victims, the inherent complexity of the tale reduces many of the episodes and characterizations to a blur. The black-and-white artwork is confident and compelling, and comparisons to Edward Gorey (in theme and style) are inevitable. Although it lacks Gorey's dark drollery, Geary's work is certainly stylish in its own right. This macabre tale is certainly not for the squeamish, but older readers who are fans of Gorey, murder mysteries, or true crime may enjoy it.
Douglas P. Davey, Guelph Public Library, Ontario, Canada
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 80 pages
• Publisher: ComicsLit (August 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1561633623
• ISBN-13: 978-1561633623
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,081,444 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars H. H. Holmes, Plain and Simple, May 4, 2004

By	Joshua Koppel (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Beast of Chicago: An Account of the Life and Crimes of Herman W. Mudgett, Known to the World As H.H. Holmes, also know as : H. M. Howard, D. T. Pratt, ... of Victorian Murder (Graphic Novels)) (Paperback)

This is the latest in Rick Geary's series A Treasury of Victorian Murder. Many people have become fascinated with H. H. Holmes thanks to the book The Devil And The White City. But unlike that book, this is not a dramatization. Instead it is a simple chronological account of the man based on what little evidence actually exists.

Not a whole lot is know about Dr. Holmes, much is supposition and here say. Geary does an excellent job of recounting the facts as well as highlighting many inconsistencies in the legend (i.e. at one point Holmes admitted to the murder of 27 people but some of them were still alive).

Although Geary's series is written in a comic book format, this is not really a comic book. The reader is drawn in quickly and then the story is presented in a very clear and straightforward manner.

Whether this is your first account of Holmes or your tenth, I am sure you will find the story fascinating.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A story of a Victorian murder scenario, October 10, 2003

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

Rick Geary's Beast Of Chicago is a story of a Victorian murder scenario and one H. H. Holmes is presented entirely in black and white graphic novel format, providing readers with a blend of insight, humor, and survey of the world's first serial killer who operated in the late 19th century around the Chicago World's Fair. Holmes murdered up to 200 people, and his reputation comes to life in this exciting graphic novel story.

4.0 out of 5 stars No, it's NOT meant to be a competitor to "Devil in the White City" . . ., August 15, 2008

By	Michael K. Smith (Gonzales, Louisiana) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: The Beast of Chicago: An Account of the Life and Crimes of Herman W. Mudgett, Known to the World As H.H. Holmes, also know as : H. M. Howard, D. T. Pratt, ... of Victorian Murder (Graphic Novels)) (Paperback)

Artist/storyteller Geary does what might be called documentary graphics novels of the macabre and sometimes gory variety. Here he's concerned with Herman Mudgett of New Hampshire, who, under the name "Dr. H. H. Holmes" (among many others), cut a bloody swath through the crowds of visitors to the Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. He's often regarded as "America's first serial killer" -- or at least the first we know about. He was married to (at least) three women at one time and often put them up in hotels near each other, he built a "murder factory" in the suburb of Englewood with secret rooms, drop-shafts, and a basement crematory, and he was responsible for the deaths of at least three dozen men, women, and children who can be identified. (The total was probably more like a hundred victims and may have been nearly twice that.) In a day of casual identification, and relatively slow travel and communications, Holmes was able to disappear people without much trouble, and his apparently winning personality convinced others to accept his explanations. Geary has a very precise black-and-white drawing style perfectly suited to the Victorian world of which he writes and his books -- and the research behind them -- are always fascinating.