Jack the Ripper: A Journal of the Whitechapel Murders 1888-1889

And so Rick Geary's brilliant "Treasury of Victorian Murder" series comes to the most famous Victorian murderer, possibly the most famous murderer ever, drumroll please ... Jack the Ripper! If you're like me and aren't obsessed with the case then you'll know the basic facts. 5 murders of prostitutes in Whitechapel in 1888, vicious mutilation of the bodies hence the nickname "Ripper", and a few of the other details like a note from Jack saying "People will look back and say I gave birth to the 20th century". I've also seen the odd documentary, the Johnny Depp film "From Hell", and an exhibition at the London Dungeon when I was a kid. Some reviewers have pointed out that Geary doesn't bring anything new to the table. Well of course not! If he did, do you think the new evidence, the irrefutable proof, would be presented in comic book form? Yeah, that's how to get taken seriously. Become a cartoonist and then solve the case of Jack the Ripper! Instead Geary does what he always does in his books. Present the case with all its details for the reader to see. He does this in his usual compelling drawing style with black and white inks. The pages are well designed and laid out, the drawings are detailed. The murders are never explicit in their details. Even the goriest murder, the last one of Mary Jane Kelly, is obscured. Geary's choice to tell a grisly tale tastefully and yet conjure up a sense of dread and fear shows his skills as an artist and storyteller. We do however get a sense of the desperation of the lives these women led in Whitechapel. The dingy rooms they lived in, the dark streets, the haunting alleys. Geary brings it all to life and the results are terrifyingly readable. Don't pick this up expecting any new details if you're overly familiar with Jack, but if you've a passing interest in the case like me then you'll love the story. Some of the details will be new but mostly you'll relive the days when the world's most famous and horrific serial killer stalked the streets of Whitechapel. Yet another triumph for Rick Geary and his brilliant series.

Jack the Ripper is a fact based comic. The story is told in the form of excerpts from an unamed Victorian man's journal. He says on this day this occurred on this day this body was found here, etc. The idea is to lay out just the facts and not to try to read into them. Theories on who the killer is etc are presented very briefly as they come up and no one theory is endorsed. The visuals: The drawings here are done in a style that simulates wood cut prints. This lend itself to descriptive diagrammatic illustrations. It also keeps the gore from being so disturbing. This book isn't dwelling on the gore, but it isn't totally possible to avoid it in this case. The drawings of crime scenes etc here are very accurate, so the illustrations add to the information presented. This is a good clean and straight forward telling of the Jack the Ripper stories. It lays out the facts and does this clearly and concisely. If you have already read lots about Jack the Ripper then this won't add anything new. It is also pretty expensive for a black and white comic book, since it is only 64 pages. The best use for this book is perhaps for families or school libraries that want a book about Jack the Ripper. It does tell about a slasher who kills prostitutes, but it is a clean treatment considering the subject.

I knew just the basics about Jack the Ripper when I picked this up in a used bookstore. The drawings were so detailed and clarified logistics (maps, diagrams, plans) in a way that text cannot. The text is extremely straightforward and reality-based, giving them an authority that hyperbole would've ruined. I had no intentions of buying this, but I had a hard time putting it down. Years later, this has turned out to be one of those purchases that I pull out over and over again. It is never far from my bed and sits with two other (soon to be three) volumes in the series. All of them lay out conundrums that leave you chilled and uneasy. You go to bed a little less sure that all is right in the world. Once I was flipping channels on cable and the image of an alley with a distinct bend to it flashed by. "...looked like an alley from the the Ripper killings..." I thought and changed back. Sure enough, it was a documentary on the Ripper. That's how accurate this books visuals are. I correctly associated a photo I had never seen before with the crimes just from viewing Geary's drawings. His illustrative style is fastidious and engrossing. True to it's title I do treasure these volumes. Best of luck and much success to you Rick!

A truly great graphic novel. Geary continues his amazing series of "A Treasury of Victorian Murder" with probably what is the most brilliant installment. The story of Jack the Ripper is explained from somewhat of a historically unbiased and objective view without being overloaded with too many sources. The comic contains a documentary side while melding description, assumption, and mystery alongside great graphic images. I have not found a flaw in Geary series other than some dissapointment with "The Borden Tragedy." I would also suggest Peter Kuper's adaptatation of Kafka's "The Metamorphosis."

While I certainly agree with the previous review that Geary is unable to go to the depth that a true Ripper afficianado might enjoy, I think both the text and art offer a fantastic view of both the murders as well as of life in Victorian Whitechapel. While the royal line is pointed to as a possible suspect, this extends to no more than three panels. Much more time and effort is spent on a variety of lesser suspects, and in attempting to paint a picture of the Ripper from various eyewitness accounts. I highly recommend it for lovers of Victorian times and fiction, Ripper enthusiasts, and lovers of sequential art - for I feel it excels in all areas.