Torso

I've heard good things about Brian Michael Bendis and finally got around to reading one of his works. Torso is a graphic novel that tells the true-crime story of a 1930s serial killer at work in Cleveland, Ohio, who leaves mutilated bodies around town with feet, hands and heads removed. At the same time, the city has hired famous lawman Eliot Ness to come from Chicago to clean up their corrupt city, starting with the police force. The story moves between Ness and his work in dealing with the press, politicos, and cleaning up the city, to the two detectives who are primarily working the Torso case. There are personal and interpersonal developments with all the main characters, but the thrust of the story is a police procedural, so these are left in the background for the most part, which is appropriate given the choice Bendis is making in telling his story. As a second level they give a nice amount of texture to the main story and get you to care more about the main characters. Bendis makes it clear at the end of the book that much of what he has presented is based in fact and provides some of the sources for art and photos that appeared throughout the story. This was neat to see some of where the story came from but left me a bit frustrated as to what was made up, particularly in terms of the climax of the story. But I was okay with that. As in real police work, all questions aren't always answered when the case is wrapped, and sometimes the best you can do to close a case is to identify the perpetrator, even if you can't charge him or her. For the most part I also loved the art style. I loved the cinematic aspects of it, and the heavy black and white style fit perfectly with a story set in the 1930s. I also loved the way real photographs were blended with drawn art, often as backgrounds showing real Cleveland settings, underscoring the theme that this is the author's embroidering (by imagining conversations) on real people and a real time. Occasionally it was hard to tell characters apart, especially Ness and the detectives, and I sometimes had to retrace a series of dialogue balloons to figure out who was saying what, but I was okay with that. On the whole, it was a great read, and a quick one, as I read it in one sitting, but I'll definitely revisit it and look for more of Bendis' work. One minor complaint--my book was bought new but the last page is already coming unglued from the binding, so this book will have to be treated with care as the binding appears somewhat fragile.

"Torso" is a great comic. Not being a huge fan of crime-fiction myself, I gave it a try based on Bendis's excellent work on the comic series "Powers." Also, I liked the idea of a real-life "super-hero" in Eliot Ness pitched against a real-life "super-villain" in the form of the Torso serial killer. Like Alan Moore's "From Hell," Bendis took a real, unresolved case and weaved a drama around facts. His story-telling is realistic and gritty, and does not contain Moore's flights of fancy. I would have liked to have seen an appendix, separating the drama from the known facts, and why Bendis choose his particular culprit. The art is not a strong initial attractor, but after reading a few pages it starts to flow. The mix of photos and drawings is effective. This is really strong stuff, and I recommend it to comic fans and crime-fiction fans alike.

I've read a few Bendis titles in the past and have been just okay with them. I ran across this one at the library and decided to give it a try. Absolutely stunning. This guy shouldn't waste his time with hero comics because when he's just okay with them. While getting his hands around historical crime, he just explodes into someone like a Caleb could only hope to be. This was on level with "From Hell" in the graphic world and Elroy's "Black Dahlia" in non-graphic, but lacking some of their depth. Well researched and well presented. It's a story I had never heard of and will definitely read more about in the future. The presentation, which is something I rarely comment on in a graphic book, was unbelelievable. I loved the mixture of drawing with old photography. I was impressed with the authentic dialogue based on periodic idiomatic expressions. And the wording, I just came away so impressed with it. The way it was connected to visually cue your eyes to the graphics. And how it was always easy to follow the structure due to this, even though it was anything but the linear paneling we are used to with comics. One moment that is just spectacular is an interrogation of a potential suspect by Eliot Ness and how the format swirls around two pages leading into a metaphorical abyss. And you'll have to read a little more to understand that abyss comment. Loved the ending! Loved the ending! Loved the ending! It may not meet the expectations of those that demand conclusion, but there was something so fundamental about the nature of power there that I just loved it.Top 5 all time Graphic Novel. And who can ever compete with Sandman, so let's be real and say Top 4;)

Although this book is relatively thick, I finished it in two hours. Why? Because it is the kind of book where it grips you, with it's great dialogue, its interesting frames, and the great mystery unfolding. I was quite impressed. I originally picked it up off the shelf because of it's interesting cover, but from reading the back I made up my mind and had to take this one home. It won't last you very long, because even someone who doesn't read graphic novels will be hooked on this.

This book is an amazing display of Brian Michael Bendis story telling ability. He guides us through the world of Elliot Ness as he searches for the world's first serial killer. What amazes me most is his relentless re-telling of a real life story from begining to end the true events are dramatizes in an extrordinary way. Great, scary, facinating ride through the city of Cleveland in the 1930's ... but this is not a kids book!