A Treasury of Victorian Murder Compendium II: Including: The Borden Tragedy, The Mystery of Mary Rogers, The Saga of the Bloody Benders, The Case of Madeleine Smith, The Murder of Abraham Lincoln.

Treasury of Victorian Murder

by Rick Geary

This is an engrossing, illustrated journey into true crime classics of the Victorian era. This second omnibus of storied treasuries of murder includes the famous double axe murder by Lizzie Borden; the mysterious drowning of the lovely Mary Rogers; the Bloody Benders, a family of murderous inn keepers; socialite Madeleine Smith who poisoned an inconvenient suitor; and the famous assassination of President Lincoln. Each true crime story includes a bibliography of research sources, presenting true facts about famous murders in an entertaining fashion.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Nonfiction, History, Comics, True Crime, Mystery, Crime

400 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2015

About the author

RICK GEARY was born in 1946 in Kansas City, Missouri and grew up in Wichita,
Kansas. He graduated from the University of Kansas in Lawrence, where his first cartoons were published in the University Daily Kansan. He worked as staff artist for two weekly papers in Wichita before moving to San Diego in 1975.

He began work in comics in 1977 and was for thirteen years a contributor to the Funny Pages of National Lampoon. His comic stories have also been published in Heavy Metal, Dark Horse Comics and the DC Comics/Paradox Press Big Books. His early comic work has been collected in Housebound with Rick Geary from Fantagraphics Books.

During a four-year stay in New York, his illustrations appeared regularly in The New York Times Book Review. His illustration work has also been seen in MAD, Spy, Rolling Stone, The Los Angeles Times, The Old Farmer’s Almanac, and American Libraries.

He has written and illustrated three children’s books based on The Mask for Dark Horse and two Spider-Man children's books for Marvel. His children’s comic “Society of Horrors” ran in Disney Adventures magazine. He was the artist for the new series of GUMBY Comics, written by Bob Burden, for which they received the 2007 Eisner Comic Industry Award for Best Publication for a Younger Audience.

His graphic novels include three adaptations for the Classics Illustrated, and the nine-volume series A Treasury of Victorian Murder for NBM Publishing. The new series A Treasury of 20th Century Murder began in 2008 with “The Lindbergh Child.” His other historically-based graphic novels include Cravan, written with Mike Richardson, and J. Edgar Hoover: A Graphic Biography.

Rick has received the Inkpot Award from the San Diego Comic Convention (1980) and the Book and Magazine Illustration Award from the National Cartoonists Society (1994).

He and his wife Deborah can be found every year at their table at San Diego’s Comic Con International. In 2007, they moved to the town of Carrizozo, New Mexico.

(from http://www.rickgeary.com/bio.html)

Reviews

[Dominick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even better than the first collection, I think. Geary does a generally fascinating job in his retellings/adaptatinos of these true stories. The Lizzie Borden one repeats the odd (and, I believe, fictional) conceit of being adapted from a contemprary anonymous account--a very odd device--and also included reprints of several genuine contemporary documents, the only story to do so. It is a compelling account, regardless, but I find the other ones more engaging. The one about the Benders, especially, is an excellent study in economy and understatement as it deals with the moral monstrosity of the Benders. Geary has a fascinatingly static style. Many panels look as if they are copied from or at least designed to suggest photographs. Word balloons are rare--entirely absent from some of the stories--so the controlling voice is narrative and descriptive; the characters are represented from without, rarely allowed to speak for themselves, and never given thought balloons. Design features repeatedyl stress the factual/historical: maps, reproduced docuemnts, floor plans etc. It is very meticulous, precise work, and consistently fascinating.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

You’re either the sort of person who wants to look at fictionalized drawings of famous murders or you’re not. If the later, this book isn’t for you. Move along. If the former, ZOMG PICK THIS UP! It’s a fun(?) take on true crime and some well-known cases.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read much true crime, so the graphic novel illustrations were a welcome form of storytelling to help me visualize the "facts" of each murder. Overall a very enjoyable read. As with many famous murder cases, most of the cases retold are unsolved, or have many unanswered questions. The illustrations and text are tastefully done, but do note that just like many murders some of the details are unpleasant (severed limbs, lewd individuals, etc.), so do not confuse this with a children's book. A Young Adult perhaps, but I believe the content is too mature for those under 10 or so, if not 13. (Only mentioning because some adults assume illustrated storytelling equals children's stories, and that is not the case.)

[Steven Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first enjoyed Greary's work in National Lampoon, and although I find his drawing primitive compared to artists I enjoy, I'm very pleased with this compendium. I always like him better in black and white then color.
The stories are well-done and I enjoyed the pacing, narrative, and keep going back to them. Lincoln's murder is the most familiar, and the Benders, which I haven't heard of before, was intriguing, and the open spaces are handled well. Also, I enjoy his authenticity. It's good seeing John Brown without a beard, which he only wore in the last two years of his life, and I like seeing (in the Borden story), people walking up and downstairs emptying chamber pots...which is how you started the day back then.
A very enjoyable book, and has a happy place in my library.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

All the details that Geary squeezes into each of these stories is so fascinating. I honestly think that the subject could be less dark and it would be every bit as interesting. But I it's because these murders are so brutal that we now have so much detail on the participants and events. It's crazy when you realize that these people lived 150 years ago and regular historical records were very incomplete back then. So many details of their lives can only be guessed at.

[ComicNerdSam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally rounding out Geary's murder books, a pretty great note to end on. This collection has probably the best of these. Borden, Benders, Lincoln, Geary handles all of them with a luscious art style and pretty objective observations. Even when drawing Abraham Lincoln having his brain ripped out of his head, Geary's books never feel exploitative. Some of the best comics about history here.

[Bethany Yardy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this collection. Geary uses primary source material in building his narratives, and his maps and diagrams were perfection. Who doesn't want a room-by-room breakdown of the Borden house? Or the geography around the Benders' "inn"? Perfect in every way.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think the bloody benders were my favorite!

[Lisa Kizer · Rating 4 out of 5]

True crime and in comic form! Love it. Wish a lot more histories are/were done in comic format.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

The attention to detail in the Victorian settings is amazing. Gasoliers, window treatments, architectural elements!

[Elisha Hollis · Rating 4 out of 5]

definite 4.5 stars for me, i love a good true crime graphic novel and this was just that.

[Mickey Bits · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent collection of interesting stories. History that I enjoy reading.

[degelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

As usual Geary's work is excellent. I sat on purchasing this one for a long time but it was a pleasure to read. His drawings, layout, text and meticulous attention to detail are immaculate throughout. The maps and blueprints he supplies with each story are an engaging visual guide to the circumstances (the Borden's hallway-free house is a prime example... so strange).

There were cases I had never heard of and others that were more than familiar. Either way, they left nothing but questions in their wake, which pretty much sums up the human condition. Four out of five cases end with no one receiving a sentence or punishment. Three are perpetrated by women, which is a departure from Compendium I. The last story covers aspects of the Lincoln assassination I had never read before. It was a quick read but I enjoyed every minute. Glad I finally own this.

[Lisa Macklem · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entertaining read, especially if you are into murderers. Very much in the same vein as Compendium I. The line drawing is almost juvenile - therefore at odds with the subject matter. Once again, bibliographies are provided for most of the stories - some very well known others not so much. At times there is almost too much speculation. If you are looking for "this is what really happened" you are unlikely to find it, again underscoring the almost documentary feel of the book. I did like the way many of the stories had an almost parallel counterpart in Vol I and Vol II - for instance, the two Presidential assassinations. The "documentary" evidence did reveal information about the incidents that I wasn't familiar with, so now I'm curious about the actual historical accounts...

[Bill Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even better than the excellent first volume! More 19th Century mayhem from Rick Geary and the stories here are more appealing for their lack of familiarity. Sandwiched between Lizzie Borden and John Wilkes Booth are Mary Rogers (Poe's Marie Roget), the Bloody Benders of Kansas, and the remarkable story of Madeleine Smith, who went from being a notorious accused murderess to become a member of the most famous group of proto-Bohemians in London. I hope NBM press also collects Geary's XXth Century murder series because these are some of the best examples of history told as graphic stories I've ever read.

[Sherrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another wonderful addition to the Rick Geary true crime graphic novel collection. This is a collection of several of his already published works. I enjoyed all this stories in this anthology especially the story of the Bloody Benders whom I wasn't familiar with prior to this book. The illustrations are great and the cases are presented in thorough detail. Looking forward to reading the first book in this series. Highly recommended.

[Thaozilla Nguyen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not bad. The drawings are amazing.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr. Geary provides another series of interesting stories with an astonishing amount of research. I found it quite interesting to read the details of the L.Borden case as well as the M.Smith case. I thought the Bloody Benders case to be the most intriguing.

[Graham Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful. Great line work, very detailed, yet easy to read and process. Do not miss!

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Creepy stories, good art if not somewhat simplistic art. Historically basic in some cases, but always well presented and walks the fine line between crime and gore very well.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciate the artistic style and layout of the graphic novels more. Geary does a good job setting up the scene and laying out the different theories.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another compendium of true crime from a bygone era. I think the Bloody Benders and Lizzie Borden are the standouts in this collection.

[wildct2003 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent stories and pictures as always.

[Matt Peters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cold Case Files from the 1800s! Interesting. Terrifying. Awesome.
I've gotta read volume 1!