What do you think?
Treasury of Victorian Murder
The Mystery of Mary Rogers
Mary Rogers was a compellingly beautiful lass employed in a cigar store in New York City. Then, she suddenly disappeared, her body recovered in the Hudson off the Jersey side. The press had a field day with all the shocking possibilities. Inspired Edgar Allen Poe’s “Mystery of Mary Roget.”
80 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 2001
About the author
Rick Geary
190 books203 followersRICK 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)
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)
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
September 8, 2014
In 1841, the body of beautiful tobacco store employee Mary Rogers was found dead in New York City's East River. It was a murder that captured the popular imagination of the time - even that of Edgar Allan Poe, whose The Mystery of Marie Rogêt would deliver a fictionalized version of the case in 1842, relocating it to Paris.
More than one and a half centuries later, American cartoonist and true crime specialist Rick Geary decided to take yet another look at the murder of Mary Rogers, this time in graphic novel form and from a more sober, historical perspective. The Mystery of Mary Rogers provides a detailed account of the murder case, discusses various theories and opinions on it, but ultimately does not claim to be able to solve the mystery. As a result, readers looking for answers will likely be frustrated with the reading experience.
Instead, The Mystery of Mary Rogers functions as a time capsule of sorts. Both Geary's wording and his illustrations evoke the everyday life and mentality of mid-nineteenth-century New York City, and the reader cannot help but delve into a world marked by hierarchies, values and ways of thinking that differ fundamentally from those of our time. The experience is made all the more fascinating by the unsolved murder case that puts the spotlight on the period's dirty underbelly, providing insights that tend to be neglected in more conventional history books.
The calm, subtle, unimposing, historically accurate comics by Rick Geary provide a stark contrast to the exploitative tendencies of today's mainstream culture, and I'd highly recommend them to fans of alternative comics. If you've never read a graphic novel by Rick Geary before, The Mystery of Mary Rogers would make for a great place to start! 4.5 stars, I'd say.
More than one and a half centuries later, American cartoonist and true crime specialist Rick Geary decided to take yet another look at the murder of Mary Rogers, this time in graphic novel form and from a more sober, historical perspective. The Mystery of Mary Rogers provides a detailed account of the murder case, discusses various theories and opinions on it, but ultimately does not claim to be able to solve the mystery. As a result, readers looking for answers will likely be frustrated with the reading experience.
Instead, The Mystery of Mary Rogers functions as a time capsule of sorts. Both Geary's wording and his illustrations evoke the everyday life and mentality of mid-nineteenth-century New York City, and the reader cannot help but delve into a world marked by hierarchies, values and ways of thinking that differ fundamentally from those of our time. The experience is made all the more fascinating by the unsolved murder case that puts the spotlight on the period's dirty underbelly, providing insights that tend to be neglected in more conventional history books.
The calm, subtle, unimposing, historically accurate comics by Rick Geary provide a stark contrast to the exploitative tendencies of today's mainstream culture, and I'd highly recommend them to fans of alternative comics. If you've never read a graphic novel by Rick Geary before, The Mystery of Mary Rogers would make for a great place to start! 4.5 stars, I'd say.
July 31, 2011
On 28 July, 1841 a woman's body was found floating in the Hudson, off the shore of Hoboken, New Jersey. She'd been dead for a few days after being beaten and strangled. She was identified as Mary Rogers, the missing girl who worked in a popular cigar shop on Broadway. And so this strange story begins.
We meet the odd people in her life. Her fiancé who makes up an alibi different from his real story despite neither being incriminating. Her mother who reacts bizarrely to the news that her daughter is dead. The former lodger of her mother's house who had meetings with Mary in the days leading up to her death and then tried to have the investigation stopped for no reason.
Geary throws all of the murder’s theories into the book. The murder suspects include: a jealous ex-lover returning from a sea voyage and who becomes angry once his advances are repelled; an abortion gone wrong leads the abortionist faking Mary's death; the fiancé, once the abortion is complete, finds out that Mary wants to leave him and loses his temper.
In fact this last theory (and I've only mentioned three though there are more) is the most compelling, not least because the fiancé drinks himself unconscious every day until he eventually visits the spot where she was supposedly murdered and takes a lethal dose of laudanum.
Even Edgar Allan Poe is a suspect (though unlikely) as his sequel to The Murders in the Rue Morgue was based on the mysterious death of Mary Rogers, becoming The Mystery of Marie Roget. The short story bears many resemblances to the real life case but of course Poe is never really seen as a suspect having barely known the girl years earlier when he lived in New York (he was in Philadelphia at the time of the murder).
It's a testament to Geary's ability that he can take a long forgotten case of a dead young girl appearing on the Hudson River and turn it into such a fascinating and vivid book. The Mystery of Mary Rogers is a very satisfying and interesting comic told with skill and a swift pace akin to a thriller.
We meet the odd people in her life. Her fiancé who makes up an alibi different from his real story despite neither being incriminating. Her mother who reacts bizarrely to the news that her daughter is dead. The former lodger of her mother's house who had meetings with Mary in the days leading up to her death and then tried to have the investigation stopped for no reason.
Geary throws all of the murder’s theories into the book. The murder suspects include: a jealous ex-lover returning from a sea voyage and who becomes angry once his advances are repelled; an abortion gone wrong leads the abortionist faking Mary's death; the fiancé, once the abortion is complete, finds out that Mary wants to leave him and loses his temper.
In fact this last theory (and I've only mentioned three though there are more) is the most compelling, not least because the fiancé drinks himself unconscious every day until he eventually visits the spot where she was supposedly murdered and takes a lethal dose of laudanum.
Even Edgar Allan Poe is a suspect (though unlikely) as his sequel to The Murders in the Rue Morgue was based on the mysterious death of Mary Rogers, becoming The Mystery of Marie Roget. The short story bears many resemblances to the real life case but of course Poe is never really seen as a suspect having barely known the girl years earlier when he lived in New York (he was in Philadelphia at the time of the murder).
It's a testament to Geary's ability that he can take a long forgotten case of a dead young girl appearing on the Hudson River and turn it into such a fascinating and vivid book. The Mystery of Mary Rogers is a very satisfying and interesting comic told with skill and a swift pace akin to a thriller.
January 14, 2016
THE MYSTERY OF MARY ROGERS
(Treasury of Victorian Murder)
Written and Illustrated by Rick Geary
2001; NBM Publishing (81 Pages)
Genre: series, graphic novels, true crime, mystery, crime, suspense
RATING: ★★★★
I am not an expert in graphic novels but I do enjoy a great mystery...and even better it is a true mystery. At work I was checking in materials from patrons when the cover of this book caught my eye. Without paying attention to the words I noticed that it had an old school Victorian feel to it which is a time period I enjoy (a great era for mystery and mayhem). When the words came into focus it sounded like an old time radio episode. Coincidentally, a friend and I had just been discussing graphic novels. Her passion for them kind of made me envious...and I thought this would be a good way to test it all out. I have tried the genre of graphic novels but nothing has really captured my interest. This being a mystery and true crime I thought at least I would discover a new mystery.
The Mystery of Mary Rogers is only 80 pages and is in black and white which lends more mystique to the story set in New York. Mary Rogers, a beautiful young lady, worked in a cigar shop and her charm drove men into the shop and wanting to be her suitor. She never stayed long with one man and had her mother telling her to marry for money. One day she went to her aunt's house and never returned home. The next day her body is found in New Jersey - she was identified, autopsied, and already had a coroner's inquest and her body buried. Adding to the mystery was the fact that her aunt was not expecting her visit and had not seen her that day, she was engaged but was looking to break it off, and she had sent a letter to her ex-suitor asking him to meet her but he ignored it. Both men claimed they did not see her after she departed from her house but both men went straight to the area where her body was found. No one was convicted for her murder but the press (and rumour mill) went crazy with the story. Edgar Allan Poe heard about the case and wrote his own theory in a short story. This case still has interest in the present day since it went unsolved.
Geary did a great job in telling the case of Mary Rogers. He started with the background and facts about Mary Rogers and then about the murder and consequent theories that arose from it all. His illustrations are detailed of the time period. I enjoyed this graphic novel so much I want to try more in this series as well as some others. Stay tuned in my adventures in graphic novels! Also, this mystery has me intrigued so I will be ready Poe's short story and another nonfiction book.
My Novelesque Blog
(Treasury of Victorian Murder)
Written and Illustrated by Rick Geary
2001; NBM Publishing (81 Pages)
Genre: series, graphic novels, true crime, mystery, crime, suspense
RATING: ★★★★
I am not an expert in graphic novels but I do enjoy a great mystery...and even better it is a true mystery. At work I was checking in materials from patrons when the cover of this book caught my eye. Without paying attention to the words I noticed that it had an old school Victorian feel to it which is a time period I enjoy (a great era for mystery and mayhem). When the words came into focus it sounded like an old time radio episode. Coincidentally, a friend and I had just been discussing graphic novels. Her passion for them kind of made me envious...and I thought this would be a good way to test it all out. I have tried the genre of graphic novels but nothing has really captured my interest. This being a mystery and true crime I thought at least I would discover a new mystery.
The Mystery of Mary Rogers is only 80 pages and is in black and white which lends more mystique to the story set in New York. Mary Rogers, a beautiful young lady, worked in a cigar shop and her charm drove men into the shop and wanting to be her suitor. She never stayed long with one man and had her mother telling her to marry for money. One day she went to her aunt's house and never returned home. The next day her body is found in New Jersey - she was identified, autopsied, and already had a coroner's inquest and her body buried. Adding to the mystery was the fact that her aunt was not expecting her visit and had not seen her that day, she was engaged but was looking to break it off, and she had sent a letter to her ex-suitor asking him to meet her but he ignored it. Both men claimed they did not see her after she departed from her house but both men went straight to the area where her body was found. No one was convicted for her murder but the press (and rumour mill) went crazy with the story. Edgar Allan Poe heard about the case and wrote his own theory in a short story. This case still has interest in the present day since it went unsolved.
Geary did a great job in telling the case of Mary Rogers. He started with the background and facts about Mary Rogers and then about the murder and consequent theories that arose from it all. His illustrations are detailed of the time period. I enjoyed this graphic novel so much I want to try more in this series as well as some others. Stay tuned in my adventures in graphic novels! Also, this mystery has me intrigued so I will be ready Poe's short story and another nonfiction book.
My Novelesque Blog
March 21, 2021
Rick Geary’s true crime books have been on my radar for a while. After discovering that my library has a bunch of them, I requested them all and took the plunge. First up is an entry from his Victorian Murder sequence, The Mystery of Mary Rogers. Mary was a 20-year-old living in New York City when she was murdered (or disappeared?) in 1841. She was engaged to be married at the time, and had plenty of suitors beforehand. Mary worked in a popular cigar shop and even encountered Edgar Allen Poe, who later wrote a fictionalized account of her murder. One summer day, Mary’s body was discovered in the Hudson River by the New Jersey shore. Geary walks us through all the people Mary knew and explains how her murder was viewed by the public. He goes over several popular theories at the time, many of which could easily be true. I was engrossed throughout. Geary’s writing is perfectly measured, he doesn’t overload with text, and the story moves at a quick pace. I was really impressed how almost all the text in this comic is narration, yet it remains a page turner. I love how Geary structures the book, too, opening with the murder, going through Mary’s life, the investigation, and final theories. And his pen and ink art is excellent. It very much evokes the time period but never dips into pastiche. For the record: I think the theory that Payne killed Mary is the strongest.
As my first Rick Geary true crime comic, this exceeded my expectations. I now want to read them all.
As my first Rick Geary true crime comic, this exceeded my expectations. I now want to read them all.
July 9, 2012
Rick Geary has rapidly built his way into my mind as one of the best Graphic Novelists out there- not in the traditional sense at all, and that's why I like him. This story, of a murder in New York back in the days when pretty much everyone knew everyone (can you even imagine?) especially in certain circles... a woman is murdered. It would be fairly straight forward- except back then, they didn't have the forensics we did, and the facts from witnesses and such often conflict or seem outright fishy... the evidence itself is a little odd... and worse, there doesn't seem to BE an obvious cause or suspect! ...and add to this that bacvk then, they never ever decided that something was just a 'random attack'... so who did this heinous crime? No one really knows for SURE... and that makes this particular story especially good for a true-crime novel, especially presented with all the maps and hand-drawn faces and places in which the thing happened. Good stuff, another hit and homerun, for Mr. Geary!
February 17, 2018
Interesting, and fun quick read.
February 10, 2018
This graphic novel may be the best book I have yet read about the mysterious death of Mary Rogers. Geary's black and white art is charming (I know that's a funny word to use in this context, but honestly, I was charmed by his art even when he was drawing dead bodies); he's done his homework; and he does something most books about this case don't do: he stays concerned with
what happened to Mary Cecilia Rogers?
from start to finish. I greatly appreciate that in an author.
I believe The Beautiful Cigar Girl (Daniel Stashower) is the book to go to if you're interested in what was going on with Poe and "The Mystery of Marie Roget." Stashower's done some serious digging into Poe's literary biography, and I believe has a more accurate picture. But as a book about the murder of Mary Rogers, Geary's is excellent. He even provides theories about what happened that do a better job of making sense of the evidence than do any of the theories put forward at the time (including Poe's). And he never loses sight of Mary herself.
I believe The Beautiful Cigar Girl (Daniel Stashower) is the book to go to if you're interested in what was going on with Poe and "The Mystery of Marie Roget." Stashower's done some serious digging into Poe's literary biography, and I believe has a more accurate picture. But as a book about the murder of Mary Rogers, Geary's is excellent. He even provides theories about what happened that do a better job of making sense of the evidence than do any of the theories put forward at the time (including Poe's). And he never loses sight of Mary herself.
June 30, 2010
I really liked the idea of putting a 19th c. cold case into a graphic novel format and presenting all the facts. I loved the way the story was told and even included how Edgar Allan Poe adapted the newspaper reports to write and publish his own version of the story (this was before his "Raven" fame). The biggest disappointment was how short the story was. There wasn't a lot of space for details, but the drawings that accompanied the text were fantastic.
February 19, 2025
Definitely a weaker mystery. A 20 year old very attractive woman is found dead in the river of New York in 1841. She used to work in a cigar shop so many wealthy men knew her and she was already quite a popular figure. As some sort of mini celebrity as an charismatic charming figure used to sell more cigars. She grew tired of this pitch and quit her job. Several suiters asked for her hand in marriage. She settled for a plain man living in her boarding house. Another suiter gets into a fight with this man and goes to live in another house nearby.
Mary Rogers is found dead. Some of her clothes are found in a bush nearby. Her fiancé drinks poison soon after. And that's it really. Edgar Allen Poe knew her and wrote a story set in France about the case. But frankly it's all quite dull at the end. She is made into this endless beauty all men wanted to be with. Which is enticing. But the the murder mystery itself is quiet lame. No one is accused by the police. News papers get to write a bit about rumors and then the story is forgotten. Without DNA evidence such cases are impossible to solve. It could have been a random immigrant like in other such cases. Then no one would suspect the person as the police would not ask him for an alibi. The men in her life could have done it too. Or maybe it as a failed abortion. But we just don't know and the story is stretched out with pointless guesswork. It could have been anything.
Mary Rogers is found dead. Some of her clothes are found in a bush nearby. Her fiancé drinks poison soon after. And that's it really. Edgar Allen Poe knew her and wrote a story set in France about the case. But frankly it's all quite dull at the end. She is made into this endless beauty all men wanted to be with. Which is enticing. But the the murder mystery itself is quiet lame. No one is accused by the police. News papers get to write a bit about rumors and then the story is forgotten. Without DNA evidence such cases are impossible to solve. It could have been a random immigrant like in other such cases. Then no one would suspect the person as the police would not ask him for an alibi. The men in her life could have done it too. Or maybe it as a failed abortion. But we just don't know and the story is stretched out with pointless guesswork. It could have been anything.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 23, 2017
First, I appreciate any comic that isn't about superheroes. Second, this subject matter is more like what I would read in a traditional novel. In fact, I may have seen something on a "Mysteries at the Museum" episode. Since it was black and white, it was hard to tell the different men apart, based solely on the drawing.
October 10, 2019
I was unaware of this cold case. Geary once again does a good job of delivering the history and facts surrounding the mysterious death. I didn't realize that this was Poe's inspiration for Rue Morgue. That was a neat factoid.
May 28, 2020
This book had a really good way to introduce the multiple theories about who could of killed Mary Rogers, and explain why Edgar Allen Poe would have been compelled to write about her. Very interesting and intriguing story, a quick and exciting read for someone interested in true crime.
October 17, 2023
An unsolved murder of Mary Rogers in New York City.
The author managed to complie the mystery in an interesting way, and I loved the inclusion of Edgar Allan Poe's story that was inspired by this crime.
I had a lot of theories reading it, and it's sad that it remained unsolved.
The author managed to complie the mystery in an interesting way, and I loved the inclusion of Edgar Allan Poe's story that was inspired by this crime.
I had a lot of theories reading it, and it's sad that it remained unsolved.
March 24, 2017
The only reason this tragic story has maintained any popularity is because Edgar Allan Poe immortalized it in a story. It's just a sad story of a girl who died, who knows how, but everyone seemed to latch onto the abortion theory. It's sad that that's the number one thought when nothing about her body indicated the procedure... Though I like that Geary did give us condensed and succinct summaries with the plausible reasons at the end.
March 16, 2018
A surprisingly concise account of this mystery. Rick Geary always pleases and this is no exception. If you are a Poe and or Geary fan you must own this.
Entertaining.
Entertaining.
May 1, 2018
3.5 stars
November 29, 2018
Historical true crime comics from the master.
June 16, 2019
Read for True Crime month on #bookclub4m.
February 4, 2020
I enjoyed reading this short real-life murder mystery from the 1800s. Sometimes a graphic book gives just the right amount of information.
January 29, 2023
I really liked it! What a great glimpse into the early history of New York! Great illustrations! 😀
April 22, 2026
This has been a wonderful series to read! Geary has done his due diligence.
August 31, 2017
Lol @ Poe
February 23, 2017
Geary doesn't solve the murder, of course, but he does a good job laying out the competing theories.
March 27, 2008
Again, Geary takes something already fairly well covered (I've read the Poe story "The Mystery of Marie Roget," which is based on the story and contains a fair amount of detective work itself) and delves deeper into it. It's as though his books are about the value of research and multiple sources. Poe himself plays into the story, having helped reawaken interest in it, and Geary then discusses the differences between Poe's account (which contains some fictional details) and the real evidence. He also sums up by providing a lot of potentially true theories, something he doesn't do in every book, and while one in particular isn't picked as the most probably explanation, at least there are some explanations, which makes this book more satisfying than even most of his others.
Read
June 1, 2016The comic I read was The Mystery of Mary Rogers by Rick Geary. This comic was about a girl during the summer of 1841 who disappeared without a trace from her house in New York. 3 days later her body was found floating in a river. The story goes back in time to capture Mary’s story and the how some women back in that time used sexual opportunities, among other things, to get ahead in life. One of my favorite things they do in this comic is how they illustrate people's faces. I personally didn’t get into this book, but I think anyone who likes learning about history, social classes, or mysteries would really enjoy reading this.
May 1, 2012
Another excellent entry in Geary's Treasury of Victorian Murder series -- he is quickly becoming one of my favorite graphic novelists (even though I wish there were a better term for nonfiction in graphic form). This is the third book about this case that I've read and it is by far the best. I particularly like how Geary uses maps to illustrate the story -- it really gives you a feel for how places related to each other and how small, in relative terms, New York and environs were at the time of this case, 1841.
July 18, 2013
A short book setting forth the facts and the suppositions of the disappearance of Mary Rogers in New York City on Sunday, July 25, 1841.
This story is the basis of Edgar Allan Poe's mystery tale "The Mystery of Marie Roget" as well as Daniel Stashower's nonfiction book "The Beautiful Cigar Girl" both of which I read and enjoyed.
Geary covers all the bases of what turns out to be a rather complicated story. I especially liked the maps which show NYC and all of the relevant places to this story.
A nice match to Poe's tale.
This story is the basis of Edgar Allan Poe's mystery tale "The Mystery of Marie Roget" as well as Daniel Stashower's nonfiction book "The Beautiful Cigar Girl" both of which I read and enjoyed.
Geary covers all the bases of what turns out to be a rather complicated story. I especially liked the maps which show NYC and all of the relevant places to this story.
A nice match to Poe's tale.
January 28, 2010
Another well-researched true crime graphic novel about a little known case called The Mystery of Mary Rogers, a New York girl who was presumably found murdered near Hoboken, NJ in July 1841. He is very thorough in the conspiracy theories about her death, I think a little too thorough as the book kind of drags in the middle (but interesting nonetheless). Due to the content though, I would recommend this book for ages 15+.
July 30, 2012
Probably my least favorite of Rick Geary's books so far. The story of Mary Rogers is just not that compelling, probably because so little is known about HER or her actual murder. All we have is hypothesis and half-guesses. And most of those are about those around her, not about the girl herself. Don't get me wrong, a Rick Geary book is still a Rick Geary book and its good. It's just weaker than his usual offerings.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews