“Torso” is a graphic novel by Brian Michael Bendis telling the tale of the hunt for the real life “Torso Killer” who operated in Cleveland, Ohio in the 1930s. I picked up the book as part of my shipment from Instock Trades and thoroughly enjoyed it. Bendis is a writer who I’ve been reading a lot of lately because he is the “it” writer at Marvel right now. He spent a long time doing a run on “Daredevil,” which I thoroughly enjoyed, and he’s currently writing “New Avengers.” I find his “New Avengers” stuff to be hit or miss mostly. I’ve also listened to quite a few interviews with him on various podcasts around the internet. He’s an artist and writer I’ve been aware of for some time and through that familiarity I decided to try his indy book, “Torso.”
In “Torso,” Brian Michael Bendis also picked up the artistic chores on the book. I dig the artwork in Torso quite a bit. Bendis illustrates his book in a high contrast style using deep black shadows to create a mood. He also inserts in the book photographs from historical records of the case. The use of photos (which are black and white like the artwork) is not jarring or disturbing to the reading experience. They’re nicely integrated into the work. I really appreciate the simplicity of the artwork and how Bendis is able to break down each character into simple straightforward characteristics. For example, you can always identify Ness by the part in his hair or Detective Myrlo by the angle of his hat.
For the most part, the I have no complaints about the artwork but I feel I should mention a few minor criticisms. The use of the benday dots at the beginnings and endings of chapters didn’t feel like it fit into the book very well for me. The artwork had this human feel to it and the dots bring in this digital, mechanical feel. It just doesn’t sit very well with me. Also, I’ve said it before on my Cerebus review and I’ll say it here again. I don’t really enjoy when the artist makes me turn the book on its end just to keep reading a page. Bendis has several pages where the art and dialogue are presented in a circular composition. Basically, I have to keep rotating the entire trade paperback to read those pages. It’s more of an annoyance than anything else.
The writing in “Torso” is excellent. The book is full of the usual quick Bendis dialogue which is always amusing. It’s obvious to me that Brian Michael Bendis also spent considerable time researching the history of the Torso murderer in Cleveland. His book is enough to make me want to go out and seek more information on the subject. I’ve always been fascinated by Eliot Ness and I think Bendis’s book will encourage me to go out and buy Ness’s “Untouchables.” Frankly, “Torso” is an excellent crime story and if you enjoy such works, I suggest you go out and get it.
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