http://comicbookdb.com/issue.php?ID=64492
Writer/Artist: Brian Michael Bendis & Marc Andreyko
Publisher: Image Comics, $24.95
Why You Should Know It: Based on the true story of the Torso Murderer, Torso follows Eliot Ness as he tries to solve the mystery of the Torso serial killer during the '30's.
Torso is a solid example of Bendis' earlier crime work before he cemented his status as one of the head writers of the Marvel Universe. If you know anyone who is generally showing interest in his work then you should definitely steer them this way. Considering he controls the bulk of the Marvel heroes in the Avengers titles and the very succesful Ultimate Spider-Man, I often get a lot of readers interested in checking out his past work. I usually try to aim people towards the titles Alias and Powers first and then I'll hook them up with Jinx or Torso usually. Of his original crime books before he hit his popular stride with Powers, Torso forms a sort of trinity along with Jinx and Goldfish.
via Movie Zeal
Personal Review: I have honestly kind of fallen off the Bendis bandwagon as of late, which is why I do hold his older works in higher regard. While I greatly enjoy some of his super-hero titles, I really do miss his pure crime stuff. For example, I always viewed his work on Powers before he moved it to Marvel's imprint Icon as a police book with superpowers in it. After he moved to Icon, I now consider Powers a super-hero book with police in it. I think he has strengths in both genres, and wish he could separate them out a bit more.
Dialogue wise, I always felt this was the most balanced of his early work. He can get very chatty at times, to the point you feel he wants to show off his ability to write dialogue. This often comes off as unnecessary to me and can clutter the page a bit.
Bendis did the art chores on this book, lending a darker and grittier atmosphere. It should be noted that Bendis isn't the most polished of artists and that any fans of his writing at Marvel might have to overlook that aspect of the work. It is very stylized and he experiments heavily with negative space, unusual layouts, and collaging.
Throughout the series he inserted case book material from numerous press clippings and other files dealing with these murders. Some of the layouts are a bit clunky and can be a little difficult to navigate through. Especially when you combine that aspect with the heavy blacks he constantly uses and the forced repetition of images, the entire series can seem a little visually bogged down. The image repetition can go both ways for a reader. It lends a little to the style of dialogue, but at the same time it may seem a little lazy.
If you can get yourself pulled into the overall tone of the story, than it will probably help to enhance the reading experience. I originally read this back in 2001 I believe, and at the time it was really a nice break from everything else out on the shelves. It holds up fairly well, even though I find myself being a little more critical of the art. This is partially because now looking over some of his layouts I can see some stylistic things he has pulled into his later work that I don't really care for. I would actually consider his use of negative space an abuse of layouts since I see it so often. It's definitely him as well, because I've seen his collaborators utilize it in titles he has scripted time and time again so he definitely has some need to jam it down our throats. But all in all, still a solid read and a fascinating true life crime story.
If you like this, then try:
Alias, Powers, Ultimate Spider-Man, Jinx, Goldfish, New Avengers, Fortune & Glory, Sam & Twitch, Daredevil, Manhunter, Criminal, Scene of the Crime
Related links:
Printer-friendly version
