Serial Killer Theater

Hello to all the world,
Well I hope you are all having an excellent week. I myself have suffered some financial blows, as of late but really aren’t we all? At least I’ll always have books. The written word will keep me in these troubled times. That is some solace I suppose. Did any of you watch the Tony Awards this weekend? I thought it was an amazing show. As someone who lives far away from Broadway I always watch the Tony’s to see what plays/musicals will be making the regional rounds. I’ll often pick up a CD, or published play if I see a great clip on the Tony show. This year I am definitely going to pick up Yasmina Reza’s God of Carnage and The Norman Conquests. As a past theater geek I also loved the performance from Hair which was amusingly exuberant. I was also captivated by the new musical Next to Normal which I will pick up as soon as I can.

Well enough about me (hah!) let’s move onwards!

Review
The Roberts
I’ve been eagerly awaiting the release of the original series The Roberts from the moment I heard about it. Originally released as a two issue series I decided to wait for the trade. Okay confession time: I have a strange fascination with serial killers. Where I reside the story of Ted Bundy is a common cautionary tale for young women such as myself. I find it interesting to read interviews, biographies, and analysis that tries to determine what makes these killers tick. Sure we’ve managed to pull together psychological profiles but there still manages to be permutations that befuddle us.

In The Roberts writer Wayne Chinsang has spun an interesting scenario: The narrator is a senior citizen who is actually The Boston Strangler (you see they got the wrong guy). He has been retired and living in a nursing home for 4 years. While still dreaming of his former victims he remains a bit of a loner among the other seniors. However he becomes drawn to a new resident the very friendly Robert. It is revealed that Robert is actually the infamous Zodiac killer.

Once everything is set up The Roberts becomes a fascinating character piece. These men ruminate on the nature of their existence and their separateness. The art style is not overtly flashy, but it suits the “talking heads” nature of the story. Writer Chinsang does a great job of making these men creepy but also believable. These guys are way past their prime and clearly miss the thrill of killing. Now the only power they have is their anonymity, which is now threatened. Again this story was fascinating and I highly recommend it.

Other Reviews
And now the screaming starts | Battlemouth

The Reading List
Books
Batman: The Long Halloween
Invincible vol. 3

Mags
Four Four Two

Comics
Incognito #2

Comic Pull List: Action Comics #878, Batman #687, Deadpool #11, Fables #85, Flash Rebirth #3, Wolverine #74.

Checkout Count: Not Bad.

Have a great week! Book Slave.