The “Superhero” Trademark: how the name of a genre came to be owned by DC and Marvel, and how they enforce it Did You Hear What Eddie Gein Done? could easily have been exploitative, but is much more respectful, especially in its depiction of Gein's victims and those left wondering what made this man do what he did. What’s true here is that these fictional characters tend to color Gein’s own history as being as terrible as their own, which might create the expectation that Did You Hear What Eddie Gein Done? will be a splatter fest that gore-hounds will appreciate more than anyone else. That is not the case. New graphic novel from Goon creator Eric Powell matches his formidable skills with one of the foremost serial killer biographers to chronicle one of the most infamous crimes of mid-20th century America I always do deep research for my books. Deviant, my book about Gein (and my first foray into the true crime genre) was written pre-Internet, so I had to do a good deal of digging in archives, libraries, courthouses, etc. I also made a very fruitful visit to Plainfield, where I was able to interview neighbors and acquaintances of Gein’s.

Did You Hear What Eddie Gein Done? | Harold Schechter

Raised by a tyrannical, religious zealot and likely insane mother Augusta and drunken, violent father George, Schechter/Powell provide glimpses of scenes Ed would probably have seen in his youth which might explain his later behaviour, like seeing his mother butchering a pig and his father tanning leather. It’s a very grim life story and it’s not hard to see how damaging a life of paranoia and isolation could be to a person - Ed really had no chance right from the beginning. I never felt the authors were condemning the existence of these stories, but they do point out that the 1940s and ’50s were a time in which violence was being presented in a more explicit manner and that it might’ve offered Gein a chance to fixate on something he would later put into action. It puts the magnifying glass on how Americans consume violence and just how available it is for consumption. It opens up even more avenues of conversation rather than reducing their existence into something inherently ‘harmful.’ This comic book was remarkably readable. Very little was not taken from primary sources, and what wasn't taken from primary source was explained in the end notes with further explanations behind the reasoning afforded. What you got from reading this was not simply the history, but also an analysis of some of the reasoning behind the fixations that Gein developed. I left the book both knowing a great deal more about him, and also wanting to read Schechter's official book about the murders. That having been said? This book seems to summarize the events extraordinarily well. None of it felt like it was glossed over. I am a True Crime enthusiast. I’m one of those weirdo’s that will come out with “interesting” facts about serial killers, spree killers, or cults during a dinner party. I will proudly press my rather age worn and well-read copies of Douglas & Olshaker’s “Mindhunter” or Ressler & Shachtman’s “Whoever Fights Monsters” into the hands of anyone I can convince to read them. But the book that seems to spend more time in the hands of my friends than actually on my shelves, is Deviant by Harold Schechter. He added: “And when my favorite true-crime author and Gein expert, Harold Schechter, enthusiastically agreed to work with me on a project, it was a dream (nightmare?) come true. The best part is we have a really unique take with in-depth information. I’m really proud of this book and I think anyone also intrigued by the darker aspects of the human psyche is really going to enjoy it.”Obviously Ed Gein’s story has been fictionalized many times in the movies,” said Schechter in a press release. “In no visual medium, however, have the bizarre inner workings of his mind been explored and portrayed. The graphic novel is the perfect medium to conduct such an exploration. DID YOU HEAR WHAT EDDIE GEIN DONE? will not only bring the factual details of Gein’s crimes to vivid, compelling life but draw the reader into the phantasmagoric realm of his uniquely deranged psyche.”

‘The Goon’ Creator Eric Powell Shows Off True-Crime Graphic

I do give this one all the credit in the world: I'm sure the temptation to just have letters and reports and shit in plain text was VERY high, and at no point does that happen.In a way, this book was a bit of a first for me. I have read graphic novels before, but this was the first which had true events at its heart. And, with those events being truly horrific, I was interested to see how this subject matter would be handled in this genre. it deserves. With your contribution, you'll gain access to exclusive newsletters, editors' recommendations, Even as a kid who grew up in the ’80s, the story of the 1950s ghoul was a topic in school,” Powell tells The Hollywood Reporter regarding his interest, maybe obsession, with the killer. “How there was really a guy they based Psycho and Texas Chainsaw Massacre after. The scenario that created this sad figure who committed these terrible crimes has fascinated me ever since.” This book, I came across in the library and just had to grab it. Ed Gein is a fascinating figure, the inspiration behind movies such as Psycho and The Texas Chainsaw Massacres. I went into the book knowing a very limited amount about him - partially due to the persistent folklore of a lampshade being made of human skin being a remnant of the Holocaust. Said lampshade, in spite of persistent rumors, has never been found to exist. The lampshade is in fact something that Ed Gein created, if rumors are to be taken as true...