Comic Book Review: The Green Woman written by Peter Straub & Michael Easton, illustrated by John Bolton
Even notorious serial killers can tire of the grind of constantly working, performing their arcane craft of artistic murder. So it is with Fielding “Fee” Bandolier, who’s done an entire triology worth of serial killings, and that’s just the ones people know about. Maybe it’s time to settle down, have an actual relationship with a woman, might even stop killing people. Except that the supernatural elements that are entwined with his career may not let him.
Hunting FB is Bob Steele, a New York police detective who was named after an old-time cowboy actor, which has caused him a lot of ribbing over the years. He’s got an obsession with serial killers, and may be haunted by the ghost of his namesake (or it could be metaphorical.) At the moment, he’s screwing up the case of the Virgin Killer by violating the suspect’s rights and performing illegal searches.
Following that lead takes him overseas to the “Black Galleon”, a supposedly haunted pub made from the wood of a pirate ship, which is missing its figurehead.
Meanwhile in Illinois, FB is visiting The Green Woman Tavern, an abandoned British-style pub named after a certain figurehead. Courses are about to collide.
This graphic novel was co-written by noted horror author Peter Straub, and some of the characters are his–including Fielding Bandolier, who initially appeared in Koko, which I reviewed on this blog some years ago. The fully painted art by John Bolton ranges between striking and muddy, and he’s taken the interesting step of “casting” Fee’s appearance as a pre-Doctor Who Peter Capaldi, a friend of his.
The story is fragmented and pretty hard to follow, including flashbacks to FB’s time in Vietnam where he was (if his memory is accurate) appreciated for his serial killing tendencies by the locals.
Content note: Female nudity, extramarital sex, violence, gory mutilation, domestic abuse, rough language, ethnic prejudice. This is one of those “mature readers” titles.
I think I might have liked this one better if I were more invested in the characters. None of them are people I care enough about to root for them. Still, if you’re a big fan of either of the authors and want to see some innovative illustration of their work, this might be the graphic novel for you.
