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A Treasury of XXth Century Murder, Compendium II: Including: Sacco and Vanzetti, Black Dahlia, Lovers Lane, Famous Players
400 pages of real murder cases from the 20th century! From the famous Sacco & Vanzetti story through the ever-intriguing renowned Black Dahlia murder of a striking aspiring actress in Los Angeles, the mysterious murder of silent movie director William Desmond Taylor in early Hollywood to that of a preacher and his lover found murdered in a park, here is a collection of scandalous murders which were never solved or marked the century. Meticulously researched, they are presented in Geary’ s inimitable tongue-in-cheek style.
320 pages, Paperback
Published January 14, 2025
About the author
Rick Geary
190 books203 followersRICK GEARY was born in 1946 in Kansas City, Missouri and grew up in Wichita,
Kansas. He graduated from the University of Kansas in Lawrence, where his first cartoons were published in the University Daily Kansan. He worked as staff artist for two weekly papers in Wichita before moving to San Diego in 1975.
He began work in comics in 1977 and was for thirteen years a contributor to the Funny Pages of National Lampoon. His comic stories have also been published in Heavy Metal, Dark Horse Comics and the DC Comics/Paradox Press Big Books. His early comic work has been collected in Housebound with Rick Geary from Fantagraphics Books.
During a four-year stay in New York, his illustrations appeared regularly in The New York Times Book Review. His illustration work has also been seen in MAD, Spy, Rolling Stone, The Los Angeles Times, The Old Farmer’s Almanac, and American Libraries.
He has written and illustrated three children’s books based on The Mask for Dark Horse and two Spider-Man children's books for Marvel. His children’s comic “Society of Horrors” ran in Disney Adventures magazine. He was the artist for the new series of GUMBY Comics, written by Bob Burden, for which they received the 2007 Eisner Comic Industry Award for Best Publication for a Younger Audience.
His graphic novels include three adaptations for the Classics Illustrated, and the nine-volume series A Treasury of Victorian Murder for NBM Publishing. The new series A Treasury of 20th Century Murder began in 2008 with “The Lindbergh Child.” His other historically-based graphic novels include Cravan, written with Mike Richardson, and J. Edgar Hoover: A Graphic Biography.
Rick has received the Inkpot Award from the San Diego Comic Convention (1980) and the Book and Magazine Illustration Award from the National Cartoonists Society (1994).
He and his wife Deborah can be found every year at their table at San Diego’s Comic Con International. In 2007, they moved to the town of Carrizozo, New Mexico.
(from http://www.rickgeary.com/bio.html)
Kansas. He graduated from the University of Kansas in Lawrence, where his first cartoons were published in the University Daily Kansan. He worked as staff artist for two weekly papers in Wichita before moving to San Diego in 1975.
He began work in comics in 1977 and was for thirteen years a contributor to the Funny Pages of National Lampoon. His comic stories have also been published in Heavy Metal, Dark Horse Comics and the DC Comics/Paradox Press Big Books. His early comic work has been collected in Housebound with Rick Geary from Fantagraphics Books.
During a four-year stay in New York, his illustrations appeared regularly in The New York Times Book Review. His illustration work has also been seen in MAD, Spy, Rolling Stone, The Los Angeles Times, The Old Farmer’s Almanac, and American Libraries.
He has written and illustrated three children’s books based on The Mask for Dark Horse and two Spider-Man children's books for Marvel. His children’s comic “Society of Horrors” ran in Disney Adventures magazine. He was the artist for the new series of GUMBY Comics, written by Bob Burden, for which they received the 2007 Eisner Comic Industry Award for Best Publication for a Younger Audience.
His graphic novels include three adaptations for the Classics Illustrated, and the nine-volume series A Treasury of Victorian Murder for NBM Publishing. The new series A Treasury of 20th Century Murder began in 2008 with “The Lindbergh Child.” His other historically-based graphic novels include Cravan, written with Mike Richardson, and J. Edgar Hoover: A Graphic Biography.
Rick has received the Inkpot Award from the San Diego Comic Convention (1980) and the Book and Magazine Illustration Award from the National Cartoonists Society (1994).
He and his wife Deborah can be found every year at their table at San Diego’s Comic Con International. In 2007, they moved to the town of Carrizozo, New Mexico.
(from http://www.rickgeary.com/bio.html)
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 28, 2025
A Treasury of XXth Century Murder, Compendium II: Including Sacco and Vanzetti, Black Dahlia, Lovers Lane, Famous Players by Rick Geary
This meticulously researched graphic non-fiction collection revisits four haunting true-crime sagas from the 20th century through Rick Geary’s distinctive black-and-white illustrations and clear, measured narrative: the controversial trial and execution of anarchists Sacco and Vanzetti, the still-unsolved Black Dahlia murder in Los Angeles, the eerie Lovers’ Lane double homicide, and the mysterious death of silent-era director William Desmond Taylor (Famous Players). Each case is presented with historical context, factual detail, and Geary’s subtle, wry tone, inviting the reader to ponder unresolved questions rather than simply consume lurid details.
Reading this felt like stepping into a documentary drawn by hand, where the weight of real lives lost and justice sought permeates every page and panel. Geary’s restraint and respect for the material made me feel more thoughtful than sensationally thrilled, and the visual format brought clarity to complex legal and societal backdrops in each era. If you love history, crime, and graphic nonfiction that honors its subjects, this is absorbing and richly informative.
Rating: 4 out of 5, for its compelling blend of artful storytelling and historical investigation.
This meticulously researched graphic non-fiction collection revisits four haunting true-crime sagas from the 20th century through Rick Geary’s distinctive black-and-white illustrations and clear, measured narrative: the controversial trial and execution of anarchists Sacco and Vanzetti, the still-unsolved Black Dahlia murder in Los Angeles, the eerie Lovers’ Lane double homicide, and the mysterious death of silent-era director William Desmond Taylor (Famous Players). Each case is presented with historical context, factual detail, and Geary’s subtle, wry tone, inviting the reader to ponder unresolved questions rather than simply consume lurid details.
Reading this felt like stepping into a documentary drawn by hand, where the weight of real lives lost and justice sought permeates every page and panel. Geary’s restraint and respect for the material made me feel more thoughtful than sensationally thrilled, and the visual format brought clarity to complex legal and societal backdrops in each era. If you love history, crime, and graphic nonfiction that honors its subjects, this is absorbing and richly informative.
Rating: 4 out of 5, for its compelling blend of artful storytelling and historical investigation.
February 16, 2025
Incredibly well-researched and illustrated, Geary depicts four stories of early 20th-century true crime. Each one is fascinating in its rendering of the facts of the case, the historical context surrounding it, and the potential theories as to what actually happened. And while the illustrations are well-rendered and entertaining, they never sensationalize the crimes. This respect for the victims is consistent throughout the stories and is capped by showing the final resting places of those affected by the crimes. It's a nice touch by Geary.
Special thanks to Independent Publishers Group for sending me a copy!
Special thanks to Independent Publishers Group for sending me a copy!
July 26, 2025
This was a well drawn and well researched book. Will definitely read more by this author!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews