Maids

by Katie Skelly

Christine Papin, an overworked live-in maid, is reunited with her younger sister, Lea, who has also been hired by the wealthy Lancelin family. They make the estate's beds, scrub the floors, and spy on the domestic strife that routinely occurs within its walls. What starts as petty theft by the maids — who are flashing back to their tumultuous time in a convent — shortly turns into something more nefarious. Madame Lancelin’s increasingly unhinged abuse ignites the sisters' toxic upbringing and social class exploitation and explodes into a ghastly double murder, an event that shocked and fascinated 1930s France and beyond. Maids has high bravura and high intrigue, all drawn in Skelly’s highly stylized manner, which combines the best of pop art, manga, and Eurocomics.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, True Crime, Nonfiction, Horror, Crime, Graphic Novels Comics

112 pages, Hardcover

First published October 13, 2020

About the author

Katie Skelly is an American comic book artist, writer, editor and critic.
Skelly was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in 1985. She studied Art History at Syracuse University and then at City College of New York.
Among her works: Nurse, Nurse (2012, Sparkplug), a 'Barbarella-inspired' sci-fi comic; Operation Margarine (2014, Adhouse), for which she won the Emerging Artist Prize at the 2015 Cartoon Crossroads Columbus Festival; My Pretty Vampire (2017, Fantagraphics), a 70's exploitation-style horror; The Agency (2018, Fantagraphics), a collection of erotic stories previously appeared online; Maids (2020, Fantagraphics), a true crime graphic novel; the ongoing self-produced series Heaven.
Skelly has written about comics on the Comics Journal since 2014. She co-hosts the podcast Thick Lines with fellow cartoonist Sally Madden.

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chilling story of two sisters who no longer want to serve as maids - issues of servatude and abuse are examined - truly haunting. It is always interesting to find the hidden motivation for violence; what makes an individual decided to commit acts that will push them past the point of no return. A very interesting look into the minds of murderers.

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 3 out of 5]

An either deftly concise or slight version of a tale that has many many version/interpretations, the story of two sisters, Christine and Lea Papin, former convent girls, hired as maids, who commit murder in 1931. I'll say it is evocative in places and so attractively framed, but almost assumes you know the story. Maybe we can see it as an introduction for you to go deeper into the various versions of the story, which you can read about here if you have a couple minutes.

https://www.thevintagenews.com/2017/0...

I love Katie Skelly's artwork here, perfect for lending a kind of pretty playfulness to the story, as a set up for a kind of surprise if you knew nothing about the (true) crime. Her version of the story makes it almost horror, as it reveals few background details. Others like Jean Genet's The Maids helped to inspire intellectuals such as Sartre and Lacan to theorize the murders as class warfare. Of course for almost every murder such as this "insanity" arises as an explanation or defense.

Then there's the implication that the two sisters were inseparable, possibly telepathic, maybe even lovers (lesbianism! incest!) and so now we have dozens of versions and a classic national obsession of close to a century. I first read Genet's 1947 play The Maids in probably 1974, saw a production of it soon after; first saw a film adaptation of it in 1975 featuring Glenda Jackson as one of the sisters, which I associate in my mind with Ken Russell's adaptation of D. H. Lawrence's Women in Love, which features similar themes: class struggle and darkly romantic passions. Most versions tend to be more explicitly "darker" than this graphic novel, which of course is an explicit choice on the part of the author.

Here's a kind of "romantic" operatic version, just a minute:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Q5bl...

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bad parents make bad children who become bad maids to bad employers and then bad murderers of bad people. Katie Skelly sets a bizarre tone for a tale that I did not realize until the end was a dramatization based on a true story.

The graphic novel didn't actually do much for me, and I felt I learned more about the crime and its repercussions on the Wikipedia page. There's a list of other works there inspired by the events that seem like they might be more interesting.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slightly horrifying, yet clunky so the true horror of the double murder doesn't really sit with the reader.

It was just fine. You don't get a whole lot of information. Honestly, since it's based on an actual event, a more in-depth look would've been interesting to read.

[Mallory · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had not heard of the Papin sisters before, but it is an intriguing story and I thought it was an excellent choice to tell through a graphic novel. Katie Skelly did an excellent job illustrating the story of two poor girls who are not given any advantages growing up and end up as maids with a wealthy and rather cruel family. The story flashes back to their childhood and time at a convent and their current circumstances. I loved that this was based on a true story and at the end it tells you what truly happened to the Papin sisters.

[Elizabeth A · Rating 2 out of 5]

This graphic novel is a quick read, but I expected more, especially when at the end, I learned that it's based on a true crime "that shocked and fascinated 1930s France and beyond."

What was the point of this story? To show us that these girls had a tough upbringing? That horrible people deserve to be whacked? Maybe something is lost in the telling, but this skims the surface of some dark stuff that simply isn't explored with any depth. The illustration style is sketchy and it's ok, though the noses kept bothering me.

This is an interesting true crime tale, and the author missed an opportunity to tell a gripping story. Anyone have any suggestions of good books/movies about this event?
Wiki page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christi...

[Corrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw the movie Sister My Sister (1994) based on the same murderous Papin sisters and that one went a lot further than Katie Skelly does in her graphic novel Maids. She leaves a lot more unsaid, like the implied incestuous relationship between Christine and Lea for instance.

A lot has been written about this true crime that shocked France at the time, so if you want to know more there is plenty of material around. The comic is a light version, but I do like the overall look of the art and Katie's interpretation of the events.

4 Stars

[Brittany · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars -- I picked this up because I was fascinated by the idea of a true-crime graphic novel. But ultimately it just wasn't long enough. Which was disappointing because the style was perfect and this could have been very haunting. I think if there had been more depth to the characters and a longer draw out to the events leading up to the Papin sisters' crime it would have had a lot more punch.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Based on the gruesome 1933 double-murder in Le Mans, France, this story details how two sisters killed their employers and how their crime might have had roots in the class struggle of that time period.

Christine and Léa Papin were two very close sisters who came from a poor family and had been sent to be live-in maids to help support their mother. Christine had been working for the Lancelin family first and asked for her sister Léa to be hired to help with the heavy workload and long days. The mother and younger daughter condescend to the sisters and eventually work up to abuse. Christine and Léa bond together, and there are some uncomfortable hints of a sexual relationship between the two, but eventually, they reach a point where they won’t put up with the two women any longer.

Author and illustrator Katie Skelly has a distinctive art style, that is replicated in her other graphic novels- simple lines that give the impression of the scene without drawing extraneous detail. Backgrounds are minimal, often with blocks of monochromatic color. The panels are streamlined, often only three to five per page with white gutters. I would like to comment on the noses- I am seeing more and more artists who simply draw a few lines to symbolize noses (Noelle Stevenson, Fran Krause) that are minimalist and somewhat off-putting.

This was a fast and interesting read, and people might not realize until the end that it is based on a real crime. The pacing of the first two-thirds of the story was excellent, with flashbacks to the sister’s past, but their final breaking point came suddenly. The ending was abrupt and almost too light-hearted to be non-fiction, so readers might come away thinking it is simply a fantasy horror story. To learn more about the real-life Papin sisters, start with their Wikipedia article. But all in all, a solid graphic novel that might push readers to think about the exploitation of workers and how stress and bias can break people.

You can also read my review on my blog: https://graphicnovelty2.com/2020/11/1...

[Union County Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a serious obsession with Katie Skelly. I think she is one of the most underrated graphic novel illustrators and writers out there. She is so underrated that she barely publishes large numbers of her books, so I am constantly searching for the last bits of my collection. Her illustrating style is incredibly simplistic but beautiful. She is a master of blocking story sequences out, as you will see in this example. (Hint: the last panel is her reflection in the mirror.)

Katie Skelly is a champion of the female voice, and isn't afraid to have her protagonists be a little (lot) ugly on the inside. Maids is a story built around sister maids who have decided to take new control of their lives and lash out against the oppressive societal cultures that are working to keep them underfoot for the rest of their existence. A quick 15 minute read, give it a chance. True crime, servitude, female leads... What's not to love?

- Reviewed by Kris H.

[Meredith Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've long been interested in the story of the Papin sisters and of all the artists I'd hope would tell it, Katie Skelly would be a top choice. I loved it but selfishly wanted more. But, at the same time, it felt like exactly the right amount of story. I'm hoping Skelly interprets more stories like this one; they work perfectly with her style.

[Oriana · Rating 3 out of 5]

An intense, angry little spear of a book. The devastations of early womanhood, the rage of the mistreated underclass, highly stylized violence, and a tale too shocking to have not come from real life. Whew.

[J MaK · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.4) Two sisters abused by their mother set out into the world and get jobs as maids. Their bond is strong but murderous intent is awakened when that bond is tested by their physically abusive employer and her verbally abusive daughter. Needless to say this story has a very “French Ending”. The artwork is simple yet aids the progression of this tragic tale.

[Soleil · Rating 3 out of 5]

picked this up from the library randomly... had no idea this (true story) is what parasite is based on. frighteningly relatable domestic worker rage

[Ruby Scupp · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't ready for the bird and scissors scene.

[Hoover Public Library]

This cute and quick graphic novel tells the true story of the Papin Sisters, two live-in maids hired to work for the abusive Lancelin family in 1930s France. From the first page, readers are engaged in the empathetic perspective and Madeline-ish illustrations of Christine and Lea, who have HAD IT with being abused by their employers. Admittedly, this story is about murdering a family, but at the heart of it is a story of two sisters who value each other and their dignity as human beings. A quick minimalist jaunt for fans of true crime stories with a touch of working class rebellion.
This devilish tale of retribution and sisterhood is hard to put down. Based on a true story, this truly adorably illustrated tale of a gruesome deed mixes sweet and sour in a captivating visual medium.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finished this and felt a little "what did I just read?" and then saw it was non-fiction and REALLY felt that way. Super quick, super odd. Adding it to my list of interesting books I'd never feel comfortable recommending to someone.

[Alisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short and macabre read, perfect for Halloween night. Based on a true crime, two sisters, former convent girls now working as maids for a bourgeois family, will commit murder. Not enough background detail to given to figure out what the whole story is, but a creepily entertaining graphic novel.

[The Local Spooky Hermit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Idk what it is but I really like Katie Shelly's stuff that I've gotten ahold of. This ones on a true crime case I like. I have a movie based on it. It doesn't get too into the nitty gritty of all that went on, but I enjoyed it nonetheless!

[Aimee · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think so much more could have been done with this. The true story is a lot more interesting than this comic makes it out to be. Not enough substance for me and I wasn’t a fan of the artwork or the font type used - when too much was squeezed into a speech bubble it was a bit hard to read.

[Chance Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like if Sophia Coppolla wrote a graphic novel -- for better and for worse

[nomadreader (Carrie D-L) · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was fucking fun.

[Ris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maids puts the gore of "war" in "class warfare" in this graphic novel retelling about the murderous maid sisters Christine & Lea Papine.

There is a timeless struggle & strife between the two: the bourgeoisie and the proletariat, the haves and the haves-not, the wealthy and the poor. This is illustrated as readers are taken back to 1931, France and see the same class dynamics that still divide today, but to bloody consequences. Maids is a quick read that unsettles - in the fashion of Bong Joon-ho's Parasite with brief, isolated cut-awy scenes of psychopathy & homoeroticism - more than informs.

CW: for mentions and depictions of animal torture, incestuous implications, parental abandonment, financial parental abuse, & mutilaton & murder

diversity representation (class) in Maids is thematic

[Amanda Belcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cool graphic novel adaptation of the true crime case of the Papin sisters! I heard about this case awhile ago and didn't remember many details, but it was interesting to see this from the sisters's perspective. I just wish it was a bit longer and went a bit more in depth. We get some good back story and the jumping timeline is handled well, for the most part. I wanted more expansion in certain areas, we get some creepy scenes, and there's a build up, but the ending was slightly abrupt and I think the storyline itself would have benefited from more exploration in spots.

I've never read something quite like this (though I'm sure similar graphic novelizations exist), so overall this was a really interesting, quick read and I'd be interested to check out more like this in the future.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Fantagraphics through Edelweiss. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.*

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Katie Skelly is no stranger to blood. It pooled in the pages of her 2017 book My Pretty Vampire, but the bloodsuckers of legend have nothing on real-life sisters Lea and Christine Papin. Maids is the story of these two sisters who, after leaving a convent, work for a wealthy family in pre-war France. Their troubled childhood and potential mental illness shadows their labor as they cook, clean, and suffer abuse at the hands of their employer, Genevieve. From the beginning Skelly creates an air of dread, beginning with a severed eyeball in the first panel which transforms into a doorbell by page 2. The depravity of servitude dominates the women's lives, and the few joys they find come from theft, gossip, and imagining the horrors they could rain down on their employers. Their turn to violence is sudden and brutal, just like this short, powerful book. In these days of wage stagnation and the hoarding of wealth, Maids reads almost--almost--like a superhero origin story.

[Courtney · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a super quick and interesting read, but ultimately I wanted a lot more out of it. While the author does provide brief flashbacks and smaller glimpses into the past trauma and the mental states of the sisters, I didn’t feel it thoroughly conveyed the extent of the damage that led them to such an extreme breaking point. I think readers would connect better with the story if that gradual descent were clearer.

There was also something very off about the pacing. It felt as if everything escalated very quickly rather than being something that developed over time. The conclusion arrives very abruptly and is over as soon as it begins, which is far from the truth. I wish the author had better conveyed how drawn out this entire incident was- both the build-up and the crime itself.

I enjoyed Skelly’s art style. It’s distinctive and bright and has a lot of detail and expression for such a straightforward style. It was a pleasure to experience.

I’ll also note that I appreciated the author providing a brief summary of the events that occurred after what is depicted in the story. It provides solid closure for the reader while also serving as a subtle reminder that these were true events.

Overall, it’s an interesting read that can be knocked out quickly in one sitting. The art style is great, but don’t expect anything too in-depth as far as the story goes. I think I would have enjoyed this better had my true crime expectations been managed.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't realize I was already familiar with the true story this is based on. The story itself was brief, but the illustrations are gorgeous. I lingered because of that. Even though other reviewers have said there wasn't enough information and they would have liked to read a more in-depth story... well, you should! This isn't meant to be your #1 source. It touches on the pain in their lives and what brought them to the end of the story.

[Valerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fast read, but a gruesome one, based on a true story (believe it or not). It was interesting enough to read, but I was felt disconnected to the characters, and the ending is pretty abrupt. Triggers abound so it's not for the faint of heart. Definitely a sad story that looks at mental illness, abuse, and the difference between classes in 1930's France. I found the actual history to be more interesting than the book, but without the book I would have never even heard of this event.

[Katrina Rigsbee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't know anything before I started reading, which was honestly so fun. To find out that it is based on the true lives of Christine and Lea Papin added a whole new level of creepy.
Loved Skelly's style and layout.

[Peyton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this graphic novel without really looking into what it is about, so the story was a total surprise to me. The graphics are excellent, with a distinctive style that matches the setting and themes. I wish the characters were more fleshed-out, though.