Violent Cases

Violent Cases is an exemplary literary portrayal of memories and their effect on our perceptions. It begins with the narrator informing the reader that he was subjected to some degree of abuse as a child, specifically recalling a moment where his father had injured his arm while trying to put him to bed one night. He then describes the dysfunctional relationship between his mother and father before delving into the circumstances surrounding his injury. His father takes him to see an osteopath who can put his dislocated or sprained bone back in the correct position. During his visit, the osteopath informs the boy that he had been Al Capone’s osteopath many years ago in Chicago. Curious to learn who Al Capone was and why people were referring to him in ways he did not understand, the boy asks questions to his father and grandmother who tell him no more than that he was a gangster. When the boy returns to see the osteopath again, he begins telling stories about the gangster lifestyle back in the days of Capone and informs the boy that he will see him again one day. The boy ends up at a magic show in the lobby of a hotel where he runs into the osteopath at the bar, who continues to tell stories of Al Capone. The story then cuts to the narrator at age 16 seeing a star fill the entire sky with light before suddenly disappearing. The story cuts back to the bar scene where the osteopath is approached by the magician when four armed men enter and tip their hats to the boy before leaving. The shine of the man’s teeth is compared to the glowing star he sees in the future. The story ends with the glow being reflected in what might be the car of the four armed men.

Gaiman’s vividly appealing writing meshes perfectly with Dave McKean’s dark, mysterious visual style and the artwork of this graphic novel is unlike anything I’ve seen before. This story portrays the concept of evil in a very personal, yet cloudy style.

Violent Cases. First Dark Horse edition, 2003.

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