Synopsis
A gutted corpse! That was the calling card of Wiley and Micajah Harpe, America's First Serial Killers! HARPE reveals the little known true story as seen through the eyes of Wiley himself and will leave you scarred for life! At the true beginning of the Old West, the brothers Harpe began a murderous spree that could only end badly as they searched for the man who double crossed them. A blood-curdling tale for true-crime fans! An original graphic novel written by award-winning writer Chad Kinkle and illustrated by Adam Shaw (Image's BLOOD STREAM), HARPE is sure to grab readers by the throat and not let go!
Review
I'm a sucker for true crime books. There's just something creepy about reading about these horrific events that actually happened. I can watch campy horror or sci fi fantasy all day long, but if it's something based in fact, then it really gets under my skin. HARPE is definitely a comic that gets under one's skin and crawls like mad. Written by Chad Kinkle, the story follows a pair of murderers who wreeked...wrought...wraut...whatever... havoc across Middle America in the early 1800s. The story has an OCCURRENCE AT OWL CREEK BRIDGE theme going on from the beginning, where two criminals are being hung for crimes the reader doesn t know about yet. In the instant that the rope tightens, one of the crooks narrates the detailed tale of Harpe's murder spree. Kinkle does a good job of making us dislike the main character. He murders without conscience: women, children, the weak, animals. None of them have any pity from him. Still, the story is compelling because, after witnessing these horrible crimes Harpe commits, you want to hang in there and see him get what's coming to him. Some of the crimes, which I won't go into in too much detail here, are pretty wince-inducing, but Kinkle and artist Adam Shaw do their best to show these crimes not in a glamorizing way, but in a cold hard facts sort of manner. By doing this, the shock of the violence hits you all the more and resonates long after the pages have been turned. One scene in particular involving a baby and another involving two people tied to horses are going to be etched in my brainpan for a while. Artist Adam Shaw does a great job with this book. His black and white and gray panels look to either be done in pencils or charcoals. These are textured panels that look authentic and aged. The action Shaw depicts is memorable in the angles he chooses to use. And the aforementioned violence, although gruesome, is pretty damn beautiful when you see it done by Shaw's capable hands. HARPE is an original graphic novel that clocks in at about 94 pages. The book reads quick because of Kinkle s capable way of pulling the reader in and Shaw's deft artistry making even the ugliest of actions stand out and stamp themselves in your mind. You re not likely to forget this story after putting it down. Ambush Bug is Mark L. Miller, reviewer and co-editor of AICN Comics for over eight years. --Ain't it Cool News
The story of the Harpe brothers is mired in rumor and myth. In modern times, their story is relatively unknown. I had never heard of them until I picked up this graphic novel. What is known is that between the years of 1797 and 1799, Wiley and Micajah Harpe roamed Tennessee and Kentucky--killing as they went. Their victims included men, women, and children. By the time they were stopped, the body count was well over two dozen. It was the first widespread killing spree to hit America. Chad Kinkle and Adam Shaw's Harpe tells the story of the serial killers from the perspective of Wiley Harpe, the younger of the two. Falsely accused of murder by a townsman named Moses Stegall, the two brothers escape jail and collect their wives--intent on tracking down and killing the man who set them up. Whether the motive is true or not, Kinkle does not go out of his way to make the brothers sympathetic. He does not demonize them, but he never shies away from the atrocities the Harpe brothers committed. In the execution of its story, Harpe mixes family tension, revenge, and early frontier history to create a captivating character study of the killers. Harpe is brutal, there is no other way to describe it. The brothers shoot, stab, and torture their way through the pages. They put their families through hell in their pursuit of retribution. The violence is not hidden, but it never devolves into gore or torture porn. All the atrocities are stark, and the book is very effective bec --Comics Bulletin
The story of the Harpe brothers is mired in rumor and myth. In modern times, their story is relatively unknown. I had never heard of them until I picked up this graphic novel. What is known is that between the years of 1797 and 1799, Wiley and Micajah Harpe roamed Tennessee and Kentucky--killing as they went. Their victims included men, women, and children. By the time they were stopped, the body count was well over two dozen. It was the first widespread killing spree to hit America. Chad Kinkle and Adam Shaw's Harpe tells the story of the serial killers from the perspective of Wiley Harpe, the younger of the two. Falsely accused of murder by a townsman named Moses Stegall, the two brothers escape jail and collect their wives--intent on tracking down and killing the man who set them up. Whether the motive is true or not, Kinkle does not go out of his way to make the brothers sympathetic. He does not demonize them, but he never shies away from the atrocities the Harpe brothers committed. In the execution of its story, Harpe mixes family tension, revenge, and early frontier history to create a captivating character study of the killers. Harpe is brutal, there is no other way to describe it. The brothers shoot, stab, and torture their way through the pages. They put their families through hell in their pursuit of retribution. The violence is not hidden, but it never devolves into gore or torture porn. All the atrocities are stark, and the book is very effective because of it. Kinkle avoids the flowery speech usually found in historical pieces, instead using realistic dialogue with a simple southern dialect that never feels forced or stereotypical. The main strength of Harpe is its efficient simplicity. There is no padding; subplots are introduced and resolved--always tying into the main plot and not leaving any loose ends. Kinkle doesn't take the story in any odd directions; he tells the tale in a refreshingly straightforward way. It's not the most innovative of stories, but it is entertaining, direct, and very effective. Similarly, Adam Shaw's art compliments the direct storytelling. Painted in black and white, the pages are full of gritty action and emotion. It is not the most detailed, but (like the writing) its very effective. Shaw manages to capture the look and fashion of the early frontier. Desolate forests, waterfalls, and even snow-filled nights loom throughout the pages. Action scenes are fluid--with the violence brutal and done realistically. Shaw's use of shadow and chiaroscuro are very well done, and they add ominous tones to the book. As with the writing, Shaw's art captures both the gritty nature of the subject matter, and the historical setting of the story. Overall, Harpe is an entertaining look at an often ignored part of American history. Kinkle and Shaw have created a wonderful character study of two killers, taking history and spinning a great story out of it. For fans of true crime, historical fiction, or just non-superhero comics, Harpe is a fitting book and well worth the read. -Nicholas Slayton --Comics Bulletin
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