Madison Square Tragedy: The Murder of Stanford White

by Rick Geary

Overview

Nominee:
Reuben Award for Best Graphic Novel
YALSA, Great Graphic Novels for Teens

Bringing to life turn-of-the-century New York and the scintillating career of one of its most famous architects, as well as the vices that cost him his life, this true-crime graphic novel tells the story of one of the most scandalous murders of the times. Stanford White was one of New York’s most famous architects, having designed many mansions and the first Madison Square Garden; his influence on New York’s look at the turn of the century was pervasive. As he became popular and in demand, he also became quite self-indulgent: he had a taste for budding young showgirls on Broadway, even setting up a private apartment to entertain them in, including a room with a red velvet swing. When he met Evelyn Nesbit—an exquisite young nymph, cover girl, showgirl, inspiration for Charles Dana Gibson’s drawing The Eternal Question and later for the movie The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing—he knew he was on to something special. However, Evelyn eventually married a young Pittsburgh decadent heir with a dark side who developed a deep hatred for White and what he may or may not have done to her.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781561637621
Publisher:	N B M Publishing Company
Publication date:	12/01/2013
Series:	Treasury of XXth Century Murder
Pages:	80
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Rick Geary is an award-winning cartoonist and illustrator. He has worked for Marvel Entertainment Group, DC Comics, Dark Horse Comics, and Heavy Metal magazine, and has contributed to National Lampoon and the New York Times Book Review. He is the author of the A Treasury of Victorian Murder series and the Treasury of XXth Century Murder series. He lives in Carrizozo, New Mexico.

Editorial Reviews

His clean, purely linear artwork is not only a delight to look at but serves the narrative in a near perfect union of pictures and words.”  —Publishers Weekly on Lovers Lane


“He uses his detached style to get at something essential in the story he’s telling, contrasting his placid portraiture with the roiling passions just under the surface.”  —Onion AV Club on Lovers Lane

“No season would be complete without the latest in Rick Geary’s ongoing series of 20th-century murders: with elegant, unsettling penwork, Madison Square Tragedy: The Murder of Stanford White tells the notorious story of architect Stanford White, who was murdered by a jealous husband in a theater atop the original Madison Square Garden. Expect his usual tongue-in-cheek tone.” —Publishers Weekly

"To be able to share Madison Square Tragedy, a shining example of the possibilities of the comic medium—with those who would not necessarily approach a comic book—is a triumph." —Jenny Randle, New York Journal of Books


"Geary’s old-fashioned black-and-white line drawings, vividly evoking the turn-of-the-century milieu, and his reliance on text-heavy captions as a sort of voiceover impart a documentary air to his thoroughly researched account. A standout entry in Geary’s consistently fascinating true-crime series." —Gordon Flagg, Booklist


"A steady and enthralling account of White’s murder which also provides an impressive narrative of Nesbit’s ability to survive in a world of men trying to control her and bend her to their wills." —Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher