Did You Hear What Eddie Gein Done? Review: Beautifully Ugly

Ed Gein was a psychotic serial killer who not only murdered women but also wore their skins, dug up bodies and even dug up his mother who he worshipped as a goddess. He was the basis for not only Norman Bates from “Psycho,” but also Leatherface from “Texas Chainsaw Massacre.”

Historical true-crime writer Harold Schechter has teamed up with comic writer/artist Eric Powell to create a comic based on Gein’s life called “Did You Hear What Eddie Gein Done?” The comic tells of Gein’s life from when he was a child living with an overly religious mother who constantly told off Gein and his brother and even hated his dad to his death in 1984. Gein is an interesting figure for fans of historical true crime. Schechter and Powell do manage to show what Gein may have been like as a child.

While much of his childhood is second-hand storytelling, if true, the writers did a fine job of making her into a monster. It seems like because of her that Gein became like that. Gein’s brother, Henry and his father seemed like the only normal ones according to the writers. As an adult, the writers do try to recreate the murders, kidnappings and grave robberies but there isn’t much. Many of these events seem like they were rushed to fit as much as possible in a comic that’s meant to be only about 200 pages.

One possible explanation is that there isn’t much info on these incidents since they weren’t as heavily publicized. The artwork is black and white and it’s easy to see this was done in pencil. Still, the artwork is top quality. Don’t expect to see any good-looking people here since everyone is drawn as ugly as possible. This is a brilliant choice on Powell’s part because there is nothing pretty about Gein, his life, or what he did. 

If you’re a fan of historical true crime “Did You Hear What Eddie Gein Done?” is one of the better comic adaptations out there. While much of Gein’s adult life is summarized, the information told here is still fascinating and shocking. The artwork with the ugly as all sin characters is the perfect accompaniment to the story.