A legend that still holds us captive

London is steeped in legend and myth. From King Arthur to Robin Hood, myths have been spread and talked about so much that they’ve become reality. One of London’s mysteries is that of Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

I finished reading “Sweeney Todd: The Graphic Novel” this weekend. The graphic novel was adapted from Thomas Peckett Prest’s penny dreadful serial “A String of Pearls.”

The art in this novel was gorgeous. Any pages with Todd were bordered in black, where other characters stories were bordered in white, or other light colors. This distinction, though minor, really added to the story. There was also minimal violence shown in the pages, a plus for younger readers, who seem to be the books intended audience.

That’s not to say the book isn’t scary. The original is very different from Steven Sondheim’s musical and Tim Burton’s screen adaptation, the story that I am familiar with. Todd was not originally the sympathetic anti-hero that these adaptations paint him as. He kills for selfish reasons, namely money, and, twice, for a string of pearls. Often, his face is painted in shadows as he looms over his victims.

Even more scary is Mrs. Lovett, the owner of a meat pie shop and his partner in crime, who locks men in the basement to make the pies. They are only to eat the pies, and when they grow tired of their job, she has Todd “polish them off.” There is a never ending string of cooks who end up in the very pies that they were baking.

Yep. Creepy.

The book includes a helpful afterword addressing the legend of Sweeney Todd. Prest’s periodical was not the only story of a killer barber; Todd was written about in The Newgate Calendar, which published gripping tales of criminals. However, no official records of a trial exist, leading many to believe that the story in The Newgate Calendar was a fabrication.

Whether fact or legend, Sweeney Todd’s story is captivating. Brought to life in vivid color, this graphic novel is the best way I can think of to relive the legend of the Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

Why Dexter has me hooked

I didn’t think I could ever get so attached to a serial killer. I had a brief tryst with Hannibal a few years ago when the television series was popular, but, while other fans seemed to love the character Hannibal as though he was some tragic hero, I hated him. Eventually, I stopped watching. The gore became a little too much for me and my delicate sensibilities.

When my sister told me she though I would like Dexter, I scoffed. In fact, through the first season, I was doubtful. I could see why my sister, a psychology major interested in forensics, would like the show. Me, however? I couldn’t see myself getting attached to this particular story.

How very wrong I was.

I watched the last half of season 2 in a single afternoon, and after that have tried to squeeze in at least one episode a day, sometimes averaging at three or four episodes a day.

So. What’s up with Dexter? That’s the key question, the reason I keep watching. He is a self-professed monster. He hunts people as a hobby. He is one scary dude when he gets angry. I jump when he shows his “dark passenger.” But he is, strangely, the hero of the story. His sardonic humor certainly helps. Without his dry remarks to himself, the story would be a twisted one. Which, to be fair, it already kind of is.

There is something darkly pleasing in the way that crime scenes get steadily more creative. Despite the fact that most of the bad-guys are, in fact, disgusting monsters, it is interesting to get a peek into their head.

Right now, I am working my way through Season Six, the season of “the doomsday killers” probably the most gruesomely creative serial killer dynamic duo the show’s ever seen. So far, this is my second favorite season only behind the fast paced, heart-pounding season four; the season of the Trinity killer. This is because of the heart-pounding tableaus that DDK paints for his audience; namely Miami Metro Homicide. After a girl was killed with a trip wire and hung up on a cross to look like an angel, my housemate, who was in the room at the time said “Well, that was horrible, but actually kind of aesthetically pleasing.” I had to agree. “Yeah, they’re killing it,” was my response.

Gruesome, yet aesthetically pleasing is perhaps the best way to describe the show. Why is the audience not scared of Dexter when he raises his knife? Because they are rooting for Dexter to win. There is something pleasing in how he hurts those who have hurt others. They are the monsters, not him.

And no one cares about aesthetic more than Dexter, who sets up his “kill rooms” with care. This season, he killed a high school jock on a scoreboard. Just as the bad guy’s creativity grows, so does Dexter’s. It makes one want to continue watching with vigor. What will they come up with next? And how will Dexter take them down? Because if there is anything 5 seasons have taught me, it’s that somehow, he always wins. Or kind of wins.

Even though I didn’t think I’d love it, I am watching and will continue watching with vigor.