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If you have seen the Movie Monster from 2003 starring Charlize Theron, you might know about Aileen Wuornos, a prostitute serial killer that would rob people between exits while hitchhiking. I have written about the movie before in a slightly satirical tone, but what I found was written much more serious. In a thrift shop short-box of worthless 90s comics, I found True Crime issue 1, featuring an Aileen Wuornos comic portrayal as “The first female serial killer!”
This immediately grabbed my attention. The first female serial killer? That is a bold claim. However Wikipedia points in a completely different direction. After recognizing Aileen Wuornos on the cover, I knew I had to own the comic. I also love checking out rare and unusual comic books that are obscure. Did my curiosity pay off?
It sure did. I have got to say, True Crime is an awesome comic. It tells the story of Aileen Wuornos starting from when she was a little kid. It paints a very different story than was told in Monster. The comic portrayal says that she became pregnant at age 14 and gave birth in a maternity home. After heading to Florida at age 18 she ended up marrying and later divorcing and older man. It also said that her father was a child rapist that killed himself in Jail. The story is told really well and my skepticism of this unusual black-and-white comic book subsided quickly.
The penmanship of the artwork leaves something to be desired. I think it was done with a fountain pen and brush (the way most comics are inked) but the line quality is somewhat poor. At times the line thickness is inappropriate and there is no distinction between the foreground and the background. The title page says the art was by Dan Spiegle.
The way Aileen Wuornos is portrayed on the cover is with an orange jumpsuit and in handcuffs (and with the chain links mysteriously missing) . A quick internet search find the photo reference used to draw the cover.
The comic also portrays Aileen Wuornos’ partner in crime Tyria Moore, who turned out to be much more butch than shown in Monster. Take a look at the documentary Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer and you will see what I mean. I think that Dolph Lundgren looks more similar to her than Christina Ricci, that is for sure.
If you are interested in this comic (Affiliate Link), you should pick it up. Leave a comment with your thoughts.