Dark Horse Comics announced writer Harold Schecter and artist Eric Powell have teamed for Dr. Werthless; The Man Who Studied Muder (and Nearly Killed the Comics Industry), a new true crime graphic novel that examines one of the most polarizing figures in all of pop culture – Dr. Frederic Wrtham.
Here is the description of the 200-page hardcover graphic novel:
Reviled by comic book fans as a witch-hunting zealot who stirred up panic among the parents of America for his own self-promoting purposes, he was also a renowned psychiatrist who, among other accomplishments, opened a clinic in Harlem for disadvantaged African-American patients and played an important role in the desegregation of the nation’s schools. Believing that murder could be abolished through a proper understanding of the mental and social roots of criminal violence, he took a genuinely humane approach to some of the most notorious homicidal maniacs of his time. Among these was the monstrous Albert Fish, whose relationship with Wertham forms a key section of Schechter and Powell’s book, epitomizing the renowned psychiatrist’s deep contradictions: his enlightened efforts to shed light on the most depraved aspects of human behavior and his willingness to exploit his subjects’ lurid cases histories for his own commercial ends.
Dr. Werthless: The Man Who Studied Murder (And Nearly Killed the Comics Industry) arrives on July 31, 2024, with a cover price of $29.99.
If you are not familiar with Dr. Wertham, now would be an excellent time to listen to the Major Spoilers Podcast, where we discuss his impact in comics.
