Green River Killer
A True Detective Story
Jeff Jensen
Illustrated by Jonathan Case

Dark Horse Comics
September 13, 2011 / ISBN: 1595825606
True Crime Comic/Graphic Novel / Police Procedural
Amazon

Reviewed by Beth E. McKenzie

This graphic novel could have been many things. It could have been vicious, because the killings were just that. It could have been explicit, but you'll see more on a television-show autopsy. And it could have been a very sad story, but it is not. This story is about two men who wouldn't quit. The first, because you wouldn't need the second without him, is the convicted Green River Killer, Gary Ridgway. Sentenced to 49 consecutive life sentences, it is possible that he killed over 60 young women between the mid 1970's and 2003 with no reason to think he would have stopped on his own volition. The second man is King County Sherriff's Office Detective Thomas Jensen who at times was the only person on the Green River Killer Task Force (1983-present). As the author and son of the Detective, Jeff Jensen gives us a whiff of his father's motivation and disappointments through 30 years of searching.

The simple black and white line drawings allow you to maintain a degree of emotional separation from the subjects, preventing the horror of the task from overriding the main story. Detective Jensen is portrayed as a family man who channeled his frustrations into physical labors in the office and around the house; creating a database, remodeling rooms and building a new deck. He isn't perfect. He smokes, is grumpy with his wife and impatient with his kids occasionally, but he makes the effort to be there when it counts. The choice was made to get Ridgway's cooperation in finding and identifying as many victims as possible, an arrangement that prevented the death penalty. We see the wave of dissatisfaction from the victim's families and the task force after Ridgeway is sentenced because of the deal. This story says, "It may not have turned out exactly as you wanted, but you finished it and look at all the other good things you did. Thanks Dad".

Ridgway received his 49th consecutive life sentence in February 2011, over 7 years after his original sentencing. Today, in February 2012, the Washington State Patrol Missing Persons Clearinghouse is sharing information in an attempt to identify four of the known Green River murder victims. The contact listed is King County Sherriff's Office Detective Tom Jensen.