I recently watched the movie The Gray Man, which centers around the early-20th Century killer Albert Fish. It wasn't an awful movie, but only those with prior knowledge of the case will really enjoy it, as it puts in many details out of context.

I first learned about Fish through Harold Schechter's book Deranged. Schechter wrote to Robert Bloch (author of Psycho) when Schechter was doing a book on Ed Gein, since Bloch's book was based in part on Gein. Schechter states that he asked Bloch why Gein was still so fascinating and creepy to people. Bloch replied, "Because nobody remembers Albert Fish."

That led Schechter to research and publish Deranged, and it, like most of Schechter's work, is required reading for true-crime buffs.

Click on the link above to read more about Fish, but there is much, much more to Fish and his proclivities than is mentioned on most sites, and I highly recommend Schechter's book for those truly interested in a fascinating character.

One of my earliest memories of hearing the name Jack the Ripper came from the short story, "Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper" by Robert Bloch. Of course, Bloch is most famous as the author of Psycho, but he wrote a few stories about Jack including "Yours Truly," which I think is one of the best horror stories ever. Bloch's mixture of humor and horror made him stand out as an artist of the short story form. It was announced today that there will be a release Bloch's story in comic book form.

Psycho author Robert Bloch's seminal tale of the Ripper in then-contemporary times was originally published in Weird Tales in '43. Now it's getting adapted to comics for the first time ever, by acclaimed writer Joe R. Lansdale and John L. Lansdale, and featuring art and colors by Eisner-nominated artist Kevin Colden (Fishtown).

32 pages, $3.99.

Coming in June.

Joe Lansdale is a great choice for the writing portion, as his Southern Gothic style combines the same elements of humor and horror that Bloch excelled at. If you have a chance and are not squeamish, check out Lansdale's zombie short story "On the Far Side of the Cadillac Desert with Dead Folks," one of the few great zombie stories.