MISS OCTOBER VOLUME 1

"PLAYMATES, 1961"
Writer: Stephen Desberg | Artist: Alain Queireix | Colorist: Kattrin

Set in the early sixties, MISS OCTOBER is an entry into the "hard-boiled crime noir" genre -- but unlike many such stories, its main protagonist is a beautiful young woman named Viktor Scott, the deaf daughter of a wealthy couple in mid-century Los Angeles. The story opens in 1963, as Viktor breaks into a UCLA museum to steal a priceless artifact. The police, led by one Lt. Ariel Samson arrive, alerted by an alarm, and Viktor is caught by an Inspector Clegg Jordan -- but he and Viktor share some past, and Clegg lets her go.

The story then jumps back two years, as the L.A. police struggle to solve a series of murders. Beautiful women are being raped and stabbed, with the killer labeling each victim as if she were a Playmate -- "Miss January" and "Miss February" have already died, and Inspector Jordan is on the case to prevent further such killings. Meanwhile, Lt. Ariel Samson, Clegg's rival, has been assigned to investigate a string of art thefts in the area -- which, of course, are being perpetrated by Viktor for reasons unknown.

In short order, we learn that Viktor was recently assaulted in her parents' home while they were away, and that she suffers partial amnesiam of the event, which is also what caused her deafness. Meanwhile, there's a sordid soap opera going on in the LAPD, where Ariel is having a secret affair with a female officer, but is also getting it on with Clegg's wife, Margeaux -- while Clegg spends his time banging hookers when he's not on a case or at home with Margeaux and their young daughter. It's like MAD MEN if they were all detectives instead of advertising executives!

(Oh, Ariel is also Clegg's superior, and while early on we see them nearly get into a fistfight at the office, later, Ariel says he would take a bullet for Clegg -- and he feels really guilty about all that sex he's having with Clegg's wife.)

Anyway -- Viktor believes the serial killer may have been the person who attacked her, and wants to find him. She hires a private detective named Juanita to help her out. Meanwhile, Clegg's investigation leads him to the trail of a stolen car which he beleives was taken by the killer. At various points in the book, that car is seen outside Viktor's house and later, driving past Margeaux on the street, where the unseen driver snaps some photos of her. Still later, the car pulls up alongside a girl named Tiffany, and the driver offers her a ride. Recognizing him, she gets in and they drive off together.

Eventually, Viktor receives a note from someone telling her that he or she knows what happened the night of her assault. She goes to her father, but he has been avoiding her since that night, and she decides not to confide in him after all. Instead, she gives Juanita some valuable stones she recently stole, and has her fence them for money to pay the letter-writer when they inevitably come back with a price for their information.

The volume concludes with Viktor and Juanita meeting at a diner to discuss their next moves. Clegg arrives to make time with Juanita, and Viktor lays eyes on him for the first time.

We're in the early going, but so far I really like this series. Arist Alain Queireix has clearly painstakingly researched Los Angeles in the sixties, and I love it. Everything looks incredibly authentic, adding to that MAD MEN vibe I joked about above. I love the early seasons of MAD MEN aethestically, when -- since it's the early sixties -- everything still looks like the 1950s. And that's exactly the sort of visual we have here, too.

And the story is great, with the above-mentioned soap opera stuff, an egrossing mystery, and fascinating characters. If I have one complaint, it's that Clegg and Ariel look a little too similar, both being men of average build with slicked-back black hair. Would have hurt to give one of them brown or blond hair instead?? But other than that, the artwork is brilliant and the story is excellent. I look foward to our next few weeks looking at the rest of the series.