Maverick’s newest young-adult original graphic novel, Tectiv Vol. 1: Noirtopia, is a blend of noir and post-apocalyptic fiction written by Richard Ashley Hamilton (Scoop), illustrated by Marco Matrone, and lettered by Dave Sharpe.
When her best friend vanishes, Bingo Finder — the only literate person in a post-apocalyptic L.A. — turns to her beloved, ancient books for inspiration, becoming the first detective in centuries. But to solve this mystery, Bingo must fight for her own life and uncover a conspiracy within this fragile civilization.
Bingo and every other teen in the sprawling farming village of Ellay knows the tales of the old days — of how their great-great-great-grandparents rebuilt what was left of society after some apocalypse or whatever. But that’s ancient history. Boring.
Nah, for Bingo’s generation, today is about staying busy — distracted, even — while tilling the reclaimed City of Industry fields or unloading barges at the seedy port of Bel Air. Or in Bingo’s case, scavenging ruins for artifacts to upcycle and trade at the bartering bazaars — including Bingo’s favorite leftovers, these old things called “books.” Ever heard of ‘em?
Her favorites are the Tectiv books, the ones about men who walked rain-slicked streets at night in hats and trench coats. They searched for answers in a city called L.A., just like Bingo. It was their job. And after the sudden disappearance of her best friend, Fenn, Bingo decides that’s what she’s gonna have to be if she wants to get answers — a new kind of Tectiv for a new world. Because everyone may believe Fenn’s disappearance was the first crime in a long time. But Bingo’s about to learn that it wasn’t. And it sure won’t be the last…
“Tectiv is all about finding things — finding secrets at the heart of a mystery, finding justice for someone lost in an unjust land, finding your true self in the pages of an old P.I. potboiler,” said Richard Ashley Hamilton. “So it’s only fitting that this story has found its perfect home with Maverick and Mad Cave! My deepest thanks go to Mark Irwin, Mike Marts, and Christina Harrington for reteaming me with lettersmith extraordinaire Dave Sharpe and my artistic brother, Marco Matrone. I can’t wait for readers to find our wild, wonderfully weird characters and their savagely beautiful noir world of tomorrow!”
“I echo what Richard said and I also want to thank the whole Mad Cave team and Richard, they are the best colleagues one could wish for,” said Marco Matrone. “I hope Tectiv extraordinary story will enthuse readers as much as it did me while I was drawing it.”
Tectiv Vol. 1: Noirtopia hits bookstores everywhere on December 10, 2024 and local comic shops on December 11 (FOC: November 11) from Mad Cave Studios’ imprint Maverick.
TECTIV Vol. 1 First Look
