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Tectiv Vol. 1: Noirtopia
Bingo Finder and every other teen in the sprawling farming village of Ellay know the tales of 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 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 mysterious 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…
180 pages, Paperback
Published December 10, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
December 19, 2024
I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.
3.5 stars rounded to 4.
Tectiv Volume 1: Noirtopia is a graphic novel story following Bingo Fisher, who scavenges ruins for artefacts to upcycle
and trade at the bartering bazaars - including
Bingo's favourite items called books. The books she particularly enjoys are old TECTIV books (detective) where the protagonist searches for clues and investigated in a city that was called LA. When Bingo's friend Fenn mysteriously disappears, Bingo steps into the shoes of one of her beloved TECTIV characters to find out just what has happened and why and her case leads her to discover more than she bargained for.
The novel is set thousands of years after an apocalypse on earth in a new world of mutants, animals who can talk, communal training, and mentions robots too. I hope there will be a backstory mixed in with this series to explain what happened and how for the earth to become as it is in this series.
The illustrations are quite dull and bland which I think was done on purpose to fit the destitution of the world? But many images were also a little blurred, but again, this could have been done on purpose to fit the book, but I'm unsure why it would have been done so.
3.5 stars rounded to 4.
Tectiv Volume 1: Noirtopia is a graphic novel story following Bingo Fisher, who scavenges ruins for artefacts to upcycle
and trade at the bartering bazaars - including
Bingo's favourite items called books. The books she particularly enjoys are old TECTIV books (detective) where the protagonist searches for clues and investigated in a city that was called LA. When Bingo's friend Fenn mysteriously disappears, Bingo steps into the shoes of one of her beloved TECTIV characters to find out just what has happened and why and her case leads her to discover more than she bargained for.
The novel is set thousands of years after an apocalypse on earth in a new world of mutants, animals who can talk, communal training, and mentions robots too. I hope there will be a backstory mixed in with this series to explain what happened and how for the earth to become as it is in this series.
The illustrations are quite dull and bland which I think was done on purpose to fit the destitution of the world? But many images were also a little blurred, but again, this could have been done on purpose to fit the book, but I'm unsure why it would have been done so.
September 23, 2025
Too much, Richard Ashley Hamilton, you're stuffing your books with too much! Which means nothing gets the chance to breathe, nothing gets the chance to land. And then the book suffers from Return of the King syndrome, having several endings falling over eachother. Finally, there's quite a lot of worldbuilding, but it all feels very surface level, it doesn't really cohere.
(Thanks to Mad Cave Studios for providing me with a review copy through NetGalley)
(Thanks to Mad Cave Studios for providing me with a review copy through NetGalley)
March 15, 2025
My thanks to NetGalley and Mad Cave Studios/Maverick for an eARC of this book to read and review.
I'm not a huge noir fan and maybe that's why this didn't really resonate with me. I felt that the plot made no sense, had plot holes that could swallow a Mack truck with no problem and the characters were all tropey, had no real personality and went against characterization/basic survival instincts of actual human beings.
The art was ok, the world building was meh, it felt dark for the sake of being dark because it was supposed to be, not because it naturally was a dark era for humanity and it all around underwhelmed me.
I had one laugh re: the huge mutant coyote eating the Big Bad and that was the only time I felt anything other than annoyance, boredom and/or confusion while reading this.
1, I think I read this one wrong, stars.
I'm not a huge noir fan and maybe that's why this didn't really resonate with me. I felt that the plot made no sense, had plot holes that could swallow a Mack truck with no problem and the characters were all tropey, had no real personality and went against characterization/basic survival instincts of actual human beings.
The art was ok, the world building was meh, it felt dark for the sake of being dark because it was supposed to be, not because it naturally was a dark era for humanity and it all around underwhelmed me.
I had one laugh re: the huge mutant coyote eating the Big Bad and that was the only time I felt anything other than annoyance, boredom and/or confusion while reading this.
1, I think I read this one wrong, stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 12, 2024
Thanks to NetGalley, Mad Cave Studios, and Maverick for the advanced copy.
Tectiv is a post-apocalyptic post-crime crime graphic novel lol Set hundreds of years after the fall of civilization, the citizens of Ellay (L.A.) live a life of communal trading, in peace with the mutants and talking animals in the wildlands around Ellay. We don't get much background on just WHAT happened or how, but the talking animals and existence of mutants hints at something nuclear. I wish Hamilton gave us a bit more background because I kept finding myself wondering how these people and their culture came to be where they are. There's also commentary on technology and robots, in that there is some conflict between humans and mutants and robots or people robotic parts? Again, I wish Hamilton gave us a bit more on this, especially as the bias does play a part. There's much that could have been said particularly with one of the bad guy's reveals that just... doesn't explain anything. Frustrating.
But of course just because someone says they're post-crime, post-everything, living in peace, doesn't necessarily make it true. Luckily for Ellay, Bingo loves scavenging for old books, especially Tective (detective) novels of the noir variety. Hamilton has some fun bring noir detective tropes in a post-apocalyptic world where most people don't know or understand the tropes, but it does feel a bit goofy at times. The mystery isn't overly complicated or twisty either and I wound up being spot on with the bad guy, though there's the hint of a larger scheme at play that Hamilton may address in future issues.
The art by Marco Matrone is perfectly fine. I think my copy had an issue because it was all a little blurry? Unless that was deliberate? Hard to tell but if so, it feels like a mistake. But nothing really stood out aside from a few panels of the overgrown LA. The coloring was fun though, especially with the mutants and exteriors.
Overall an interesting story and setting, with some promise for future installments. Tectiv is an interesting and unique take on the detective noir genre.
Similar Vibes: Depth by Lev Rosen, Horizon Zero Dawn: Liberation
Tectiv is a post-apocalyptic post-crime crime graphic novel lol Set hundreds of years after the fall of civilization, the citizens of Ellay (L.A.) live a life of communal trading, in peace with the mutants and talking animals in the wildlands around Ellay. We don't get much background on just WHAT happened or how, but the talking animals and existence of mutants hints at something nuclear. I wish Hamilton gave us a bit more background because I kept finding myself wondering how these people and their culture came to be where they are. There's also commentary on technology and robots, in that there is some conflict between humans and mutants and robots or people robotic parts? Again, I wish Hamilton gave us a bit more on this, especially as the bias does play a part. There's much that could have been said particularly with one of the bad guy's reveals that just... doesn't explain anything. Frustrating.
But of course just because someone says they're post-crime, post-everything, living in peace, doesn't necessarily make it true. Luckily for Ellay, Bingo loves scavenging for old books, especially Tective (detective) novels of the noir variety. Hamilton has some fun bring noir detective tropes in a post-apocalyptic world where most people don't know or understand the tropes, but it does feel a bit goofy at times. The mystery isn't overly complicated or twisty either and I wound up being spot on with the bad guy, though there's the hint of a larger scheme at play that Hamilton may address in future issues.
The art by Marco Matrone is perfectly fine. I think my copy had an issue because it was all a little blurry? Unless that was deliberate? Hard to tell but if so, it feels like a mistake. But nothing really stood out aside from a few panels of the overgrown LA. The coloring was fun though, especially with the mutants and exteriors.
Overall an interesting story and setting, with some promise for future installments. Tectiv is an interesting and unique take on the detective noir genre.
Similar Vibes: Depth by Lev Rosen, Horizon Zero Dawn: Liberation
December 9, 2024
3.25 stars
Tectiv is the story of Bingo Finder, a voracious reader. One day her friend Fenn disappears, and Bingo decides to don the detective persona she has been reading about in the books she's collected over the years.
This story takes places two thousand years in the future after an event dubbed the Great Cataclysm. In a world where crime and racism are eradicated...or are they? After Fenn's disappearance Bingo follows the clues to uncover a bigger plot than she could have ever imagined.
"If nobody else will do anything, then I'll have to. Only not by randomly wandering the outskirts of Ellay on horseback. I need a plan. I need to do it like they did-- --the characters in these books, who searched for answers. Who helped people, thousands of years ago."
Tectiv might be for you if you enjoy noir style detective stories with a modern spin. It features the classic noir inner monologue juxtaposed by a colourful and expressive art style. This first volume feels very much like a beginning with promise for bigger plot points within an expansive world.
Overall I enjoyed my time with this well enough. The pacing could have been better in certain places, and I would have liked a bit more character depth, but the bones are there, and the plot got resolved satisfactorily with some story threads that can lead to more in subsequent volumes.
"All that fire, and I only sustained a single burn--third-degree right on my heart."
Thank you Richard Ashley Hamilton, Marco Matrone, Dave Sharp and Mad Cave Studios for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Tectiv is the story of Bingo Finder, a voracious reader. One day her friend Fenn disappears, and Bingo decides to don the detective persona she has been reading about in the books she's collected over the years.
This story takes places two thousand years in the future after an event dubbed the Great Cataclysm. In a world where crime and racism are eradicated...or are they? After Fenn's disappearance Bingo follows the clues to uncover a bigger plot than she could have ever imagined.
"If nobody else will do anything, then I'll have to. Only not by randomly wandering the outskirts of Ellay on horseback. I need a plan. I need to do it like they did-- --the characters in these books, who searched for answers. Who helped people, thousands of years ago."
Tectiv might be for you if you enjoy noir style detective stories with a modern spin. It features the classic noir inner monologue juxtaposed by a colourful and expressive art style. This first volume feels very much like a beginning with promise for bigger plot points within an expansive world.
Overall I enjoyed my time with this well enough. The pacing could have been better in certain places, and I would have liked a bit more character depth, but the bones are there, and the plot got resolved satisfactorily with some story threads that can lead to more in subsequent volumes.
"All that fire, and I only sustained a single burn--third-degree right on my heart."
Thank you Richard Ashley Hamilton, Marco Matrone, Dave Sharp and Mad Cave Studios for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
September 13, 2024
This Review is submitted to School Library Journal for their upcoming SMS Fiction Article.
February 28, 2025
Merely OK. Art is cartoonish, good, but often confuses the story more than propels it. It feels rushed. There are a few too many odd leaps in the story for my taste, and we're supposed to feel a gravity that isn't earned. Lots of great puns though, and like I said, the art is good.
July 6, 2025
This one was just ok for me. Not a surprise since detective stories aren't really my thing...BUT...I was way more interested in this world than I expected to be. Not something I would read again but..I might read the next volume some day just for the world building.
January 4, 2025
2.75*
February 5, 2025
Kind of fun. Kind of okay. An interesting take on a post-Los Angeles.
I really liked the aspect, especially when an interesting character Hephaeus comes into play. This was the best part!
But the rest of the story didn't connect with me. Everything hinges on Bingo's complicated love for Fenn, whose secrecy hurts her deeply.
There's a little magical realism-ish with mutants and supernatural-talking coyotes, and vibes of pretending society has progressed more than it has. Certain words and culture have been lost to time too. I wish I could have seen more of Fenn, so I felt as terrible as Bingo with her disappearance.
I wish I liked the execution more because I generally like detective stories, but I don't think this is one most readers could solve on their own with the clues given.
2.5
I really liked the aspect, especially when an interesting character Hephaeus comes into play. This was the best part!
But the rest of the story didn't connect with me. Everything hinges on Bingo's complicated love for Fenn, whose secrecy hurts her deeply.
There's a little magical realism-ish with mutants and supernatural-talking coyotes, and vibes of pretending society has progressed more than it has. Certain words and culture have been lost to time too. I wish I could have seen more of Fenn, so I felt as terrible as Bingo with her disappearance.
I wish I liked the execution more because I generally like detective stories, but I don't think this is one most readers could solve on their own with the clues given.
2.5
December 20, 2024
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc of this!
Tectiv is set in a post apocalyptic world where crime does not exist, or so they say.
Our main character Bingo Finder is the only literate in all of Elley (L.A.) which to me sounds like a fun concept but having to read a book where every other character’s speech bubbles are spelled wrong was really annoying me.
The story felt rushed and i think it should have been multiple volumes so we could’ve got to know the world and characters better. We got no context as to what happened to the world before the story started. Like why is there giant talking animals who have their own monarchy..?
The artwork was fine but not really my taste.
Sadly this book just didn’t work for me.
Tectiv is set in a post apocalyptic world where crime does not exist, or so they say.
Our main character Bingo Finder is the only literate in all of Elley (L.A.) which to me sounds like a fun concept but having to read a book where every other character’s speech bubbles are spelled wrong was really annoying me.
The story felt rushed and i think it should have been multiple volumes so we could’ve got to know the world and characters better. We got no context as to what happened to the world before the story started. Like why is there giant talking animals who have their own monarchy..?
The artwork was fine but not really my taste.
Sadly this book just didn’t work for me.
September 26, 2025
I'm not sure if this book is too short or spends too much time messing around with worldbuilding, but it just doesn't feel like all that much gets done here. And though the world building can be fun, it relies too much on malaprops and silliness. Which I guess isn't a bad thing in general, it's just tonally dissonant for a plot that's about murder, conspiracy, and bigotry.
November 22, 2024
Tectiv is a noirtopia graphic novel featuring Bingo Finder, the only literate person in post-apocalyptic LA. If you ever thought you are getting judged for your bookish tastes, she has it worse. Way worse. When her best friend --and love interest, the lovely Fenn suddenly disappears, Bingo decides to take matters into her own hands, taking inspiration from the detective novels of the past -- cheesy narration and all.
Overall, I found myself getting engrossed into the novel. The worldbuilding was interesting, from the misheard words that the people of this new world hang onto to the themes of transhumanism as well as the dichotomy between humans and cyborgs and robots. You find yourself reexamining our own humanity through its lens.
The pacing at times was a little slower than I expected, but the artstyle and the worldbuilding makes up for it. Besides it has exactly the broody vibe I expect reading a noir. While one of the plot twists was predictable, I was surprised by others and left me wondering about what's to come next.
Finally, special thank you to NetGalley and Mad Cave Studios for the ARC in exchange for my honest review! I really enjoyed reading this and honestly can't wait for Vol 2!
Overall, I found myself getting engrossed into the novel. The worldbuilding was interesting, from the misheard words that the people of this new world hang onto to the themes of transhumanism as well as the dichotomy between humans and cyborgs and robots. You find yourself reexamining our own humanity through its lens.
The pacing at times was a little slower than I expected, but the artstyle and the worldbuilding makes up for it. Besides it has exactly the broody vibe I expect reading a noir. While one of the plot twists was predictable, I was surprised by others and left me wondering about what's to come next.
Finally, special thank you to NetGalley and Mad Cave Studios for the ARC in exchange for my honest review! I really enjoyed reading this and honestly can't wait for Vol 2!
March 17, 2025
That was a good homage to the classic noir genre, mixed with some dystopian sci-fi elements, and mainly geared towards a young adult audience, which justifies the little problems here and there, mainly some stereotypical characters and tropes.
Over all, it is a fun read, with a good mix of adventure, mystery and emotions. I do not agree with those reviews that consider this pretty rushed, since we are talking about a graphic novel after all, and it does a good job in building the world and explaining the relationships between the different races/groups present in this future LA... where, oh no, people can't read!
It also seems to be the first volume in a series (we'll see, I guess), and as such it does a great job on setting the ground for any future narrative. I would be happy to keep reading and see what Bingo, our Tectiv, discovers next...
Over all, it is a fun read, with a good mix of adventure, mystery and emotions. I do not agree with those reviews that consider this pretty rushed, since we are talking about a graphic novel after all, and it does a good job in building the world and explaining the relationships between the different races/groups present in this future LA... where, oh no, people can't read!
It also seems to be the first volume in a series (we'll see, I guess), and as such it does a great job on setting the ground for any future narrative. I would be happy to keep reading and see what Bingo, our Tectiv, discovers next...
September 9, 2025
This was an interesting blend of L.A. Noir Detective fiction and Dystopian/Apocalypse Future story. I guess that's why it's called Noirtopia.
I enjoyed the story and the world. The art was good but pretty much just classic comic book style, which ultimately isn't my favourite.
Still, I want to keep any eye out for more if they make them.
I enjoyed the story and the world. The art was good but pretty much just classic comic book style, which ultimately isn't my favourite.
Still, I want to keep any eye out for more if they make them.
September 8, 2025
I loved how how language was at the core of this graphic novel with books being a virtually forgotten thing and the ability to read similarly almost lost. I'm ashamed to say it took me a while to work out that Tectiv was an example of this as it was wrangled from it's past iteration detective in this new world. Great characters and a mystery still to be properly unravelled in future volumes.
January 3, 2025
This is a post-apostolic story, where robots fought and destroyed the world that we knew it. The main character is a collector of books and anything she can find from the old world. When her best friend disperses, she becomes a detective like in her books. Her investigation leads her to find some deep secrets she never would have imagined.
If you love mysteries, and end of the world type stories with some fantasy mixed in. You might enjoy this story. The art brings out the world as well.
If you love mysteries, and end of the world type stories with some fantasy mixed in. You might enjoy this story. The art brings out the world as well.
May 31, 2025
(3.3) I really like the noir type approach to a post-apocalyptic murder mystery (art was okay). However, in the efforts of crafting authenticity the intentional story gaps may leave you a bit bamboozled.
February 17, 2025
Clever and fun. A great mash up of noir and post apocalyptic science fiction
November 16, 2024
My thanks to NetGalley and Mad Cave Studios for an advance copy of this graphic novel set in a post-apocalyptic world full of mutated humans, talking coyotes, bad people and mysteries that need solving.
"Down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid. He is the hero; he is everything." Raymond Chandler wrote this about his character Philip Marlowe, a private detective who took money to help people, but while rented could never be brought. The private detective is the one thing people can rely on. Institutions can fall, people can be corrupted, but a person looking for the truth, will go the ends where the truth lies, or their own end. This was as true as it was in the 1930's the heyday of detective stories, as it is in the ruins of civilization. The fedora, the trench coat, the attitude, will still be fighting for people. Even if the spelling of their profession has changed. Tectiv Vol. 1: Noirtopia is written by Richard Ashley Hamilton, illustrated by Marco Matrone, with lettering by Dave Sharpe and tells of a young woman looking for her missing friend, with only the books from the past to show her the way.
Bingo Finder is a very good scavenger, finding places that still have goods that can be used, guns that can be turned in and books that Bingo can read. And Bingo might be the last person able to. The world has collapsed for reasons that are varied, some blame mutants, some blame robots, maybe something else. There is little crime, but the mayor who controls everything is always wanting more growing, and more control of things. Bingo has a friend Fenn, who has started to act funny. One night Bingo finds Fenn standing at the edge of her house, just as Fenn jumps Bingo is attacked by a robot armed assailant. When Bingo looks for Fenn she is gone, but no one could have survived that fall. And robots have been wiped out. Bingo turns to her books the Tectiv stories she enjoys most and begins to look around the devastated area of Los Angeles looking for Fenn. As Bingo searches she finds that there is lot that is going on in the shadows, filled with allies and enemies. The deeper Bingo goes the more Bingo wonders if she ever knew her friend at all. Even worse, does she even understand the world she is living in.
A really good mix of noir detective, with the tech-noir of the future. The writing is really very good, along with the world the characters live in. One can see a lot of stories happening here, with the writer dropping different hints here and there. Bingo is great, tough, sad, and best of all smart. Maybe a touch naïve, but honestly what detective isn't. I love the titles for each chapter, showing the fact that literacy is not a thing anymore. The little things the author does really gives the book that extra feeling and again, makes one want to know more. The world is well worth exploring, with talking coyotes, giant snakes, robot cults, and the location being Los Angeles totally makes sense. The art is very good also. One can look at panels without dialogue and just by the art know what the characters are thinking, and feeling. The blown out world has an interesting mix of Road Warrior, Bedrock from the Flintstones and of course Blade Runner. The characters are well rendered, and the backgrounds are fun to examine.
Fans of noir will like this, and fans of strong female characters will also. I look forward to more adventures of Bingo.
"Down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid. He is the hero; he is everything." Raymond Chandler wrote this about his character Philip Marlowe, a private detective who took money to help people, but while rented could never be brought. The private detective is the one thing people can rely on. Institutions can fall, people can be corrupted, but a person looking for the truth, will go the ends where the truth lies, or their own end. This was as true as it was in the 1930's the heyday of detective stories, as it is in the ruins of civilization. The fedora, the trench coat, the attitude, will still be fighting for people. Even if the spelling of their profession has changed. Tectiv Vol. 1: Noirtopia is written by Richard Ashley Hamilton, illustrated by Marco Matrone, with lettering by Dave Sharpe and tells of a young woman looking for her missing friend, with only the books from the past to show her the way.
Bingo Finder is a very good scavenger, finding places that still have goods that can be used, guns that can be turned in and books that Bingo can read. And Bingo might be the last person able to. The world has collapsed for reasons that are varied, some blame mutants, some blame robots, maybe something else. There is little crime, but the mayor who controls everything is always wanting more growing, and more control of things. Bingo has a friend Fenn, who has started to act funny. One night Bingo finds Fenn standing at the edge of her house, just as Fenn jumps Bingo is attacked by a robot armed assailant. When Bingo looks for Fenn she is gone, but no one could have survived that fall. And robots have been wiped out. Bingo turns to her books the Tectiv stories she enjoys most and begins to look around the devastated area of Los Angeles looking for Fenn. As Bingo searches she finds that there is lot that is going on in the shadows, filled with allies and enemies. The deeper Bingo goes the more Bingo wonders if she ever knew her friend at all. Even worse, does she even understand the world she is living in.
A really good mix of noir detective, with the tech-noir of the future. The writing is really very good, along with the world the characters live in. One can see a lot of stories happening here, with the writer dropping different hints here and there. Bingo is great, tough, sad, and best of all smart. Maybe a touch naïve, but honestly what detective isn't. I love the titles for each chapter, showing the fact that literacy is not a thing anymore. The little things the author does really gives the book that extra feeling and again, makes one want to know more. The world is well worth exploring, with talking coyotes, giant snakes, robot cults, and the location being Los Angeles totally makes sense. The art is very good also. One can look at panels without dialogue and just by the art know what the characters are thinking, and feeling. The blown out world has an interesting mix of Road Warrior, Bedrock from the Flintstones and of course Blade Runner. The characters are well rendered, and the backgrounds are fun to examine.
Fans of noir will like this, and fans of strong female characters will also. I look forward to more adventures of Bingo.
April 18, 2025
4/17/2025 A rather brilliant spin on post-apocalyptic noir. Full review tk at TheFrumiousConsortium.net.
4/18/2025 What a clever post-apocalyptic spin on the noir genre! Bingo Finder is a scavenger in the utopian farm village of Ellay, venturing into the ruins of urban neighborhoods to find anything that might be worth bartering. On one trip with her best friend Fenn, she finds what, to her, is a veritable jackpot: a treasure trove of books hidden away for decades or more. One with a crumbling cover that says "Tectiv" especially appeals to her, even tho no one else really cares.
This is likely because no one else in Ellay reads. Instead, they live peaceful lives of subsistence and trade, guided by a benevolent mayor and his many sons. Mayor, as a matter of fact, keeps trying to set up Fenn with Eldest, his unimaginatively named first child. Fenn has little interest. Instead, she surprises Bingo with a kiss one evening but doesn't want to talk about it afterwards, claiming that Bingo is the kind of person who just won't let it go if she does.
Bingo is, understandably, affronted. But she's even more shocked when she's awoken from a sound sleep later to find Fenn on her rooftop, with an attacker in pursuit. Fenn plummets from the roof and Bingo is knocked out. Yet when Bingo wakes up again, she finds no trace of Fenn.
After hearing her story, everyone else assumes that Fenn was eaten by the giant coyotes that stalk the countryside. But that doesn't explain the cloaked attacker, or the mystifying things Fenn was saying to Bingo before she fell. Inspired by the books she's been reading -- and driven to figure out what happened to her best friend -- Bingo takes on the role of Tectiv, crossing the length and breadth of Ellay to uncover the truth. In the grand tradition of all noir gumshoes, she'll discover that very little of what she ever believed was true, forever changing not only her existence but Ellay's as well.
Gosh, this was such a clever riff on noir tropes, with puns and wordplay that made me laugh out loud in appreciation. Bingo is a terrific heroine, plucky, resilient and resourceful, and I hurt for her every time she, well, got hurt (which was appallingly often, in line with the tropes of noir fiction.) The post-apocalyptic setting was also really well done, beautifully melding the two different genres while working to the strengths of both.
Marco Matrone's art is expressive and fluid, with vibrant colors that suit this mashup perfectly, whether exploring the village utopia, delving into gritty dock areas or navigating a surreal headspace. I'm honestly so impressed by how much territory he and Richard Ashley Hamilton cover over the course of this story, and look forward to seeing where they go next in Volume 2.
Tectiv Vol 1: Noirtopia by Richard Ashley Hamilton & Marco Matrone was published December 10 2024 by Maverick and is available from all good booksellers, including Bookshop!
4/18/2025 What a clever post-apocalyptic spin on the noir genre! Bingo Finder is a scavenger in the utopian farm village of Ellay, venturing into the ruins of urban neighborhoods to find anything that might be worth bartering. On one trip with her best friend Fenn, she finds what, to her, is a veritable jackpot: a treasure trove of books hidden away for decades or more. One with a crumbling cover that says "Tectiv" especially appeals to her, even tho no one else really cares.
This is likely because no one else in Ellay reads. Instead, they live peaceful lives of subsistence and trade, guided by a benevolent mayor and his many sons. Mayor, as a matter of fact, keeps trying to set up Fenn with Eldest, his unimaginatively named first child. Fenn has little interest. Instead, she surprises Bingo with a kiss one evening but doesn't want to talk about it afterwards, claiming that Bingo is the kind of person who just won't let it go if she does.
Bingo is, understandably, affronted. But she's even more shocked when she's awoken from a sound sleep later to find Fenn on her rooftop, with an attacker in pursuit. Fenn plummets from the roof and Bingo is knocked out. Yet when Bingo wakes up again, she finds no trace of Fenn.
After hearing her story, everyone else assumes that Fenn was eaten by the giant coyotes that stalk the countryside. But that doesn't explain the cloaked attacker, or the mystifying things Fenn was saying to Bingo before she fell. Inspired by the books she's been reading -- and driven to figure out what happened to her best friend -- Bingo takes on the role of Tectiv, crossing the length and breadth of Ellay to uncover the truth. In the grand tradition of all noir gumshoes, she'll discover that very little of what she ever believed was true, forever changing not only her existence but Ellay's as well.
Gosh, this was such a clever riff on noir tropes, with puns and wordplay that made me laugh out loud in appreciation. Bingo is a terrific heroine, plucky, resilient and resourceful, and I hurt for her every time she, well, got hurt (which was appallingly often, in line with the tropes of noir fiction.) The post-apocalyptic setting was also really well done, beautifully melding the two different genres while working to the strengths of both.
Marco Matrone's art is expressive and fluid, with vibrant colors that suit this mashup perfectly, whether exploring the village utopia, delving into gritty dock areas or navigating a surreal headspace. I'm honestly so impressed by how much territory he and Richard Ashley Hamilton cover over the course of this story, and look forward to seeing where they go next in Volume 2.
Tectiv Vol 1: Noirtopia by Richard Ashley Hamilton & Marco Matrone was published December 10 2024 by Maverick and is available from all good booksellers, including Bookshop!
January 4, 2025
Well the AI didn't help – AI, nasty robots and hurty opinions online caused a calamitous war two thousand years ago, leaving the inhabitants of "Ellay" a bunch of semi-inbred illiterates. I know, it's only down to the visuals we can tell the difference. The place is run by a slimy, smarmy mayoral type, leaving the one smart gal to be a scavenger – and a scavenger who doesn't mind bringing home books. When her best friend and potential lover takes a nosedive off her rooftop area and still promptly vanishes, she decides she has to be a "Tectiv" and work out how and why.
This requires a distinctive costume, and a narration that has to be in the past tense – although keeping word of her gal in the present tense to deny any chance of her actually having died when she had a sudden ground/body interface. What this also means is quite a mahoosive jump in the delivery of this, as she still seems far too eloquent for this world. But then, coyotes can talk by now, and one of them is the size of a Boeing.
The end result is a crime caper that ought not work, but isn't too bad. It is a weird place and what we learn of it through these pages is pretty weird, too – check out the landlord's key. You might think that because this is a story of a reluctant PI, the case will take second fiddle as the creators have already worked hard enough on this future world, but it's not a phoned-in template mystery. I mean it's no world-beater, but then nothing here is – the characterisations all rather broad, the scale of the coyote king being all over the place, and so on.
So you can see issues with it, but what would have been flagged up immediately as the biggest issues just aren't there. This *does* work as a decent amalgam of the post-apocalyptic and the gumshoe. That doesn't allow it to get more than three and a half stars, but in the run-up to this thoughts did prejudicially turn to something much worse.
This requires a distinctive costume, and a narration that has to be in the past tense – although keeping word of her gal in the present tense to deny any chance of her actually having died when she had a sudden ground/body interface. What this also means is quite a mahoosive jump in the delivery of this, as she still seems far too eloquent for this world. But then, coyotes can talk by now, and one of them is the size of a Boeing.
The end result is a crime caper that ought not work, but isn't too bad. It is a weird place and what we learn of it through these pages is pretty weird, too – check out the landlord's key. You might think that because this is a story of a reluctant PI, the case will take second fiddle as the creators have already worked hard enough on this future world, but it's not a phoned-in template mystery. I mean it's no world-beater, but then nothing here is – the characterisations all rather broad, the scale of the coyote king being all over the place, and so on.
So you can see issues with it, but what would have been flagged up immediately as the biggest issues just aren't there. This *does* work as a decent amalgam of the post-apocalyptic and the gumshoe. That doesn't allow it to get more than three and a half stars, but in the run-up to this thoughts did prejudicially turn to something much worse.
February 3, 2025
The world has changed post the apocalypse. Life consists of scavenging, avoiding the man eating coyotes and keeping the peace with mutants. Life is ok, but when her friend Fenn goes missing Bingo decides to become a ‘tectiv and find her friend.
And so starts an adventure that takes us on a ramble through this post apocalyptic society, where very few people read and books are relics, and the world is strange with talking coyotes, and other weird creatures.
This was quite enjoyable with twists, turns good artwork and an intriguing story.
Copy provided via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
And so starts an adventure that takes us on a ramble through this post apocalyptic society, where very few people read and books are relics, and the world is strange with talking coyotes, and other weird creatures.
This was quite enjoyable with twists, turns good artwork and an intriguing story.
Copy provided via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
June 12, 2025
It looks like most libraries are categorizing this as YA; while the main character is that 18-ish age, it seems like adult readers would get more of the humor, which includes poking fun at tropes, word play, and other understated comedy.
I thought this was fun and funny. The illustrations carry a lot in establishing the future setting but it's well done. This could be an unconventional but interesting choice for a book group! Suggest to readers who like post-apocalyptic settings but don't take them too seriously.
I received digital copy of this book from the publisher, as part of LibraryCon Live! 2024.
I thought this was fun and funny. The illustrations carry a lot in establishing the future setting but it's well done. This could be an unconventional but interesting choice for a book group! Suggest to readers who like post-apocalyptic settings but don't take them too seriously.
I received digital copy of this book from the publisher, as part of LibraryCon Live! 2024.
October 31, 2024
I loved the twists and turns in this teen post-apocalyptic mystery graphic novel! My favorite bits were figuring out the various names and words which had evolved ("hay eye?"... oh, I get it!).
I was confused by Fenn and Bingo's relationship - just friends? Presumed unrequited lovers?
Thank you for the ARC! The only problem with ARCs of the first book in the series is waiting extra long for the next book; I'm already looking forward to it.
I was confused by Fenn and Bingo's relationship - just friends? Presumed unrequited lovers?
Thank you for the ARC! The only problem with ARCs of the first book in the series is waiting extra long for the next book; I'm already looking forward to it.
January 18, 2025
Thanks to NetGalley for providing a digital copy of the book.
The story takes place in a distant future where technology is a thing of the past and everybody is living in a Middle Ages kind of world where people can't read anymore and where there are mutants, talking animals and robotic enhancements. When the Bingo's best friend and love interest, Fenn, goes missing, she starts an investigation as the only detective of the world.
This first volume is a good introduction to the world, but it is just that: an introduction. While Bingo's first case does have an ending, so you can read it as a stand-alone, this first mystery leaves you wanting to know more about what is going on in the world because there's clearly more to this society than meets the eye. I'm looking forward to learning more about this world in future instalments and I truly hope we get a second volume someday.
I loved how noir tropes were translated to a post-apocalyptic society. Bingo's inner monologue is even acknowledged by her, she dresses like a stereotypical detective and handles the case like a proper fictional lonely detective.
While I liked the setting and the mystery, I find it hard to believe that Bingo calls herself a "tectiv" just because a book she found is missing a few parts of the title. I'm assuming the word "detective" comes up a few times in the novel that she likes so much or in any other that she has read considering that she loves reading crime fiction. I may be nitpicking here, but it was something that stood out and looked really weird.
All in all, it was a good story for fans of mysteries that leaves you wanting to know more. We need more detective stories in comic book format!
The story takes place in a distant future where technology is a thing of the past and everybody is living in a Middle Ages kind of world where people can't read anymore and where there are mutants, talking animals and robotic enhancements. When the Bingo's best friend and love interest, Fenn, goes missing, she starts an investigation as the only detective of the world.
This first volume is a good introduction to the world, but it is just that: an introduction. While Bingo's first case does have an ending, so you can read it as a stand-alone, this first mystery leaves you wanting to know more about what is going on in the world because there's clearly more to this society than meets the eye. I'm looking forward to learning more about this world in future instalments and I truly hope we get a second volume someday.
I loved how noir tropes were translated to a post-apocalyptic society. Bingo's inner monologue is even acknowledged by her, she dresses like a stereotypical detective and handles the case like a proper fictional lonely detective.
While I liked the setting and the mystery, I find it hard to believe that Bingo calls herself a "tectiv" just because a book she found is missing a few parts of the title. I'm assuming the word "detective" comes up a few times in the novel that she likes so much or in any other that she has read considering that she loves reading crime fiction. I may be nitpicking here, but it was something that stood out and looked really weird.
All in all, it was a good story for fans of mysteries that leaves you wanting to know more. We need more detective stories in comic book format!
January 7, 2026
Great world building and characters. Looking forward to further volumes.
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