Le Déviant - Un conte de Noël tome 1

The Deviant (Single Issues) #1-4

by James Tynion IV

Hannibal meets Silent Night, Deadly Night in this pitch-black holiday horror story that cuts right through our most taboo notions.

As snow falls over Milwaukee in 1972, a blood-stained Santa Claus commits unimaginable atrocities against young men. Fifty years later, a troubled young writer interviews this so-called "Deviant Killer," who still maintains his innocence from behind bars. And as Christmas approaches once again, the past returns, wielding a sharpened ax.

Multiple Eisner Award-winning writer JAMES TYNION IV (W0RLDTR33, THE DEPARTMENT OF TRUTH) and acclaimed artist JOSHUA HIXSON (The Plot, Children of the Woods) unite for a psychological crime thriller that explores the intersection of queer identities and a broader scope of cultural transgression and deviance.

Collects THE DEVIANT #1-4 (of 9 total issues).

Genres: Horror, Comics, Graphic Novels, Crime, Mystery, Graphic Novels Comics, Thriller

128 pages, Paperback

First published October 29, 2024

About the author

Prior to his first professional work, Tynion was a student of Scott Snyder's at Sarah Lawrence College. A few years later, he worked as for Vertigo as Fables editor Shelly Bond's intern. In late 2011, with DC deciding to give Batman (written by Snyder) a back up feature, Tynion was brought in by request of Snyder to script the back ups he had plotted. Tynion would later do the same with the Batman Annual #1, which was also co-plotted by Snyder. Beginning in September 2012, with DC's 0 issue month for the New 52, Tynion will be writing Talon, with art by Guillem March. In early 2013 it was announced that he'd take over writing duties for Red Hood and the Outlaws in April.

Tynion is also currently one of the writers in a rotating team in the weekly Batman Eternal series.

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mopey comic book writer is trying his hand at telling a true crime story.



As a young lad who was just starting to realize he was a little different from the other boys, hearing the story of the pervert serial killer intrigued and frightened him.
You've essentially got a young gay boy learning through the act of a "deviant" that there are other guys out there that like-like men instead of women.
On one hand, he's not alone in his feelings. On another, the only male he knows of (yet) that is attracted to other men, has killed and raped two young boys.
So, that's not exactly healthy.



As he interviews the killer, who still claims innocence, he's also unpacking the history of what was once his budding sexuality.
Or is it more than that?
Is he a deviant, too?



It seems like Tynion does a lot of self-inserting into his comics and this one is no exception. This means our main character is a young gay man with glasses who used to write superhero comics and has branched out into his own stories. I think it's cute, and kind of adds a touch of something personal.
I do understand that somewhere down the road that may get old for some people, so your personal mileage will vary with The Tynion Guy, as I've come to start calling him in my head.



And like a lot of my friends, I feel that this one is just difficult to rate without knowing exactly where this story is going. I thought the first half was a solid 4 stars because I flew through the pages and was sorely disappointed to have it end on a cliffhanger.
I'm really looking forward to finishing this out and hoping the next volume is out in time for the holiday season!

Recommended.

[Alexander Peterhans · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very Tynion book, in that it only tells half a story, which makes it kind of impossible to grade. The art is good, the set up is interesting enough, but yeah, yet another Tynion book ending on a cliffhanger. Can he stick the landing..?

(Picked up a review copy through Edelweiss)

[Oscar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Creepy looking serial killer!

[Scott Rhee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another super-dark horror graphic novel from the current king of super-dark horror graphic novels, James Tynion IV's "The Deviant" is a serial killer thriller set during Christmas 2023.

Milwaukee 1972: A crazed psycopath dressed in a mall Santa suit is caught after a killing spree of young men. Dubbed "The Deviant Killer" due to the homoerotic elements of the murders, police arrest a store manager who knew the young man and was known to be a homosexual.

2023: A young man is writing a book about the Deviant Killer. As the young writer interviews the man sitting in prison accused of being the killer (the man has never wavered from his claim of innocence), a killer in a mall Santa suit is killing homosexual men in Chicago. Clues at the scene of the crime suggest it is the young writer...

Collecting the first four issues of "The Deviant", this first volume is a wonderfully creepy bit of writing. It also feels like a more personal project for Tynion, as the protagonist is dealing with personal issues in regards to his own homosexuality. Definitely more slow-moving and suspenseful than Tynion's other horror graphic novels, "The Deviant" is a psychological thriller that leaves the reader definitely wanting to read the rest of the series.

[Jan Agaton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dahmer x Art the Clown & my jaw dropped multiple times. way better than Something Is Killing the Children

[Adam Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

READ THIS. I'm not kidding. This was so good, I was actually upset when I got to the end and realized it was only Volume 1. Tynion is a powerhouse comic author, and one of my favorites.
In my normal reviews, I would dive into a summary of the book, complete with spoilers, but I feel like the back cover blurb says enough to get you to read this.

As snow falls over Milwaukee in 1972, a blood-stained Santa Claus commits unimaginable atrocities against young men. Fifty years later, a troubled young writer interviews this so-called "Deviant Killer," who still maintains his innocence from behind bars. And as Christmas approaches once again, the past returns, wielding a sharpened ax.

How can you read that and not want to immediately start reading!?
Strong Recommend.

[Vincentimes · Rating 5 out of 5]

NAAAANNN C’EST PAS POSSIBLE C’EST UNE FOLIE je peux pas attendre février pour la suite ? J’en ai besoin MAINTENANT ?? (Update: la date de parution est repoussée à avril)

Point vraiment très marrant : je cherchais une BD un peu « darons » (vous voyez.) dans les nouveautés de la librairie, pour avoir un truc à conseiller, et je me retrouve avec un comics BIEN gay et BIEN gore mdrr c’est un échec mais j’ai trouvé une série de fou que j’adore je suis fan c’est tout ce que j’aime

(Je vais continuer à chercher cette BD de darons)

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fifty years ago, a killer dressed as Santa brutally killed two boys before attacking a police officer while making his escape. Now, a young man with somewhat of an obsession over true crime, especially this one, wants to create a comic book based on what came to be known as The Deviant killer. As he interviews the man incarcerated for the killings, a similar murder takes place, entangling him in the case that's enthralled him.
A lot more grounded than Tynion's usual work, while it may entail more familiar elements, Tynion still puts his own unique spin on it, and has the perfect artist to bring his vision to life.

[Jiro Dreams of Suchy · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the 70s a santa clause style killer took the lives of several teen boys - they suspected their homosexual boss who did have some creeper pictures of the boys but he claims innocence in the murders. Now he is being profiled by a young (gay) comic writer doing a true crime thing and then the killings start again…

Great artwork and cover design- this is going to be a Christmas horror classic. How does Tynion keep making bangers like this, he’s on a LEGENDARY RUN.

[Yamini · Rating 1 out of 5]

While the premise of the story and the theme are fascinating and adequately built, I found it too bloody for my taste. Seeing those atrocities being committed in a graphic way just did not work well for me. I felt an immediate retraction in my interest level and alas, couldn't enjoy it much.

DNFed at page 76

[Stay Fetters · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Heh. I regret to say that I am your stereotypical basic suburban woman, and I fucking love that serial killer shit."

Silent Night, Deadly Night meets Dahmer in this ho ho homicidal mystery that’ll light you up like a Christmas tree.

RTC

[Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extra creepy santa serial killer horror graphic novel. Looking forward to the next one!

[Etienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was looking forward to it, but at the same time I wasn't so sure about it. Tynion can be good but he can also miss the mark. I'm happy to say I like that one! It was dark, but it hold a solid story that evolve in a kind of slowly good pace. There was a lot of LGBTQ+ representation, sometime I find Tynion to go a bit heavy on that aspect (no homophobia or anything here, but when three quarters of the characters are gay... not sur we can call it fair representation of our society), but with The Deviant, it walk that thin line quite well, with the representation seemly right and plausible. I like it and will wait for the next one!

[Josianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG THAT ENDING!!!!!!

[Kyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Has all the creepy vibes of an HBO detective miniseries or a Netflix true-crime docuseries…. But the plot hasn’t quite thickened by the end of volume 1.

3.5/5

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gritty crime noir tale about a comic book writer interviewing the "Deviant Killer", a man convicted of dressing up as Santa and brutally murdering teen boys back in the '70s, despite his claims of innocence. Both the story by James Tynion and the art by Joshua Hixson feel very much like an Ed Brubaker/Sean Phillips book, which has gotta be deliberate considering Brubaker has a quote on the cover.

The interesting angle that Tynion (as he often does) has written the book from the perspective of a gay man, who finds himself almost sympathising with the convicted killer as a fellow lonely queer. I love that this book is about understanding your queer identity as much as it is about learning about this weird serial killer.

Tynion has a real knack for creating this intriguing characters in horrific situations, and this is another series I can add to my to-read list.

[Tom Garback · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Critical Score: B+
Personal Score: B+

Love the atmosphere, gore, and subversive take on the intersection between homophobia and criminal deviance, even if at times it can feel a little questionable, but this is only the first half of the story. I really wish the second collection were out already.

[Whitney Jamimah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again we have an amazing start to a Tynion series that is not completed and I have to wait in suspense until the next volume is available.

At this point I only have experience with Tynion beginnings, no endings yet but if they can stick the landing the way they are able to stick the beginnings I think I have a new favorite comic book author. I don't read superhero comics so all my experience with Tynion has been in indie format but the indie stuff has been off the hook amazing.

We have a dual storyline going here in The Deviant. The first one is that there was a Santa Claus killer 50 years ago, the police think that they have the case solved and the man in question put away but now, 50 years later the same type of Santa Claus killings are happening again. The second storyline is a once mainstream comic book author trying to go indie after struggling with some identity crisis from working in the mainstream comic world for so long. This author starts off by interviewing the Deviant killer (the Santa killer guy) trying to get an angle for his debut out in indie comics. As the story progresses we see how these two storylines start to converge in a very juicy way.

Again, Tynion is able to build tension and investment from the reader in such an amazing way. Even the most despicable of characters become favorites of mine when I am reading a Tynion story and, of course, that happens here as well. I loved the way that the LGBTQ+ representation was handled in this series. Sometimes the queer characters in books can seem like caricatures but not here, not at all. The LGBQT+ topics end up building up just as much tension as the serial killer aspect does too which is really cool to watch that done well.

I think that the art in this was serviceable but not outstanding. For me that is fine. I don't generally put a lot of stock in the art unless it is exceptionally good or exceptionally bad. I think the illustrator did a fine job of matching the vibe of the story and a good enough job of creating enough difference in the characters that I could tell who was who and that is enough for me.

I look forward to re-reading this first volume to refresh my memory when the second volume comes out and though I will be ok if this is just a 2 volume series I can already see there is potential for this to be a longer running series and I honestly hope it is. I love the set-up and I would be here for several volumes of enjoyment with this series if Tynion will grace us with that.

[chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

James Tynion IV is someone whose work I've wanted to more fully explore for quite some time, but to be honest I was put off by some of his earlier horror efforts (the Memetic trilogy comes to mind). However, now that I am about halfway through The Deviant, having read 5 of the planned 9 issues, I can say with some confidence that I am excited to delve deeper into his recent bibliography.

The Deviant is a grim tale of true crime obsession and the perception of queer people in American society. Oh, and Christmas. Tynion does not shy from the reality of queerness in America - the assumption by conservatives that we are inherently deviant, perverted, dangerous.

This is a crime thriller, but Tynion does not lionize cops; instead, he paints them as reactionary and violent. Take, for example, the standard scene where the main character (a comic book writer who wants to write about a Santa-themed serial killer known as the Deviant Killer) interviews one of the cops who investigated the original case. Typically this scene would play out with the writer talking to the cop, the cop would give a monologue about the case (probably while looking out the window or staring into his coffee cup), and then the scene would cut to the writer standing on the front porch, disturbed but resolving to continue.
In The Deviant this scene is immediately subverted when the cop realizes the writer is gay. He stares uncomfortably at the writer, clearly incensed, thinking it's a "gotcha" interview, disgusted by the rainbow sticker on the writer's laptop. The cop's wife brings the writer some coffee, which would normally be a reprieve from the tension... except the writer notices "Make America Great Again" written on the mug. The scene abruptly cuts to the writer leaving, having received little useful information.

There are little touches like this throughout, thoughtful details that make the story more meaningful and, of course, disturbing. This doesn't actually seem like it's about bloodshed and mayhem at all -- instead, it's about "deviance" in America and what happens when people are othered.

[Eric Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

I think I like this. It’s going to really depend on how it ends. It seems sort of paint by numbers but I feel like (and I’m hoping) that the story goes someplace surprising. If it doesn’t I will come back and round down to a 3. I sort of assume the killer is the boyfriend and I wouldn’t hate that.

[Preethi · Rating 5 out of 5]

What do you mean To Be Continued??!

This was fantastic although I rolled my eyes at a few lines of dialogue which were reminiscent of the whole male loneliness discourse that was going around at some point.

[Mathias Chouvier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bien sale bien gore, excellente introduction.

[Piesito · Rating 3 out of 5]

Esta guapo pero me ha sabido a poco, me hubiera gustado que fuera más extenso. Me ha dejado muy intrigado pero tiene tomo 2!!

[priya reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

(review for all issues) compelling murder mystery with a great art style! I love a good winter horror but the reveal was not super satisfying imo

[[Jamie] · Rating 5 out of 5]

Man it's so frustrating that it just starts to get good and then it ends. I'm so looking forward to the rest, especially as a Milwaukee resident.

[Wesley Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story bounces between two times and the people affected throughout. The first is a dark time in the 1970s when a person dressed as Santa is brutally murdering young men. The second is present day when a writer wants to tell the story of the man convicted of the murders.

Tynion never disappoints, and he pairs with amazing artists that always provide a dark, mysterious aura to the plot. This is the first time I saw Hixson’s work and it is spectacular. It added a whole other dimension to the story. Randall Olsen, The Deviant Killer, is a fascinating villain. He claims he was innocent of the crimes and that police targeted him due to his sexual orientation. He gives brilliant Hannibal Lector vibes, and I was always looking forward to scenes with him in it.

Michael, the writer, is trying to figure out what he wants in life. He has always enjoyed true crime and is convinced he will publish a graphic novel surrounding these crimes. We get an inside glimpse into his relationship and life and his fascination with Randall.

It is a great start to the series and ends on a very intriguing cliff hanger! So, I hope I don’t have to wait too long until volume 2. I will probably read it around Christmas time 2025 if it’s out. Just in time, to celebrate the season!

[Adrian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Randall is fine, and, well, it's all terrible, isn't it? You want me to react harder, don't you? I'm afraid I’ve got a strong stomach these days. You should hear the sorts of things they talk about in the prison cafeteria. I've heard all this before. I've seen the crime scene photographs. All the gruesome pictures. They're seared into my brain. I got all the tears out back in the '70s.

<21/06/2025>
-------------------------------------------------------
A cheeky re-read before I dive into volume 2, which finally arrived after multiple delays in its release.

I forgot just how dark the story is with the Deviant Killer targeting and murdering children working as Elves in a local department store. The corpses are presented as 'presents', wrapped in fairy lights.

I cover the key elements in my previous review so won't go over old ground. I will say that it holds up really well to a re-read and I couldn't help but dive into Volume 2 straightaway. 5 stars again.

<31/10/2024>
-------------------------------------------------------
I am quickly becoming a serious fan of James Tynion IV whose work never disappoints, whether it be Something is Killing the Children, Vol. 1, The Nice House on the Lake: the Deluxe Edition, W0Rldtr33 Vol. 1, or Nightmare Country, Vol. 1.

This new limited series is another cracker. Although it is once again horror, it seems a more straightforward murder mystery affair (so far...).

When a young comic book writer wants a departure from the usual 'superhero' work, he decided to write a story about 'The Deviant Killer', a child murderer who dressed as Santa to commit the crimes. To add to his research, he decides to interview the monster, who still maintains his innocence, some 50 year on.

This first half of the story feels like a typical murder mystery with the increasingly used parallel timelines, but I can't help but think that Tynion will take us down a different path in volume 2.

5 stars and roll on March when the concluding volume is released.

[Rick Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

A disillusioned comic book artist named Michael tries to recapture his passion by centering his newest project on the "Deviant Killer", a serial killer who operated in Milwaukee in the early '70s. For fifty years, Randall Olsen has lived behind bars with the reputation of having sexually assaulted, murdered and mutilated several young men while wearing a haunting Santa Claus costume. But Michael's angle on telling Olsen' story as the supposed "Deviant Killer" is much more entrenched with untangling the complexities of gender and sexual norms that may have led to Olsen's false conviction. But just as Michael's investigations into Olsen's case ramps up, a copycat killer emerges and carries out a series of grisly murders in Chicago. Volume 1 ends with some questions as to what exactly Michael's role is with respect to the newer iteration of the "Deviant Killer".

While it'll probably read a lot better as a single collected volume, I still found this to be one of Tynion's better recent efforts. A lot of the themes are within his wheelhouse, but The Deviant is sharply written with some great, subtle character work in just these opening few issues. The most intriguing concept explored here is the idea that the poor representation the queer community got for much of the mid-to-late twentieth century whereby both Michael and Randall only first learn about the idea of queerness from the presentation of serial killers in media. It's an idea that percolates from Michael's first visit to Randall in prison, and it colors in a lot of the themes behind this series.

What works a little less is the contemporary storyline featuring a copycat killer, which is unfortunately a major driving force for the narrative. Tynion is clearly trying to implant a story beat that he'll eventually reveal a twist on, and it's all a little too by-the-numbers. We'll see how Tynion brings it home, but I'm less enthused about the copycat killer reveal than I am with finding out what happens next with Randall.

Joshua Hixon's artwork is really great for the story. A vibrant color palette permeates this series, but Hixon tones it down quickly for the more horror-driven sequences. It feels somewhat reminiscent of Jacob Phillips' work on That Texas Blood, even down to the coloring style.

[Emily Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

MLM crime/horror series with the freakiest damn Santa known to man.

James Tynion IV truly writes hit after hit. This was perfectly paced, with just enough mystery and grit to keep me gripped at all times. I read both volumes in one sitting.

It is pretty grim and gory, and has some bleak themes so only go into this if you’re cool with more graphic & darker horror. (This might make you side eye Santas for a few years after reading it.)

The art was perfect for this series, and truly fit the haunting Christmas atmosphere.

Rep// MLM MCs, MLM SCs.

TWs listed below, please skip if you don’t want vague spoilers.







TW// serial killing, extreme gore, murder, themes of child abuse & abusers (an adult character takes photographs of minors without their knowledge), blood, police scenes, guns, knives, homophobia, homophobic slurs, bodies, murder/harm of children and adults.

[Ana López Gómez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mezcla entre thriller y slasher. Ganas del segundo ya!!