Sunday, January 24, 2016

Mystery Girl #1 Review



Mystery Girl #1 from Dark Horse Comics -

   Trine Hampstead is a fun, flirty girl from London. She is kind, caring street detective who knows what she wants, and she knows everything there is to know about, well, everything there is to know. You see, Trine has a singular gift - she knows things. Lots of things. Like everything. No matter where it's hidden, she can find it. No matter the problem, she can solve it. No matter what the mystery, she can unravel it...Almost. The only mystery that eludes Trine is how exactly she knows what she knows, and it's a mystery she is determined to solve. But first, she's off to Siberia - she and desperate scientist, Jovie Ghislain, are off to find pre-historic beasts in a desolate, icy no-man's land. But they'll get more than they've bargained for - a deranged killer is hot on Trine's trail. Will this be The Mystery Girl's last mystery?

   Paul Tobin has come up with one great character in Mystery Girl. Trine is lovable, strong, and lots of fun. She's hounded by a real baffler: how can you know everything, but how your power works and how you got it in the first place? It's a real "physician-heal-thyself" conundrum - Trine constantly helps everyone else, but she cannot help herself. But she doesn't let it shake her. One reason for that is that she is surrounded by great characters - from Alfie, the lecherous, lovable old detective that trained her, to Ken, her boyfriend (kinda) who really doesn't believe in her powers at all. Paul Tobin has built fun, interesting characters who inhabit a fun, interesting world that I really want to hang out in. Alberto J. Alburquerque is on the pencils, and his pencils are lively and expressive with a soothingly cartoony way about them. What a really fun, hip, cool first issue.

  DISCLAIMER: This comic isn't for kids. It has nudity and some harsh language. Dark Horse really should have age ratings on their comics. I initially bought this for my 13 year old daughter. She brought it to me and said she didn't think it was a good idea that she continue reading. I dropped the ball on that one. It's a shame that this couldn't have been an all-ages comic. Trine is just the type of character my daughter would love.

RATING: 8.5 out 10. I think Mystery Girl has got staying power. I wouldn't be surprised to see a film or TV adaptation for this one.

Thanks for reading.

2 comments:

  1. Hmm! another i missed. Sounds good Tex.
    Yep! gone are the Vertigo days with warning labels Lol.

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    Replies
    1. Well,

      Truth is I only read it so my money didn't go to waste. LOL! I bought it for my daughter, but after that fiasco, I went ahead and read it myself. And liked it. Go figure.

      Dark Horse, like Dell of old, resists regulation. No age ratings for them. Unfortunately, that means that I won't be frequenting them when I'm looking for comics for my daughter, only for myself. I like Dark Horse, but I think age-ratings are appropriate. Not using them is a bit irresponsible - but not as irresponsible as I was for not checking first. Luckily, my daughter wasn't too taken aback by the mature themes in the book - we cover all topics in my house (if need be).

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