Miss October, Playmates 1961 is the first book in a series of graphic novels about a serial killer who kills young women, and is set in the 1960s.

Our main protagonist is Viktor, a young woman who was attacked and since then has been deaf.  She is also a cat burglar, something that she hides from her wealthy parents whom she lives with.

This was a fine piece of escapism, but I found some bits odd (you don't know Viktor is deaf to begin with).  There's nudity and sex in here, so not a graphic novel for those who might take offence.

I thought it was OK.  Not a series that I feel the need to continue and I found it a little confusing.

 Miss October, Playmates 1961  came out in 2018, and is available on  Amazon. 

 I couldn't find any social medial or websites for either Stephen Desberg or Alain Queireix.  I believe Stephen Desberg is Belgian, and has written other comics.

If you're interested in other graphic novels, then have a look at the  Graphic Novels  I've reviewed!

I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to  Europe Comics  (the publishers) for this book.

You can have a look on  GoodReads  to see what else I've read, or am reading!

I appreciate having had an opportunity to read and review this book. The appeal of this particular book was not evident to me, and if I cannot file a generally positive review I prefer simply to advise the publisher to that effect and file no review at all.

Wasn't aware that this was a series and was disappointed by the lack of conclusion, though of course it makes me want to pick up the next issue. While the two storylines/crimes were interesting, I wasn't a fan or the art. It was very hard to differentiate and tell the male characters apart (I had to judge by their attire). The names (Ariel is a guy and Viktor is the female lead??) made things even more confusing. Would have preferred more details for both text and art.

Content warnings for rape, racism, gore, and nudity.

This is a graphic novel set in 1960s LA following a string of gruesome rape/murders. The main characters are a detective and a rape survivor turned burglar.

I found this book to be incredibly disappointing. From page one, the script was stilted and awkward. While the throwback art style could’ve made an interesting artistic choice for a work set in the 60s, it lacked something for me. It was almost impossible to tell the different (major) male characters apart, which was confusing. At least the women had different hair colors! Many of the transitions felt extremely rough (and occasionally nonsensical).

Several of the characters expressed, unprompted and very explicitly, racist opinions. This was unnecessary, and took me even further out of the story to go “Really??”

I did like that one of the main characters is disabled, but not having personal experience being hearing impaired, I am not sure how well it was handled.

The book as a whole felt a lot more like a middle-aged male power fantasy loosely set in the 60s than it did any kind of cohesive narrative. Which is a shame, because it sounded like it could be a really interesting mystery.

Graphic novels are difficult to pull off, and unfortunately this one doesn’t. The art is well done, but the color seems to derive from a basic set of tones, thus very bland, which fails to enhance to artwork. The dialogue is stilted and derivative like a bad detective novel. And the story is choppy and at times nonsensical.

Plot: This story follows a case of serial murders and rapes.

Pros: I did enjoy the noir of this book and I did also enjoy the artwork!

Cons: I found this hard to follow in some scenes because it was lacking descriptors before changing scenes in some cases.

Overall: This was a meh graphic novel. I'm not usually the biggest graphic novel fan so I'm sure this appeals to some people. The plot was intriguing enough that I may be inclined to try volume 2 of this series and see if it improves upon setting the scene.

Sadly as with comics this is just the first instalment.
When I tell you this episode reveals that there is a serial killer out there after the bodies of two women has been found.
Each has had “Playboy” type shots taken postmortem and left like models poses as playmates of the month. So far Miss January and Miss February.
The case is being investigated by a cop who is at odds with a young upstart keen to make a name for himself in the LAPD.
There is a Hollywood feel to the story. The young women, murdered, seem to be among those gravitating to California to make it in the movies. Little has been left in terms of clues but for these tasteless photos of the victims.
Meanwhile we met a pretty young woman, an earlier victim of a sexual assault who receiving a blow to the head during the attack has been left traumatised and deaf.
She is seeking counselling. completely disillusioned with the police, the case looking for her assailant seems closed and her claims dismissed.
It is all a little confusing as the different story strands are set out. However, there is enough here to maintain the interest and demand further reading of the series.
There is a great deal of mystery and indirect threat to the deaf blonde woman that she seems too fragile to survive. But as a counter position she seems an accomplished thief of high end valuables. Yet the danger appears real to her, while without much support other than a PI trying to help her find the truth behind her attack. Yet the thrust of the story propels the reader to a darker time. The killer perhaps has already marked her off as Miss October. Just how she can avoid this date with destiny makes this a quite intriguing read.
Set in 1964 the illustrations capture this wonderful time against which these macabre killings occur.
You will want to read on; and hence the frustration of this incomplete comic book. The desire and need to buy, borrow or blag another copy or two.

Playmates 1961 has incredible dark brooding noir-ish artwork. It has a 1961 themed serial rape-murder mystery set in Hollywood that features so much atmosphere. In short, just what should be in an mature-themed graphic novel. Looking forward to the rest of the series.