Paul Tobin’s new comic miniseries, “Mystery Girl”, starts off this week from Dark Horse Comics. A combination of detective story, adventure, and fantasy, the story focuses on Trine Hampstead, a sidewalk detective in London, who just knows the answers to everything. Where are my lost sunglasses? Is my partner cheating on me? Where’s some key evidence to catch a particular criminal? Even the police turn to her for tips. But the one thing she can’t answer is what happened to her to make her just know everything when she hears the question.
“Mystery Girl” #1 kicks off the adventure with Trine’s ordinary life as a detective who doesn’t look for clues but rather just sits in her booth on the sidewalk with her pet bird Candide. But a scientist client has an interesting mystery relating to a lost expedition that found a frozen mammoth, and Trine decides to head off with her to Siberia. Of course this doesn’t stand well with her mentor, Alfie, or her disbelieving boyfriend, Ken. And of course, there’s also a hit man putting a stop to people who are nosing in on the truth of what’s happening in Siberia – and Trine’s on the list.
I really enjoyed the mix of characters in “Mystery Girl” – Trine works on the street, and she is friends with a variety of folk. Trine wants to be normal, but her new life doesn’t quite let her do that. There’s a good mix of comedy and intrigue and that is what sells this comic to me. Paul Tobin’s writing is fun, and we see a slice of Trine’s everyday life of work and hanging out with friends as we get her backstory. Alberto Alburquerque gives a great style to the characters and backgrounds with his art, and Marissa Louise’s colors make London vibrant.
I was intrigued by the concept, and now I’m hooked on “Mystery Girl” – and you should be, too! “Mystery Girl” is off to a great start.
