Tectiv Vol. 1 - by Richard Ashley Hamilton (Paperback)

About the Book

"When her best friend vanishes, Bingo Finder -- the only literate person in a post-apocalyptic L.A. -- turns to her beloved, ancient books for inspiration, becoming the first detective in centuries. But to solve this mystery, Bingo must fight for her own life and uncover a conspiracy within this fragile civilization."--Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

When her best friend vanishes, Bingo Finder -- the only literate person in a post-apocalyptic L.A. -- turns to her beloved, ancient books for inspiration, becoming the first detective in centuries. But to solve this mystery, Bingo must fight for her own life and uncover a conspiracy within this fragile civilization.

Bingo and every other teen in the sprawling farming village of Ellay knows the tales of the 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 at 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 sudden 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...

Review Quotes

The strong themes, striking art, and vivid worldbuilding make this an excellent addition to the YA graphic novel canon.-- "Kirkus Reviews"

With the heart of a noir thriller, Tectiv will solve the mystery of what young people want to read: a story that shows the power of determination.-- "School Library Journal"

About the Author

RICHARD ASHLEY HAMILTON is an award-winning Cuban-American (no, really) screenwriter and author best known for his storytelling across many DreamWorks Animation franchises including How To Train Your Dragon and Guillermo Del Toro's Tales of Arcadia. He wrote on the Daytime Emmy-winning first season of Dragons: Race to the Edge and the Lumiere award-winning How To Train Your Dragon: Hidden World Tour VR experience.But in his heart, Richard remains a lifelong comic book fan and has created titles for Dark Horse, Aftershock/Seismic Press, Insight Editions, Papercutz, and more. He currently writes two YA graphic novel series, SCOOP and TECTIV, for Mad Cave/Maverick, and his middle-grade horror title, FEARBOOK CLUB, was named a 2022 Junior Library Guild Official Selection. Richard lives in Glendale, CA, with his wife, their two sons, and a Husky named Lulu.

Dave Sharpe is an artist and currently a letterer for various featured comic publishing companies within the industry. He graduated from the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art, Inc. in 1990, and immediately went to work at Marvel. As of 2009, Dave has been lettering for DC Comics on a number of titles currently: Green Lantern, Green Lantern War Journal, and ACTION COMICS! Dave also letters LOTS of other books and titles for various publishers. Dave plays bass guitar and is way more approachable than he looks.