MISS - Better Living Through Crime - a Humanoids Graphic Novel

As I get more and more tired of today's mainstream comics, I find myself more and more looking at a lot of the independent publishers out there, as they tend to put out some really great work that often goes unnoticed.  Most who know me and my love of comics know how much I enjoy the indy publishers (Eclipse, Pacific, First, Charlton, Dell, Gold Key, Whitman, Dynamite, IDW, Dark Horse, etc.), and I always find it a thrill to come across a new publisher (new to me, anyway).  The advertisement in Previews for this graphic novel collection sold me on the title and cover alone - a white woman in 1920s dress sitting next to a black man, and a simply title and tagline:  Miss - Better Living Through Crime.

Originally published in France back from 1999 to 2002, Miss was written by Phillippe Thirault and drawn by Marc Riou and Mark Vigouroux.  The comics tell the story of Nola and Slim - a poor white girl with a lot of grit and a black pimp who knows how to stay one step ahead of the law.  Circumstances bring these two together, and they become the most unlikely of partners in a continuing crime spree in New York during the 1920s.  They basically become hired hitmen (well, one man and one woman), willing to take out anyone if the price is right.  But neither of them are without conscience, and neither of them are without heart - which is what makes this book an extremely engaging and interesting read.

The graphic novel contains four, full-length stories that follow Nola and Slim from their initial meeting to the culmination of their growing friendship and partnership in crime.  The title, Miss, comes from the fact that Slim nearly always refers to Nola simply as "Miss."  The first story introduces readers to these two would-be assassins who grew up learning from the school of hard knocks.  Nola was the daughter of a whore and a drunk, whose brother got himself killed before he was even a teenager.  Slim was a wanna-be pimp with a penchant for owing a lot of people a lot of money.  Unfortunate circumstances bring them together, and because of Nola's accidental involvement with a hit-job, she and Slim discover they can make some money by taking jobs that fall way outside the law.  Their first job, however, does not go as planned when Nola discovers that their target is a child!  A double-cross of their boss leaves Nola wounded, and Slim has to reach out to the family that wants nothing to do with him in order to save her life!

The second story takes Nola and Slim on a yacht trip, where their job is to snuff out the husband of a woman ready to get her hands on her husband's money - the only thing is, the husband is already dying of cancer and planned to use the trip to "fall overboard" so that he did not die a slow, debilitating death.  Of course, Nola and Slim take the credit and the money.  That little adventure is nothing more than an introduction to a story that delves more into both Nola's and Slim's pasts, as Nola must confront her mother one last time and Slim must face his own pimping past...

The third tale presents some unexpected turns as Nola and Slim are hired to kill a black man, only to find themselves face-to-face with the fanatical KKK - and in the 1920s, there was no mercy!  Then they take on a different kind of case when an elderly woman asks them to rescue her grandson from a mental hospital, where her son's latest wife had contrived to have him committed so that her son would inherit the family fortune - but not everything is what it seems, and Nola and Slim quickly find out that looks can be deceiving and learn that they should learn more about their clients before they take a job!

The final story brings Nola and Slim's journey to a very satisfying conclusion.  With Nola's backstory resolved in the prior tales, this last one deals with some of Slim's relationships.  A corporate hit that doesn't go as planned and a spoiled actress who eventually gets what she deserves lead up to Nola dealing justice to the man whose life was so intertwined with Slim's that she has to tread carefully or risk losing her partner and friend forever!

Thirault creates a dark underworld of the 1920s, but at the same time, despite the darker nature of the characters and the world in which they live, also offers some hope.  The stories take place over a decade of time, and during that time, Nola and Slim grow in so many ways.  They become more confident as the stories progress; they become more skilled in their job; they become more adept at detecting the lies and betrayals; and probably most important, they become so much more than just working partners - they become friends...allies...and eventually, they become more to each other than they ever imagined when they first met.  This book is a story of more than just crime and hitmen in the '20s - it's about characters and emotions and pain and love and life itself.

While the topics may be quite mature and dark, the book is one I would highly recommend to not only comic book fans, but also to those who love to read a really good story with some depth to it.

RATING:  10 dropped tea trays out of 10 for proving that comics can be more than just superheroes and still tell an amazingly good story!