Alternate History Noir ‘Teq’ Features Hardboiled Mystery In Aztec-Controlled Los Angeles (First Look)

‘Teq’ cover art

Courtesy of Ignition Press

There’s something alchemical about mixing detective fiction, alternate history, and the city of Los Angeles.

A noir-inspired mystery set against the backdrop of a parallel reality in sun-kissed California feels both familiar and excitingly fresh at the same time. It allows one to play with the genre’s tropes, while simultaneously inverting them through imaginative and ambitious world-building.

Emmy-nominated writer Peter Murrieta (Wizards of Waverly Place) and Eisner-nominated artist David Rubín (Cosmic Detective) are tapping into that rich vein with Teq, a five-issue limited comic book series from Ignition Press, Forbes Entertainment can exclusively reveal.

Launching in February 2027, the title is described by Ignition as an “inventive mix of noir, science-fiction, and mythology unlike any other comic.”

The story unfolds in a futuristic version of Los Angeles ruled by a still-thriving Aztec Empire, where police-officer-turned-disillusioned-private-eye Teq investigates a string of brutal ritual murders that threaten to upend stability by resurrecting arcane religious practices that have lain dormant for good reason. Teq hopes the violence is merely a coincidence, but his gumshoe instincts tell him there’s something much deeper at play: a sinister conspiracy involving politics, corruption, and continued independence of the empire.

“In a world I didn’t make myself,” Murrieta said in a statement, “I wanted to make a world I did make, and ask you to come be a part of an Aztec/Chicano Futurism Noir movement that can start with this book about a guy trying to solve a case.”

Murrieta, who also serves as Deputy Director at the Sidney Poitier New American Film School, announced his partnership with the publisher last July.

“Working on Teq has been a a real challenge,” added Rubín. “Starting at zero and creating an original world where past, present and future collide, with tons of characters and things that I’ve never draw before, it’s hard but exciting at the same time. I always try to choose projects that make me grow, that make me a better artist, and this is definitely one of them.”

Head below to see Rubín’s cover art for Teq’s launch issue.

Right off the bat, you’ll notice the overt use of Mesoamerican art style, as well as the inclusion of a Starbucks-adjacent coffee brand called Atl & Ember (“atl” being the Nahuatl word for water). And, of course, it probably goes without saying that the main character’s name is a play on the second syllable of “Aztec.”