Het Misdaadmuseum

Het Misdaadmuseum (Museum Of Crime) is a Dutch comic strip by Henk Kuipers. It was serialised in comic weekly Pep late 1974/early 1975 before being published in its entirety in 1978. One of its characters, Franka, went on to have a successful solo-career and currently has her own online-only magazine.

Plot

The opening sequence chronicles a burglary and the prosecution of the offenders. The pieces of evidence are handed over to the Museum of Crime (a group of crime-experts who are no criminals), just at the moment that an applicant (the hirsute Jarko Jansen) arrives. He meets the staff (particularly Franka) and gets the job. Jarko solves his first case in cooperation with Officer Noordenwind by subjecting the victim involved to a lie-test (the number of scratches in a vinyl record).

Back at work the Museum gets a visit from Oscar Buhne who wants to discuss the script for a crime-movie. Franka, who works as a secretary, asks if anyone fancies a cup of coffee and notes that Professor Philip Factotum has got a visitor. While Jarko checks the script Franka goes round to have a talk with Frikko Falegier, who wants to sell the crossbow once used to kill Robin Hood. Put off by his rude behaviour she takes the bow with her, but on her way back to the car she gets approached by the professor's visitor. Without recognising her he asks for the address that Franka just got out of; she misleads him by sending him round the block and returns to the shop where she hides in what appears to be a secret elevator. The man arrives and takes the elevator to a hidden basement where he orders a war-plane by computer. The door closes upon his exit, leaving Franka stranded and stuck in a harness.

Oscar Buhne returns to the Museum of Crime to collect the revised script; back at his hotel room he transforms into the man who ordered the war-plane. He uses Jarko's script to stage a burglary at the Royal Printery which produces the droppollo, the currency of the Republic of Oceanaqua. He prints a suitcase full of money to finance the plane but someone grassed him and upon arrival at the hotel he gets caught.

When Jarko reads his own script in the morning paper he wants to resign. Meanwhile Franka manages to to escape by pretending to be a harness that fell down. Back at work the officer, Jarko, Franka and Professor Factotum exchange recent experiences, and thanks to the latter they learn that the offender is Argos Attak, a man who borrowed books about escape from deportation. At that moment he cuts short his trip to the police station by using a sleeping gas-filled smoke-bomb that was inside his shoe. Everyone chases him, but Jarko, Franka and Bars (the officer's dog) are exposed to a second bomb.

When Jarko regains conscience they're themselves inside the war-plane flying to Oceanaqua. Franka already heard the score; the Pefirio Orca movement managed to own the one military battle-ship at the republic. Once more Argos explains that he stole the money and bought the plane to start a revolution to liberate Oceanaqua from the oppressor who recently gained power.

The revolution materialises, the man who sold the plane is sent to prison, and Jarko and Franka have themselves a holiday.

Cast

Characters in order of appearance.

*Jarko Jansen: the Museum's new recruit
*Philip Factotum: looks after the Museum's library.
*Franka: secretary.
*Officer Noordenwind: director.
*Bars: the officer's bulldog.
*Mr. Pafferink: the offender from Jarko's first case.
*Jan Hars: got framed by Mr. Pafferink for theft.
*Argos Attak/Oscar Buhne: wanted to start a revolution on Oceanaqua.
*Otto Schmidt (AKA Messerschmidt): delivered the war-plane.
*Andries Libbel: police officer in Luttel.
*Ol Admirol: oppressor at Oceanaqua and leader of Perfirio Orca.
*Emilio: Argos' garage-owning mate.
*Manos: Emilio's less than handsome employee.

Organisations involved:
*Cash & Kill: delivers military planes.
*Perfirio Orca: the leading movement on Oceanaqua.

Location

*Groterdam
*Luttel
*Oceanaqua