Total Count
29 Comics
Current launch-window collectible guides agree on 29 Comic Strips for the full set.
Verified Route
29 Comic Strips
The Prequel
Collectibles / Comic Strips
Mouse PI For Hire Comic Strips Guide
Comic Strips are one of the cleaner collectible categories once you know the rules: the full set sits at 29, it feeds The Prequel, and missed copies can show up in the shop later. The catch is that the last stretch still punishes lazy cleanup.
Main Achievement
The Prequel
Collect every strip and you unlock The Prequel.
Shop Rule
Recoverable Later
The developer has confirmed that missed comic strips can later show up in the shop, which makes them friendlier than figurines or schematics.
Extra Milestones
5 And 10 Matter
Comic Strips also feed Comic Relief at 5 and Extremely Graphic Novel at 10.
How To Read This
Why comics feel cleaner than cards but still deserve a route
Public collectible guides tend to describe the comic set as a connected story thread, and in practical route terms it behaves that way too. You are usually looking for strips in vents, tucked under props, or parked in optional corners that reward one extra look rather than an entire side system.
That does not mean the category is foolproof. The shop rule is real, but it is still smarter to treat the vendor as backup rather than as your plan, especially once you are leaning into the late-game funnel and know there is no comfortable post-finale hub cleanup.
If you are balancing this with broader completion work, keep the Platinum Guide nearby. Comics are forgiving, but a clean run is still easier than reconstructing which vent or off-path room you skipped three hours ago.
Route Mindset
The best comic route is just consistent room discipline
Most of the pain here comes from small hidden props, not giant branching systems. If you stay alert around vents, benches, side rooms, roof edges, and tucked-away props, the comic category stays surprisingly manageable.
Confirmed Route
The strongest cross-checked comic landmarks by run segment
These are the landmarks with the best overlap across recent public routes. The wording below sticks to room objects and traversal beats instead of pretending every late-game label is perfectly standardized.
Opening Run
Big Mouse, Little Hope to Gumshoe in the Opera
- Big Mouse, Little Hope
Vent route beside the bar area
The comic route opens early with a vent-side pickup near the bar section. It is easy to walk past if you are still sprinting through the tutorial mood of the mission.
- Big Mouse, Little Hope
Top of the stairs after the villain elevator beat
The second opening comic is commonly tied to the moment where the villain escapes by elevator and you push up the stairs after him.
- The Vanishing Act
Seating area after the vent-and-curtain route
One strong-overlap guide landmark places the comic in the backstage seating area reached after the vent and curtain movement line.
- The Vanishing Act
Far bench before the subway drop
The next comic is on the far bench before you drop into the subway section, which makes it a classic "grab it now, not later" stop.
- Gumshoe in the Opera
Hidden plank behind the barrel
After blowing through the wall and dropping down, search behind the barrel and under the wooden plank for one of the mission's easiest-to-miss strips.
Early-Mid Run
Bandel's Laboratory to Saltwater Cambozo
- Bandel's Laboratory
Tailpicked room by the final projector switch
One lab comic sits in the tailpicked room near the last projector switch, so make sure you finish the side interaction before the route momentum carries you forward.
- Bandel's Laboratory
Behind the locked underground-lab door
The later lab comic is tied to the locked underground door path, which is why this mission lands as one of the more route-sensitive comic segments.
- A Bit of a Scene
Apartment and jail-cell cleanup stretch
Public routes overlap on a pair of comics here that reward checking the apartment detour and then the jail-side route rather than only following the loudest combat path.
- Cheeseball Sub
Top of the train cars in the Vic-gator arena
The comic is commonly placed on top of the train cars in the boss arena, so it is best treated as post-fight cleanup before your attention fully leaves the room.
- Saltwater Cambozo
Under the James Gun ammo behind the truck
This is a great example of why comics need real eyes on props. The comic is hidden underneath the James Gun ammo behind the truck and crates, so the ammo itself can distract you from the pickup.
Middle Run
Damp Evidence to Swamp Oddity
- Damp Evidence
Shack and hideout building pair
The two strongest recurring Damp Evidence landmarks are the shack-side comic after the mine exit and the later hideout building comic reached from the stairs and warp-pipe path.
- Shrewd Shrews
Back-room rooftop and tighter detour beats
Public launch routes treat this chapter as a cluster of small detours instead of one obvious giant secret, so it rewards a slower sweep of the connected rooms and roof edges.
- It All Points Here, Right?
Window and barrel-line routes
The comic landmarks here overlap most clearly around broken-window movement and hidden object lines, which is why this segment still fits the pattern of room discipline over brute memorization.
- Swamp Oddity
Office return and swamp-side cleanup
By this point the category still benefits from the shop safety net, but your best route is still to enter the office return with as little unresolved comic business as possible.
Endgame
Bookkeeper to the final comic
- The Bookkeeper
Customer-service and side-room cleanup
Late public routes still agree that the Bookkeeper stretch hides comics in spaces that feel almost disposable if you are already mentally sprinting toward the finale.
- Fair Enough
Small prop and desk-side late checks
The final big pre-finale mission continues the comic pattern of modest-looking object checks rather than huge spectacle puzzles, which makes overconfidence the real enemy.
- Big Mouse, Little Hope
Fan room after the ladder, hooks, and wall-run path
The closing strip is placed in the fan room reached through the ladder, hook, and wall-run chain. Cross-checked public routes tie this final pickup directly to The Prequel.
Shop Logic
Why "recoverable" still does not mean "ignore them until later"
Comic Strips sit in a comfortable middle lane. They are not as punishing as figurines, and the developer-confirmed shop rule genuinely helps. But the category still gets sloppier than people expect because the hidden spots are easy to forget once you have left the room.
The safest mental model is simple: mission pickups first, shop backup second. If a strip sits under ammo, behind a barrel, through a vent, or at the end of a small detour, you are better off handling it immediately while the landmark is fresh.
The late-game reason is even simpler. If there is no friendly post-finale hub return waiting for you, then "I will just buy it later" stops being a serious plan.
Late-Run Reminder
A gentle collectible category can still become a bad memory test
Comics rarely demand giant mechanical detours, which is exactly why they are so easy to under-respect. Most misses happen because the room seemed small, safe, and forgettable right before you moved on.
FAQ
Quick comic strip answers
How many Comic Strips are in MOUSE: P.I. For Hire?
The strongest current launch-window routes agree on 29 Comic Strips.
What achievement is tied to the full set?
Collecting all 29 strips unlocks The Prequel.
Can missed Comic Strips be recovered later?
Yes. An official developer reply says missed comic strips can appear in the shop later, but relying on that too heavily still gets riskier as you approach the finale.
Are comics the smallest collectible category?
No. Comic Strips sit at 29, while Secret Figurines are lower. Comics only feel smaller because their route is cleaner than categories with heavier side systems.
Pair These Pages
Best internal follow-ups
Use the Collectibles Hub for the big-picture relationship between comics, cards, newspapers, figurines, and schematics. Use the Newspapers Guide if you want to compare another shop-recoverable collectible type with stricter late-run route notes. Use the Baseball Cards Guide if you are choosing which collectible lane deserves more attention during a completion run. Keep the Beginner's Guide and Platinum Guide open if your bigger issue is safe exploration and missable protection.
Version Note
What this page is based on
This page was updated on April 28, 2026 using the official Steam achievement page, an official developer reply about shop recovery, and public collectible route guides published or updated between April 23 and April 26, 2026.
The parts most likely to need revision later are late-game route labels, any change to shop recovery behavior, and any future guide or patch clarification around exactly how the final mission interacts with missed collectible cleanup.