Randall Olsen is one of the characters in The Deviant mini series from James Tynion and Joshua Hixson. Truthfully, without Olsen there is no story at all. The Deviant shifts between its present day setting late in 2023 to events fifty years earlier in December 1973. In the early 1970s Olsen is a department manager at a Gimbles store in Milwaukee. In one flashback scene we’re shown Olsen’s home which is located in or near the small town of Fox Point just a little north of Milwaukee. On the outside it appears to be a simple builder grade ranch design, the type of house that was affordable for families while also being so visually boring that it blurs into the background of passersby. The interior of Olsen’s home is very much the opposite of its unassuming exterior. The home feels airy and inviting with its mid century modern furniture and decorative, bright patterned accessories. It can be seen as a metaphor for Randall himself with his modest and professional appearance in public designed not to draw unwarranted attention to his private life.
In 2023 Olsen is an inmate in a Wisconsin prison serving a life time sentence for the murders of two teenage boys who were part time workers at the same Gimbels where Olsen works. Most of what readers learn about Olsen’s temperament is told in the story’s present day in a series of interviews with comic book writer Michael Schmitz and through dialog with prison guards. Tynion peppers Olsen’s parts of these conversations with dark humor. It comes off as shocking though it makes Olsen alternately seem scary and empathetic and therefore more real. Hixson perfectly captures facial expressions to heighten the effect. Other bits of dialog reveal more of Olsen’s current personality such as having developed a strong stomach because he’s seen and heard it all from the gruesome crime scene photos, a couple movies based on the murders thanks to favors from guards, disturbing “fan mail” letters, and talk from other prisoners. After all, nearly 50 years of incarceration while the free world goes on without you will change a person.
Another aspect of Olsen’s personality is his keen sense of observation. The astuteness Olsen displays during these interviews with Schmitz is likely a trait that he developed either as a closeted teen or as an adult before incarceration. Not being observant while coming of age at a time when job protections and legal rights for queer Americans did not exist could easily get a person in trouble. As a point of reference the Stonewall Riots happened only 4 1/2 years before the murders in 1973. The need for awareness would only increase to navigate safely inside prison walls. Early in the interview process Olsen deftly cuts through Schmitz’s facade. It isn’t done out of meanness though. Olsen is bored and senses some indecision on Schmitz’s part and he’s also intrigued by the man because his gaydar is still sharp after all these years.
As odd as it will sound over the years Randall has become somewhat of a minor celebrity amongst the guards and prison staff. That status is due in part to the movies and fan mail previously mentioned. Olsen has also taken time to nurture relationships with guards because of the opportunities created by the movies and mail. With nothing left to hide Olsen became very talkative and charming in such a way that is logical only in a prison context.
In various scenes throughout the nine issues Tynion reveals Olsen to be sentimental and a bit of a romantic as is shown when Olsen talks about Michael and his boyfriend Derek’s relationship. Olsen was indeed considered a deviant in 1973 before the murders even began. Since he was first arrested Olsen has maintained his innocence. Tynion sidesteps disclosing the first killer’s identity while focusing on the copycat murderer who is truly a deviant. You’ll want to read the story to find out who it is.
A line of dialog near the end of the last issue reveals that Randall thinks of himself as “just a simpering little old queen.” Perhaps so or maybe it’s an instance of self deprecation. In Tynion and Hixson’s hands Olsen is a complex character which I hope this profile conveys to some degree. Some info was not included to keep this as spoiler free as possible.
Please read the profiles for Michael and Derek, Baz Hall, and Josh.
Randall Olsen first appears in #1 of The Deviant.
Art by Joshua Hixon
All rights reserved James Tynion IV and Joshua Hixon