by Whitney Grace
I have read my fair share of short story comic collections and only one comes to mind as being genuinely good. So I must admit when I picked up Twisted Dark Volume 1, I was more than skeptical about what I was going to read as much as hoping to be spending my time with a polished independent publisher piece. Thank goodness my doubts were cast aside in a blaze of engrossing ink. Twisted Dark is written as a series of short stories (the first is only a few pages long) that seemingly have no relation, but as the pages turn you begin to see connections between the characters. The stories are suspenseful thrillers dealing with everything from drug trafficking to murder to man seeking control through her leadership prowess. I expected characters to fall into the usual plot holes, but the book is aptly named because as soon as you begin to pigeon-hole the twist happens.
Stories are not scary and are relatively free of gore, which is a nice change from many suspenseful comics you find on shelves. Another added bonus for book is that Neil Gibson, the writer, decided to use different artists for each of the stories to convey varying moods and themes. It is a brilliant idea, because it makes you forget about the connections adding to the suspenseful element.
Very few comic books come along that actually add something new to the medium, but T Publications ha discovered a winning formula and they should stick with it. It beat The Walking Dead on Amazon digital comic sales.
Tabatha Issue 1
T Publications
By Whitney Grace
What is a smart way to plan a robbery? Luke and his friends decided it was best if he took a job as a delivery man and staked out neighborhoods. Smart, very smart until they hit the wrong house. What is behind the locked door, you might ask? If I told, then the secret would be revealed and ruin the suspenseful surprise. I will mention that there is blood, weirdness, an ugly dude, and a Kermit the Frog tattoo.
One of the best things about Tabatha is Caspar Wijngaard’s innocuous art It is pleasant and comes off as decent comic book fare, until you get to the twisted madness. While it does not blow your mind, it adds a sense of intrigue about else is lurking in the next issue. Something sinister is going on behind the pages of Tabatha and it is delightfully evil.
