Review Fix 2011 New York Comic Con Coverage: ‘Tortured Life’ Review: Deja-Vu

A story of interest filled with a likeable character would seem to grab the reader and keep them hooked, right?

However, when the story is so reminiscent of an ongoing series like Image Comics’ “Chew,” and a decade old movie franchise, does the excitement die due to the unoriginality?

The truth of the matter is that while this new series, “Tortured Life,” written by Neil Gibson, does contain a few laughs and solid artwork, there is too much predictability, which leads to a climax that does a poor job of keeping you excited
and anxious. This is because there is only one question that needs to be answered and that answer is a relatively easy one.

This comic does not surprise you.

The main character is interesting in his own way though. Following loner Richard, we find he has a unique ability. He had a girlfriend Rebecca whom he loved, a job and most importantly he had happiness. While Richard was living the good life, it suddenly turned bad. Richard started to have visions of animals and people dying, similar to the “Final Destination” movies. He then becomes paranoid, and depressed, and doesn’t leave his apartment, for a year. Richard now lives like a slob. He’s put on weight, his apartment is a mess and he does all he can to get these visions out of his head.

Throughout this comic, Richard has a flashback of how he first experienced these visions. One day while walking down the street, he saw a cat in the middle of the street and saw how it was going to die. Then when he saw it was alive, he tried to save it, but it was too late and his vision turned out to be a reality, sort of like deja-vu, but real. We then see Richard have visions of people dying, in places, way further from his location.

A solid part in “Tortured Life” is when Richard tells Rebecca about his visions. What makes this part spine-chilling is that he tells her how she is going to die. However, a key point in that plot line is what gives this story some steam. Unfortunately the story gets deflated from that point on.

Overall, this comic has the potential to develop a creative story that could lead to more interest, but the old saying, “Its not how you start, it’s how you finish” is what ultimately breaks “Tortured Life.”