The cover art of Neil Gibson’s ‘Twisted Dark’ is enough to get you to take it home, but the weak writing nearly ruins it all.
The intro art is reminiscent of “Preludes and Nocturnes,” and “House of Mystery” enough that those looking for something eerie and different will instantly be drawn in, expecting a similar tale.
While it attempts to do something similar, it fails mainly because of a lack of experience of the writer.
It’s not that Gibson himself is a poor writer, it’s that his work isn’t suited for the medium just yet. Relying heavily on the narrative, Gibson’s characters’ souls seem a slave to the story. The surprises are poorly exposed and after a few stories, you get it all. You’ll quickly see that Gibson’s work is clearly influenced by Neil Gaiman, Hitchcock and manga. By the end though, while there may be some evil smirks induced, it’s not terrifying or terribly entertaining.
That’s not to say that Gibson isn’t worth keeping an eye on either. He’s a talented indie comic guy just breaking in who put an obvious ton of work into this project. The type of artists he garnered for this trade is impressive as well, as they manage to change the pace nicely. Sadly, the tone of the writing isn’t able to do the same. Without an editing team and resources like many of the other bigger companies, Gibson needs to be a stronger critic of his own work. In his current situation, that’s the only way his work will get any better.
The fact that all the twists in these short stories feels the same is a bit alarming and the first hint that these stories should have been edited tighter. The same thing goes for the lack of real speech by characters in many of the stories. Unlike Gaiman, who allows you access into the minds of the characters in his worlds, Gibson gives you run of the house, but locks the fridge and bathroom and doesn’t put sheets on the bed. While there are moments that you feel you can connect to these characters, there aren’t enough of them to make reading this trade enjoyable.
You will hear positive things regarding Gibson’s name in the future; just not from this trade.
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