Posted in: Comics, Recent Updates | Tagged: Comics, entertainment, mike carey, neil gibson, Tpub, twisted dark

Catching Up With Neil Gibson and His Twisted Dark – A 'British Twilight Zone'

Published Fri, 28 Feb 2014 17:00:00 -0600

Olly MacNamee writes for Bleeding Cool:

Comic writer, Neil Gibson, is having a busy year already and the publishing of re-mastered editions of his popular Twisted Dark anthologies is only the start. We caught up with the new kid on the comic book block to see what else he was up to this year.

Olly MacNamee: Some have described Twisted Dark as a British Twilight Zone. What's your own opinion of the contemporary psychological thrillers you tell?

Neil Gibson: Well I'm delighted it is compared to The Twilight Zone! When I was a kid I loved stories that made you think as well as entertain you, and hopefully my stories do that to other people. The difference between Twisted Dark and the Twilight Zone is that all my stories are set in the same universe and all the characters connect – they aren't stand-alone stories. With regards to it being a British version, well, even though I'm British, the stories are set all over the world – from Laos to Colombia and we have international talent making the series so I'm not sure how British it is!

OM: What scares you?

NG: All horror films. Seriously. I don't like being scared!

OM: How is your collection of short stories different to other anthologies?

NG: All the stories connect and they are linked thematically. I have this massive spider gram showing all the connections and when the series is complete I will finally reveal to everyone how all the stories intertwine. It is not something I expect most fans to explore at length, but I know some will. There's this guy in Malta who even spotted a mistake we made and we had to fix it!

OM: Last time we chatted to you (Nov. 2012) you discussed comics that influenced you growing up. Which comics are you reading at the moment that you can't put down?

NG: Right now my favorite is Locke and Key and I'm waiting for the final trade. Also, I'm excited by Mike Carey's Suicide Risk. Check it out if you haven't read it.

OM: Outside of comics, what also influences you?

NG: Pretty much anything I find interesting. I love watching QI (BBC), but sadly my wife doesn't, so I have to sneak in the reruns on Dave at odd moments when she's not at home. :)

OM: You are currently re-mastering your first four volumes of Twisted Dark. What can readers expect in these new editions?

NG: Better art, better layouts, better lettering, better print quality… One of the joys in setting up a new comic book company is the ability to print what you like and enjoy. The downside is we had no in-house expertise and had to learn from scratch how to actually make a comic book. It took us two years, but now we are ready and I'm very excited about what we have lined up to come out.

OM: Other than the re-mastered volumes of the well acclaimed Twisted Dark volumes, what are the plans for Neil Gibson and T Pub in 2014?

NG: Oops, it seems I jump ahead when answering these questions. I guess I am just enthusiastic about the medium! This year we are launching nationally in the UK, US and maybe Canada. We will have at least 5 volumes of Twisted Dark out (maybe 6). Twisted Sci-fi will also be released as well as the trade version of Tabatha and also Tortured Life. We will also release The World of Chub Chub, which bizarrely some people think is their favourite thing I do – it originally started as a gift for my mother but just expanded due to the reaction I got. It is similar to Calvin and Hobbes, I guess, only it is based on my childhood. I was not a very well behaved kid! We are also launching a comic cookbook, but it is doubtful it will be ready by the end of the year.

Remastered volumes of Twisted Dark are available now from the Tpub website (just click here) and you can read the whole of Twisted Dark for free here.

Olly MacNamee teaches English and Media, for his sins, in a school somewhere in Birmingham. Some days, even he doesn't know where it is. Follow him on twitter @ollymacnamee or read about his exploits at olly.macnamee@blogspot.co.uk. Or don't.

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