Posted in: Comics, Recent Updates | Tagged: Casper Wijngaard, Comics, entertainment, indie Comics, neil gibson, T Pub, Twisted Dark Anthologies

The Twisted, Unrequited Love And Sex Dolls Of Tabatha

By Olly MacNamee

[*Contains some mild spoilers]

Nothing is ever what it seems. When we meet Luke, one of a gang of four central characters in the collected mini-series, Tabatha from T Pub, he seems to be just another ordinary shlub with a dull dead-end job delivering the mail in Los Angeles. Needless to say, if you are familiar with any of Neil Gibson's previous writing on titles such as the Twisted Dark anthologies, then you will know that things can and will go horrendously wrong, horribly quickly when it is revealed the real reason behind Luke's current employment; a ruse that allows him to identify and keep tabs on houses that seem to be vacant in order to burglarize them for much needed funds. Even in this desire for money through nefarious means is not as straightforward as it first appears.

This is a tale in equal parts modern horror mixed with black humour, and, with a sell out at MCM Manchester recently, it seems to be rather popular with the comic book buying public too. I smiled as much I was shocked and couldn't help rooting for these characters as we learn more about each one and as Gus picks off each in his pursuit of the perfect relationship.

This is then, also a tale of twisted, unrequited love and sex dolls. Entering into one seemingly empty house, Luke, his brother Fin, his girlfriend Baily and her brother Ty come across a treasure trove of movie land memorabilia, all created by the comic book's big bad, Gustave, a props-maker in Hollywood with his own relationship problems fueling his violence.  In tampering with Gus's much prized mannequin and the focus of his obsession, Tabatha, Luke and company guarantee that they have not heard the last of the occupant of this particular Hollywood house. Like many a killer, we do not immediately see him, but the moment he arrives at one of the gang's front doors, however, he is instantly recognizable as the villain, taking out each of the would-be burglars one at a time in classic horror tradition.

Having Gus be a part of the film industry allows Gibson and up and coming artist Casper Wijngaard the freedom to populate this story with enough pop cultural references to make The Simpsons' blush. In just one panel there were a ton of Easter eggs ranging from Tetsuo's motorbike from Akira to Finn and Jake masks from Adventure Time. These nods to geek culture make for a much more entertaining read as I was left trying to tie real-life film props, such as the telepod from The Fly, to their films with the very same real-life props often having a part to play in proceedings too. By the end of the story, many are no longer in 'mint condition', let's put it that way. While the antagonist is all too human, his house is full to bursting with enough movie monsters to sustain the suspenseful atmosphere and allowing artist, Wijngaard room to flex his love of all things ghoulish.

As for the art, Wijngaard's style has certainly developed since his earlier stories to be found in the aforementioned Twisted Dark anthology series. Where he once drew in a rougher style, the work on show here is more fluid, smoother and more defined with an eye for detail, especially when coming to drawing the innards of Gus's house of horrors. Normally, T Pub prints in black and white, but here we have Wijngaard make use of colour that brings the light, bright world of Hollywood to life while contrasting with interior scenes set in Gustave's home without washing away the strong line work. When we do see the world through the antagonist's eyes he is quite literally watching through rose coloured specs.

Gibson and Wijngaard clearly work very well together and I hope this partnership continues for years to come as they develop and expand on their sick, psychotic shared universe.  By the end of this entertaining read I found myself even sympathizing with Gus, but not too much. Great writing, solid art, and a black comedy for the nerd in us all. If you like comedies such as the brilliant League of Gentlemen or Psychoville, you will not want to miss this graphic novel off your summer reading list.

Well worth a read, and super cheap too, currently selling digitally for just 99p on the T Pub website here.

Well, what are you waiting for? You wouldn't want to make Gus mad would you?

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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