Coming soon to Kickstarter is the latest graphic novel from Neil Gibson’s Twisted Comics1. Trapped features Poker, TV, movies, action and more in this excellent tale.
Trapped is a poker-comedy love letter to the gambling/heist genre. Rounders meets Deadpool meets House of Games.
Joe is an interesting character. As the story starts, you are unsure how to feel about him. Should we be sympathetic? Perhaps he is a poker player and commentator down on his luck, and it looks like things will worsen.
Even so, he has good humour and explains some of the intricate details of poker (some good research undertaken by the writer here). In doing so, you are drawn in and follow him along for the ride. Soon, Joe is in with some shady people - although one isn’t as bad as all that - and you can see how this will escalate incorrectly.
As we follow Joe from poker game to poker game, we are introduced to an entertaining cast of characters who are very well-detailed and have some good and bad traits. It’s interesting to see Joe in this world, and we see it well through his eyes.
Although the story starts slower, I rapidly turn to see what happens next as new characters, situations, and problems are introduced. It works really well, and I found myself loving the characterisation of the various media people and their ilk. In the background are Joe’s newfound friends, who are into some bad things and may not have his best interests at heart. Joe’s reactions to them are well played out and keep him alive.
The story's climax moves quickly, and on first reading, it feels a little too quickly for the story, but on revision, you can see how this is being built into the story in the previous pages.
I loved the art style and the colouring. There are some brilliant scenes, both in the bright lights of Vegas and the like, and the shady, darker scenes of trouble. Some excellent angles were used, and some fun side parts made the story a little bit lighter in the telling. That, combined with the lettering - see above - makes this an excellent read and adds that little extra x-factor to bring you in.
This is an enthralling read with a combination of crime, humour, and entertainment worth backing. It will be great to see out in the world.
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Joe Stapleton: Joe Stapleton has been in and around the poker world for nearly two decades. From humble beginnings as podcast host and “spray tan prop bet guy” to only a slightly-less- humble present as TV commentator, stand-up comedian, Hollywood movie consultant, and…podcast host, “Stapes” has managed to inject his brand of humor and f*ckup-ery into everything he touches. And now he’s touching a graphic novel. (Consensually)
Neil Gibson: Neil is the founder of Twisted Comics and loves working with writers, artists, colourists and letterers. He is very passionate about the comic book medium and believes it is one of the most efficient ways to communicate concepts. If you want to annoy him, just mention how you think comics are just for kids - his reaction is a common source of amusement. He gives talks about comics to universities and corporations and how the medium can help in business and studies. Indeed, he won't stop yammering on about this, but audiences seem to like it. His mission is to get more and more people reading and creating comics. He lives in London with his wife, two children and seemingly endless household visitors.
Formally TPub