Review - Twisted Dark: Inspirations. A Jessica Alves Story
Coming soon from Neil Gibson's Twisted Comics
An interesting mix here, part biographical and part of the Twisted Dark series from Neil Gibson’s Twisted Comics. I had the chance for an advanced look at Twisted Dark: Inspirations. A Jessica Alves Story.
This twenty-page comic, set in the Twisted Dark Universe, explores Jessica Alves’ incredible life journey.
“We met Jessica Alves, and I was frankly impressed by the journey she’s gone through. I can’t imagine the hardships of being born gay to a conservative, religious family, let alone being transgender. I thought it was something that could be interesting to people and maybe help some. And it ties into our Twisted Dark Universe with the typical Twisted endings.” – Neil Gibson
Jessica Alves, Neil Gibson, Phil Buckenham & Rob Jones.
This is a brave and excellent read from the team at Twisted Comics.
From the end, there is a link to Twisted Dark, but that is a small link that doesn’t take away from the emotional read of the rest of the story. Therefore, it should be a good addition for new readers as well as established readers of the Twisted Universe.
It could be said that Jessica Alves is a controversial figure. I vaguely recall seeing her on TV many years ago in a show about plastic surgery. Further down the line, I had heard that she had transitioned. I have no real strong opinions on the ‘trans debate’ other than the fact that I don’t like the nastier side of it. People can choose, and I respect their decisions in this case1.
This was an engaging and informative read. The framing of the story's telling was well done, building into the celebrity aspects of the characters involved. The flashback style works well, with some excellent art and lettering.
The story's pacing works well, with a lot built into it, but it doesn’t feel like too much being squeezed in.
There are some excellent extras to the main comic, giving us more personal moments from Jessica, which are well worth reading.
This was an informative and entertaining read, and I am glad to have read it.
Get it here:
I’m not going to get drawn into the broader debate here - safe to say, I do see some worrying parallels to the treatment other minority groups and the LGBT community have had from the mainstream press over the years.