By: Nicole D’Andria
Today we
have a twisted collection of science-fiction stories in The Theory—a spin-off of the cult hit Twisted Dark. I interviewed writers and part of the art team for the comic series,
which hearkens back to The Twilight Zone and
constructs a Black Mirror vibe.
The
series is created and written primarily by Neil Gibson with a rotating team of artists, including Cem
Iroz, Phil Buckenham, Atula Siriwardane and Jim Terry. The entire book is coloured
by Liezl Buenaventura and lettered by Justin Birch. Forrest C. Helvie and David Court also created and co-wrote stories in the collection with Neil Gibson.
The goal
of The Theory Kickstarter is to raise
$13,127 by November 24, 2018 at 10:53 AM EST. Reward tiers include a digital ($13)
and physical ($33) copy of The Theory,
which includes 10 stories as well as bonus content and artwork to be sent to
your email. You can check out the rest of the rewards on the official Kickstarter page. And if you want to get a feel for the actual
comic, you can read it on Webtoons.
I talked
in-depth with Neil about his twisted series as well as with Forrest regarding their “Pandora”
story.
Me: This is a spin-off from the Twisted Dark series. What can you tell us about that comic and how The
Theory relates to it?
Gibson: Twisted
Dark
is our biggest seller and has been compared to Black Mirror, The Twilight
Zone and Stephen King. If you like happy stories with rainbows and puppies,
I don’t recommend reading it! But if you like stories that make you think and that
you want to re-read, then perhaps give it a shot. The Theory is connected to Twisted
Dark but is set in the future and all the stories have a sci-fi element to
them. A sort of Star Trek meets Black Mirror, if you will.
Helvie: I know that I first encountered the Twisted
Dark series when I reviewed comics online years ago, and it was fantastic:
a warped and unexpected sucker punch of a read! Between the stories from Neil
and the fantastic artwork, it wasn't a hard sell for me to devour the whole
run. And those are the kinds of stories I not only love to read, but it's the
sort I equally enjoy writing: ones that draw you in only to deliver a crushing
and unexpected blow to the gut where you just don't feel right after. *Insert
evil laugh* The Twisted Dark books deliver on that every time.
When Neil
and I met and were talking about some stories I was working on a few years back
at New York Comic Con in 2015, he invited me to send him the script for
"Pandora" - a body swap story that goes horrifically wrong. All of
the Twisted stories link together, however, so we worked together to
tighten the story up and help it fit in with the rest of the stories for The
Theory. Needless to say, I'm immensely pleased with how it came out thanks
to Neil as well as our killer artists, Jim Terry and Liezl Buenaventura!
Me: What does a typical day in the life of Linda
look like?
Gibson: Linda lives for discovering dead worlds. She
loves finding information on alien civilizations and is remarkably positive
about it. The fact is humans have faster than light travel and have found the
remains of many alien civilizations but not one living one. All of them self-destructed
or were destroyed. It is her job to find out why to try and stop humanity from having
the same fate. There are so many worlds that the time she can spend on them is
limited. Her days are pretty much spent working on-planet and writing reports of what she found there. We'll be seeing her working on-planet within the stories themselves, and
we'll be seeing excerpts of some of her written reports in the
end-notes after certain stories
 |
Me: If you could go back in time with Jemm-r to
make a minimal alteration just once, where would you go and what alteration
would you make?
Gibson: Ooh - you ask good questions!
OK. I am
hesitant to do anything with my life because I’m pretty happy. At the risk of
being flippant, I would go back and stop the TV show The Apprentice from being greenlit. But if I had more time to think
about this, I would probably try to stop a genocide.
 |
Me: You have a rotating team of artists. How did
you go about picking which artist would illustrate each story?
Gibson: I tend to look for artists whose style I like
and will match the theme of a story I am going for. Occasionally I have to fire
artists for being too slow or not being good storytellers with their art, but
usually I am blown away by how much better they make the stories.
Me: The Theory is currently available on Webtoons. Why
did you decide to use this platform for your comic?
Gibson: We wanted it to reach as many people as
possible. It’s early days, but we are really happy with the rating it is
getting.
 |
Me: You mention that this comic is reminiscent of Black
Mirror and The Twilight Zone. Which episode of each show do you
think best exemplifies the themes/feel of The Theory and why?
Gibson: You really do ask great questions. Most
interviews are easy, but you are making me think here! OK, For Black Mirror I really like “White Bear,”
because of the reveal and twist at the end. That or White Christmas because what you thought was true was not. For The Twilight Zone, to be honest I can’t
remember the names of most episodes, so I am going to have to pass!
Helvie: I was thinking a lot about the sickened feeling
of horror after the very first episode of Black Mirror–"The
National Anthem." When Neil made the suggestion for a final body swap, I
knew it was just right as it recalled that same feeling of
"wrongness."
There was
also an old episode that I'd entirely forgotten about in The Twilight Zone,
which contains a fairly similar plot point—aging or terminally ill people using
science to swap themselves into newer bodies—called "The Trade-Ins"
from 1962. Of course, there's a sort of bittersweet, happy ending that takes
place in that story whereas "Pandora" manages to take the story to
another level entirely.
Neil, I
think we officially "out-creeped" The Twilight Zone—that's a
good thing, right?
 |
Me: What is the number one reason why people should
back your Kickstarter?
Gibson: You will help get more of these stories made.
Quite simply, if you don’t really enjoy the sample stories, then don’t back it.
But if you like the samples, then help build this into the next big series.
With your help, we can do this.
Helvie: Independent publishers like TPub have been and
continue to create some amazing stories, and they've helped open up doors for
all kinds of new creators to make their way into comics. I can look at bigger
publishers from Titan Comics to Marvel and see folks who honed their craft
working with Neil, and that doesn't happen if those stories aren't able to be
published.
The
bottom line is that we always hear people say they want different stories that
push the boundaries of comics. Backing these creators on platforms like
Kickstarter is one of the best ways to ensure that keeps happening. And
honestly? Twisted Sci-Fi: The Theory looks to push the bar even higher
for the Twisted books—you don't want to miss out!
 |
Me: What inspirational words do you have for
aspiring comic book writers?
Gibson: Get your script finished, even if it is just
four pages. Get your script finished. Get it drawn. Get feedback. Get better.
Repeat.
We also have a comic making course. Please email info@tpub.co.uk for a free version.
We also have a comic making course. Please email info@tpub.co.uk for a free version.
Helvie: I still consider myself an aspiring comic
writer, but I'd suggest the following: listen, learn, and live on. You will get
feedback from people further down the path, and sometimes, that feedback will
hurt. Listen to what's being said. Then, try and learn from those around you.
Working with Neil on "Pandora" was an awesome experience, and
it's helped me out as a writer in so many different ways. Lastly, live on.
Publishing in any field is tough and you're going to get knocked down—but don't
let it kill you. Get back up, live on, keep listening and learning, and
eventually, you will find your way towards success—whatever that might look
like!
Me: I also spoke in-depth with The Theory colorist Liezl Buenaventura about her experience in this
sci-fi world.
 |
| Liezl Buenaventura |
Me: How did
you become part of this project?
Buenaventura: I'm the series colorist
for another TPub comic, Disposable
Legends. I was offered "No Recidivism" first, and then I ended up
doing the rest of the stories afterwards. :)
Me: What was your favorite page of the interiors in
The Theory to color and why?
Buenaventura: Wow, that's like asking
which of my children is my favorite, haha. I loved working with all the artists
on this book for various reasons, but a few pages that come to mind are:
1) The
final page of "Pandora" because it's delightfully twisted! (No
spoilers, but I'm sure readers will see what I mean!)
2) Page 4
of "Battlesuit" was really fun to do because it's a pretty
effects-heavy page. We're seeing half of the panels from the point of view of
being inside the battle suit, so I really enjoyed figuring out a way to depict
the deteriorating interior view screen.
3) Pages
3 and 4 of "Quarantine" were also especially fun to do, because the
sprawling sci-fi landscapes felt so epic. Amrit could have been easily
storyboarding the next big sci-fi movie when he drew them!
 |
Me: What is the number one reason why people should
back your Kickstarter?
Buenaventura: If you like smart,
twisted, and absolutely gorgeous science-fiction, you will not be disappointed!
Me: What inspirational words do you have for
aspiring comic book colorists?
Buenaventura: Never give up! It's a
bit of a cliché, but I've been in the comic industry for going on ten years now
and the best advice I can give is to just really stick to it. It's slow-going
at the start, just the same as any freelance career, but if you work hard and
don't give up, you'll eventually get where you want to go. :)
Me: Thank you for taking the time to let us in on
these twisted science-fiction stories. If you’re reading this and interested in
checking out The Theory, see the
official Kickstarter here.
Do you
have a Kickstarter? Want to be interviewed about it and have the project
featured on "Kickstart the Week?" Let me know in the comments below
or message
me on my website.
Other “Kickstart the Week” features:
Wow...great stuff! I like the colors specially the "A night Lionel Could Not Forget"
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