It was way back at the 2014 Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo when we were first introduced to a fine British lad Neil Gibson and his fledgling comic company TPub. Gibson was there to promote volume one of TPubs inaugural graphic novel, Twisted Dark. At the time Gibson described the comic as a psychological thriller which contained horror with dark (at times demented) twists, incorporating every human emotion, illegal activity, and brutal social commentary.

Nine years and twenty-two publications later, including a total of seven volumes of Twisted Dark, Gibson’s original description of TPub’s first offering seems to have transformed into a mission statement. Often exploring the darkest depths of human nature within their storylines, I have devoured each and every TPub comic since the first. But frankly, no matter how intriguing the story, we all know the visuals make or break a comic. TPub also excels on this front by employing incredible artists to augment every frame with rich detail and cinematic viewpoints.

I have had the honor over the years, to get early sneak peeks at TPub’s latest works. So it was with no small amount of anticipation that I dug into a pre-publication copy of their upcoming release, Tuned. Though I already expected the highest quality comic experience, I had to immediately write Gibson to tell him this latest one might be the best one yet.

From the back cover of Tuned:

People change. It’s natural. But some change is decidedly unnatural…

Project Coventry was meant to change people for the better, but it ended in tragedy. The project was shut down and everyone moved on, or so everyone thought.

Frank Scalera alone started to suffer unimaginable hardship because of the project, and wanted justice for the changes in his life. But the tuning process of Coventry changed Scalera’s mind beyond recognition, and his desire for justice has morphed into a desire for revenge. And with his new powers, he’s starting to get a taste for inflicting pain…

The term “cinema of the mind” perfectly describes this action-thriller. Tuned, the multi-layered story of a government’s pursuit of the perfect soldier, and the horrifying consequences, is a 136-page nail-biter of a tale with stunning visuals on par with a blockbuster film. I particularly loved the way Gibson (writer) developed his characters, with the back stories and relationships that made each one a realistic personification of both light and darkness.

The visuals created by illustrator Ayman Swisy, colorist Cris Peter, and designer Saida Temofonte take the reader on a richly, and sometimes bloody, optical journey including some scenes that were truly difficult to “watch.”

I mentioned to the TPub team that a comic as movie-like as Tuned, really deserved its own teaser trailer, and much to my delight, they delivered one. Check out this 2-minute clip, exclusive to Black Gate and narrated by Gibson, which gives you an idea of what Tuned has in store for you:

A fascinating plot which is begging for a film adaptation, Tuned mixes multiple genres of horror, action and sci-fi, resulting in a can’t-put-down rollercoaster ride of a tale that takes the term “comic” to whole new level.

TPub has a Kickstarter campaign ready to roll on March 23rd, but you can click the link now and sign up to get the alerts. Backers can expect some cool swag, but a digital copy of Tuned like the one I got an early viewing of, will be available to all backers. But while you wait, head over to TPub’s homepage to see more of their work and score some free comics at the same time.