Review: Tuned by TPub Comics

Tunes is the latest comic from Tpub Comics and is funding through Kickstarter. Written by Neil Gibson with art by Aymen Swisy, this is a super-soldier story with a twist - it just wouldn't be a Tpub story, otherwise! There's a reason why I always look out for their books.

The premise of Tuned is based around the aftermath of Project Coventry, a Super Soldier project that would change how wards are fought. It would change people for the better, but it ended in tragedy and was shut down. Everyone seemed to move on, except for Frank Scalera, who suffered unimaginable hardship because of the project, and now he wants justice... or revenge. His mind has become twisted, and he'll do whatever he has to in order to right some wrongs and get the revenge he feels he deserves.

Let's start with the art, as always. Ayman Swisy, colourist Cris Peter, and letterer and designer Saida Temofonte take readers on a horror journey, ramping up tension with style and adding plenty of gore. The action, violence and twisted nature of the story are portrayed beautifully. There are some scenes that are genuinely horrifying, and the character design for Frank with his nose adds a nice touch to make the whole thing look gnarly. The colours for different locations and time points work well, especially the moments in Frank's home with the red/purple lighting, which adds to the horror tones.

The lettering from Temofonte deserves a special mention as it adds to the horror and tone of the story. The black and white speech bubbles for Frank are the highlight, with a scratchy outline that features the occasional "sniff" worked into the outline before he speaks. It's a great way to add a little more character when he's speaking.

The story from Neil Gibson mixes horror, intrigue, crime, action, secrets and even a light superhero element - although the super soldiers are certainly no Captain America! We get some clever storytelling that keeps the story going at a pace, even with flashbacks. And it's the flashbacks of what Frank has had to endure with his superpower that adds some empathy towards a character that is the cause of the present-day horrors. To say he got the worst superpower is an understatement, and the flashbacks really ram home how bad it can be and what life has thrown at him since Project Coventry ended. Simple comments that people can usually brush off are torturous if you're unlucky enough to have this particular not-so-superpower.

Every time I read a new book from Tpub, I question whether this is my new favourite and nothing has changed here! It's up there with some of their best, and that's a pretty high bar. It's a world that I hope they revisit because I'm invested in this now. Everything in this is on point. The art, colours, lettering and writing. It hits on multiple levels.

If you're a fan of psychological horror or Super Soldiers, then this is something for you. It's funding through Kickstarter, so don't miss out.

Rating: 5/5

Neil Gibson (w), Aymen Swisy (a), Cris Peter (c), Saida Temofonte (l)  - TPub Comics