Created and written by Chris Waigand, Tights, a comic book series set in a post-pandemic world, is a snappy thrill ride that takes your breath away from the first panel and leaves you wanting more.
Writer:Chris Waigand Art & Cover: Edison Neo Colours: Maja Opacic Design & Letters: Reed Hinckley-Barnes Variant Cover ( B ) : Kyle Petchock Age Rating: 18+ Where to get it: https://www.tightscomicbook.com
TIGHTS Issue #1.jpeg144.89 KB
Plot:
When a judge is blackmailed by vigilantes into saving San Francisco, he finds himself becoming the very thing he hates most—a superhero.
Story & Characters:
Every now and then there's a comic book that is fiction but so rooted in our reality, that despite being a heightened version of it, it becomes relatable. `Tights` is one such book. I had the pleasure of reading tights Issue #1 and #2 for this review. We will try and get into some details without getting into any spoilers.
`Tights` revolves around an idealistic judge, Oliver Andrews who snarks at vigilante justice, and superheroes. He believes in upholding of the law no matter what. The world of `Tights` is a post-pandemic one, similar to ours. It's bleak, yet colourful. It is flawed, yet hopeful. It also has characters that are very grounded in reality. You can relate to them because despite being idealistic, they are average joes doing regular things.
The book moves at a very brisk pace and is action-packed. It's also jam-packed with pop-culture references from Die hard to Curb your Enthusiasm, references fly in fast. Issue#1 ends with an introduction to the Shadowpack.
Tights issue#2 turns things on their head a fair bit and kicks off with a major event. Apart from Shadowpack, it introduces FBI Agent Veronica, in a rather cinematic fashion, a classic raid. The dialogue is very snappy and exposition in the Issue#2 is a very smart way. It ends on a cliffhanger, and I feel like I want more.
Tights issue 2 cover Art & Inspiration:
The artwork by Edison Neo is electrifying. The style is very modern and from the Ageless age of comics. The lines are clean, the faces are drawn in a very expressive way and convey emotion very accurately. The colour palette chosen by Maja for the world is rich and builds upon the world we live in. It feels real and lived in.
The design of Shadowpack suites is very sci-fi inspired. The art overall is very cinematic, especially in the courtroom scenes. The angles at which the panels are presented, provide a very dramatic feel to them.
I absolutely loved the blend of sound effects and lettering in this book by Reed. It's very evocative and adds a real dimension to some of the panels, especially the ones with back-to-back fast moving action sequences.
Final Verdict:
Tights is an amazing action adventure story with a world full of motley characters in a post-pandemic world. It's fun, thrilling, comic, action-packed and gives you a healthy diet of pop-culture references. I would highly recommend it and keep an eye out for the next issue when it comes along because it offers some of the best writing and artwork from the Indie comic book circuit! Follow them on twitter for the latest on upcoming Issues.
