By Cat Wyatt

The second issue of Twisted Romance consists of three different stories. The first is titled ‘Twinkle & The Star’ (cute play on words there), the second is called ‘Back at Your Door’, and the third is ‘Would You Even Know It?’ Obviously all three have the same main theme, which is that of love and romance.

Out of the three, I think Twinkle & the Star was my favorite. It’s cute, it’s funny, and it’s full of wit. It’s pretty much the perfect combination. Twinkle is a cute girl with a lot of brains, but since she works with models all day (she’s a photo editor), she can’t help but compare and be compared to those girls. That’s a hard job and a hard life, and I don’t envy her for that bit. She manages to stay sane by using her brains and sometimes sassing them by doing something they won’t (usually) pick up on.

When a famous star, Nick Powell shows up, I’m sure Twinkle didn’t expect him to look at her twice, so imagine her surprise when he actually listens to her ideas (and wants to hang out with her later). I have to admit, it was around here the story got me cracking up. Twinkle expresses her frustration to Nick, about how it’s ridiculous that they’re making an image for a magazine cover where he’s the focus, and yet the women around him are naked. Like they’re accessories. I can totally see her frustration (as can many others, if you take a minute to google it you can find countless articles talking about the use of women in covers and ads).

Nick took this concern to heart…and I have to say, his suggestion for a cover change is hilarious and shockingly well designed (I can actually see it being a magazine cover). Nick is now the naked one, and he’s crawling on his knees while a woman dressed in a loose tux dances over/around him. It’s different, it’s funny, and it works. I can see a cover like that getting approved (if nothing else than for the ‘edge’ factor).

I enjoyed the gradual buildup and occasional bumps in their relationship, all of which was explained upon Nick’s confession (and boy do I feel awful that it was ‘confession’ rather than just a statement about who he is). Twinkle’s reaction was pure gold though and really helps to show why he wants to be around her. I would love to read more stories like this.

I loved the artwork for this story. It was simple, and while I don’t love using the term cute for art styles, it sort of fits here. It’s a simpler style, using bold colors against neutral palettes. It makes it stand out among the crowd, just like the main character. As for Twinkle – you can tell just by looking at her that she’s got plenty of opinions and sass, and maybe just a touch of a self-esteem issue. Her looks match her personality pretty well on the whole, and I’m very happy for it.

The second story (Back at Your Door) was a bit harder to get into. Mostly because I was expecting another visual story, but instead got a wall of text (not trying to be harsh there, just honest). It’s a cute story about a girl named Luz Lopez who is clearly not straight, but has a best friend who supposedly is. It’s a great conversation starter about the fluidity of sexuality, and it’s pretty endearing to boot. While it is a lot of text, I think this is one of those stories that does better when it’s actually read (as opposed to being read about) so I think less is more in my talking about it.

The third story (Would You Even Know It?) is likewise pretty cute, but it’s also pretty quirky (in a good way). It’s about a woman advocating for non-conventional relationships; specifically, she believes that AI will eventually become advanced enough (assuming it isn’t already) to have a relationship with a human. Because of her outspoken beliefs, an AI (or so they claim – we’re never actually told for sure one way or the other, but then again, how could you prove you’re an AI?) reaches out to her to test this theory. Their conversations about AI versus human, love, and romance, and everything in between is very thought-provoking. I love the focus of love, and how does one tell if they’re in love, especially without the help of pheromones and hormones? It’s an interesting thought.

I loved the artwork for the third story. On the whole, it’s simpler (for example, the artist doesn’t worry about drawing the character’s pupils, but rather just draws her eyes as one shape together), but for a short story, it really works. Not to mention the lack of excessive detail forces us to focus more on what is being written; which is the point in this case.

Score: 4/5

Twisted Romance #2
Image Comics