Intrusive Thoughts... a Review of a Preview (Prereview?) – Don't Tell My Wife I'm a Cult Leader

Intrusive Thoughts... a Review of a Preview (Prereview?)


Intrusive Thoughts
by Anthony D. Stokes


A Modern Indie Psychological Horror Comic


I recently backed a crowdfunding campaign for a 28-page comic called Intrusive Thoughts. I was sold on the 12-Page preview the creator teased to his audience via Twitter. If I had to put it into a genre, I'd say it's psychological horror, and what makes it different is that it features a young man, presumably in high school, who is beleaguered by--you guessed it--intrusive thoughts. We see vignettes of his life in foster homes, and then we see the protagonist at a psychologist's office laid out on the couch with sketchpad clutched to his chest. it becomes clear that the hero is all alone in his little world and no one understands him. The preview ends on a cliffhanger: we see the protagonist being haunted by not one, but two faceless villains in his sleep.

One of the most important things I look for in a comic is whether or not I can follow the story without too much effort. Sometimes the creator takes it for granted that readers new to the story will be able to understand the narrative as well as the creator, and thus, they make it too cryptic to captivate. Obviously, you don't want to give the whole story away, but so often I find the premise too difficult to understand and a satisfying ending rarely follows suit.

I have a feeling we'll know exactly happens to our protagonist, and I'm eager to help fund a creator that's been so dedicated to his work. I've taken a page out of his book (not literally) and have tweeted at least one tweet a day regarding the progress of my graphic novel, pretty much every day for several months now and that process keeps me on my toes. If you don't use Twitter, I don't blame you, but the long story short is that I'm about six weeks out from publishing Chapters 6 and 7 starring LeRon, a Cajun teenager who gets into trouble and out, and Chapters 9 and 10 will focus on Daluxolo, a South African scholar who emigrates to the USA after experiencing family trauma during the violent early 90s.

So take a look at Intrusive Thoughts for yourself and see if this is a project worth backing. For me, I might use Kickstarter once I have a book-sized volume put together, but for now I'm loving what I'm doing, putting them out chapter by chapter, getting feedback from readers like you. Be sure to read the first two chapters of Don't Tell My Wife I'm a Cult Leader and let me know your thoughts, intrusive or not.

Thanks for reading,

Todd Steinberg
Creator of Don't Tell My Wife I'm a Cult Leader


Leave a comment


Please note, comments must be approved before they are published