The Trials and Tribulations of Miss Tilney

The Trials and Tribulations of Miss Tilney volume 2 cover

You don’t need me to tell you this, but self-publishing is hard. Particularly difficult is getting enough readers to cover the cost of the physical object. That’s why my biggest problem with the series The Trials and Tribulations of Miss Tilney is the price.

Each issue — there are two so far — contains only 22 pages of comics for $5. They’re self-published and sold through Amazon. (Each also has a seven- or nine-page text story at the back.)

The Trials and Tribulations of Miss Tilney volume 1 cover

The characters are interesting, though, and the premise — what little we know about it so far — could be promising. Lord Harwood has been accused of murder, and plucky reporter Henrietta Tilney is determined to get his story, which means finding out who’s framing him. The weirdly cheery peer is accompanied by the dubious Dr. Plum, who seems to have a hypodermic or a vial for any occasion.

It’s written by David Doub and drawn by Sarah Elkins. Lettering for both is done by Joamette Gil, which improves greatly in issue #2, becoming less heavy. The art is competent, with a good sense of setting, even if I was occasionally not quite sure what I was supposed to be seeing.

The Trials and Tribulations of Miss Tilney volume 2 cover

It’s been three years since issue #1, which makes it tricky to hold together a tale based on suspense. The second issue reveals a secret about Miss Tilney that should complicate things in future. I’m curious about what’s going on, particularly with the white tiger attacks, and I like the characters, but at 20-some pages every three years, I doubt I’ll remember enough to get to the end of the story.

There’s a lot of potential on display, but I wish it was easier to read more of it. There are so many other good comics out there that it’s hard to have the patience to support a slow run any more. Steampunk fans will definitely be interested, though. There are preview pages for issue #2 available at the publisher’s website. (The publisher provided digital review copies.)



One comment

  • Suzene

    “There are so many other good comics out there that it’s hard to have the patience to support a slow run any more.”

    Indeed. It’s no secret that it’s hard to carve out a living in comics, but after a while, there’s only so much time, money, and sympathy to be had from the reader. And it’s a lot easier invest all of those in a series that’s coming out on a semi-regular basis as opposed to one that’s on track to have something like four issues out over the next five years.

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