THOUGHT BUBBLE MONTH 2026! Dicepool Party Comics grew out of creator J.R. Turvey and friends role-playing sessions and the stories they developed. Due to life circumstances, Turvey turned his talents to creating comics, publishing The Embodied, Another Space (with writer C.J. Durbin), and charity comic Beyond the Max (“Based on my own experience as an undiagnosed autistic teenager” -Turvey). The Scope #1 is their newest release, created in collaboration with first time comics writer Ruth Osgood (The Placement novel).
The Scope is light on plot but heavy on atmosphere. Protagonist Newb wakes up disoriented on a storm swept city street, she is immediately attacked and viciously beaten before mysterious benefactors intervene and save her. Newb wakes up again, this time in a strangely surreal room. She soon meets the group that saved her earlier, and learns they are at a place called POM (Peace of Mind). After being introduced to her rescue team, Jude and Decker, they realize Newb needs medical attention. They leave their underground compound and go see cyborg Mama Scraps, a doctor of some sort. The story continues meandering through this strange world, deftly setting up future episodes.
The art by J.R. Turvey is unique in a way that is hard to describe. In an interview with co-creator Osgood, Turvey reveals, “I actually have aphantasia so I have an inability to create images via a mind’s eye. Thoughts do not have a visual element. They come to me as words via my internal dialogue”. This may account for the incredible look of a woodcut print throughout the comic. Backgrounds are rendered in bold lines, the human figures bend unnaturally as if writhing across the page, everything has a harsh primitive sheen that just seems right for the dystopian future Turvey is bringing to life.
A standout sequence is on pages 10-11: Newb is laying unconscious for two panels, the next two panels are brightly colored abstract patterns almost like what her closed eyes are seeing (or dreaming), the final panel is a jump scare-worthy demon face; The next page has Newb snapping awake in a serene room with cloud pattern wallpaper. The way Turvey conveys the changing tones of the story is a wonder.
Osgood pulls double duty as letterer and complements Turvey’s unusual art style throughout. From the sound effects on page 5 that are seamlessly integrated into the art bringing the sounds of a stormy city street to life, to the scratchy outlined word balloons holding hand drawn rough lettering that perfectly suits the tenor of her narrative.
The same goes for Turvey’s coloring, it’s another piece of the puzzle of this grimly rendered world. The main colour is the stark blackness of Turvey’s art. This is illuminated by a washed out, earthy palette, puncuated for emotional effect by brighter colours. There’s a lot of emotional heavy lifting between the lettering and colour.
The future may be dark as Hell in The Scope #1, but the future of this comic is equally bright in the hands of Ruth Osgood and J.R. Turvey.
Ruth Osgood (W/L), J.R. Turvey (A/C) • Dicepool Party Comics, £6.50
Review by Gary Usher
Dicepool Party Comics are at table D9a in the Travelling Man Hall (sharing a table with Glasgow creator Steven Harper)
Thought Bubble 2026 runs from November 9th-15th with the convention weekend taking place on the 14th-15th. More details on the Thought Bubble site here.
Read all our Thought Bubble 2026 coverage so far in one place here.
Poster art by Núria Tamarit
