“A Game of Doubles” Serves up Stylish Thrills

A Game of Doubles, written by Jonathan Thompson and drawn by Ryan Tavarez, serves up a deliciously deceitful slice of cold-blooded murder with style.

Thompson plots an intriguing story that leans into “film noir” territory with a healthy dose of psychological thriller. The best way I can describe it to take classic Alfred Hitchcock, combine it with a dose of “The Talented Mr. Ripley” by Patricia Highsmith, and sprinkle it with a sports setting. It all adds up to make A Game of Doubles a unique read, with the backdrop of a 50th Birthday Party for identical twin tennis aces being a surprising setting for such a clever and smoothly executed crime.

The two main characters, Jackson and Chandler Teach, aren’t quite what you’d expect. You might imagine successful former athletes to be full of bravado, or at least one to be the “jock” type, but the twins spend most of the story reflecting on their lives in what sets a dark tone for the comic. Neither brother seems entirely happy, both thinking the other has it sweeter than the other, and a plan is set in motion for one to fix the problem permanently.

The game is on…

After revealing two vials of drugs, one “for partying” and one “for rats”, the tension ramps up as the twins meet in the bathroom and decide to “treat themselves” to a private celebration. It’s here that the artistic style of the comic really shines, as what seems to be an unimportant tennis background for the brothers becomes a key part of the plot.

The idea to insert scenes from a past tennis match between moments of conversation in the present was something of a masterstroke. The “Whams”, “Pops”, and “Biffs” of the tennis gives the conversation between the brothers an added sense of urgency and suspense.

Identity crisis?

The panels and premise are interesting and largely well organised. The one problem of any doppelganger themed story, however, is keeping the characters straight in your head. A Game of Doubles does a good job of avoiding this most of the time. The different hairstyles and the use of a tie are quite often a useful way to identify them. When moving from extended tennis panels back to the bathroom scenes, however, you might need to take a moment to refresh your mind about which twin is which.

I think it would also be beneficial to add more background to the characters at the start of the comic. The weight of the murder might hit harder if there’s more of a relationship laid out at the start of the story, or if we see more general chat between each twin and their partners or the partygoers. We get that there have been some issues at some point in the past, and general jealousy can be a good motivator, but it would be nice to spend a bit more time with the characters before the bathroom scene begins.

Overall, A Game of Doubles proves to be a very original story backed up with a slick art style. I think there’s solid potential for a follow up, and I’d love to see whether the murderer gets away with it or if there’s something he missed. I’d also enjoy seeing more interplay between the sports panels and the main plot if any follow-up is on the cards.