Natura vs Cyberkultura – review of the comic “Tokyo Ghost”

The work of CD Projekt Red will certainly go down in the history of games. 2020 was extremely specific – almost completely devoid of great events. Events such as the Olympics and Eurovision have been canceled. Last year was also a time without cinema blockbusters – with the shy exception of Tenet , who, however, did not meet the expectations of neither critics nor viewers. No other high-budget title has hit theaters. At this point, the game of the Polish studio became a phenomenon, which was confirmed by high sales. Aside from what Cyberpunk 2077finally became (whole books can be written about it), elements of his marketing campaign appeared almost everywhere. The number of commercials on television or in public space was so high that it can be safely said that the game thus took over the role previously reserved for cinema. It is not surprising that so many other entities decided to join this success.

Dancing with the Japanese

Los Angeles, 2089. The city is ruled not by politicians, but by a powerful media tycoon – Flak. Humanity is lost in the entertainment of the lowest flights. Many individuals give up social life in favor of watching several programs at once, with their level resembling the Day of the Freak commercials .In these conditions, the reader gets to know headhunters: Debbie Decay and Leda Denta, who have formed a pair from an early age. She is currently one of the few people without cyber implants. The same cannot be said of Ledza, who in a moment of weakness decided to modify his body. From a skinny dog ​​to a tank that walked on two legs. Unfortunately, it happened at the cost of almost total loss of consciousness, as the protagonist spends every free moment watching TV. The love of the heroes is as great as it is toxic, although Debbie still deludes that she will get her lover back. The occasion for this is to be a secret mission in Tokyo – the last place on Earth, where humanity has rejected technological achievements and leads a harmonious life in harmony with nature. Flak commissioned the couple to shut down the cover over Tokyo, which will allow you to take over the area and build a casino there. But will the heroes – seeing the beauty of nature, so different from their everyday life – be able to sabotage it?

Japan – eco paradise

The vision of a society of the future in which the idiots of the rich have gross fortunes and the little ones become completely dependent on the media is disturbing and not so difficult to imagine. The aforementioned incapacitated individuals watching over a dozen programs at the same time are the most interesting of Remender’s ideas, but besides, the writer uses cyberpunk elements only for decorative purposes. If someone is looking for a deeper transhumanist approach typical of the genre, he will not find it here, especially as the whole seems rather naive and devoid of nuances. Originally, cyberpunk expressed fears of Japanese economic domination – the Land of the Rising Sun achieved amazing economic results in the 1980s (which eventually led to the bursting of the bubble and the so-called lost years). In Remender, the theme of Japan was treated quite the opposite – the place looks like an ecological paradise, which is quite funny considering the current urbanization of the area. Additionally, the nature-culture conflict appears here as zero-one. The inhabitants of Tokyo, where all technology has been abandoned, are shown here only in a positive light, although their decision means a shift back in development by several hundred years. There is a very strange fetishization of Japan going on here, far from what the country looks like today. although their decision means a shift back in development by several hundred years. There is a very strange fetishization of Japan going on here, which is far from what the country looks like today. although their decision means a shift back in development by several hundred years. There is a very strange fetishization of Japan taking place, which is far from what the country looks like today.

The way of the heroine

I happened to accuse comics that they are too short and that they lack proper plot development. In Tokyo GhostI have completely opposite feelings, because the reading was a long time for me. This is because the plot itself is relatively simple and tends to be repetitive. Debbie and Leda’s relationship is meant to be romantic, and is mostly toxic. It is possible that Remender wanted to show here that everyone is the victim of addiction. But it’s hard to cheer on Debbie, who forgives Dent every time, even if he causes massacre of dozens of innocent people. Moreover, despite the large number of pages, heroin metamorphosis is unbelievable. At first he gets hit by others, and later becomes the title ghost and fear among his opponents. The problem is, we don’t see how Debbie got to that level. Many pages of the comic were also devoted to fillers,that is, events that do not push the plot in any way. I like unrestricted creativity and twisting into strange regions, but here Remender definitely missed. Plots with fairy-tale murderers and a go-kart track full of criminals (including Hitler and Bin Laden) are ultimately pointless and so… well-behaved.

We are

I really like the style of Sean Murphy, who is currently one of the most interesting mainstream artists. At the same time, my contact with him so far has usually occurred in the case of comics that did not meet my expectations ( Snyder’s Awakening , Millar’s Chrononauts ). Maybe Murphy should choose more interesting designs? Nevertheless, his job in Tokyo Ghost did very well. The frames are dynamic, filled with a lot of details. Characters, technologies (including the angular Denta motorbike) and architecture look great. Remender and Murphy made a story only for adults and the drawings soooooo highlight it. Gore scenesthey are frequent and dense (no wonder in a situation where one of the characters sets himself the goal of making the most effective and effective massacre), and many frames are additionally filled with shanks. The number of penises drawn would put even the Guardians headed by Dr. Manhattan to shame , especially since even fellatio shows up here . Murphy’s masterful drawings perfectly complement the colors of Matt Holingsworth. Interestingly, the colorist opted for pastel colors, unusual for cyberpunk, with an additional worn effect.

The edition of Non Stop Comics itself looks impressive. Tokyo Ghost hits the hands of readers in the deluxe version with an enlarged format, which with 288 pages is even more impressive. Among the numerous additions at the end of the volume you can find a cover gallery, sketches with character designs or sample pages of the script.

Cyberpunk 2021

I mentioned in the introduction that 2020 is the year of cyberpunk. 2021, in turn, is the time of the profession of cyberpunk. CD Projekt Red currently has a similar number of players as The Witcher 3 from six years ago – and the latest title of the studio is only a few months old. Likewise, Tokyo Ghost did not live up to expectations. There’s nothing wrong with creating cyberpunk stories that only focus on the entertainment aspect. However, I get the impression that Rick Remender’s work could not even do that. The result is a long comic strip that is devoid of engaging content. This is the equivalent of Monday’s summer mega-kits from Polsat. Is Tokyo Ghost worth reaching for? In my opinion, not necessarily, and if anything, because of the drawings by Sean Murphy.