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moonbites's review against another edition
5.0
Thank you Rick Remender for another beautiful, tragic, and addicting story.
shaneboyar's review against another edition
4.0
Okay let me just get this out of the way first. I now officially think the team of Sean Murphy and Matt Hollingsworth can do no wrong. They are the Dream Team as far as I’m concerned. Or well, rather, the Dystopian Nightmare Team if the content of the books they work on together is taken into consideration. Hollingsworth’s colors always seem to have this soft, deep, dreamy quality to them, even when he moves into the brighter end of the spectrum. He’s a man who can manage to even make a pastel pink almost nightmarish, and his choices are the perfect compliment to Murphy’s highly detailed line work that evokes a sense of reality without ever really getting to near to it.
Murphy has risen to the top of the ranks of comic art because he truly seems to have an eye for the cinematic. He brings a sense of movement and tension into every panel he draws even when it’s only a scene of two characters sitting across from one another or a close up on a character’s face. Murphy may have been the perfect choice for this comic which is a pastiche of movie tropes.
At first, I really didn’t think Tokyo Ghost was going to do it for me. The first chapter comes at you with such an intense frenetic pace packed with motorcycle chases and faces ground into the pavement and explosions. It feels like the comic book equivalent of a local TV ad for a monster truck rally. I kept turning the page expecting to see SUNDAY! SUNDAY! SUNDAY! plastered across a two-page spread. The little bad we meet a handful of pages in rockets around on a hover scooter, seeing life through a heads-up-display like its all a videogame. He screams YOLO as he thoughtlessly sends a rocket propelled grenade into a crowd of innocent people. He’s so tapped into the internet that he has become it, and like… we get it. It’s a little heavy handed and, quite frankly, exhausting. Also, its one of those lines that will cement this book in the time it was written, which is unfortunate for a book that’s supposed to take place in the future. Hell, it’s only been six months since the issue was originally published and people don’t even say YOLO anymore. I really hope it doesn’t make a comeback in 2089.
It’s all prelude though. It takes Remender a bit of time to build out the premise of Tokyo Ghost, but once he does, it’s actually a really strong one.
From chapters two onward, you come to learn about the relationship between Debbie and Led Dent aka Teddy. You see how two people can grow to depend on one another when they think they’ve been abandoned together, and how addiction can drive a wedge between them, and how hard it can be to give up the person someone was when their vices get the best of them. Remender has the uncanny ability to quickly craft these fully formed characters that you find yourself deeply caring about.
If Tokyo Ghost declared itself completed at the end of volume one, I think you could call it a success, but I’m excited to see it continue. The dynamic of Debbie and Teddy’s relationship is left drastically changed at the end of the collection, and it should be an interesting ride.
Murphy has risen to the top of the ranks of comic art because he truly seems to have an eye for the cinematic. He brings a sense of movement and tension into every panel he draws even when it’s only a scene of two characters sitting across from one another or a close up on a character’s face. Murphy may have been the perfect choice for this comic which is a pastiche of movie tropes.
At first, I really didn’t think Tokyo Ghost was going to do it for me. The first chapter comes at you with such an intense frenetic pace packed with motorcycle chases and faces ground into the pavement and explosions. It feels like the comic book equivalent of a local TV ad for a monster truck rally. I kept turning the page expecting to see SUNDAY! SUNDAY! SUNDAY! plastered across a two-page spread. The little bad we meet a handful of pages in rockets around on a hover scooter, seeing life through a heads-up-display like its all a videogame. He screams YOLO as he thoughtlessly sends a rocket propelled grenade into a crowd of innocent people. He’s so tapped into the internet that he has become it, and like… we get it. It’s a little heavy handed and, quite frankly, exhausting. Also, its one of those lines that will cement this book in the time it was written, which is unfortunate for a book that’s supposed to take place in the future. Hell, it’s only been six months since the issue was originally published and people don’t even say YOLO anymore. I really hope it doesn’t make a comeback in 2089.
It’s all prelude though. It takes Remender a bit of time to build out the premise of Tokyo Ghost, but once he does, it’s actually a really strong one.
From chapters two onward, you come to learn about the relationship between Debbie and Led Dent aka Teddy. You see how two people can grow to depend on one another when they think they’ve been abandoned together, and how addiction can drive a wedge between them, and how hard it can be to give up the person someone was when their vices get the best of them. Remender has the uncanny ability to quickly craft these fully formed characters that you find yourself deeply caring about.
If Tokyo Ghost declared itself completed at the end of volume one, I think you could call it a success, but I’m excited to see it continue. The dynamic of Debbie and Teddy’s relationship is left drastically changed at the end of the collection, and it should be an interesting ride.
hayleynoellereads's review against another edition
4.0
I really wasn’t sure how to feel about this. I could tell it was written by men right in the beginning and almost dnf’d it because it was kind of annoying. But once I got past it a bit and understood what this world was, I enjoyed it!
I’ll definitely be continuing the series.
I’ll definitely be continuing the series.
octoberrust1108's review against another edition
4.0
At first I wasn’t sure I’d like this one. It started as an all-too-familiar post apocalyptic cyberpunk “everybody’s sad that they’re still alive in the future” stories, but what hooked me was the sharp critique of late-stage capitalism and consumerism in the digital age. Some of the slang was definitely dated but overall the subtext was very, very relevant and equally as bleak. The art was solid as was most of the writing. The creative team on this book was star-studded as it were. Though it’s super overdone in the cyberpunk world, I did still enjoy the samurai aesthetic in the last half. I’m just a sucker for Japanese history and its high speed collision with modern sci-fi.
Also, what the hell was that Akira-esque ending there?? Did I mention that this book is bleak?
Also, what the hell was that Akira-esque ending there?? Did I mention that this book is bleak?
tymeart's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
buffalokid's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.5
Wicked. Futuristic. Mayhem.
I like a solid tale involving gore, guts, and glory (see 100 Bullets, SCALPED) but this one didn't ring my blood bell. It was maximum futuristism which I appreciated, and the art/coloring was incredible. The story didn't do it for me though, and I can't describe why. The concept is rad and depressing, the art is wild and dirty - love it for that reason but the story didn't give do the justice. It was close, and circling something I was getting interested in but it never gave me the bridge to get there. So, I must move on!
I like a solid tale involving gore, guts, and glory (see 100 Bullets, SCALPED) but this one didn't ring my blood bell. It was maximum futuristism which I appreciated, and the art/coloring was incredible. The story didn't do it for me though, and I can't describe why. The concept is rad and depressing, the art is wild and dirty - love it for that reason but the story didn't give do the justice. It was close, and circling something I was getting interested in but it never gave me the bridge to get there. So, I must move on!
cherokeewinslow's review against another edition
5.0
I love when stories interweave great art, compelling characters, culturally relevant issues like technology addiction and the importance of nature, amazing vistas, and in Tokyo Ghost we are given so much more! Wow, this was such a great ride I could not put it down. I love the dynamics between Deb and Teddy throughout this book, the beautiful build and the predictable yet devastating breakdown. I need to get my hands on the individual issues or the next volume. Vol 1 has such a great cliff hanger that has you thirsting for more as the threads of the story and characters are left dangling in the wind.
siestudygirl's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jonathanfs's review against another edition
3.0
I picked this up because I was looking for something in the cyberpunk genre. I was pleasantly surprised by the tech versus nature ethical dilemmas, but this was definitely more on the "mature" side than I expected.
kriff08's review against another edition
5.0
Loved everything about this! Beautiful artwork, amazing story, and engaging characters immediately got me hooked.