Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
Toyko Ghost #1
Image Comics
Remender, Murphy & Hollingsworth
Rick Remender and Sean Murphy launch the new science fiction, love story called, "Toyko Ghost" this week with a very strong issue. The premise of the comic is the world's population is addicted to the virtual world. As the people sink deeper and deeper into the fictional world there is hope in the form of one character that resists all technology and lives straight edge. The comic book is a visual bonanza, but it is also a tender love story. The book isn't without some flaws. This is a book to watch as the first issue delivers an awfully entertaining story with a very strong high concept. Give this a shot.
Debbie Decay is the only person living without a box of technology on their face. She is a constable working off a debt by rounding up lowlifes. Her boyfriend, Led Dent, is an addict to the point where he has lost his identity. Debbie is trying to work one last job before leaving behind the constable role for the place where technology doesn't exist: Toyko. She hopes to bring her love with her.
The first issue is action-packed as Debbie and Led chase through the city trying to obtain their latest target. The comic uses heavy narration to provide insight into Debbie's mentality, her feelings about Led and the general setup of the world. It might seem a little wordy as compared to the heavy action page after page. However, the comic has a solid flow to the story. The narration is important for the final, chilling pages when Debbie tries to reach through to Dent. However, the story takes a back seat to the artwork.
Murphy brings the same imagination as seen in "Joe The Barbarian" and "The Wake" as this comic book packs details into every single panel. The comic book has car chases, explosions, over-sized motorcycles, strange hand-held weapons and bloody deaths. The comic book is a lot to take in, but is like nothing else out there on the market today. Murphy is at the top of his game and his artwork is enough to hook in a reader regardless of the story. When you consider this comic is a love story, it's hard to comprehend how the artwork overtakes the story with action. This is a great looking comic book.
One of the drawbacks of the comic is the line between realism and virtualization. Reading through the book it is difficult to tell what are "real" things happening versus people wearing a video helmet and seeing something that is fake. I had a difficult time understanding deaths of humans versus non-humans. As a companion to this, it seems impossible that Debbie could possibly pull anyone out of their virtual world when the individual probably has no way of knowing "real" versus "fake." This concept is going to have to be explored further in the coming issues.
"Tokyo Ghost" is a love story of a woman trying to pull her boyfriend out of an electronics addiction. The story is packed with action and the love story aspect is really only part of the narration until it takes center stage over the final two pages. The comic is gorgeous as the artwork presents an amazing story that is detailed, imaginative and lively. This is a comic book to check out and keep an eye on. It has "smash hit" written all over it.
4 out of 5 Geek Goggles
