3.5 stars

Actual Rating: 4.5 Stars“We eat together. No one distracted by phones, no one politicking for money or stature. No loud egos. No one more important than anyone else…how sweet the simplicity is.”I grabbed this first volume of Tokyo Ghost on a whim while attending Fan Expo Canada at the end of the summer. I had heard of it previously because (if you don’t know this yet, where have you been?) Deadly Class, also written by Rick Remender, happens to be my favourite comic series of all time. While exp...

I received this from Netgalley and Image Comics in exchange for an honest review.I was hesitant to grab this one, which was an automatic download on Netgalley. I've been snared a few times by Rick Remender, and it was the old "fool me once..." scenario.Surprisingly, I really, REALLY dug this one. The storyline, the artwork, it all merged into a bang-up volume.From the insanity of the tech-heavy LA to the peaceful tech-free Tokyo, this story of trying to escape one's past and build a new life was...

"Consumption gives human life meaning."Tokyo ghost is a beautifully illustrated dystopian tale of action, romance, and severe social allegory. And damn it, even on my second read this is Rick Remender's most ambitious work to date. Constables Led Dent and Debbie "Decay" Jacobs are trying to quit their employer and multimedia conglomerate Flak to escape Los Angeles, now a toxic, murderous, debauched city-state you can scarcely imagine. Somehow it is beautiful in its horror. "Once upon a time ther...

Art: 4.5Story: 1.0Edit: On further reflection I downgraded this from two stars to one. The art fails to redeem the story enough. I'll start with what's strong about Tokyo Ghost, and that's the art. This is the second comic I have read that is drawn and colored by Murphy and Hollingsworth and their work is just incredible. The world building they conceptualized and character designs are brilliant. If you are going to read Tokyo Ghost, pick it up for the art, because the story is trash. I don't kn...

I opened the file, started reading…. and during the first few pages I wasn’t sure if I even wanted to finish this comic. There’s just…so much going on, it’s overwhelming. Its Masamune Shirow’s Ghost in the Shell mixed with a little Judge Dredd and a sprinkle of Sin City, all dipped in harsh 80’s neon coloring and tripping on a whole lot of A grade acid. There is sex and drugs and ultra-violence. You can practically hear the soundtrack of Escape from New York or Blade Runner blaring off the pages...

I keep buying post-Deadly Class Rick Remender comics, hoping they'll be as good as some of his earlier stories, but it just isn't. His books have become so didactic that the stories aren't stories so much as morality plays about such topics as "hope and optimism make the world better" and (for Tokyo Ghost) "technology is scary damn kids on their cellphones". I keep hoping he'll produce another Uncanny X-Force or Deadly Class, but alas. Yet, at least with Black Science and Low, there's enough goo...

So when I first started reading this I wasn't sure I'd like it. Semmed like a rip-off of Judge Dredd and I am not a Judge Dredd fan. I am happy to say I stand corrected. Tokyo Ghost is a very interesting sci-fi story. Remender does a great job with any sci-fi world and his gradual world building for future LA is very well done. The two constables are a good team and their exploration of humanity without the need for the tech is a very interesting statement. The story really takes off when they e...

Plot: 2* - Art: 4*An interesting idea- as often with Remender- but awkwardly handled - as often with Remender.The critic of the pop-porn culture we dwell in sounds good but is heavily handed while the zen japanese garden stuff is boring to hell. Most dialogues are painfully lame, with a special mention to Davey's irritating verbal diarrhea. On the other hand Deb and Ted are quite good characters, strong and very weak at the same time and clearly drive the reader's interest. If only they existed

5 starsRemember that Jude Law movie Repo Men? This takes a bit of that idea and runs with it. Absolute masterpiece dystopian sci-fi story here by Remender and Murphy.

This is very much a paint-by-numbers cyberpunk story. It's basically just a remix of tropes and ideas we've seen from other sources, both in terms of story and art. Maybe cyberpunk has fallen out of fashion enough for people to think this is original, I don't know, but I've seen all of this before, and done better.Our main villain is a "Millennialist" who spouts internet catchphrases and slang that have already fallen out of favor. YOLO, slag, roflcopter, etc. He takes over people's bodies and c...

Just how many post-apocalyptic future stories is Rick Remender planning on writing? Basically "Low" at sea level, the series is saved by Sean Murphy's dynamic art. No one does tripped out, dystopian futures like Murphy. Remender doesn't create very likable characters here (or anywhere else for that matter). Debbie is really the only character to root for.Received an advance copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'm reminded why I don't like the punk genre: no laws, no morals, no logic. Too much chaos and too many psychos for anything to be fun. The artwork is a perfect match, so if you like the story, you'll like the artwork. Both are completely wasted on me, but I did enjoy the artwork more than the crappy setting and definitely more than the story, let alone the novel-length script. The relative calm of the story mid-way through was not enough to rise above one star. Hell, I would give it less if I c...

This was a birthday gift from Joe and Alisha; thanks, guys! :-)Let me start by saying the artwork in this book is amazing. Sean Murphy's influences are pretty detectable; there's some Bill Sienkiewicz in there, some Ashley Wood and even some Frank Miller. This adds up to one heck of a sum. Murphy's work is highly kinetic, highly detailed (in places) and shows that this guy knows how to steer a line. Equally impressive is the colour art by Matt Hollingsworth, which is absolutely breathtaking at t...

I liked the storyline, but I just couldn't get over some of the cringey dialogue. Also, I felt like the story was kind of depressing. I'm not normally opposed to depressing storylines, but this was unsettling because elements of the "tech-obsession" reminded me of real life. There was something else I wanted to mention, but I can't remember what it is now. More later...possibly.

Wow... reading this one was a real blast.Like Pat Mills and Frank Miller writing Marshall Law meets Ronin after watching a Masamune Shirow anime marathon and drinking a fully loaded wagon of beers.Not bad at all for being a random purchase, I got it after visiting a manga exhibit here in Rome and I was just in the mood... found this in the museum bookstore and the artworks hooked me for good.If you like anime about cyberpunk dystopic settings filled with ultraviolence and an anti-technology mess...

I have appreciated some of Remenders work, but I have never absolutely enjoyed any of it. He can bring you interesting concepts and make you think about the current state of humanity, but his dialogue and character development needs work. I don't know if I would pick up another Remender book after this nonsense.Reviewed with honesty for Netgalley(Honestly)

(A) 85% | ExtraordinaryNotes: Review pending re-read. Collected review for volumes 1-2 can be found here: Tokyo Ghost: Complete Edition

This one of this graphic novels in which you need to take your time because the firsts pages you don't have any freaking idea about what's happening, the images and the dialoges start give you some clues but there's so much to procced...the Jesus of Killer, the technological society, the girl who kick ass but you don't know why is here, the robot-human-big guy or something like that...but as the pages carry on everything start to have sense and even more the plot start be really interesting. And...

This feels like it was written for 12-year-old-boys that shotgun malt liquor before passing out in front of the TV to dream about samurai sex adventures. This does of course include the range of eye-roll-inducing profanity to be expected from such a juvenile dreamscape. Very specific target audience here. I am not that audience. *The artwork was nice, but doesn’t make up for the story enough to even make this 2 stars for me.