Ghosts in the cell.
By Jeff Lake
For most comic fans, the announcement of Tokyo Ghost was one met with immediate gland expulsion. Rick Remender and Sean Murphy, together? With Matt Hollingsworth on colors and Rus Wooten handling letters? To put it in video game terms, Tokyo Ghost had the look of a pull-list cheat code, a sure fire seller from a cadre of industry superstars. While that may hold true in the long run, the book’s first issue falls just short of greatness, latching on to our mind handles but never fully taking hold. It’s a gorgeous and explosive debut filled with memorable moments and grand spectacle, but when all is said and done we’re still left wanting more.
Set in the dystopian landscape that is 2089 Los Angeles, Remender introduces us to a world ruled by man’s obsession with technology. Actually, obsession may be putting it lightly – everyone in Tokyo Ghost is plugged in in as many ways as possible, some even finding ways outside of any reasonable spectrum. It’s a pointed look at the evolution of our desensitized, now-now-now generation, and it’s a world constables Debbie Decay and Led Dent are left to patrol. Looking to finish that “one last job” the couple race through the mean streets of Los Angeles in search of a murderous techno criminal who has his fingers tied to every line on the web.
Remender’s script pulls no punches in its view of a society lost to the pings and winks of digital screens, his world one amoral and vacuous. Through Debbie, self proclaimed as the one person not at the mercy of the electronic age, we see how far it’s reach has infected. Her love for Dent is a deep one, so much so that she’s remained at his side even as he further loses himself to the endless parade of pop-up ads and clickbait articles that stream across his view screen. Remender details these scenes in a way that’s appropriately fantastic and eerily plausible, Led’s addiction all the more concerning given his seeming ability to function within it. The writer goes to great lengths to keep Debbie and Led’s complicated relationship at the forefront, even as the rest of the book continually goes to hell around them.
It’s there that the disconnect in tone seeps in, as it’s hard to find time to invest in the book’s primary characters when heads are bursting into confetti and explosions dot the night like stars. Issue #1 is absolutely bananas when it comes to action, something Murphy takes to with his usual detailed eye. Few artists can make a world feel as lived in and real as Murphy can, his expansive scope and focused pencils allowing for a truly electric experience. From the vast detail of his cityscapes to the increasingly kinetic choreography and sleek design, his debut issue offers page after page of eye candy. Towards the end of the read I found myself marveling at the sheer amount of pulse pounding awesome that permeates this first issue, so relentless is its pace. Of course, when it does slow down there’s not a whole lot left for the reader to give, ultimately sapping the issue’s final moments of the the full emotional impact they intend.
Tokyo Ghost #1 gets the series off to a solid start, and from a purely adrenaline fueled standpoint you’d be hard pressed to find anything better. While it captures our attention it doesn’t entirely captivate it, lacking that little something more that comes expected with such fantastic creators on board. It’s a visually stunning and thoughtfully constructed read but, like Debbie’s torn existence with Led, as of yet we’re still on the outside looking in.
No matter how you slice it, Tokyo Ghost is a great read. Its fast and frenetic, driven by a strong narrative pulse and some amazing art. That said, as of now the book’s human element isn’t quite there yet, leaving some of the book’s more emotional scenes to fall just short. With more depth and development this has the look of a series that could end up being incredible; as it stands now, it’s just really dang good.
