Kyo

Following writer Rick Remender’s announcement that “Tokyo Ghost” would end with issue #10, the second story arc takes on an additional sense of urgency as Debbie Decay continues to avenge the destruction of Tokyo by taking out constables across L.A. With this issue, it’s clear that the themes of love and addiction will change Debbie’s actions as well as those of her former lover Led Dent, the unrepentant tech-addicted constable who has returned to the mindless service of the Flak Corporation. A year has passed since the first arc ended with Dent destroying Tokyo, and Remender illustrates the cumulative destruction of addiction as Dent begins the issue struggling to recall his life with Debbie and why she left him. His tech-addled brain can’t recall or acknowledge that his actions destroyed a city and presumably Debbie along with it. Remender’s social commentary and cautionary lessons don’t stop there, but they fit the fast pace of the script so well that they help rather than hinde

Writer Rick Remender explores the darker aspects of the Internet’s media saturation culture in “Tokyo Ghost” #1, a series steeped in early 21st century influences extrapolated to an extreme degree. The high octane debut plows through its landscape like a buzzsaw, chewing up both scenery and participants as constables Debby Decay and Led Dent perform one last capture before they head off to Japan, the last country on Earth plugged into the worldwide network of video feeds and artificial mental and physical enhancements. Artist Sean Gordon Murphy accentuates this environment with designs both futuristically shiny and filthy, delivering a physical representation of the dangerous flipsides of technological advancement. The stylized language and dialogue choices take a little bit of adjustment for readers but, once one catches onto Decay’s monologuing, the oversized issue becomes bigger than the sum of its influences. Remender casts a cynical eye on the effects of constant stimulation, w