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Killtopia #1
Killtopia, Vol. 1
Killtopia is a cyberpunk graphic novel series set in a mega-city in future Japan, where heavily-armed Wreckers are paid to hunt rogue mechs for money, fame and glory. Rookie Wrecker Shinji and Crash, the world's first sentient mech, as they are hunted as fugitives across the neon-soaked metropolis by Wreckers, android killers and Yakuza gangs.
Shinji wants to save his sister. Crash wants to be more than a machine. They both want to make it out alive.
Dave Cook is a writer who hails from Scotland. He's spent the best part of a decade as an award-winning games journalist before setting up his comics label Card Shark Comics. He is the creator of Dark Souls inspired fantasy saga Vessels and post-apocolyptic road trip series Bust.
Craig Paton is a comics artist and professional illustrator working on video games and movies. His work for commercial clients, like Edinburgh Gin, Holland & Sherry and BBC Scotland.
Shinji wants to save his sister. Crash wants to be more than a machine. They both want to make it out alive.
Dave Cook is a writer who hails from Scotland. He's spent the best part of a decade as an award-winning games journalist before setting up his comics label Card Shark Comics. He is the creator of Dark Souls inspired fantasy saga Vessels and post-apocolyptic road trip series Bust.
Craig Paton is a comics artist and professional illustrator working on video games and movies. His work for commercial clients, like Edinburgh Gin, Holland & Sherry and BBC Scotland.
48 pages, Paperback
First published September 3, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 8, 2019
На одне читання перед сном, але однаково не варте уваги. Картонні персонажі, тривіальний сеттинґ та відсутність інтриги в історії ніяким чином не виправдовують цієї роботи. Працювати у жанрі кіберпанку чи антиутопії зараз не так вже просто, коли написано сотні крутих робіт, тому автор вирішує особливо не заморочуватись і зробити суміш із відомих кліше. Робот у напарниках? Маємо. Молодий герой із закосом під панк зірок? Маємо. Неонове місто? Також. Навіть не знаю, як мені обрати щось справді оригінальне й цікаве тут, окрім кольорів, але й вони мене розчарували. Хтось порівняв це із манґою, але тут від неї є тільки найгірше. Кислотність кольорів не виправдовує себе в цьому світі, позаяк колорист фарбує героїв чи об'єкти часто без жодної логіки. Враження ще зіпсувало видання, яке просто вбило передачу кольорів. Друк жахливий, тьмяний і розмитий, немов зроблений на поганому домашньому принтері. Словом, повне розчарування, але це ж всього один синґл, тому прочитати й забути.
December 10, 2018
Where to begin, I have been following Dave's work with some interest since reading Bust. His style is gritty and real, the characters he develops are relatable even though they exist in worlds that may not be. So it was with great excitement that I looked forward to reading Killtopia, especially after one of the best social marketing campaigns I have seen.
The book, I am glad to say does not disappoint. The story is fantastic, we are in a near future world, which is a clash of dystopia and cyber punk but not too cliche. If you ever read 2000ad and loved the world that Judge Dredd inhabited then this is for you. It's tangible, beleivable and with the simply define art work of Craig Paton a pure joy to experience. Nowhere is there a rushed frame. Each page of this book could be pulled, framed and would look at home on the wall of an art gallery. The pallet choice is very a clever one, gone are the dark forboding tones that you would expect of this type of story and instead each page gushes with a neon wonderland, that our larger than life Wreckers inhabit.
Our unlikely hero, a hapless diamond in the rough, doing anything to survive to ensure that his sister can be cared for stumbles upon what could be the single biggest discovery of a generation, an answer to a plague that is destroying his world and his sister.
If you are a fan of anime, 2000Ad and Blade runner then this is for you. If you want are the type of reader that loves true art in comic form then you can do no better.
The book, I am glad to say does not disappoint. The story is fantastic, we are in a near future world, which is a clash of dystopia and cyber punk but not too cliche. If you ever read 2000ad and loved the world that Judge Dredd inhabited then this is for you. It's tangible, beleivable and with the simply define art work of Craig Paton a pure joy to experience. Nowhere is there a rushed frame. Each page of this book could be pulled, framed and would look at home on the wall of an art gallery. The pallet choice is very a clever one, gone are the dark forboding tones that you would expect of this type of story and instead each page gushes with a neon wonderland, that our larger than life Wreckers inhabit.
Our unlikely hero, a hapless diamond in the rough, doing anything to survive to ensure that his sister can be cared for stumbles upon what could be the single biggest discovery of a generation, an answer to a plague that is destroying his world and his sister.
If you are a fan of anime, 2000Ad and Blade runner then this is for you. If you want are the type of reader that loves true art in comic form then you can do no better.
February 4, 2019
What appears initially to be a setup for gratuitous violence became more complex. A battle royale is introduced at the onset, as well as some of the major players in a hierarchy that parallels how much money they earn.
But the story actually centers on a new Wrecker called Shinji who is trying to earn enough money to pay for his sisters’ medication while hiding this secret life from her. The meds prices keep going up, making Shinji desperate. Things get complicated when he comes upon a rogue mech he’s supposed to scrap but can’t bring himself to do so when it’s revealed to be sentient.
Further complicating his life, he puts himself on the line to save the mech being targeted by another hunter and ends up befriending it while other hunters are put onto the scent of the robot and his indiscretion, killing another Wrecker.
This is just the first volume of Killtopia and it seems promising. The color palette and line work are great. The paper seems a bit weird, seemingly washing it out a bit. But it’s a good bargain for an independent comic at $15. I’ll be following subsequent issues. It ends with a cliffhanger and I appreciated that what seemed like an excuse for violence ended up to be much more interesting, exploring themes I didn’t expect in the setup.
But the story actually centers on a new Wrecker called Shinji who is trying to earn enough money to pay for his sisters’ medication while hiding this secret life from her. The meds prices keep going up, making Shinji desperate. Things get complicated when he comes upon a rogue mech he’s supposed to scrap but can’t bring himself to do so when it’s revealed to be sentient.
Further complicating his life, he puts himself on the line to save the mech being targeted by another hunter and ends up befriending it while other hunters are put onto the scent of the robot and his indiscretion, killing another Wrecker.
This is just the first volume of Killtopia and it seems promising. The color palette and line work are great. The paper seems a bit weird, seemingly washing it out a bit. But it’s a good bargain for an independent comic at $15. I’ll be following subsequent issues. It ends with a cliffhanger and I appreciated that what seemed like an excuse for violence ended up to be much more interesting, exploring themes I didn’t expect in the setup.
March 27, 2020
There's no such thing as "having it good" unless you're one of the sanctified murderers who can survive in the gamified wilds of Killtopia. Hunting mecha that spread a nano-machine-fueled disease isn't exactly prideful work, but it pays the bills . . . for a while. In Killtopia, it's mostly idiot bounty hunters, reckless youths, and killer robots on the loose. But one guy, Shinji Kamiya, stumbles across a sentient mech that could be the key to turning things around. Big time. But cruelly, before any of that good fortune can come to pass, Shinji and his new buddy, Crash, will have to scrape under the radar of the local yakuza, survive multiple threats from a nationally famous huntress, and try not to get blown to pieces by all manner of the magnificently wealthy with too much time on their hands.
Life sucks. But if Shinji can survive long enough, then maybe it won't.
KILLTOPIA is a hugely fun smash-and-grab of futuristic, dystopic science fiction and querulous, slice-of-life adventure. Shinji's just trying to salvage a few mecha to earn enough cash to pay for his ill sibling's medication. Discovering the once-thought impossible -- a sentient mech -- changes his fortune quite a bit. But Shinji's a nice guy, and making friends with Crash and hoping his new buddy's intelligence can help heal his sister, Omi's, illness is a worthy effort. If only it were just that easy, hustling to survive a city infested with violence, corruption, and all the rest.
Visually, this indie comic is a feast. Sometimes, readers encounter an expressive and bloody mess of combat, other times a furiously detailed bird's-eye view of a city crumbling in slow-motion. And the color theory is on point, too. Delicious contrasts and addictive combinations of color thrive on every page. When the world's top mech-huntress, a tough-as-nails woman named Stiletto, rests coolly in her penthouse, readers glimpse smooth and royal geometry coupled with a bevy of intimidating purples. When Shinji takes Crash to his underground hideaway, readers are invited to the cramped space with fresh but supple blue-greens and aquamarines to calm the nerves.
KILLTOPIA introduces a number of characters who appear for only a few panels at a time, encouraging a much larger narrative than can be told in a single sitting. But this tale of one good-natured guy's quest for survival appears quite promising.
Life sucks. But if Shinji can survive long enough, then maybe it won't.
KILLTOPIA is a hugely fun smash-and-grab of futuristic, dystopic science fiction and querulous, slice-of-life adventure. Shinji's just trying to salvage a few mecha to earn enough cash to pay for his ill sibling's medication. Discovering the once-thought impossible -- a sentient mech -- changes his fortune quite a bit. But Shinji's a nice guy, and making friends with Crash and hoping his new buddy's intelligence can help heal his sister, Omi's, illness is a worthy effort. If only it were just that easy, hustling to survive a city infested with violence, corruption, and all the rest.
Visually, this indie comic is a feast. Sometimes, readers encounter an expressive and bloody mess of combat, other times a furiously detailed bird's-eye view of a city crumbling in slow-motion. And the color theory is on point, too. Delicious contrasts and addictive combinations of color thrive on every page. When the world's top mech-huntress, a tough-as-nails woman named Stiletto, rests coolly in her penthouse, readers glimpse smooth and royal geometry coupled with a bevy of intimidating purples. When Shinji takes Crash to his underground hideaway, readers are invited to the cramped space with fresh but supple blue-greens and aquamarines to calm the nerves.
KILLTOPIA introduces a number of characters who appear for only a few panels at a time, encouraging a much larger narrative than can be told in a single sitting. But this tale of one good-natured guy's quest for survival appears quite promising.
March 7, 2021
An engaging first volume. A few obvious influences - Blade Runner (and other Philip K Dick), Battle Royale, most cyberpunk - tied together neatly in a story that moves fast.
The artwork is sumptuous, with each panel delivering huge amounts of detail.
The artwork is sumptuous, with each panel delivering huge amounts of detail.
March 13, 2025
I enjoyed how complex and original the Killtopia world is. Reading it as Coca Cola is being boycotted was particularly delightful. If you liked Altered Carbon and Squid Game, this might be your type of read.
The biggest problem I had with this book was how the female characters. They were either love interests or "love providers" with the exception of the exceptional female that can beat the males at their own game. There is a certain stink of American Exceptionalism infecting the narrative.
Thank you to NetGalley, Edelweiss and Titan Books for this DRC
The biggest problem I had with this book was how the female characters. They were either love interests or "love providers" with the exception of the exceptional female that can beat the males at their own game. There is a certain stink of American Exceptionalism infecting the narrative.
Thank you to NetGalley, Edelweiss and Titan Books for this DRC
June 5, 2022
A postmodern cyberpunkish mash up of different story ideas and art styles in one (not an antology, a mash-up). Seems quite shallow plotwise for now, but let’s see what happens next. The print quality is weird - some pages have fine printed art while some have blurry art (upscaled a lot?) with fine text. Definitely not worth the price because of this issue.
August 1, 2024
Got access to the first chapter via Kickstarter. Took a minute for me to get into - Wasn't sure I was into the whole Hunger Games mech thing but then it switched up. It's got my attention. Will look out for the new updates.
November 10, 2024
Nice intro to the s, The art is kinda clumpy but i don't mind it. This is the type of book that probably doesn't have a editor so that normal people can read it.
Also this is not a volume its a issue.
Also this is not a volume its a issue.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews