Cyberpunk 2077: Big City Dreams

Cyberpunk 2077 #GN2

by Bartosz Sztybor, Filipe Andrade (Illustrator), Alessio Fioriniello (Illustrator)

Two scavengers veer paths in their pursuit of happiness through the streets of Night City.

Tasha and Mirek make a living for themselves stealing cyberware and indulging in parties and braindances. Tasha is rowdy and wild--she seeks to up her street cred to become the most famous gangster in the city. Mirek, on the other hand, is a calm introvert--he longs for something more--meaning, belonging, warmth. He soon finds hope in an unexpected braindance. As he and Tasha chase their dreams, their paths begin to deviate. Where will they find the happiness they've been searching for? Does it even exist to be found? One thing they can both agree on, in a place like Night City--you run, you fight, you change, or you die.

Written by Bartosz Sztybor (CD PROJEKT RED writer and narrative manager, Witcher: Fading Memories)) with art by Filipe Andrade (Old Man Logan, Rocket Raccoon & Groot) and Alessio Fioriniello (Paris Fashion Slam) comes a tale about the demanding life of Night City--where lives are lost, dreams are shattered, and hope is found in what remains.

Genres: Comics, Cyberpunk, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book

64 pages, Hardcover

First published February 8, 2022

About the author

Bartosz Sztybor - polski dziennikarz, publicysta, krytyk filmowy i komiksowy, scenarzysta komiksowy. Wielokrotny laureat konkursu na krótką formę komiksową na MFK. Publikował m.in. w pismach Ozon, Wprost, Esensja, Chichot, Machina, Cinema, periodykach komiksowych i zinach.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 1 out of 5]

Another terrible Cyberpunk 2077 comic from Dark Horse. Very little characterization. Unlikable characters. Terrible art. The basic story follows around 2 junkies as they kill and steal their way to a fix. That fix being reliving the memories of a farmer. God, this was bad.

[Alexander Peterhans · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was almost the best book out of Dark Horse's recent bout of Cyberpunk 2077 publications (outside of the Cullen Bunn book, which is good). The art is maybe the best, the story started out actually interesting, but then it fizzles much too soon.

I should've seen it coming - all of these books feel like they are the ideas a gamesmaster of the tabletop RPG would come up on the hoof, after forgetting to properly prepare for a gaming session. The characters tend to be underdeveloped - this book has the most characterisation I've seen, and it still feels too little, the plot is straightforward, with little surprises or ideas behind it.

Starts good, ends uninspired.

(Thanks to Dark Horse Books for providing me with an ARC through Edelweiss)

[Václav · Rating 1 out of 5]

(2 of 5 for graphically repulsive terrible executed short story)
I was not sure what to write here, but the sony did that for me. This comic is much the same as the game. Something which could be great totally failed on some important decisions. Like "Is it a good idea to release it on poor performing PS4?" or "Is a good idea to employ complete hack artist on this comics?".
The art on this comics looks terrible. I won't go into details because it's not "shaming" case, so I will not waste my energy here. And the story. As I was finished, looking back the story is not bad. On the contrary, it's quite nice. But the execution is bloody murder. At first, it's chaotic, all over the place like the author has a hard time to decide what this would be about but fear not to start making it. The last nail into its coffin is awful dialogues. Stiff, boring, generic, simply just awful. And that's the shame because that last few pages show how this could be a whole lot better.

[Silvana · Rating 1 out of 5]

What did I just read? Crappy art, confusing story, lack of any characterization, unrecognisable plot, and this won the Hugo Award? I kinda regretted that I clapped in room where it was announced. I thought it is going to be better than most of the other finalists but no no no.

[C.T. Phipps · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of the Cyberpunk 2077 comics by Dark Horse comics. I've been starved for cyberpunk content for the past decade and Cyberpunk 2077 only slightly scratched that itch. It's a marriage made in heaven, or Night City at least, because Dark Horse is one of the few companies that I feel can really capture that dark and gritty attitude as well as the artwork style necessary to bring to life the dystopian futures that I love to read about. I haven't been 100% blown away by the comics at times but I've never not gotten my money's worth either.

The premise for Big City Dreams is that Tasha and Mirek are a pair of wannabe Edgerunners that are actually just a pair of hoodlums. Tasha fires her gun more or less randomly at whoever catches her fancy and Mirek supports her despite the fact, well, he's not psychotically violent. All of this changes when Mirek finds himself trying out a brain dance (virtual reality for non-Cyberpunk 2077 fans) and experiences the life of a loving father as well as husband on a farm outside of Night City.

The premise is a pretty simple one but I actually give props to the writers for coming up with something that I didn't really expect to see in a comic like this. It's a theme that resonates with the video game's central one and its characters: do you want a quiet life or to die in the blaze of glory? This is a question asked repeatedly of V (the video game's protagonist) and the ending of the game reflects whether he or she believes one or the other is their destiny.

I'm not sure Tasha is smart enough to realize she's going to die or that anyone else matters enough to make the choice but it's pretty clear what she'd choose. She believes she's a burgeoning Night City legend who will kill her way to the top despite the fact she's manifestly incompetent as well as a murder hobo. Mirek, by contrast, is stunned at the possibility of a quiet life even existing. He wants to experience the life of a quiet farmer and family man away from violence as well as death. However, the moment he shares his "vision" with Tasha, he's resoundingly mocked.

I actually like this story more than I thought I would because it strikes me as the kind of tale that the vast majority of the mooks encountered in the video game (and tabletop RPG for that matter) would have. Tasha doesn't have the education, temparment, or skills to reach her goals but she's got a sociopathic unearned pride that tells her killing random chooms on the street will somehow make her famous. Mirek doesn't have any other friends or loved ones (I'm not sure if Tasha is his girlfriend or not), so he's just willing to go along with it.

I also like that while Mirek romanticizes the life of the countryside, the book doesn't shy away from the fact it's every bit the kind of illusion that Night City sells to wannabes like Tasha. Our first encounter with the farmer in "reality" is that his wife is miserable living on the farm and the quiet life does not suit her in the slightest. She wants to live in Night City and maybe she would be happy there or maybe it's just a case of there being nowhere truly "happy" in Mike Pondsmith's Earth. As always, the art is great and I wish we'd get some longer stories or an ongoing.

[Tomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

CP2077-tegneseriene er skuffende. Om historien er god, så er kunsten skit. Er kunsten god, så er historien skit. Det klaffer liksom aldri.

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I almost want to bump this to 4 stars, because of the recent string of comics from the Cyberpunk 2077 series... this one was actually pretty good as far as story goes. However, for a hardcover release... I just don't think it's hitting that 4 star mark where I think I got my money's worth out of this.

It's strange, the Cyberpunk setting, in general, is a setting I truly enjoy. I think I keep coming at these comic books, because I'm hoping to get that satisfaction like I did with the games story line. I don't have hopes of hitting William Gibson levels of satisfaction, but you know, something cool in a cyberpunk setting. However, a lot of the time I think I walk away from these comics feeling something is always lacking. They've just never been able to reclaim the quality the of Cyberpunk 2077, Vol. 1: Trauma Team. The art has definitely been on somewhat of downward spiral, which is a real shame because once the game sorted itself out, it was beautiful. But these comic books are just not on par. I'm not saying I want crazy realistic digital art, but the art choices being made in these comics seem like they are very, I don't know, haphazard. The glitz and the tech are just faded into the background with a focus on poorly drawn human figures. I feel like Dark Horse or CD Projekt Red should be taking a hard look at what Titan Comics has been publishing with the Blade Runner series and ask themselves why they can't achieve such quality? Titan Comics is a smaller shop than Dark Horse and it makes no sense to me how Blade Runner repeatedly knocks the cyberpunk genre out of the park, while the actual Cyberpunk setting is just so blasé.

I almost wish they would talk to someone over at R. Talsorian games, or hell, someone that plays even the original RPG and have them write stories. These short stories are just so unsatisfying at the end of the day and I wish they would stop making them. This is their third attempt, admittedly one of the better ones, but it's still lacking. I feel like they're going after a concept of "life changes fast in Night City, one day you're there and another you could be gone!" But does that really make for compelling short stories? It doesn't seem so in this case. They need to make some level of an action comic, so they're going to sacrifice real character development, but they also want to have some sort of a "moral" aspect to the story or whatever, so they're going to sacrifice some of the action... all we wind up with is a product that doesn't feel very full.

"Big City Dreams" is a quick side story about two partners in crime that are trying to up their game. One partner, Ragazza, is not really as interested in changing. However, Tasha's ambitions wind up dragging him along. After doing some heavier work, which starts our comic off mid police chase, we find out they are gathering bodies to sell to a ripper doc for "parts". While they escaped the police, Ragazza is having second thoughts, meanwhile Tasha is feeding off the challenge and excitement. Interwoven into this is the story of a desperate family that sold their life in the form of brain dance recordings and Ragazza gets caught up in their saga. It's a calming lifestyle on a farm, which is the polar opposite of that found in Night City, it makes Ragazza question where he is in his life and if Tasha is really steering them in the right direction. He becomes so obsessed he tries to track down the family, only to find out that their lives outcome was never truly wonderful and that his life's outcome isn't either. Once again, live fast, die fast. There was almost an attempt at deeper development, but there just isn't enough pages.

I don't know, in some ways I want to stop buying these comics, but I do like the setting. I just don't know, really, how they could make this work. Titan Comics publishes something like 12 issue series with Blade Runner and it works extremely well. But, then again, they have great writers working on their books. If Dark Horse and CD Projekt Red could hook up with the right writer, a long form Cyberpunk 2077 comic could be amazing, especially if you put stunning art into the comic. None of this more abstract deformed looking kind of art... which is fine in small doses, but for a long story, I'd want to see something more. But if they have a bad story, it could be a real 12 issue slog, so I doubt they will ever take such a risk. I'm just saying, this series could be great if they wanted it to be, but it just feels like sort of fast cash grabs with the way a lot of these stories are laid out. At the end of the day, maybe these are improving. "Big City Dreams" is certainly better than Cyberpunk 2077: Where's Johnny .

[Pavlo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Попередні два комікси з циклу Cyberpunk 2077 привчили читача до стрімкого сюжету, захопливого екшену та драматичних рішень. По суті на цих трьох китах франшиза Cyberpunk і існує, та Бартош Штибор у «Мріях великого міста» повертає нас до більш глибоких, філософських засад людського існування.

«Cyberpunk 2077. Мрії великого міста» — містить дві історії, в першому сюжеті з інтригуючою назвою «ДЕ ДЖОННІ?» йдеться про журналіста, що живе та працює в Найт-Сіті і намагається відкрити людиськам очі на свавілля та безкарність корпорацій.

В цьому пристанку беззаконня, корупції, похуїзму та зламаних людських доль веде свою боротьбу писака Воллес. Далі перед читачами розгортається стара, як світ історія, про боротьбу людини з вітряками. Все це вже рухається знайомою стежкою, від безвиході він депресує, бухає, б’ється головою об стіну, йому регулярно товчуть пику, а корпи використовують його у своїх міжусобицях.

Зрештою всі ці чинники та обставини приводять нашого головного героя до очевидного рішення, далі я не спойлеритиму, але мені сподобалося закінчення цієї історії, хоча воно дещо маніпулятивне. Щоб ви зрозуміли чого чекати від історії, то «ДЕ ДЖОННІ?» викликала в мене кілька флешбеків. По перше, мені одразу спав на думку один з найулюбленіших циклів «Трансметрополітан» — де головний герой також журналіст і також прагне змінити гівняне місто. По друге, мені настирно лізла в голову стара стрічка «З мене досить! / Falling down!» про звичайного клерка, просто гвинтика у байдужому світі, який зрештою розлютився.

Заключна історія, що зрештою дала назву збірці «Мрії великого міста» ще глибша та відвертіша. В сюжеті йдеться про дивну парочку. Вона – амбітна і наглухо відбита, мріє про стрімку кар’єру в кримінальному середовищі Найт-Сіті. Він – обережний голос розуму в їхньому дуеті, таємно мріє про звичайну сім’ю, десь в тихій, безлюдній місцині.

Цього разу Бартош Штибор пропонує читачу зосередитися не лише на притаманних кіберпанку питаннях на кшталт споживацької кризи чи втратити культурних надбань минулих поколінь під тиском технологічних відкриттів.
В вищезгаданій збірці взагалі куди не плюнь, скрізь блядські ці питання зайобують питання та сенси, що супроводжують людство ще з початку його свідомого буття. Йти за мріями та коханням? Чи забити болт на совість і йти до кінця, схилившись в поклоні богам ГРОШЕЙ та ВЛАДИ, незважаючи на трупи через які переступаєш? Пожертвувати реальним життям та щастям в намаганні віднайти себе у вигаданому, віртуальному світі?

Питання, думки і роздуми в’ються роєм весь час і вже дочитавши до кінця, ледь-ледь згадуєш, що є ж іще візуальна складова. В мальописі «ДЕ ДЖОННІ?» Янніс Мілоноянніс лаконічний і стриманий, в панелях багато простору, персонажі не надто деталізовані і навіть дещо пласкі. Скромний колір від Романа Тітова лише підкреслює цю простоту та лаконічність. Тут немає яскравих неонових кольорів, червоно-кривавих сцен на розворот, все зображено таким чином, щоб читач відчув всю ту депресивність та безвихідь, з якою сам на сам зіткнувся головний герой.

З «Мріями великого міста» все в цьому плані цікавіше та й об’єм роботи тут помітно більший. Дует художників Форіньєлло - Андраде не полінувалися і створили для читача два окремі світи — реальний та сповнений спогадів і мрій. Колористи Островський - Тітов попрацювали з акцентами і оживили рисунок, надавши йому необхідних емоцій та характеру. Тож маємо жорсткий та різкий реальний світ, з кричуще кислотними кольорами та на противагу йому сонячний з пастельними, природними кольорами світ спогадів та віртуальної реальності.

[Frédéric · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pleasant blend of shattered dreams, melancholy and urban violence.

- What happened?
- Night City happened.

[Josh Brynildsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not really sure what happened. But it was a quick read and the art was lovely.

[Jacob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two streetkids find themselves in over their heads, one of them longs to be a night city legend, while the other longs for a simple and peaceful life outside the city. The art is nothing special, but it worked perfectly here in driving along the narrative and in pushing forward the focal point of dreams and satisfaction.

[Oneirosophos · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gangs, braindances and nothing else.

Another missed opportunity...

[Jonathan Maas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great tale - you don't have to play Cyberpunk 2077 to understand it - regardless a great take on the hypercapitalistic Night City. Very good.

[Andrew Ladouceur · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short but pretty interesting. Art is very nice but the story concept is deeper than the actual characters. Overall this is a cool snippet of life in night city.

[Dead Inside Art · Rating 4 out of 5]

Дві дуже не схожі одна на одну історії, для справжніх фанатів всесвіту Cyberpunk 2077. І якщо перша "прохідна", як на мене, то друга чудово передає атмосферу і "повне занурення" в справжній кіберпанк. Всім "кіберпсихам" рекомендую.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading this l wanted more, this was far too short, the storylines were great, just as l got hooked it ended. l have been told the books are all stand alone stories, cannot wait to read the others.

[Barricadas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Last year must have been pretty bad for comic books if this won a Hugo award.

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully sad. A few transitions were confusing for me, but overall I really admired the way the story folds together neatly.

[Chris Greensmith · Rating 3 out of 5]

"What happened?
Night City happened..."

[Norman Cook · Rating 2 out of 5]

2023 Hugo Award finalist - Best Graphic Story or Comic

This is a mess of a story that has four or five subplots (with very little dialog or narration) that don't seem to tie together at all, with characters that are shallow or without obvious motivations, and no explanation of backstory. The artwork by Alessio Fioriniello and Filipe Andrade is only ok and doesn't raise the level of storytelling. Mercifully, the book is very short. Why is it nominated for an award?

[Joe Deangelo · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise is kinda cool. The actual execution of the story is average though, and I personally didn’t like the artwork much.

[Dani Wladdimiro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cuanto más reflexiono sobre esta historia, más aprecio la profundidad de la reflexión que plantea. La trama se centra en el deseo irreal de vivir algo extraordinario en Night City, pero deja una pregunta crucial: ¿a qué costo? Seguimos a dos personajes que intentan ganar prestigio en las calles a base de atracos y enfrentamientos, pero que terminan tomando caminos opuestos. Por un lado, la chica busca constantemente superar desafíos para ascender en el escalafón social; por otro, el chico anhela tranquilidad y paz, algo que una persona abrumada por la realidad puede desear profundamente. Desde esta perspectiva, me gustaría recontar esta historia desde un ángulo diferente.

Imaginemos una pareja de enamorados, que planean convertirse en madre y padre y formar una familia en el campo. Su objetivo es construir una vida sencilla y tranquila, lejos del caos, sustentándose con el tiempo y la calma que ofrece la vida rural. Sin embargo, esta decisión tiene un precio: las tentaciones de la ciudad. Tarde o temprano, uno de ellos siente el peso de la monotonía rural, esa sensación de limitación que puede surgir al dejar atrás la agitación de la urbe. Pero, ¿vale la pena sacrificar esa paz y felicidad? Al final, Night City no les ofrecerá mucho a cambio; más bien, se convierte en un monstruo que arrebata aquello que más desean.

En este contexto, un padre, desesperado por mostrar la belleza de la simplicidad, decide vender sus recuerdos a través de neurodanzas para que su hija pueda experimentar lo que alguna vez fue su vida. ¿El resultado? Absolutamente nada positivo. Con el tiempo, su esposa se marcha y él queda atrapado en la miseria. Tras este trasfondo, la historia muestra el otro lado de la moneda: una persona atrapada en una realidad opresiva dominada por mafias, armas y atracos, que solo quiere un descanso, un momento de paz.

Esto es lo que hace la trama tan interesante. Al buscar ese último rayo de calidez y humanidad, el protagonista comprende una verdad desgarradora: todas las historias tienen finales, pero lejos de Night City no hay necesariamente algo mejor. De una manera u otra, esta ciudad se apropia de sus seres queridos, ofreciendo sueños imposibles de cumplir y dejando atrás solo desolación.

[RubiGiráldez RubiGiráldez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uno de los elementos más interesantes de la propuesta de mundo cyberpunk de este universo son las neuros. Ya pueden ser "películas" hiper realistas directas a los cortex virtuales de los cerebros "cromado" de los habitantes de Night City con las que sentir la adrenalina de ser un guerrero galáctico o directamente memorias de otros individuos. Y ahí está una idea puramente cyberpunk al necesitar de ese método de escapismo de la realidad opresiva dominada por las corporaciones que motivan y producen estos pasatiempos que pueden alimentar deseos oscuros y grotescos (ya sean contenido hiper sexual o grabaciones de asesinatos o masacres de los cyber psicópatas que han perdido toda su humanidad en la fiebre del "cromado") o los más sinceros y bellos no aceptados en la inmisericorde jungla urbana que es Night City.

Justamente de esto último versará este one shot con una joven pareja de criminales de poca monta con uno de ellos manifestando su rechazo a esa forma de vida cuando conozca el mundo de las neuros.

Son pocas páginas y el dibujo aunque efectivo, quizás sea de trazo más experimental del que un fan del videojuego pueda querer en una lectura derivada del mismo. Pero creo que es una pieza comiquera muy destacable en este formato breve. Y que anima al terminar la última página, volver a las del inicio del one-shot para terminar de recibir ese "mazazo" que toda buena historia cyberpunk debe ocultar al hablar de la deshumanización y el mísero valor de las partes que nos hacen humanos y que a las corpos cuesta intercambiar por mejoras cibernéticas o supresores químicos.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much better story than "Your Voice" that Steam got. This is a "Good Old Games" exclusive comic. The main character is a petty thief that lives in Night City that tags along with a friend that wants a better life and schemes it by killing a Valentino gang girl in hopes of moving up in the world. Unfortunately, the girl they killed amounts to nothing but a girlfriend of a Valentino ganger that is trying to avoid war with the Animals gang.

The main character survives this, and over the course of the comic relives the memories of a farmer's family that features into the comic via the Brain Dance interface/SimStim (VR like) experience and wants to meet them. He leaves Night City after getting their information and finds only the man/farmer there.

The man's wife left him earlier in the comic, because he had a deal with DSR/the Brain Dance company to record their memories for BD's. The wife didn't agree with this and wasn't happy living on the farm to where she left to go to Night City to live with her daughter, who also wasn't happy living in the rural/Badlands.

Overall, the art-style is a little better than "Your Voice" but at times can look worse. It's much more clear and better framed/paced than Your Voice. But it doesn't factor into 2077/the video game at all in terms of lore. You can safely skip this one and miss nothing in the story.

[Alessandro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cyberpunk 2077: Big City Dreams is a surprisingly heartfelt dive into Night City from the perspective of two small-time mercs trying to survive—and matter—in a world that keeps grinding people down. What makes the story work isn’t just the neon-soaked action (though there’s plenty), but the contrast between its protagonists: one driven by hunger for the city's endless thrills, the other quietly yearning for something resembling stability. Their dynamic gives the book emotional weight and grounds the dystopian chaos in something intimate and human.
The tone captures Night City at its best and worst: stylish, cruel, seductive, and relentlessly alive. Even readers who know the game well will find new angles on familiar districts and factions. The story moves quickly, with moments of real tension and a few genuinely bittersweet beats that linger.
If there’s a flaw, it’s that the book can feel a bit compressed—certain ideas and relationships deserve more space to breathe—but what’s here is consistently engaging and surprisingly affecting for a short tie-in.
Overall, Big City Dreams is a sharp, evocative addition to the Cyberpunk universe. Fans of the game will appreciate how faithfully it channels the setting’s mood, and newcomers will find a compact, gritty tale that still hits with emotional punch.

[Zachary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let's be honest, this comic's art is far worse than the fantastic art of Trauma Team. It's some of the worst I've seen. It just looks cheap and rushed and sadly it inevitably brings the story down with it.

However, I enjoyed the somewhat unconventional story of Big City Dreams. Typical cyberpunk stories involve gangs, drugs, corporations, futuristic technology, overgrown cities, etc. This story is no exception. However, it showed a world where there is something beyond all of that. The protagonist sees the violence and is affected by it, he wants to escape it. There is a world outside of the overgrown cyberpunk city where life is simpler and he wants to get to it. It's not mind-blowing, but I found it to be a refreshing take.

I think it would've been much better received if the art's quality matched the story's.

[Орест Смертний · Rating 4 out of 5]

Це мій перший комікс тож експіріанс в цілому цікавий. Комікс складається з двох історій і друга історія мене зацікавила дещо більше, хоча вона була чимось схожою по стилю до "чорного зеркала" яке я не дуже полюбляю. Перша ж історія була з дещо наївним та простим сюжетом тому видалася дещо нудною. Прочитав то все я за ранок і мені сподобалося. Оскільки то мій перший комікс я ще не знаю якими вони бувають і чи всюди візуальна складова переважає історію тому занижати оцінку не буду. Щодо згаданої візуальної складової, мені сподобалося, це щось нове для мене і я думаю, що бачу в своєму майбутньому окремі полички під комікси, а не лише книги. Я люблю світ Cyberpunk 2077 і планую прочитати і інші комікси.

[Fraser Simons · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually liked this more than I expected to. It’s not quite an exceeds expectations because the “main” story thread is less interesting than the secondary. When they converge it is satisfying, but it feels ironically from Cyberpunk 2077 aesthetically. Thematically it is on point but it doesn’t look like a character you’d meet or play, nor does the city look like it does in the game. It’s really weird.

I think if it were fleshed out slightly more and not connected to the brand it would be a 4 star read. Then again, it was a free comic from GoG, so whatever?

[Severind Alexander · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was probably the best of the Cyberpunk graphic novels so far. I was actually able to follow along with the plot and figure out what was happening. But I was not a huge fan of the art style. I understand that Night City is an ugly world, but it's also a vibrant world, and this was dull and uninteresting at best, visually speaking. The story wasn't bad. A little bit different than what I was expecting, really. But it worked out fine. Not terrible, just very middle of the road for me, and I'm not sure I'll remember it much in a few days.

[Clint · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
The characterizations are sparse, but I enjoyed the parallel stories of young adults tired of where they’re living their life and certain that somewhere else would solve all their problems. One is amidst the violent, chaotic sprawl of Night City and obsessed with the rural life he’s seeing in a series of braindance videos; the other is the daughter in those videos, bored by the country’s stultifying sameness and looking for excitement and novelty in the city.

Fioriniello draws the city storyline in a chaotic, sometimes ugly style, but I loved Andrade’s art in the rural plotline.