I normally read comics in one sitting, but this mesmerising volume is so full of colour, action, side cuts, and mayhem that it took me many little delves over many days to finish. There are so many characters, most intent on causing much harm and ending up being killed in outrageous fashion. There is a story that links all the parts together. But mostly over the top dark comic violence. Thank you to Titan Books and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

Dave Cook's introduction talks about wanting to move cyberpunk beyond the clichés, but all that really seems to mean is that he's not into trenchcoats. Killtopia is stitched together from very familiar components, whether that be the micro level of Zentradi, "Let's jam!" and "well futile", characters dressed as Marshal Law and Ash from Pokémon, or the macro of a plot where violent future sport keeps the populace distracted from rampant inequality and impending doom. True, the single robot who's started displaying signs of consciousness does eventually (SPOILER) push the story into a whole other area of SF, but even that ends up feeling like a Cybermen knock-off, before nosediving into that infuriating thing where an antagonist who previously had defined motivation just ends up as an all-purpose villain for villainy's sake. Worst of all, the story's Neo Tokyo (yes, another slightly too blatant nod) feels less frantic than the current version. Still, Cook's pages have a little of the kinetic cool of acknowledged influence Geof Darrow, and there are some entertaining moments along the way, usually courtesy of queen bitch Stiletto: "Just breathe. You're clearly not thinking straight. You want me to order you a mime you can slap around? That usually makes you feel better."

(Netgalley ARC)

Thank you Netgalley and Titan Books for my ARC copy.

I'm a huge fan of graphic novels and this one did not disappoint, it's so bright and vivid. With an easy to follow story and amazing art style, i would 100% recommend this even if its your first dip into Graphic novels.