Review: Cyberpunk 2077 Library Edition Volume 1

Nemesis

1 year ago

The Cyberpunk Library Edition is an omnibus collection of three separate Cyberpunk series from Dark Horse Comics. Launched as a series with the launch of the Cyberpunk video game from CD Pjojekt Red, the sales of the comic initially outpaced the sales of the game due to problems with the game at launch (That is a whole other topic). Intended to supplement and build upon the expansive world ol Cyberpunk, the comic series was intended to leverage the popularity of the game and vice versa. While the video game faltered at first the comic was generally well received and the artwork (examples included below) and stories built upon the existing lore (there was an earlier Cyberpunk RPG game in the 1980’s) and the updated look, feel and lore established in the offering from CD Projekt Red. The success of the comic line and the eventual success of the video game led to a Netflix Anime – Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, a DLC expansion for the video game with a planned sequel to the game, and a number of Cyberpunk comic series three of which are included here

Included in this collection are three separate Cyberpunk mini-series. The first is Trauma Team written by Cullen Bunn and drawn by Miguel Valderrama. A little primer, in Night City – Trauma Team is health insurance on steroids. Your body and health status are constantly monitored by this group, via the cybernetic implants throughout your body, and – depending on your level of coverage – you may have a special ops team dispatched to your location to retrieve you and treat you. This story follows a Trauma Team op team and their life in Night City as they find themselves embroiled in the middle of the chaotic and hyper violent realities of Night City. Cullen Bunn does a wonderful job capturing the intricacies and possible complication of being a part of such a group – expanding greatly on a relatively minor part of the lore. For their part – Miguel Valderrama and Jason Wordle do an amazing job piggybacking on the visual style from the game and translating it to the comic. An excellent comic mini-series

The second mini-series, You Have My Word, is a story centered around the life and times of three individuals in the Valentino’s. The Valentino’s are one of many street gangs and are based out of the Heyward region of Night City. Mainly made up of Hispanic youth who are native to the region this gang is primarily involved with petty theft and racketeering within their region. Committed to concepts like family and community – they often get in trouble when they run up against more ruthless and infinitely more powerful gangs across the city. Bartosz Sztybor does a wonderful job crafting a believable story that plays on the Valentino archetype. It is one of the beauties of Night City and Cyberpunk more broadly that there are an infinite number of stories that can be told in this one story alone. Jesus Hervas does an incredible job taking the basic visual style of the video game to life in this series while infusing it with a Latino style appropriate to Heyward and the Valentino’s that is beautiful to look at and incredibly well written.

Blackout, the third mini-series, is an original story. In this story, Bartosz Sztybor explores what would happen in Night City if there was a black out. It is a fascinating story when one considers that Night City that relies on technology and whose people are net dependent junkies who consume content as a coping mechanism to escape the unbearable realities of their varied lives. When all of that is turned off, what is the result? I found this story to have similarities to the No Man’s Land arc by DC Comics in the 1990’s. However, Night City does not have a Batman to turn to. Robert Ricci does and excellent job playing with the visuals to evoke the image of the Night City seen in the first two mini-series while making it feel more grounded, realistic and even melancholy at times. The colors are more muted and the characters less outlandish as the common man and criminal alike struggle with this seminal moment in Night City history.

Overall, this is a fantastic collection. Cyberpunk is one of my favorite setting in comics, RPG’s and video games and I highly recommend this collection to anyone who is a fan of the setting, science fiction or dystopian settings.

Writing – 5 of 5 stars
Art – 5 of 5 stars
Color – 5 of 5 stars

Overall Rating – 5 of 5 stars.

Published by Dark Horse Comics

Trauma Team
Story – Cullen Bunn
Art – Miguel Valderrama
Colors – Jason Wordle
Lettering – Frank Cvetkovic

You Have My Word
Story – Bartosz Sztybor
Art – Jesus Hervas
Colors – Giulia Brusco
Lettering – Frank Cvetkovic

Blackout
Story – Bartosz Sztybor
Art – Robert Ricci
Colors – Fabiana Mascolo
Lettering – Frank Cvetkovic

This oversized hardcover collects Cyberpunk 2077: Trauma Team #1-4, Cyberpunk 2077: You Have My Word #1-4, and Cyberpunk 2077: Blackout #1-4, and features a cover gallery, expanded sketchbook section, and more!

Author Profile

Nemesis

Nemesis is a poet, writer and author of the upcoming novel The Long Game. He is a writer of science fiction and supernatural thrillers. Besides novels and short stories he writes for UK based ASAP Comics developing new stories for Level 8 and OPSEC. Nem is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and tries to bring those experiences into his writing.

He lives and works out of his home in Riverside, California with his wife and three children. When not writing he enjoys reviewing comic books and graphic novels for ComicCrusaders.com and living the Southern California life with his family.