The Ghost System is our newest request from Broken Face Comics, the makers of Plainer Jane. This time we get a tragic cyberpunk hacker vigilante origin. This familiar story just happens to have impressive world building in a British flavor.
The Ghost System: Premise
From the requester:
…the story of Soro, an isolated young man hiding from his broken past, and the dangerous international hacker collective The Ghost System as both sides are brought together in a battle for survival and dominance.
Pushed to the edges of his own sanity and forced to fight on two fronts, Soro wages war on a gang of robbers who attack him in his home. And against a bigger, more sinister, and much more personal enemy.
Full disclosure, the first issue feels more like a prologue. I’ll explain after going over its strengths.
The Ghost System: British Cyberpunk
If there’s one thing to know how this series makes itself distinct from similar series with implants, it’s being in your own world. David Wilburn doesn’t focus on overbearing corporations exploiting people. Instead he talks about people trying to get one up over another. That’s probably best seen with the coworkers of our lead character.
One is an older Irish man who prefers to stay off the normalized invasive technology. He’s a relatively low-tech guy who values putting in effort. But he also likes having a life outside of work, not letting a lack of promotions get him down. Besides he still tries to connect with his coworkers in spite of their different views.
The other one is a young woman who likes to keep up with future Manchester’s times. Whether that’s her clothes or using the most cutting-edge technology on the market. Even if they do cause a few bodily crashes. Anything to be the most modern person, complete with an attitude to put off anybody stuck in the past. Even if it insensitive to events like Dublin being underwater.
How That World Builds Our “Hero”
Now let’s see through the eyes of Soro, a genius hacker with the superpower to control electromagnetic wave fields. In reflection of his coworkers, Soro accepts the world as it exists but prefers to handle it his way. He’s basically a DIY grinder, preferring his solitude in a world he builds for himself. Partly because of his condition, and because he has no patience for the Neo-Yuppie culture.
Readers can feel Soro’s frustration at these privileged few who use their fancy gadgets to look down on people. Because even when they have enough, these well off thugs want more cheap thrills. Like throwing Soro’s cat outside to get run over by a self-driving truck.
The Art of Code
All of that in mind, Rafael Romeo Magat’s art shows that Soro isn’t too different from his targets. A few panels show how he looks down on people, sometimes by half of his face taking up more space than someone talking too him. But that’s not all, the details of the sides of his face show by telling. Soro’s left eye makes eye contact with his older co-worker who offers his condolences on his loss. It’s a sign of respect between these two despite a tattoo on Soro’s lower eyelid and his hair showing that there’s still a divide. Meanwhile his right unobscured eye looks at his female coworker with annoyance as she complains while focusing on her work.
Of course Tim West’s lettering shows that Soro still considers them background noise. The captions with Soro’s monologues almost look like they’re trying to obscure their words.
All of which stand in contrast to Soro’s youth as Tyler, where Linda Scott Campbell gives this past muted color. Compared to the present, it looks more lively with its simpler designs and the friends Tyler interacts with. It feels like a melancholic nostalgia for a merry mischief Soro lost.
The Ghost System: Coding The Anti-Hero
With just the first issue, the artwork tells a compelling character study about its lead and world. Each part of this 21st and three-eighths century feels lived in, like the future doesn’t have to be some gilded cage. But it’s never been easier when everyone can build their own. Soro is no exception… but the first issue doesn’t really go into why. Just that he’s trying to recreate something from his youth.
We get an idea on who the major antagonists are, but without a synopsis readers can lose the direction The Ghost System takes.
Thankfully the art helps provide a good connection to the characters, making them memorable enough to follow.
So until further issues, this series gets 7.5/10.
Thanks for coming to the end and as always remember to look between the panels.