Cyberpunk 2077: Kickdown #1: Fast and Frivolous

The opening panels of Cyberpunk 2077: Kickdown #1 read like a 1980s commercial against bullying—like what a suburban youth pastor thinks street gangs sound like—and the superficiality of the dialogue can be distracting. The story’s protagonist, an edgy driver named Mint (as in “mint condition,” like a “fresh-klepped ride chillin’ in a garage”), uses phrases like “normo” and “too hot to move,” and she spends the first few pages soliloquizing about cars, gangs, and a “botched heist” from her past. At times, Kickdown #1 feels like Fast & Furious if Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, and Jason Statham were all replaced by Crabbe and Goyle from the first couple Harry Potter stories. 

After a few pages, however, the hollow dialogue is overshadowed by plot. The first issue’s midpoint features the start of a race—an event heralded by a mid-page panel that’s more than reminiscent of the dramatic handkerchief flail from Charlene “Cha-Cha” Digregorio that started the race between Danny and Leo in Grease. (Again, this comic is to gritty cyberpunk worlds what Marmaduke is to dog fights. The first issue’s frequent use of profanity—over twenty f-bombs—does little to add teeth to the story.) The action sequence is well-paced, and the intentional mix of close-ups and action shots enhances the drama of the moment. Kickdown #1 is at its best when it allows characterization, movement, and artwork to tell the story.

Kickdown’s artwork is relentlessly bold—in the best possible way. The comic’s first panel is a kaleidoscopic street view of a glossy, Akira-esque city. Forceful squares of red, orange, and green break through solid blues and blacks like flowers through cement. In many ways, the comic’s artwork—thick silhouettes, sharp angles, and an abundance of black—is more like 2002’s Jet Set Radio Future than CD Projekt Red’s Cyberpunk 2077. Jason Wordie’s coloring is, as always, brilliant. Wordie has colored pages in Image’s God Country, Vault’s Resonant, and Aftershock’s Undone By Blood or The Shadow of a Wanted Man, all of which feature panels with vibrant, high-contrast hues. Kickdown undoubtedly benefits from Wordie’s expertise with bold color.

The writer of Kickdown #1, Tomasz Marchewka, was also a lead writer for the Cyberpunk 2077 video game, including its expansion Phantom Liberty. By most accounts, Phantom Liberty contains a dense, well-crafted narrative. GameSpot’s Michael Higham labeled the expansion’s story as “”cruel, sobering, and bittersweet.” Marchewka also has CDPR writing credits for his work on some of The Witcher 3’s content. With Kickdown, however, Marchewka finds himself in new storytelling territory. Though both are visual, comic books are not video games, and skill with one does not necessarily translate to skill with the other. Future issues of the comic will undoubtedly enhance the story; however, I fear that, without more intentional characterization and better dialogue, the story will continue to fall somewhat flat.