Issue 7 of Tokyo Ghost pulls no punches as the second arc of Tokyo Ghost begins to explore the choices Led Dent and Debbie have made. Led Dent’s past has led him to chose to be Mr. Flak’s bodyguard. In return he will have access to nano bots, which make him stronger. Conversely, Debbie also made a choice of fusing with Kazumi granting her the power to short circuit electronic devices. Both Led and Debbie have powers, resulting in consequences that changed the technological dystopia.
The Good:
The comic does and excellent job of showing the reason why Led and Debbie have made the choices they did. In particular, Led chose to work for Mr. Flak as his bodyguard due to him supplying him with nano bots. The nano bots give him super- strength, endurance, speed, and other abilities that allow him to be strong. This plays into Led Dent’s past, as he does not want to be bullied or victimized as he was as a kid in Tokyo. Now, conversely Debbie’s choice was made for her due to Led’s actions of destroying Tokyo. In the process of saving herself she fused with Kazumi and absorbed her powers. These powers allow Debbie in a small area to short circuit any technology. Thus Debbie has developed with her newly found powers a hatred for Mr. Flak, the man who has caused the destruction of her lover, and the only technology free zone on earth. She wants to kill and destroy all that Flak has built, including Led. Thus the comic captures both Led and Debbie are justified in their actions as they oppose each other.
Furthermore, the comic does something unexpected between Debbie and Mr. Flak, as she kills him. This makes the comic more interesting as he was perceived to be the main antagonist of the comic and is the cause of many problems. Yet upon his death, a new threat is unleashed in Davey, a cyber hacker terrorist. Upon being released he immediately begins to target Debbie, as he possesses the exact opposite of Kazumi’s power that she absorbed. This adds an additional layer to Tokyo Ghost as Debbie’s powers are balanced by Davey’s powers thus creating balance within the comic.
The Bad:
Now despite the comic introducing the brilliant concept of Debbie possessing Kazumi’s power and Davey having to counter it, it is not really explained. This generates confusion as to what exactly Davey’s powers are and in the process creates a cliffhanger for readers. Furthermore, the Debbie-Davey interaction does feel a bit like an after-thought to lead into the next issue, moving the story along. It takes away from the fight the two of them are going to have in the next issue.
The Verdict:
Without a doubt Tokyo Ghost, issue 7, is a great read. Primarily due to how it explores both Led Dent and Debbie’s choices in dealing with their lives after Tokyo has been destroyed. In exploring their choices the comic calls it down the middle as both characters are justified in their actions. Furthermore, the comic does give a preview toward the end of the issue as to who the next enemy Debbie will be facing, engaging readers to pick up the next issue. So, ultimately, Tokyo Ghost, issue 7, is a solid comic to read.
You cab pick up a copy of Tokyo Ghost here.
