Cyberpunk 2077: You Have My Word starts with a gut punch

After last year’s release of Cyberpunk 2077 by CD Projekt Red I cannot get enough of this franchise. Derived from the board game it redefined the genre, despite some initial and continuing bugs. As part of the World of Cyberpunk 2077 an earlier comic was released entitled Trauma Team. I gave that rave reviews which you can read here (#1, #3 and #4). Now a new comic series has just started – Cyberpunk 2077: YOU HAVE MY WORD. It is written by Bartosz Sztybor with art by Jesus Hervas and coloring by Giulia Brusco. Just as before it is published by Dark Horse Comics. Stylistically this comic does things quite differently. The setting is still Night City, but we also see the surrounding desert. The grim story reminds me more than just a little of those by Neil Gaiman, which I consider high praise.

From the start you get the feeling this comic is much different. Initially the story follows teenage girl Oriona and her crew as they meet with a macabre tattooed mob boss. Despite his obvious violent tendencies he wants them to convince a member of the Militech Corp not to fast track a new housing development project – supposedly to protect the elderly living there now. Oriona tries to keep her cool and even jokes it must her sister who is a porn star after he suggests he recognizes her – suggesting she was one time a porn actor. The story then moves to a diner in the desert outside Night City. There, a sullen looking waitress named Teresa tries to help her patrons – at her own pace. Her prospects appear limited especially after her neighbor hanged herself when she could not obtain medication.

Cyberpunk 2077: You Have My Word is more Heat than Blade Runner

It is a sudden shift in tone, for a comic that reminds me more of the movie Heat than it does Blade Runner or Dredd. At home Teresa chides her husband for education their granddaughter on how to use a rifle. Otherwise, they take care of each other. Meanwhile Oriona stalks her prey, who has a nasty sexual perversion. After working on a woman, he publicly reveals their intercourse was a peep show for maximum psychological effect. However, this issue does not reveal everything of what happens next suggesting coming issues will have flashbacks. We see Oriona waiting for somebody in Night City, then the story cuts back to the diner where Teresa is met by a mysterious woman – whom she meets armed with a gun. The woman tells her Teresa’s daughter is dead. Thus, it is Teresa who in the coming issues will seek a path of revenge.

Overall, Cyberpunk 2077: You Have My Word feels like it has been written after the release of the game December last year. It reads like somebody who actually played the game with its macabre story. Some parts of the story perhaps feel too silly, such as the idea of a middle-aged woman who works at a diner seeking revenge. But for now I will continue reading this series. Issue #2 is set for a June 30th release. Don’t forget to subscribe using the widget on the right, that way you won’t have to miss any posts.