Ghost in the Shell made its way into theaters this weekend. The film stars Scarlett Johannson in a Hollywood adaptation of the classic cyberpunk manga and anime franchise.
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After seeing the film, audiences may be eager to delve deeper into the cyberpunk genre. Well, there are plenty of comics to help you do just that, and we’ve got five of them here for you.
Of course, it should go without saying that if you enjoy Ghost in the Shell, you check out Masamune Shirow’s original Ghost in the Shell manga, which remains a stellar piece of cyberpunk fiction and a manga classic.
But what’s next? Check out any of the five cyberpunk comics we’ve included in this slideshow and you won’t go wrong.
Based on the internationally-acclaimed sci-fi property, “GHOST IN THE SHELL” follows the Major, a special ops, one-of-a-kind human-cyborg hybrid, who leads the elite task force Section 9. Devoted to stopping the most dangerous criminals and extremists, Section 9 is faced with an enemy whose singular goal is to wipe out Hanka Robotic’s advancements in cyber technology.
Ghost in the Shell directed by Rupert Sanders and written by Jamie Moss, William Wheeler, and Ehren Kruger. The film stars Scarlett Johansson, Takeshi Kitano, Michael Pitt, Pilou Asbรฆk, Chin Han and Juliette Binoche.
Ghost in the Shell is now playing in theaters. Seen it already? Let us know what you thought by giving it a rating below!
Battle Angel Alita
Battle Angel Alita is another Cyberpunk manga/anime with a Hollywood film adaptation in the works, so why not get familiar with the franchise now?
Battle Angel Alita was created in the 1990s by Yukito Kishiro. The manga series follows a female cyborg who has lost all of her memories of the past but still maintains the ability to use ancient martial arts.
The series follows the cyborg as she does mercenary work in the Scrapyard, a dystopian settlement located beneath a floating city, and slowly regains her memory.
Likeย Ghost in the Shell,ย Battle Angel Alita is cyberpunk action goodness.
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Ronin
Before he reinvented Batman withย The Dark Knight Returns, Frank Miller made his mark at DC Comics with a completely original creation,ย Ronin.
Ronin follows a 13th-century samurai who is transported 800 years into the future, where a cyberpunk society awaits. There, the evil spirit that the samurai once vanquished in his own time, Agat, is waiting for him and they must face each other once again.
The samurai’s fate is tied to that of a limbless psychicย working of a megacorporation called Aquarius.
Miller, who was inspired by classic samurai manga likeย Lone Wolf & Cub, is at the top of his game withย Ronin.
Tokyo Ghost
The most recent selection on this list isย Tokyo Ghost, an Image Comics series by writer Rick Remender and artist Sean Murphy.
Its recent publicationย means thatย Tokyo Ghost is able to more aptly parallel modern technological concerns than the other titles on this list, which were more focused on the technology of the 1980s and 1990sย when they were created.
Inย Tokyo Ghost, America has become a land of willingly mindless drones who are addicted to their screens, full of videos and info feeds. Debbie Decay is one of the only people left who refuses to jack in. Led Dent, Debbie’s partner and loverย is another story. Debbie wants to save her love from his technology addiction and make him the man she fell in love withย again, but it will require one last job the world away.
Akira
Katsuhiroย Otomo’sย Akira is as much a part of the cyberpunk, manga, and comics canon asย Ghost in the Shell itself.
Akira follows a teen motorcycleย gang in the cyberpunk society of Neo Toyko. A chance run-in with a child who escaped from a military testing facility ties the gang to events that lead to the destruction of the city.
If you’ve seen the classicย Akiraย anime, the destruction is where the film leaves off, but that’s just the first volume of the manga. What follows is the rise of a new order in the city as different factions, young and old, vie to control the city and the future Japan.
Transmetropolitan
Note very cyberpunk story needs to have world-altering explosions or a lead that knows martial arts.
Transmetropolitanย is a very different cyberpunk story. Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson createdย Transmetropolitanย in the late 1990s and its basically Hunter S. Thompson reporting from a cyberpunk future.
The series protagonist is gonzo journalist Spider Jerusalem. Throughoutย Transmetropolitan, Spider ventures into the filth and dirt to get the stories that corporate media, cyberpunk or otherwise, won’t, and takes on plenty of corrupts politicians, businessmen, and other officials in the process.
Like all great science fiction,ย Transmetropolitan‘s future is a commentary on our present, and the biting satire still stands the test of time today.
