Review - Cyborg 009 Chapter 000

If the world ever gets to the point where cyborgs become a norm, whether or not they'll be subject to the Laws of Robotics remains to be seen. It's likely though that they'll have a thing or two to say about obeying and protecting man at all costs to them though, considering they'll be part human as well. Taking a look at the world as a fresh look on an old story called Cyborg 009 Chapter 000 from Archaia.

The one-shot is written by FJ DeSanto and Bradley Cramp, illustrated by Marcus To, colored by Ian Herring and lettered by Deron Bennet.

The story is created by Shotaro Ishinomori and the sneak peek features a young man known only by the numerical designation “009” discovering his body has been cybernetically augmented and “improved” against his will. With that newfound power, he must break free from the clutches of The Black Ghost, a secret society hell-bent on turning humans into cybernetic weapons of mass destruction for sale to the highest bidder. As expected things get complicated and 009 is forced to make difficult decisions.

DeSanto and Cramp's story is relatively simplistic, but it's still very stylized. 009 is presented as both aloof and aware somehow at the same time, two traits that shouldn't work together but do. The cyborgs are poised for a brave new world and how they face it will be what makes the book interesting. There's a good mix of fighting and dialogue, with the pace moving along at a steady clip.

To's illustrations are very stylized. The cyborgs are really thrown into the thick of things, effectively handling just about everything thrown at them. To uses some interesting panel layouts, relying a lot on panels inset into full-page spreads. There's some pretty amazing spreads too, as many of them feature all the cyborgs in full, defiant action. There's even an illustration of a cool guy walking away from an explosion, so there's that.

The book blends some interesting concepts and feels like an homage to shows like Voltron. The manga ran from 1964 to 1981 and the issue really boasts some of the ideas that seemed so ahead of their time back then. These are cyborgs experiencing independent thought and it holds up even today. Where their lives take them from here remains to be seen, but it's a good bet that the world isn't ready for nine cyborgs looking to be free.

Cyborg 009 Chapter 000 is available now.

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