Review Fix chats with Dave Cook about his awesome Killtopia series and experiences on Kickstarter.
About Killtopia:
KILLTOPIA: is an award-winning cyberpunk comic book series created by Dave Cook (BPM: Beatdowns Per Minute, Ninja Baseball Spirits, Deadliner) which is currently being adapted for television by Voltaku Studios, with Love, Death + Robots writer Philip Gelatt.
Review Fix: How did you know a career in comics was for you?
Dave Cook: I started out writing professionally as a journalist from around 2005, mostly doing pop culture reviews, features and interviews for a wide range of newspapers, magazines and websites. Then in 2010 I got a full time job as a gaming journalist for a big publisher in the south of England (I’m from Scotland so that’s like the whole other end of the UK!)
That was legitimately my dream job since I was a kid, and while it was a blast for a few years, the grass was definitely greener, as they say. The pay and hours sucked, and abuse from toxic gamers on social made it hellish every day, so I started thinking about other forms of writing I could get into, which led me to write a novel (which also sucked!)
I realised that (at the time) I was crap at descriptive writing, like setting a tone, describing a person or place and so on. I figured I could make it a comic and use art to bring all of those elements to life instead, so that’s how my first ever comic (2014’s post apocalyptic comic ‘Bust #1’ was born, together with artist Chris O’Toole)
I took Bust to a comic con in Glasgow, Scotland and people really enjoyed it, so that’s when I decided to keep making comics. It’s now 9 years later and the shine hasn’t worn off yet, thankfully!
Review Fix: Who inspires you creatively?
Cook: At comic cons I sometimes get a weird reaction from customers when I say that comics don’t really inspire my work. My main source of inspiration is video games, as they’re still my favourite hobby and media format. I do read comics of course but I play games way more.
Sometimes I’ll be playing a game and a set piece will happen or something in the dialogue sparks an idea in my brain that then evolves into something totally new for a comic script. I like to really establish detailed and intricate worlds in my work (where applicable) and that came from playing games with interesting settings that feel like characters in their own right, such as Half-Life 2’s City 17, Fallout 3’s Capital Wasteland and BioShock’s Rapture.
For my cyberpunk series Killtopia, it was all about my favourite Japanese action games, and studios, such as No More Heroes and Killer7 from Grasshopper Manufacture, Metal Gear Rising, Bayonetta and Vanquish from Platinum Games, and many Capcom titles like Devil May Cry. These games all have a brash tone and larger than life characters that inspired the Wreckers in Killtopia (who are all bounty hunters each with their own personas, weapons and gimmicks). The series was also inspired by old school anime, such as Cowboy Bebop, Akira and Ghost in the Shell.
And lastly, I’m also inspired by real life events. My books often have satirical edges to them that lampoon or mirror thing that are happening in the here and now. Killtopia is essentially about healthcare inequality and how that impacts our lives. I always like to include real world elements to give the reader something they can relate to and identify from their own daily life.
Review Fix: How are your comics different or special?
Cook: I believe in telling deeper stories that are set in rich worlds, complete with their own atmosphere, social constructs, verbal slang and many other elements that make them feel like viable places that you can get lost in. That’s why all of my comics are littered with plenty of subtle and non-expository world building, such as dense background detail, which Killtopia artist Clark Bint is thankfully incredible at. His talent as an artist really elevates each book and expands the world of Killtopia wonderfully.
I mentioned earlier that I like to write in the moment and include real world factors, which is something Killtopia leans on, with plenty of in-jokes, satire and dry British humour to lighten the tone when it’s required, as well as a ton of Easter eggs for eagle eyed readers. Thankfully each issue doesn’t include a test at the end to see how many you spotted *laughs*
But when it comes to a few of my other series, such as me and Steve Gregson’s beat ‘em up game-inspired BPM: Beatdowns Per Minute, we just set out to make people feel nostalgic for old school video games and action movies. That series is like therapy to write as I get to revisit and adapt some really fun and silly moments from the things I love, like Die Hard, Streets of Rage, Double Dragon, Jackie Chan movies and so on.
Lastly, my comic peers often tell me that world building, character and dialogue are my strongest points as a writer, and I really do enjoy crafting an appealing cast of misfits for each series. I obsess over dialogue so much, and it’s where I do the majority of my rewrites, as I tend to read it out loud, scrap it and write it again an obscene amount of times until it feels natural and unique. Your core cast of characters should ‘sound’ like they each have a distinct voice, and that’s something I’m told shines through in my work. Maybe it’s true? I have no idea!
Review Fix: What happens if it is?
Cook: I think that if you make your comics different or special then they’ll stand out more, readers will take notice, they’ll fare better at review and your standing as a writer will become more recognise overall. It also helps as I crowdfund most of my comics (on top of the publisher pitches that I do) so unless you’re delivering something special and professional, you risk backers dropping off after an issue, never to return. But if you nail it and deliver great comics consistently, then your backer counts and notoriety can only grow over time.
Since Kickstarting Bust #1 in 2014, we’ve been lucky enough to raise almost £200,000 on Kickstarter across 15 titles, so that could be a good measure of doing something right. I’m not sure, but either way we can never thank our backers enough for being there for us. It means so much.
Review Fix: What about this comic? Sell us. Sell us hard.
Cook: Killtopia is a cyberpunk story set in Neo Tokyo that isn’t just for fans of the cyberpunk genre. In fact, it’s both a cyberpunk comic and the total inverse of cyberpunk. It’s something for everyone, whether you’re a die hard Blade Runner or Philip K. Dick fan, or if you have no cyberpunk knowledge and just like satirical, action packed stories about real life issues today, but set in a neon soaked city full of weird cultural fads, strange new technology and dense, larger than life characters with their own complex motivations and hang-ups. We wanted to do the opposite of cyberpunk noir, with its trench coats, dark rain-swept nights and gumshoe detective trappings. Instead, it’s set in a hyper violent, exaggerated, saccharine coloured world full of loveable weirdos and RoboCop-esque cultural traits.
As for the plot; Neo Tokyo had been infested by killer mecha who have started terraforming a district known as Sector-K. Fast forward ten years later and Sector-K is now known as Killtopia, the hunting grounds of the world’s most popular bloodsport. People from around the globe travel to Japan to become ‘Wreckers’ high-tech sponsored bounty hunters who slay the mecha for money, fame and unlimited social influence.
Unfortunately for humanity, the mecha have also poisoned most of the world’s population with a nanomachine plague called the Rot, which terraforms their insides as fast as they can heal, leaving them in constant agony – unless they can afford expensive medication to soothe their pain. Our main character Shinji is a rookie Wrecker with no sponsors and crappy weapons, who hunts mecha in Killtopia illegally to pay for his sister’s Rot care.
Then one day he encounters Crash, the works first sentient, speaking mecha who knows how to cure The Rot. Together they must find a way to heal the planet while being pursued by Wreckers, Yakuza gangs, android killers and other threats all trying to score the bounty on their heads. Among them is Stiletto, the world’s most famous and wealthy Wrecker, who peddled her shit merchandise and fake persona to the masses. She’s the reigning Killtopia champion, but her encounter with Crash sends her on a dark journey of transformation that makes her question her whole identity.
And that’s just the first book of our five part series!
I won’t spoil the other four books but the plot goes to many weird, dangerous and wonderful places across Neo Tokyo to make it feel like a dense, lived in place. There’s something for everyone in Killtopia!
Review Fix: Who do you think will dig it the most?
Cook: Anyone who loves cyberpunk, satire, dry humour, lots of Easter eggs, high tech robots, weapons and vehicles, and of course brash action video games from Japan. You’ll also find lots to love if you’re a fan of such anime, manga and live action movies as Blade Runner, Battle Royale, Battle Angel Alita, Akira, Ghost in the Shell, Cowboy Bebop, The Matrix, The Running Man, Macross and Dominion Tank Police.
There are some comic influences in there too, such as Transmetropolitan and Tokyo Ghost, as well as dry British humour stylings of TV shows such as Brass Eye, The Day Today, Nathan Barley and many more.
And of course there are many influences and tonal similarities across the series from video games such as No More Heroes, Vanquish, Cyberpunk 2077, Bayonetta, Metal Gear Rising, Devil May Cry, Astral Chain and many more.
Review Fix: How do you want your books to be remembered?
Cook: I would love for them to be remembered as having something poignant to say about the state of the world we live in. They tackle many issues we’re facing in the present, but through a wacky cyberpunk lens. Across all five books we tackle healthcare inequality, the power of social influencers, how social media divides us and turns us against each together, the power of protest to unify us and encourage positive social change and the value of tolerance and collaboration with our fellow humans. Ultimately it’s about humanity’s ability to make this world a better place, if we could all set our differences aside, and stop being so easily influenced by people who want to divide and misinform us. Maybe that’s foolishly optimistic, but the world’s in a tough spot right now, so hopefully Killtopia can inspire people to think about these issues and how we could all be better in various ways.
But beyond this, I hope it’s remembered as a small press published series (we’re released through Scottish publisher BHP comics!) that looks, feels and reads as good as anything the big publishers are putting out – and that we did it all on our own with the support of our generous backers.
Review Fix: What are your long-term goals for your work?
Cook: I’m hoping to make Killtopia into a universe of connected stories, and to grow it as a brand. I’m already writing issue #2 of a sequel arc with a new cast of characters, and we’re currently working on an anthology with lots of great heist writers and artists. We’re taking our time with the anthology, as there have been a few high-profile anthology disasters lately, so we want to go slow and do it right.
I’m at the stage now where I’m moving away from Kickstarter, as I have a body of work behind me now that so can use to showcase my work and pitch publishers. I’m currently speaking with a few of them about some unannounced projects that may or may not see the light of day, so it feels good to finally be having those conversations with bigger publishers. It feels like the right time to start shooting a bit higher,
Review Fix: Why should someone support your work?
Cook: Many people have Kickstartered every one of my comics since Bust #1 in 2014. We’ve heard from a lot of regulars over the years that our campaigns are among the best they’ve ever experienced, with generous rewards, great updates and they love the final books.
Over the years I’ve also heard a lot of people say that my comics feel sincere, in that they don’t chase trends or the zeitgeist. Cyberpunk is popular again right now, but when we funded Killtopia #1 in 2017 it was experiencing a bit of a lull. So we filled a gap by doing the opposite of trend-chasing that I think a lot of people were looking for. I always write the stories I want to tell, that typically haven’t been done before. I’ll always stay true to that approach.
Review Fix: Anything else you’d like to add?
Cook: Just that it always means so much to me and the teams I work with whenever anyone backs or buys our comics, shares our work, reviews us or gives us feedback on each book. It seriously does keep us going and will always be appreciated. So if you’re reading this and you’ve done any of the above, you’ll always have my eternal thanks.
Review Fix: What’s next?
Cook: Now that Killtopia is over, I’m slowly working on issue #2 of the sequel arc and our anthology Killtopia: Nano Jams.
I’m also working on completing my other current series, starting with BPM: Beatdowns Per Minute #2, which is my next release. We’ll be doing a Kickstarter later this year for Ninja Baseball Spirits #2, which is me and Steve Gregson’s official reboot of a 1993 arcade game by Irem called Ninja Baseball Bat Man. It’s an amazing cult classic beat ‘em up game that everyone should play. We’re working directly with the game’s creator Drew Maniscalco, and he’s such a great guy. Unfortunately though, he checked with the Warner Bros. lawyers about the use of ‘Bat Man’ in the title and they quickly said no *laughs* – so we had to change it to Ninja Baseball Spirits.
And finally, I’m working on issue #3 of an unannounced comic series with Laura Helsby, an incredible artist from England. We have a top-tier team assembled that we haven’t announced yet, and we’ll be pitching this one around in 2024.
It’s set in 1987, which is the year that ‘Parental Advisory’ labels started appearing on music albums a lot, and when the ‘Satanic Panic’ hysteria start, which saw religious groups mass burning and successfully banning movies, music and books they felt were corrupting their kids with satanic influences. The cast are members of a crappy punk band from a small midwestern American town who have dreams of making it big and breaking out of their town – despite the world and the Satanic Panic groups trying to shut them down,
Review Fix: Where can people find out more?
Cook: You can buy copies of Killtopia from Amazon and my publisher’s site at:
You can check out my store, website and newsletter at:
I’m also really active in social so you can pick your poison:
Twitter: @davescook
BlueSky: @davecook.bsky.social
Instagram: @davecookcomics
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