Recenze Cyberpunk 2077: Trauma Team » Vortex
Let’s leave the debate on the quality of Cyberpunk 2077 aside this time. But there is no doubt about the commercial success of the last video game from the Polish studio CD Projekt RED. And so it is no wonder that her fame has contributed to greater interest in the entire brand and its world. The original board game from the end of the eighties, after all, excels in an extremely attractive environment, which will now receive further innovations and adaptations thanks to a video game from the authors of The Enchanter. One of them is the four-part comic series Cyberpunk 2077: Trauma Team announced before the release of the video game. Its introduction was published in the original last autumn and in Czech in February this year. But I only got to this comic now and I would like to share my observations with you.
The authors of the comic enter a relatively fierce competition, because cyberpunk as a genre is at home here and much stronger than in games.
Of course, there is nothing new that famous brands, including games, of course, will receive various spin-offs, including comics. It would be strange if Cyberpunk avoided this possibility for some reason. But in doing so, its authors enter into relatively fierce competition, because cyberpunk as a genre is at home here and much stronger than in games. Needless to say, Akira or Ghost in the Shell were born on paper pages. Trauma Team, which you may know from the game, but not a manga. It is a classic western production from Dark Horse Comics, written by Cullen Bunn and drawn by Miguel Valderrama. So expect something more Judge Dredd style.
The main heroine of the story is a young nurse Nadia, who works for the title Trauma Team. He’s actually a completely ordinary character from Night City, and it’s neither a reproach nor a simple statement. It is her commonness that makes her a pleasantly civil anomaly in the world of heroes and villains chosen by fate, simply exceptional personalities. Nadia is the only one to survive the disastrous last action, in which her entire team dies. But she wants to get back to work as soon as possible, where she is waiting for her more than usual. The basic premise is not bad, but the initial plot is unfortunately so simple that you can’t write more about it without revealing almost everything. On the other hand, the motive on which the authors bet is not at all at the same time original, and the story of revenge and the dilemma of loyalty to duties and friends probably does not shock you with its ingenuity.
As the name suggests, the comic shares an identical setting with the video game, and therefore fans can use it to look at its world from a different angle. And it’s a nice sight. Although the graphics are not penetratingly ingenious, we probably agree that the architecture and style are among the best in the video game, and the comics draw well from that. Unfortunately, it is very action-packed for my taste and relatively economical when it comes to dialogues. The authors missed the chance to build a more intimate drama against the backdrop of Night City and again preferred shootings and violence at the expense of a real personal thriller. Thanks to the cooperation with the CD Projekt, however, the original still penetrates the pages than is unfortunately sometimes typical for comic book adaptations. Even from this story, you will breathe retrofuturism inspired by the eighties. After all, this aesthetic has nicely penetrated into a specific color palette, which is not flashy.
When you come to an open and relatively adrenaline-filled conclusion, you will probably want to continue, but for now you would be standing in line at the store. You take away a relatively banal lesson from the story, some tension and in my case a little disappointment from the untapped potential. However, the translation undoubtedly deserves special mention. As in the case of the video game itself or the official guide to the world of Cyberpunk, Filip Ženíšek took care of it. This can leave aside any concerns about the terminology and consistency of the translation. The Czech publishing house Crew, which entrusted the “localization” to the most professional, also praises it here. Maybe you already take it for granted, I still take it as a sign of above-standard care.
If you look for cyberpunk stories in the field of comics, you will undoubtedly find many more interesting ones. Even in Czech.
I don’t want to sound ungrateful. I am glad that such comics are also published in our country. On the other hand, it is necessary to look at such a product soberly. At the moment, the Trauma Team seems more like a standard addition to a big brand than a self-sufficient top feat. And if you look for cyberpunk stories in the field of comics, you will undoubtedly find many more interesting ones. Even in Czech. Trauma Team does not offend, but does not inspire. Smile something here and there, in some places you will stop at a nice composition. But that’s all. This is a completely average act, which does not make sense to build on a pedestal, because it would despise more fundamental similar works.
Fans tend to forgive and see their favorite brands in a better light. I’m not saying that the Trauma Team is not worth attention, it just doesn’t seem exceptional to me. And if someone tells you otherwise, he may not have taken into account that this is not a free canapé. If this short exaggeration was available for free online on the game’s website, it deserves more indulgence, but it usually sells for less than three hundred. After all, there is another similar example – a free digital comic Your Voice is part of the order of Cyberpunk 2077 itself, even in Czech.
