Killtopia: The First Arc

The first Killtopia story arc takes place across books #1-5 and sets up our chaotic cyberpunk world of Neo Tokyo. 

Killtopia #1-5 tell a complete story that follows hackers, bounty hunters, yakuza gangs and android assassins as they wage a bloody war to claim the world's first sentient mecha.

Read on to learn more about all five books, and find out where to buy them.

Writer: Dave Cook / Artist: Craig Paton / Letters: Rob Jones

44 pages of story / First released: 2018

Ten years ago, Neo Tokyo was suddenly infested by killer mecha. Today, the machines are hunted by high-tech bounty hunters known as 'Wreckers' in the city's Sector-K district - now rebranded as 'Killtopia,' the world's most-popular bloodsport.

While on a routine hunt, Shinji, a rookie Wrecker encounters Crash, the world's first sentient mecha, whose code contains the cure to the Rot - a nanomachine plague that's slowly killing humanity. 

Together they set off to heal the planet while being pursued by every Wrecker, yakuza gang, android assassin and scumbag in Neo Tokyo. 

Can they survive long enough to save our species?

Writer: Dave Cook / Artist: Craig Paton / Letters: Micah Myers

58 pages of story / First released: 2019

As the bounty on Crash's head goes city-wide, Shinji reaches out to his former comrades at Koshiro-23 for help; a band of hackers who fight to tear the Killtopia economy down, and break its hold on the population.

Meanwhile, yakuza kingpin Saitoh is closing in on Crash and has ordered his crew of trained killers to bring him in at all costs. If he reaches Crash first, Saitoh will use him to enslave all of Neo Tokyo's mechs as his personal army. 

With the fate of Neo Tokyo and the world hanging in the balance, a digital horror from the past lurks on the sidelines. It's watching and waiting for the right moment to strike...

Writer: Dave Cook / Artist: Clark Bint 

Colours: Lou Ashworth / Letters: Micah Myers

55 pages of story / First released: 2021

The Koshiro-23 hacker group are ready to test Crash's ability to heal the Rot on Shinji's sister, Omi. Meanwhile, deep within the ruined husks of the Flirtr companion doll factory, the rogue artificial intelligence known as #I/O prepares to trigger its plan to rewrite the nature of humanity forever.

When Koshiro-23's plan takes an unexpected turn, Shinji and Omi's fates are forever changed as shocking revelations about Crash's true purpose and origins are revealed. 

As #I/O's master plan creates chaos across Neo Tokyo, superstar Wrecker, Stiletto assesses her life, warring Yakuza clans clash in an explosion of violence and our heroes take a trip into the virtual reality dark net in search of answers.

Writer: Dave Cook / Artist: Clark Bint 

Colours: Lou Ashworth / Letters: Micah Myers

53 pages of story / First released: 2022

It's time for Stiletto to finally face her dark and violent past. As the city prepare for the tenth annual Wreck-Fest tournament, she decides to do the right thing and atone for her part in the oppressive Killtopia economy by delivering the biggest reveal of her career.

As we journey through over 15 years of Stiletto's past, Shinji and Omi lead a small warband of hackers, misfits and street punks against #I/O's army of Mechs and killer dolls, led by a corrupted Crash.

Meanwhile, Omi hones her new digital powers and in her attempts to free Crash, comes to understand more about #I/O's twisted goals. The stage is then set for one final war on the killing fields of Wreck-Fest, with the odds stacked against humanity,

Writer: Dave Cook / Artist: Clark Bint 

Colours: Lou Ashworth / Letters: Micah Myers

56 pages of story / First released: 2023

In this fifth and final issue of Killtopia's first story arc, the final battle between humans and machines rips across Neo Tokyo.

It all takes place on the day of Wreck-Fest X. As the bloody gladiator games begin, Koshiro-23, Wreckers and the Nezumi ninja clan enact their desperate plan to defeat #I/O and release Crash from its control before humanity is altered forever.

It's a war on multiple fronts, as the human factions battle across the Sector-K hunting grounds, abandoned military facilities and the farthest outer ridges of cyberspace itself.

Killtopia #5 is an explosive, action-packed finale six years in the making, with gorgeous artwork, stunning colours and a rich story that assesses what it means to be human in a digitally-led world.