Edgerunners’ Official Prequel Is Officially Available in the U.S. After 4 Years

4 years after Cyberpunk: Edgerunners turned a blockbuster anime hit, followers can lastly dive deeper into the chaos of Night time Metropolis. The long-awaited English model of the official prequel manga has arrived in america, giving readers a brand new perspective on the violent, chrome-plated world that helped redefine trendy science fiction animation.

In line with a press launch, the manga, titled Cyberpunk: Edgerunners MADNESS Quantity 1, expands on the sequence’ emotional core whereas doubling down on its brutality. This 200-page black-and-white e-book, printed in English by Darkish Horse Comics, provides a targeted, character-driven story that enhances and enhances the anime’s tragic legacy.

The bloody origin story of Night time Metropolis

Fairly than trying again on the rise and fall of David Martinez, MADNESS shifts the main focus to Rebecca and her brother Pilar. The brothers chase notoriety in a metropolis stuffed with ambition and dream of changing into legendary edge runners like their father. Their journey captures the reckless starvation that characterizes life in Night time Metropolis.

Written by Bartosz Sztybor, who additionally wrote the script for the anime, this prequel feels narratively genuine. This tone displays the present’s mix of kinetic motion and emotional devastation, which roots explosive violence in private despair. Rebecca’s insecurity and Pilar’s vanity are given extra context by means of their widespread previous.

Asano’s illustrations amplify the chaos. Recognized for his manga adaptation of Studio Set off’s BNA: Model New Animal, Asano brings sharp line artwork and expressive character designs that replicate the vitality of anime whereas nonetheless standing on their very own. The panels pulsate with motion, capturing the instability of a neon-drenched evening metropolis.

Why Cyberpunk: Edgerunners MADNESS nonetheless issues 4 years later

When Cyberpunk: Edgerunners premiered in 2022, it reignited curiosity within the bigger Cyberpunk universe and the forged rapidly turned fan favorites. Rebecca particularly turned a breakout character. MADNESS deepens her backstory, remodeling her from a scene-stealing chaotic agent to a completely realized tragic determine.

The primary half additionally explores how Night time Metropolis’s tradition of violence shapes promising younger folks. Rebecca and Pilar aren’t simply thrill seekers. They’re the product of systemic corruption, company exploitation, and inherited trauma. Their descent into more and more harmful jobs displays the identical fatalistic spiral that outlined the anime’s central narrative.

Now obtainable in paperback for $14.99, the English model makes the story simpler to know than ever earlier than. This 200-page quantity is geared toward readers 16 and older and supplies a compact but highly effective growth of the sequence. For longtime followers and newcomers alike, it is a reminder that ambition and insanity are sometimes inseparable in Night time Metropolis.

With Cyberpunk: Edgerunners MADNESS lastly hitting bookstores within the US, it feels just like the world of Edgerunners is coming alive as soon as once more. The primary half sharpens the sides of the supply materials as an alternative of softening them. And for followers nonetheless reeling from the ending of the Cyberpunk: Edge Runners anime, this return to Night time Metropolis proves the legend is not over but.