This past week saw the release of Matt Adcock’s new comic, Buzz Kill. Based on his short story, Buzz Kill 2.0, from the Neo Cyberpunk Anthology Vol. 1, it follows a bioweapons developer who takes his latest creation too far when it is rejected for a government contract.

From the publisher –

Disgraced. Dismissed. Dangerous…

When a military bioweapons genius weaponizes flies, he creates the ultimate weapon.

Invisible, unstoppable, death on wings.

A brutal sci-fi blast of mutant insects, black ops madness and revenge-fuelled body horror from the mind of Matt Adcock.

Long live the swarm. Long live the Buzzkill.

Buzz Kill is a one-shot comic story about what can go wrong when obsession and genius combine. The protagonist, a bioweapons developer, hits upon an ingenious application, using insects as a weapon, presenting them to a panel of judges for development. When testing doesn’t go as plan, however, the higher powers swiftly dismiss the project and move on, which pushes his work to the extreme. 

The story is grim and violent, as the best cyberpunk stories often are. What’s really scary, though, isn’t the brutality on display, it’s how authentic the concept is. Using insects as a weapon is not as far-fetched as you might think at first. This is exactly the kind of thinking that has been explored by violent regimes in the past during times of war. It’s entirely plausible too –  in real life, scientists have explored bioengineering mosquitos to eradicate diseases like malaria, something that the moral implications have been a barrier to. 

There are no such morals on display in Buzz Kill. It’s a satirical look at how the people in power and the military machine can push such concepts aside when it suits. The story also shows how not bearing the weight of responsibility, and treating the scientists and engineers as dispensable can lead to disillusionment, bitterness, and, in some cases, the creation of a supervillain…

Buzz Kill is written by Matt Adcock, with art by Karl Brown. Designer is Robin Fisher, with an Alt Cover by Luke Maddox. Matt Adcock is the writer of the cyber-noir comic Complete Darkness, as well as the novel of the same name, which follows Cleric20, a man given powers by an experimental bioweapon (Buzz Kill is also set in this world), as well as several other novels and short stories – you can find out more about his writing here – https://mattadcockauthor.com/

Matt is also co-host of the excellent Hosts in the Shell cyberpunk podcast, along with Jon Richter.

Buzz Kill is available to buy now – https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/CompleteDarkness