Blade Runner 2049 (2017) was one of the most brilliant sequels to expand on the complex dystopian world of the first movie, Blade Runner (1982). The original film was based on Phillip K. Dick’s novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968). The marketing for Blade Runner 2049 included two live action shorts directed by Luke Scott, son of original director Ridley Scott; 2036: Nexus Dawn and 2048: Nowhere to Run. There was also an aniae short film directed by Shinichirō Watanabe, he also directed two films in The Animatrix (2003) anthology that developed The Matrix films. The new comic book, Blade Runner 2019, is written by Michael Green who co-wrote Blade Runner 2049 and co-wrote the new 52 Supergirl comic book with Mike Johnson. The artwork is by Andres Guinaldo who has provided work for Marvel and DC. The cover features the main character with handgun with a shadowy background, a mix of noir and anime, by Stanley `Artgerm’ Lau.
There is a title page that explains the future where artifical beings called Replicants work and now are being “retired” by blade runners. One of them is our protagonist, Detective Aahina Ashina, called Ash. We have the chaotic streets of steam and signs of a polyglot of languges in the world of 2019, the setting of the first movie, there is a discussion of the price of body parts. We resolve to Sunshine Botanics and inside is the aftermath of a fight with smashed pots. Ash sits questioning her suspect, Benny, who is battered and bloody. She mentions that she can sell Benny’s parts to a coroner and dares him to use his knife. He does use it with brutal effect. Ash leaves disappointed and gets into her spinner to fly into the cityscape. She gets a hot drink at a stand to talk with her contact, Wojciech, who gives her a missing persons case. Someone has kidnapped the family of the owner of the Canaan Corporation, Alexander Selwyn. Woljciech sends Ash to the Santa Barbara Archipelego. Guinaldo gives us a two page splash vista of Ash driving her spinner above the city. It has the look of European Heavy Metal artwork.
Ash explains the wealthy flooded the area to create private islands and she lands her spinner to enter the Selwyn house. I love the touches of world building. Ash is greeted by Selwyn somewhere in the house, it is overgrown with vines, and she sees a cat that Selwyn says was made for his daughter Cleo. Alexander Selwyn appears, glasses, and dishelved. He explains Cleo and his wife, Isobel, were missing from the birthday party of Lydia Tyrell. We know the name Tyrell from the pyramid corporate building of the Tyrell Corporation from Blade Runner. He wants the matter private and mentions his daughter is “truly exceptional.” Ash begins checking on the Tyrell family and Ash’s contacts on the street. She tracks the spinner which is a standout vehicle only used by the rich and police. Then, she goes to the river to find the crash site. We get a look at Isobel and her daughter walking through the streets. Detective Ashina returns to her apartment and reveals her augmentation that makes her an effective blade runner. Lastly, we get Isobel reaching the home of a contact which leads us deeper into the mystery. A mystery and a return to the Blade Runner world!
Four Spinners out of Five!
#BladeRunner2019, #MichaelGreen, #MikeJohnson, #AndresGuinaldo, #TitanComics
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