Review: Blade Runner 2029 #1
[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writers:Â Â Mike Johnson
Artists:Â Andres Guinaldo
Colors:Â Marco Lesko
Letters: Â Jim Campbell
Reviewed by: Carl Bryan
Summary
The first comic to tell original, in-cannon stories set in the Blade Runner universe returns!
Written by Academy Award-nominated screenwriter Michael Green (Blade Runner 2049) and co-writer Mike Johnson (Supergirl).
Positives
Mike Johnson gives Blade Runner an upgrade like no other. We were just getting used to Blade Runner 2019, but he performs a time jump perfectly with Ash as she is hunting Replicants, not to destroy but to save. She recognizes early on that the department is a bit misguided in its efforts and that Replicants, for the most part, want to simply live among humans posing no threat. She also recognizes that there is an underbelly to Replicant purchasing that she has a personal vendetta against.
Ash is also confronting her age as her spine was rebuilt and her brace takes longer to activate. Johnson explores both the health of the current Blade Runner as well as her relationship with her partner Freysa. He balances perfect flashbacks (which I hope will one day include the original Blade Runner Rick Deckard if those timelines even coincide) with current status to show the reader the evolving character of Ash.
Positives 2.0
Social issues are at the forefront here. Man-made Replicants peforming labor and unseen deeds, but wishing for their freedom. They fight for their freedom, yet are hunted down by the department. Its a moral compass story akin to some themes you may see in X-men comics, but more importantly that resonate in history.
But the art….again, Andres Guinaldo makes the rain a character in and of itself. How does anything grow in this LA environment with so much rain? Landscapes with walls….steam rolling in….you can smell the stench of this city while thumbing through the pages of this comic!
Yotun Redeems! A clifhanger too! This is going to be a great ride!
Negatives
Crickets are chirping as you need to check this out! This comic is breaking the rules a bit in expanding our knowledge of the Blade Runner universe. If you are a Pulp Noir fan or simply a Blade Runner fan, you should be on board with this Titan Comics entry.
Verdict
This story line has been refreshing. As The Mandalorian breathed new life into Star Wars (especially in its second season), Blade Runner 2024 catapults from 2019 to 2029 effortlessly!
