Review: Blade Runner 2029 #2
[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writers:Â Â Mike Johnson and Michael Green
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’s time jump to Blade Runner 2029 provides Detective Ash more of a history, more expertise, time to season her skills, and unfortunately, more time for her spine to decompose.
Blade Runner Ash is both the consummate detective that can hunt down Replicants, but like Harrison Ford’s cinematic character, Ash is involved romantically with a Replicant. Ash works her job from both angles…a Robin Hood of sorts who can be both a Replicant sympathizer, but also a by-the-book detective.
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
Andres Guinaldo paints Ash perfectly. The overcoat, the glasses, the haircut…. the action scenes. All of this is being drank in by the eyes. Oh…the eyes. The tell tale sign of a Replicant.
The issue reminds us of that in a pretty stunning way. The eyes have it…. the art certainly has our attention.
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!
The dragon mural… This series would be a perfect Netflix series
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. I literally cannot wait to drink in each issue as I was a fan of the Harrison Ford original. But Ash…Ash fits like a glove in this Blade Runner environment. This is cutting edge science fiction pulp noir.
