Publisher: Titan Comics
Release Date: November 20, 2019
Price: $16.99
Creator(s): Michael Green and Mike Johnson (writers); Andres Guinaldo (artist)
Format: 112 pgs., Full-Color, 7"x10", Trade Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-7877-3161-5
Age Rating: N/A
ICv2 Rating: 4 Stars out of 5
For those of you who don’t read movie credits, Michael Green wrote the screenplay for Blade Runner 2049, so he knows something about the world of the story. Mike Johnson has ties to comics and SF, including Star Trek and Transformers. The combination of the two has produced an interesting story that is not directly linked to either Blade Runner movie. It does take place in the same time and city as the original film, but seems poised to follow the story in a very different direction, which should be interesting.
The artist is also very experienced, having worked for both Marvel and DC Comics on a variety of projects, and turns in some very good work, especially in the grim city scenes.
The only awkward part is the closeness in time and place to the original film, as it implies that the central character in this story is "LAPD’s best Blade Runner and detective." This will confuse anyone who missed the part in the original movie that suggested Deckard was being called back as a Blade Runner, out of a brief retirement. So, maybe Ash is the best when he’s not there? In any case, this is a story of Replicants, corruption, and a fight for what’s right in the face of outrageous odds. That’s never an easy fight.
--Nick Smith: Library Technician, Community Services, for the Pasadena Public Library in California.