There are a lot of comics out there but some stand out head and shoulders above the pack. With “Don’t Miss This,” we want to spotlight those series we think need to be on your pull list. This week, we take a look at Titan Comics’s “Blade Runner 2039”
Who’s This By?
The “Blade Runner” comics that have been getting released since 2018 have been in the best hands. The creative team on the main series feels basically hand-picked by Alcon and Titan to create these new stories. Writer Mike Johnson (“Supergirl,” Star Trek: Picard – Stargazer”) is a life-long Blade Runner fan and aficionado. Working closely with Alcon and Blade Runner 2049 co-screenwriter Michael Green, Johnson has used his knowledge and skills as a storyteller to faithfully and deftly expand the world of these beloved sci-fi films. Johnson’s knack for getting into the characters and minutiae without falling into fan service is one of the main reasons why he was one of the best choices for this on-going project.
Artist Andres Guinaldo (“Gotham City Sirens,” “Son of Hulk”) brings his stunning talent to this bleak dystopian Los Angeles. It is a beautifully detailed and highly engrossing version of this dystopian world fans know so well. It doesn’t lose any of its power or bleakness while looking fantastic. Colorist Marco Lesko (“Robotech,” “Doctor Who”) is also able to brings something new and familiar to how he colors Guinaldo’s work. A stunning partnership that I hope makes the jump to other books. Legendary letterer Jim Campbell (“Giant Days,” “Star Wars: Rebellion) rounds out this creative team to bring the best work possible to this series. For being relatively young, Campbell has lent his talents to nearly 2,500 comic issues over the years.
What’s This All About?
Starting with “Blade Runner 2019,” this mainline series is comprised of arcs, jumping ahead in time with each one, bridging the gap between the 1982 masterpiece and its somehow incredible sequel from 35 years later. As previously stated, writer Mike Johnson is a fan and expert and is as perfect a choice to write these books as anyone. Following the journey of former Blade Runner, Ash, as she makes her way through L.A. and various off-world colonies in an attempt to get to the bottom of various conspiracies and cover ups from the Tyrell and Wallace corporations. As she falls in deep with rebelling and runaway replicants, Ash discovers things about herself and those around her that she would never have managed to see if she was still married to her job. Ash is a flawed protagonist, but one that is really easy to root for, even though it takes ages to crack her shell. This series is attempting to fill in the holes of the narrative between both films without giving too much away and ruining the ingenious mystique and mystery of these wonderful films. Even when Johnson and co. delve into things like the off-world colonies or walking right up to the line of showing us exactly what a replicant is made of (Are they organic? robotic? both? The world is better off not knowing.), these creatives know right where to draw that line giving us a taste, and nothing more, of the enormous ideas and questions posed by these films and comics.
Now that the series is just ten years away from the events of Blade Runner 2049, it is really ramping up the action leading to the end. I don’t mean that in terms of shoot outs and explosions – though those are a part of it, but rather story threads and characters’s stories are coming to a close and some, but not all, dangling threads left by the films are getting some resolution; or at the very least some new context added. It’s all to give us a better understanding of certain things, but is never used to spoon feed us plot or a force us to choose a specific outlook or opinion. It has been a joy and a privilege to see these characters grow, change, and yes, age over the last few years as so rarely we get a story told with these kinds of time jumps with such steady hands at the helm.
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So, Why Should I Read This?
Aside from the fantastic creative team, fans of the films who are looking for a respectable expansion of this world need to be reading these comics. So rarely do we get a beloved fictional world that has little or no creative hiccups. Until 2021’s Blade Runner: Black Lotus this *shudders* ‘franchise,’ had none, and even its worst chapter is still better than a lot of other mainstream sci-fi out there today. While not every single issue may live up to the grand hype that some people expect, the overall story has been more than worth the read. So if you are one of those fans, like I was, who was absolutely terrified for anything beyond the original film to exist, know that these comics are truly excellent and up to the task of giving fans more of this world to enjoy outside of the films.
The art team of Guinaldo and Lesko has given us a true version of the Blade Runner world on the page. It captures the every evolving world and we see the stylistic change of the city and other locations over the twenty years these comics take place. It all feels right without going overboard with references or specific famed locations. The patience and confidence in making something new and similar is fully on display. While someone like Geof Darrow or Darrick Robertson feel like perfect choices for “Blade Runner,” their extreme cyberpunk/crowded page style may have felt more homage/duplicaton rather than naturally existing as part of this world. Another confident and smart decision.
I was lucky enough to interview Mike Johnson at NYCC 2018 when the original 2019 series was still early in its publication and I have never been more put at ease by a creator talking about why a beloved property is in their hands. The ease at which he was able to stay away from lame fan service was shocking. Early on he even wanted to stay away from using any character seen in the films out of fear of falling into easy storytelling, but his desire to make something new and interesting that builds on the events of the films was what kept his convictions strong when it came to making something wholly new that is still tied to the main film plots without needing to bring in a ton of known characters. Some have shown up over the last few years, but any usage has been fully in service of telling the best story. There is no elbow nudging of, “Heh, heh? See who I put in this issue? Remember them? Pretty cool right?” There is none of that. The craft behind this series is why it is a must read and why this isn’t the first time we have discussed an arc on Don’t Miss This. Fans are so lucky to have a comic book spinoff that is this good.
How Can You Read It?
Issue six was released this Wednesday, August 24th, and now is as good a time as any to catch up on all of the previous arcs and issues leading to this point. Found anywhere comic books are sold.
