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 look at Titan Books’s “Blade Runner.”
Who’s This By?
The world of Blade Runner has been getting expanded since 2019 by writers Mike Johnson and Michael Green, with visual aid from Illustrator Andres Guinaldo and colorist Marco Lesko. As a co-writer of the long-awaited sequel, Blade Runner 2049, Michael Green was tasked with kicking off this comic book series. He is one of the creatives who helps shape where the entire Blade Runner franchise goes and what rules it has to follow. He sort of holds the keys as to how and where the various comic book series can take the franchise, but as a successful TV and film writer who no longer devotes a lot of time to comic book writing, he needed assistance with crafting this expanded universe. He reached out to former co-writer from “Batman/Superman” and “Supergirl,” Mike Johnson. He knew Mike was a perfect choice once again.
Mike Johnson is widely known in geek-dom from his work with DC Comics and bringing beloved sci-fi franchises from screen to page. As someone who is both a talented writer and a devoted fan, Johnson has used his knowledge and love to give fans comic book spinoffs of Star Trek: Discovery, Warehouse 13, and Transformers, as well as hit books featuring Superman, Supergirl, and members of the Green Lantern Corps. As someone who respects Blade Runner as an all-time great film, Johnson was excited, but nervous about starting work on this series. He knew it had to be respectful of the films, while expanding the universe, without making it feel like any other popcorn sci-fi franchise.
Artist Andrew Guinaldo has had his hands in many a comic book across publishers like DC, Marvel, and Valiant. His work has been featured in “Batman,” “Doctor Strange,” “Bloodshot,” “Robin War,” and many other titles.
Color work is perfected by artist Marco Lesko. Like Johnson, he has worked both in the world of superheroes, and sci-fi franchise spin-offs like “Doctor Who,” “Robotech,” and “The Expanse.” An incredible body of work that melds with exactly what is needed on “Blade Runner.”
What’s This All About?
“Blade Runner 2019” picks up during and immediately after the original film, but rather than following Harrison Ford’s Rick Deckard on his gloomy and violent story, we are given Aahna “Ash” Ashina. Another replicant hunter that is just as ruthless as any of them, but with a secret heart of gold. While we learn quite a bit about Ash over the decade that has been covered thus far, what you see is what you get. There’s no debate on whether she’s a human or replicant, there’s no theories on whether she’s hero or villain, and so on. Like any truly compelling character, she is a worthy protagonist who works well in the gray. She has done too many bad things as a Blade Runner to be a hero, but she has a moral compass and at times is, at worst, an anti-hero, never straying to the dark side.
Throughout 2019 and 2029 we see Ash working cases on Earth, current and flash back moments to off-world colonies, both from Ash and other characters’s point of views, ties to the original film, and events that will eventually lead to the world of 2049, and much more.
The series not only gives us many set pieces, both intimate and enormous, but it allows us to live in places we are familiar with from the films, and new settings that we have only heard or dreamt about.
So, Why Should I Read This?
Over the last few years these comics have given us a richer look at this expanded universe. Johnson and Green write scripts that service to overall narrative from issue to issue. Whether that calls for a tight, light script with an action focused plot thread, or a narration heavy detective noir arc. They try, and mostly succeed, to keep things fresh and interesting and never paying too much fan service. It is definitely an element of these comics, but this is a fresh story, with little more than callbacks or mirrored story beats when this narrative calls for them.
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Andres Guinaldo has a knack for superheroes, futurism, and beautifully detailed sci-fi tech, so his ability to flesh out the Los Angeles of 2019-2029 was apparent from the start. The way he has created his own version of L.A., Blade Runners, spinners, and so many more components of the “Blade Runner” universe, while staying completely and truly faithful to what we see on screen is something that should not be overlooked. He pulls inspiration from a wide array of cyberpunk aesthetic, which in turn has been influenced by Blade Runner since 1982 anyway, so it has all come full circle.
Lesko gives life to Guinaldo’s Los Angeles and the humans and replicants that inhabit it. He gives us all the grit, grime, and neon soaked set pieces and characters we can handle. He allows for readers to bask in the light and filth equally. His work compliments Guinaldo’s perfectly.
Like many fans of the film, I have been overly cautious about just how much Blade Runner becomes a bigger franchise. For 35 years we had just one film (and a briefly beloved PC game), and since 2017 we have gotten a film sequel, three short interlude films, 3 comic book series, and an anime series on the way. Thankfully everything fans have gotten has ranged from good to great, and the franchise, if we even want to call it that, has so far been in good hands. This comic book series is proof of that.
For additional context on the creation of the comic book series in 2019 please check out our interview from NYCC 2019 with Mike Johnson.
How Can You Read It?
Issue #8 of “Blade Runner 2029” releases today, 9/29/21. The “Blade Runner 2019” portion of the series has been collected in three trade paperbacks, with “2029” already having one collected volume out. Available anywhere comic books are sold.
