Edited by Lou Tambone and Joe Bongiorno

Sequart , out now

 

A compendium of articles and features on all things Blade Runner written by die-hard fans for die-hard fans.

In his introduction to this sizeable tome (a bookshelf-worrying 420 pages) co-editor Lou Tambone shares how he followed the development of Blade Runner through production, to seeing it on first run at cinema, recording it on home video cassette (he still has the tape) to subsequent official releases the movie. It’s the sort of love that a lot of us have for this classic movie, and that love comes through in all the entries in this almanac.

A Nexus is a hub for thematically-matched material, and this title for the book takes on extra resonance by also being the make of replicants that life in this universe (Nexus-6, Nexus-7). After an intro by Future Noir author and Blade Runner expert Paul M. Sammon we’re presented with an abundance of features that pretty much cover off every aspect of the Blade Runner universe, bar the ‘making of’, which has already been covered off elsewhere by Sammon’s bible and Don Shay’s Cinefex issue.

There’s a number of colour reproductions of posters, tie-in novel, ads and stills across the pages, illustrating the in-depth examination of themes in source novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, callbacks to film noir and the influence of Heavy Metal /Metal Hurlant magazines. We learn of the estimated 60+ versions of the movie soundtrack and its troubled route to record stores as an orchestral recording, while Paul J. Salamoff argues why the theatrical cut is the truest version of the movie, and we revisit that perennial argument as to whether Deckard is really a replicant.

I particularly enjoyed the sections on the Marvel comic book adaptation, the K W Jeter novel sequels, the Westwood Studios PC game and the lengthy Do Androids… graphic novel series. There’s even an explanation as to how Blade Runner influenced Red Dwarf’s revival in Back to Earth, a detailed look at Blade Runner 2049 and its tie-in shorts, as well as as unexpected section on racial politics in this universe.

In this exhaustive visit to the BREU (Blade Runner Extended Universe – as no-one is actually calling it) the only obvious omissions for me were merchandise like the Ertl die-casts, the model blasters and stylised Funko Pop figurines. It might also be nice to have a feature on the movie locations that you can still visit in Los Angeles (I may have to offer my services to the editors for this) or indeed where you can see some of the existing props in movie museums of Planet Hollywood restaurants. The thing is, there’s already so much to say about Blade Runner, and a second volume of this excellent book is surely a no-brainer. Secret Cinema would surely get a mention in such a book.

Verdict: With the future of the Blade Runner brand due to expand in comics and books, this is a great time to pause and reflect on what we already have. Lou Tambone and Joe Bongiorno are to be commended for creating a wonderful love letter to a classic and much-beloved film. These aren’t the rantings of fan boys, rather the well-considered musings of aficionados. To quote Gaff: ‘You’ve done a man’s job, sir(s)’. 10/10

Nick Joy