Written by Nancy A Collins

Pencils by Enid Balám

Titan Comics, out now

Los Angeles 2032 and Replicant Elle heads to the desert in search of redemption and a new life, free of bloodshed and death.

AdultSwim’s 13-part animated sequel to Blade Runner gets its own comic book continuation, picking up directly from the end of the series where Replicant Elle rides off into the sunset on her spinner bike, revenge sated.

Outside the city limits she finds herself in one of those familiar post-apocalyptic worlds akin to the Cursed Earth from 2000 AD, where she’s ambushed by bandits. Unaware of what they are taking on, the assailants are soon dispatched and Elle borrows their vehicle to take her damaged bike in to Frack Town.

In this opening issue we get up to speed with the local heavies, some allies for Elle and a bit of world-building. Honestly, it feels more Judge Dredd or Mad Max than Blade Runner, but there’s a lot of plot being offloaded, and protagonist Elle works better here on the page than as the jerky, retro-animation character of the series.

Verdict: Lots going on to pull us in, but is it a step too far removed from Blade Runner? 7/10

Nick Joy