Written by Michael Green & Mike Johnson

Art by Andres Guinaldo

Titan, out for FBCD 2020

Ash is the most capable of the special police squad Blade Runner units. Prowling the tough streets of Los Angeles, her prey is renegade replicants

As with most things in 2020, Free Comic Book Day has had to adapt, and instead of encouraging a large group of readers into comic shops on one day, the free content has been broken up into batches. The Blade Runner 2019 offering serves as a precursor to upcoming issue #9 in the ongoing series, created by regular team of Green, Johnson and Guinaldo.

In line with most FCBD releases, this shorter issue serves as a taster of the ongoing story arc, working as the perfect jumping on point. It fills in gaps in Ashina’s past, without including anything so essential that those who only buy the regular comics feel disadvantaged.

Flashing back to 2000, we meet a younger Dr Eldon Tyrell and his owl Athena preparing for the release of the first Nexus-series models and young Ash’s first experience of police racketeering.

Then it’s 2009 and a Nexus-4 pleasure model has gone rogue and Ash is picking up a cybernetic spine/brace. And finally it’s 2013 and a Nexus-6 ‘More human than human’ replicant is detected by Ash as she gets her first kill.

Verdict: A great introduction to the Blade Runner 2019 comic book series – snap it up while you can, just in case it doesn’t make it into one of the compilation graphic novels. 8/10

Nick Joy