Writers: Michael Green & Mike Johnson

Artist: Andres Guinaldo

Titan Comics, out now

 

Los Angeles 2019, and ‘Blade Runner’ Detective Ashina’s investigation into the kidnapping of the wife and daughter of business tycoon Alexander Selwyn continues to take startling new turns.

The second issue of Michael Green and Mike Johnson’s return to the Blade Runner universe witnessed our lead crashing to earth in a destroyed Spinner, but luckily for all of us she’s enhanced in such a way to survive the plummet but also to do so in a way that prevents the loss of other life. Not that anybody cares – the department have distanced themselves from her (her dirty secret now revealed) and Selwyn wants someone else on the case.

Of the many joys of this comic book, the use of recognisable noir plot tropes is paramount. It was the backbone to Ridley Scott’s original movie, and the detective narrative allows this new story to develop piece by piece as we get to uncover motives and the true story. We also get to visit a popular location from the movie, which is nicely done.

What also appeals about the narrative is its clear direction – it would be very easy to fill splash pages with vistas of the iconic futuristic landscape, dropping in all the fan-serving hardware and characters, but instead it’s the story that’s king, and the artwork exists to support it.

Verdict: Another solid instalment in the series, beautifully paced and still feeling 100% true to the original. As the real November 2019 gets ever nearer we can be pleased that this dystopian hell didn’t come to pass, but it’s fascinating revisiting the ‘what could have been.’ 9/10

Nick Joy