Written by Mike Johnson

Art by Andres Guinaldo

Titan Comics

Los Angeles 2039. From legendary Blade Runner badass to fiery figure in the Replicant Underground, Ash’s thirty-plus year odyssey brings her face-to-face with Niander Wallace, the messianic father of a new generation of Replicant kind. Will Ash have a future, or is it to be her Retirement?

It has all led to this. The Ash saga finally concludes as the comic book series catches up with the timeframe of movie 2049. Will it end as you imagine? Hard to tell. Apart from some early action, this final chapter is more interested in seeing the seeds that enable what follows, and while ‘talky’ might seem an extreme description, there’s probably more dialogue than you’d expect.

We’ve had legacy characters joining the narrative at different times, but the emphasis here is on Ash and Cleo, rather than crowbarring in fan favourite Easter eggs just to satisfy the hardcore fans. It’s been an authentic bridge between the two movies – this is my final acknowledgment of the excellent work of writer Mike Johnson and artist Andres Guinaldo that have kept this enterprise on track. As Faff would say: ‘You’ve done a man’s job, sir.’

Verdict: A less kinetic finale than I expected but closes the story effectively. 8/10

Nick Joy