Written by K. Perkins, Mellow Brown.

Creative Consultants Mike Johnson, Michael Green.

Art by Fernando Dagnino

Titan Comics, out now

Los Angeles 2009 and LAPD detective Cal Moreaux is investigating the death of bioengineer Dr Lydia Kine at the hands of a Nexus 5 replicant prototype.

The comic book prequel to  Ridley Scott’s 1982 movie picks up immediately where we left off last month, with Dr Kine’s brother, Marcus, and Blade Runner Moreaux holding off against a mysterious assailant. They make a getaway and hole up in the safer confines of LAPD HQ, but while Moreaux is revisiting Dr Kine’s body, his witness goes AWOL. And it’s not just the Tyrell Corp who want to talk to him.

Perkins’ and Brown’s script gets to the heart of what makes a hard-boiled detective story works. We’re introduced to new characters, all hiding secrets, inhabiting the familiar, grim alternative past of 2009 Los Angeles. Familiar landmarks and vehicles continue to anchor us to the Blade Runner universe, with a particularly effective double-page spread by Fernando Dagnino of a mid-air skirmish.

Verdict: Iconic landscapes fused with a compelling and credible origins story make this comic book as vital as its 2019 stablemate. 9/10

Nick Joy