Balde Runner 2019 by authors Michael Green, Mike Johnson Illustrations, Andres Guinaldo
Blade Runner 2019 is the official graphic novel sequel of the Blade Runner franchise. Official, as in actually canon!
It follows Ash, a blade runner who is running out of replicants to hunt in Los Angeles. Desperate for a job she takes on a missing persons case. She is hired by the head of a big evil corporation to find his missing wife and daughter.
From here, things get messy, obviously. In the Blade Runner universe you can never be sure who is actually who they say they are. This is not a spoiler full review so I wont say who’s not human but someone’s not human, and it’s problematic.
The book is action packed and, like any Blade Runner, filled with gorgeous cityscapes dancing with light and color.
I also really like the female lead, Ash. She’s extremely competent but gets really jerked around by her superiors. Her ability to do the job well is shadowed by a personal issue that they discover. This situation rings true, unfortunately looks like women still have to face their male bosses looking down on them in the future.
She is forced into making some tough calls and by the end of the book is on a completely different trajectory than where she started. She gains depth along the way and the characterization is simple but engaging.
The end of Volume 1 is set up for a direct sequel which will be published… eventually. 2020 has thrown a bit of wrench into the publishing industry. Honestly, if 2020 was a comic book we’d be panning it for being unrealistic.
But Volume 2 will be necessary to get the most out of this story. Volume 1 really doesn’t get great until the last two issues and then it just leaves us hanging. As with so many first parts of a book series, it’s too much introduction and not enough substance.
If you have enjoyed either of the Blade Runner movies then you are likely to enjoy Blade Runner 2019. If you didn’t like the movies, or didn’t see them, this book will probably not be that interesting.
It does expect you to have a baseline knowledge of replicants and the rules of the science fiction involved. But that can be simply gained by watching two very aesthetically pleasing films.
I am looking forward to volume 2 whenever it is finally released. Until then I’ll just wade through the slog of a sci fi political drama that has become real life.
4/5 wheels on the ground cars 🚗🚗🚗🚗
If you like Blade Runner 2019 you might also like The Kill Lock.
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Buy it here: Blade Runner 2019 Volume 1
