BLADE RUNNER 2029 #11, from Titan Comics on January 5th, 2022, brings the fight home as Ash witnesses the debilitating effects of Yotun’s treatment and Freysa receives an unwelcome visitor.
The Details
- Written By: Mike Johnson
- Art By: Andres Guinaldo
- Colors By: Marco Lesko
- Letters By: Jim Campbell
- Cover Art By: Yoshi Yoshitani (cover A)
- Cover Price: $3.99
- Release Date: January 5, 2022
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Was It Good?
BLADE RUNNER 2029 #11 is the penultimate issue in the series, and Johnson appears to be marking the occasion by showing how everything is falling apart for everybody. It’s difficult to guess where and how the series will wrap up in the next issue, but it’s safe to say based on the events in this issue that the finale will not be a happy ending for all involved.
You might be thinking that the last statement sounds like a non-critique, and you’d be right. So much has happened in this series, so many plot changes, twists, and turns. There is no predictable outcome or any clear sense of direction about where the story is headed.
On the one hand, unpredictability is typically a good thing. You don’t want to see the ending coming from a mile away, otherwise, the journey has no point. Surprises are good.
On the other hand, you never want the story to feel aimless. The ending should be a surprise, but the journey to get there should have an undercurrent of purpose and direction. It’s the difference between a boat drifting with the currents and a boat sailing under the steady hand of a navigator who knows where he or she is taking you, even if you don’t. In this issue, there’s a little bit of aimless drifting and steady navigation. Johnson is going to arrive somewhere but the issue lacks any sense that the story is building to something. This issue lacks a swelling sense of anticipation.
It may sound like quibbling, but the lack of build-up is what’s keeping a good comic series from becoming a great comic series. And this series has the potential to be great if it can generate momentum.
The art is phenomenal in this issue. Guinaldo’s hyper-detailed style plays so perfectly with the subject matter because the designs have a fantasy edge from a believably-imagined future. But, the intricate details keep the fantastical elements grounded, enhancing the believability further.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
Before you see what happens to Ash in this latest bit of trouble, find out how she got there in our BLADE RUNNER 2029 #10 review.
When last we left Los Angeles, Yotun’s minions were creating random, sustained acts of chaotic destruction all across the city, keeping the police constantly running and on edge. We catch up with Ash answering reports of replicants breaking into a power plant for some unknown purpose. When she arrives, the replicants are still there and near death. Yotun’s rejuvenation process is killing his followers.
Ash finds the spinner the replicants used to get to the power plant and finds the log of their source coordinates. But before she gets far, Kalia appears on the spinners vid screen to tell Ash her chance for redemption is gone. The spinner is blown up remotely. However, Ash jumps free in time with the coordinates.
Elsewhere, Freysa is recovering at home when she receives a knock at the door. A young girl asks for help, but as soon as she opens the door Marlowe appears with a gun pointed at her face. We conclude the issue with Ash heading to Yotun’s location with what she at first thinks is backup, a tussle in the apartment, and Yotun’s explanation about why he wanted Eldon Tyrell’s book.
Final Thoughts
BLADE RUNNER 2029 #11 puts everyone in a bad spot for the penultimate issue in the series, promising a satisfying ending for all involved with one issue to go. The art is great, and the story has some intriguing developments, but the issue lacks any sense of building momentum. This is a good issue in a good series, but it lacks a sense of impending purpose to become a great one.
Score: 8/10
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