In BLADE RUNNER 2029 #2, available from Titan Comics on January 13th, 2021, takes Ash to a morgue, a speakeasy, and the streets of Los Angeles to track down the mysterious Yotun. When a dead replicant may not be a replicant at all, the hints of a greater conspiracy come to light.
The Details
- Written By: Mike Johnson
- Art By: Andres Guinaldo
- Colors By: Marco Lesko
- Letters By: Jim Campbell
- Cover Art By: Peach Momoko
- Cover Price: $3.99
- Release Date: January 13, 2021
Was It Good?
Yes, very good. The tone, the pacing, and the general sense of somber dystopian malaise carries through perfectly to match the genre and the film. But the action ramps up in this issue to turn into a full-on detective noir story. This issue is excellent writing complimented by excellent art.
To see what we mean by the art, view our BLADE RUNNER 2029 #2 preview to see the internal pages.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD]
We begin with a very old and very wealthy couple sitting down to dinner in their cavernous dining room. The servant, a replicant, brings them their first course soup to start the meal. Within moments, the couple is dead and the servant begins removing the old man’s eye for its identification signature. He and his replicant colleagues have some purpose planned for the door that eye unlocks.
Cut to the city morgue where Ash and the coroner discuss the replicant that leaped to his death at the end of the last issue (read our BLADE RUNNER 2029 #1 review here to get caught up). The coroner insists the deceased is not a replicant, but Ash is sure he is. It’s possible there are some manufacturing shenanigans going on.
At this point, Ash’s detective instincts are kicked into overdrive as she puzzles out the disconnected puzzle pieces. It’s always a treat to see a writer handle a mystery correctly by peppering in little clues that come into focus slowly. With a mystery, guessing is half the fun, and partway into issue #2, there’s plenty of guessing material.
Ash heads to a back alley speakeasy where she’s considered a friend due to her help on the replicant railroad. Inside she meets her live-in partner, Freysa, who we now know is also a replicant. Ash casually asks around for info about Yotun.
A new, red-haired visitor reacts to the mention of Yotun’s name and hastily exits the speakeasy. Ash notices and follows. In a very clear homage to the original Blade Runner film, Ash gives chase on foot and leaps over vehicle rooftops until she catches up to the redhead. The replicant is in no mood to corporate and slams Ash with a cab door so she can escape into the subways.
Ash and Freysa find the redheads purse and track back to her apartment where they begin to search for clues.
Without spoiling the ending, we see a shot of a dark lab where Ash is proven both right and wrong about the body in the morgue.
Final Thoughts
BLADE RUNNER 2029 #2, available from Titan Comics on January 13th, 2021, exemplifies the best in hard-boiled detective crime noir, fitting perfectly in the Blade Runner universe. The art is sharp and emotive, and the writing keeps the reader invested through every page.
Score: 9/10
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