In BLADE RUNNER 2029 #3, available from Titan Comics on March 10th, 2021, a dead billionaire and a murdered Blade Runner are dumped on Ash’s caseload, but this new case has more to do with her hunt for Yotun than she realizes.
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: March 10, 2021
Was It Good?
Yes. The Blade Runner mythology has taken an unexpected story turn in this issue. Rather than sticking with the narrow scope of replicants on the run, this story explores what happens when the replicants organize in terrifying ways. There’s so much storytelling potential in this twist, you can’t help but get excited for future possibilities.
The art, likewise, is still consistently excellent. Guinaldo’s lines infuse the characters’ expressions with such subtle emotion, it’s a pleasure to look at, as well as read, this issue.
Before you read on, check out our BLADE RUNNER 2029 #3 preview to get a small taste of what’s inside.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD]
We begin with Yotun discussing the future of the replicants floating in gestation tubes in front of him with Kalia. HIs tone and thoughts are almost fatherly as these new replicants will be closer to human, both in capability and freedom, as any human child. You get a deep sense of how passionate Yotun is about his cause, which makes the moral implications that much more difficult to wade through.
We also learn at the end of this scene Yotun has lived longer than his programming had intended and he undergoes treatments to prolong his life.
Cut to Ash on an early morning meeting at the precinct. She’s told to investigate the Hyman Bask murder after the Blade Runner on the case, Ruskin, was himself murdered (read our BLADE RUNNER 2029 #2 review to catch up on how Bask was killed).
Back to Yotun as we see what kind of treatments are keeping him going. Replicants follow him with cult-like devotion, giving him transfusions of their own “blood” to keep his systems running. Lelia, the red-haired replicant from issue #2, is tasked by Yotun to bring Ash to him.
When Ash returns to her apartment, Lelia is waiting for her. At first, the conversation is cordial, but Lelia quickly leaps at Ash, knocking her out.
Without giving away the ending, Freysa is a protective partner, Ash goes for a ride, and Yotun makes good use a of a “souvenir” he got from Bask.
Final Thoughts
BLADE RUNNER 2029 #3, available from Titan Comics on March 10th, 2021, keeps the reader squarely immersed in the Blade Runner universe and adds a terrifying new development in the replicants development. The art is gorgeous and expressive, and the story hits all the right beats for a futuristic detective noir story.
Score: 8/10
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