BLADE RUNNER 2039 #1, from Titan Comics on December 7th, 2022, begins a new era in the Blade Runner franchise when Luv, the first replicant Blade Runner, finds herself on the hunt for a prototype replicant of special interest to the Wallace Corporation.
The Details
- Written by: Mike Johnson, Mellow Brown
- Art by: Andres Guinaldo
- Colors by: Marco Lesko
- Letters by: Jim Campbell
- Cover art by: Jung-Geun Yoon
- Cover price: $3.99
- Release date: December 7, 2022
Is It Good?
BLADE RUNNER 2039 #1 picks up where the Blade Runner 2029 series left off with a new status quo in the LA police department and a new hunt filled with intrigue and hidden agendas. Is this first issue good enough to jump-start the franchise in new and exciting directions? The jury’s still out on that one.
Mike Johnson and Mellow Brown, to their credit, go back to the tried and true formula of kicking off a Blade Runner story in a pre-dystopian Los Angeles in the near future. Centering the story on the first replicant Blade Runner is a novel twist, and the setup to Luv’s hunt at the behest of the Wallace Corporation has a fair amount of intrigue surrounding it. Johnson and Brown are to be commended for maintaining the look and feel of the Blade Runner universe while growing the canon in slightly new directions.
That said, the directions are only slightly different, and whether or not the creators can pull off one or two surprises remains to be seen. Every arc in this series is set in a different decade in LA, and every Blade Runner at the arc’s center is the “first” of some identity combination – Origins was the first Blade Runner, 2029 was the first female Blade Runner, and now 2039 is the first replicant Blade Runner. To be blunt, the arcs have the appearance of becoming repetitive with only the lead character’s identity being the differentiator. In fairness, this is only the first issue, so we’ll see where the mystery leads, but the setup at least raises a yellow flag.
Guinaldo and Lesko are no strangers to the Blade Runner franchise, and their art style still earns high marks for the atmospheric, dystopian, cyber-tech feeling they infuse into every panel. LA looks and feels authentic to the original film, and the character designs uphold that trademark mix of early 20th-century, Transatlantic style with cyberpunk flare.
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What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
We begin with a group of friends eating at an outdoor cafe. When one of the friends is tapped on the shoulder by a Blade Runner, the friend runs but is quickly caught and retired. The blade Runner is named Luv, and she’s the world’s first replicant Blade Runner.
Later, we see how Luv’s presence within the LAPD is met with mistrust and scorn. As a matter of security, Luv is given a private office in which to work. The office is little more than a closet.
Later, Luv is summoned by executives of the Wallace Corporation for a special assignment. We conclude the issue with payment for the Ferryman, a unique prototype, and an old face with back problems.
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Final Thoughts
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BLADE RUNNER 2039 #1 kicks off a new series in the Blade Runner franchise with a new hunt for a prototype replicant led by the world’s first replicant Blade Runner. The visual aesthetic and story setup feel right at home in the Blade Runner universe, but the plot and main character feel too similar to previous arcs to generate excitement.
Related Information
Are Blade Runners human or replicants?
In the films and prior to the 2039 arc in comics, Blade Runners have always been human.
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