BLADE RUNNER 2039 #4, from Titan Comics on 4/19/23, unwraps the big secret behind Alexander Selwyn’s research, and if it falls into the wrong hands, the world will be changed forever.
The Details
- Written by: Mike Johnson
- Art by: Andres Guinaldo
- Colors by: Marco Lesko
- Letters by: Jim Campbell
- Cover art by: Alan Quah (cover A)
- Comic Rating: Teen+
- Cover price: $3.99
- Release date: April 19, 2023
Is It Good?
BLADE RUNNER 2039 #4 is the issue readers of this series have been waiting for. If you’re going to introduce a new arc and a new era of Replicants, the story needs to have a major hook to avoid retelling the same story over and over. In BLADE RUNNER 2039 #4, Mike Johnson tosses out what could be the mother of all hooks, and it’s a doozy.
When last we left Ash, Luv, and everyone else associated with his sordid tale, Hythe gave Ash Alexander Selwyn’s research before Wallace’s forces pounced. Now, Ash is on the run with Selwyn’s daughter, Cleo, and the once she finds out what’s in the research, the race is on.
The big wow moment of this issue is the revelation contained in the research. No spoilers here, but if you want a strong hint, keep reading through to the next section. Suffice it to say the secret is a game-changer for replicant technology, and its use (or misuse) has massive ramifications for Replicants moving forward. If this issue did nothing else but reveal that secret, it’s worth the cover price.
But Johnson does more than reveal the big secret. What you get is a well-crafted cat-and-mouse issue between Luv and Ash to bluff, maneuver, and outwit each other. The dialog is super tight, the plot development takes on an increasingly urgent pace once Ash finds out the secret, and the final pages imply a big clash is looming.
Andres Guinaldo’s art is outstanding in this issue. The line work is impressively detailed. Guinaldo’s backgrounds look fantastic. The cyberpunk aesthetic hits all the right notes. And the facial acting is excellent.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at the covers, or Click Here to jump right to the story description with some spoilers.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
Check out our BLADE RUNNER 2039 #3 review to find out how Ash obtained Selwyn’s research.
We begin with Ash paying a visit to a pair of unique code crackers. She hired the crackers to decrypt Selwyn’s research from the disk Hythe gave her. The disk contains plenty of data about Isobel and the replicant clones Selwyn modeled after his wife, but the biggest surprise of all is Selwyn’s goal to find a new method for creating Replicants.
Fertility.
We conclude the issue with a bluff, an escape, and a new partner.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.
Final Thoughts
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BLADE RUNNER 2039 #4 delivers a super-tight cat-and-mouse story as Luv and Ash try to outmaneuver each other for possession of Selwyn’s research. However, the big story here is the secret within the research, and it’s a game changer for this arc and the entire Blade Runner franchise.
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