In BLADE RUNNER ORIGINS #1, available from Titan Comics on March 10th, 2021, LAPD’s Detective Cal Moreaux feels the end of his police career looming when an uncharacteristic suicide at the Tyrell Corporation casts unwanted attention on replicant development. The origins of the first Blade Runner begin now.
The Details
- Written By: K. Perkins, Mellow Brown, Mike Johnson
- Art By: Fernando Dagnino
- Colors By: Marco Lesko
- Letters By: Jim Campbell
- Cover Art By: Stanley Lau
- Cover Price: $3.99
- Release Date: March 10, 2021
Was It Good?
In isolation, it’s okay. The characters, the setup, and the overall plot is a very vanilla “grizzled detective at the end of his career takes an unwanted assignment that uncovers a grand conspiracy” type story. That’s not to diminish the quality of the writing in any way, but it’s not terribly original.
That said, the uniqueness of the story is greatly elevated by placing it in the Blade Runner universe, and so, it’s not terribly interesting on it’s own but it is interesting as the foundation of something better. A great cathedral is still built with basic bricks.
The art is fits the occasion well with deep dramatic shadows, noirish lighting, and setting designs that match the timeframe perfectly. Or at least perfectly for the parallel timeline in which this story takes place.
To see what we mean, check out the BLADE RUNNER ORIGINS #1 Preview to view a sample.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD]
We begin with two space military officers pinned down in a desperate gun battle aboard a space ship. The lieutenant is intact but the captain is severely injured. Before the enemies can approach, they decide to open a large crate marked with the Tyrell Corporation seal as it was explained the contents could help in an emergency.
Within minutes, the attackers are killed and the captain is save. It appears the box contained two replicants who made short, brutal work of the enemies.
Cut to a hospital room in LA two years later, Detective Cal Moreaux is reading to his comatose sister. In a quick conversation with a friend who enters the room, we learn Moreaux’s sister has been there for a while but he still holds out hope for her recovery.
In the following pages, the art team of this issue really shines by paying a deep respect to the Blade Runner film by showing Moreaux fly through the LA skyline in his hover car. The dusk-like atmosphere, the sharp, obelisk-like skyscrapers, and the gloomy feel of it all rings true to the iconic film’s setting.
Back at the police station, Moreaux is assigned to look into a suicide at the Tyrell corporation. He’s given the job because he knows how to be discreet and he’s expendable if something should go wrong.
Dr. Lydia Kine was found hanging in her office by her assistant, Effie Koropey. Despite his exhausted demeanor, Moreaux is still a detective and he begins to question Effie about Dr. Kine. Before she can say much, they’re both interrupted by Tyrell liaison, Ilora Stahl
As soon an Ms. Stahl begins talking, it’s clear she intends to get Moreaux in and out as quickly as possible with only the barest amount of information possible to make this problem go away. Stahl subtly implies Moreaux’s expediency could result in a lucrative opportunity down the road. Moreaux, as any good detective should be, is immediately put on guard by the amount of misdirection from Stahl as he leaves to file his report
After a few drinks with acquaintances at a local club, Moreaux heads home to find Dr. Kine’s brother waiting fir him. He explains his sister would never commit suicide due to her faith and something sinister is going on. The brother is agitated and believes he’s being followed.
Without spoiling the ending, the brother is proven right in a dramatic way, and Moreaux receives a phone call confirming a suicide is the least of Tyrell’s problems.
Final Thoughts
BLADE RUNNER ORIGINS #1, available from Titan Comics on March 10th, is a fairly standard detective noir story that benefits from the Easter eggs, bells, and whistles of the Blade Runner universe. The art is precisely atmospheric for the source material, and the snappy writing keeps the reader engaged.
Score: 7.5/10
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