In BLADE RUNNER ORIGINS #4, available from Titan Comics on May 19th, 2021, Cal Moreaux crosses paths with Dr. Kine, reborn in a Nexus-5 body, but she isn’t the only Nexus-5 on the loose, and Tyrell will stop at nothing to get them both.
The Details
- Written By: K. Perkins, Mellow Brown
- Art By: Fernando Dagnino
- Colors By: Marco Lesko
- Letters By: Jim Campbell
- Cover Art By: Jesus Hervas
- Cover Price: $3.99
- Release Date: May 19, 2021
Was It Good?
Yes, it was very good and very quick. This issue is effectively one, extended chase scene that ends with a prologue leading into the next issue.
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The dialog (what there is of it) hits with tight efficiency, and the art pulls you along to match the pace of the story. This is a high-energy, laser-accurate comic.
Check out the BLADE RUNNER ORIGINS #4 preview to see the panels fly.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
We pick up with Nexus-5/Dr. Kine on the run from Detective Cal Moreaux after she’s caught breaking into her former lab assistant’s (Effie) apartment. See how well that first meeting went in our BLADE RUNNER ORIGINS #3 review.
From there, we get a mini-tour of rainy, gloomy LA of the near future as the chased and the chaser make their way through busy traffic and tourist stops. By sheer coincidence, Effie is in one of the cabs jumped by the chase. She sees what’s happening and follows Moreaux on foot.
Up until now in the series, we’ve only seen Dr. Kine in the replicant body as limber and agile, but here we see she’s superhuman in every physical way, including durability and strength. She rips an entire tree from the ground to throw it at her pursuers. She jumps from the roof of a building and crashes through a glass enclosure several stories below and takes off in a sprint without pause. Transference of the mind into a Nexus-5 guarantees a kind of immortality and the potential for superhuman feats.
Dr. Kine sprints around a blind corner and disappears long enough for Cal to pause and for Effie to catch up. Before Effie can reach Cal, she’s shot by Ilora Stahl who was keeping a close track of Effie.
Ilora considers Effie’s death necessary to tie up loose ends, and she gives Cal an ultimatum to bring in the Nexu-5 or watch his sister suffer the same fate. In a subtle way, Cal is coerced into becoming the first replicant hunter… the first Blade Runner.
After Ilora leaves, Cal calls Dr. Kine out from the shadows as he knows she’s been watching listening, and now, grieving the death of her friend. There’s nothing they can do for Effie, so they agree to a truce and decide to get Marcus (Dr. Kine’s brother) into safe hiding.
Dr. Kine explains she’s not the only Nexus-5, and the other model is the one responsible for the attempt on Marcus’ life. We conclude the issue with the realization that things are about to get bigger and much worse.
How Does It End?
Cal Moreaux puts his badge away. Dr. Kine needs to understand Effie’s world… with good reason. The other Nexus-5 looks very familiar.
Final Thoughts
BLADE RUNNER ORIGINS #4, available from Titan Comics on May 19th, 2021, pumps up the action with an extended chase scene that finds the main character finally taking on the Blade Runner role. Despite the sprinting pace, the story covers a lot of ground and ends with a surprising reveal.
Score: 8/10
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