BLADE RUNNER: TOKYO NEXUS #1, by Titan Comics on 7/31/24, takes a trip to the Far East when a Blade Runner is on a case to find a missing P.I. who may have gotten too close to a bootleg Replicant ring.
Credits:
- Writer: Kianna Shore
- Artist: Mariano Taibo
- Colorist: Marco Lesko
- Letterer: Jim Campbell
- Cover Artist: Christian Ward
- Publisher: Titan Comics
- Release Date: July 31, 2024
- Comic Rating: Teen
- Cover Price: $3.99
- Page Count: 36
- Format: Single Issue
Covers:
Analysis of BLADE RUNNER: TOKYO NEXUS #1:
First Impressions:
Titan Comics returns to the Blade Runner universe with a fresh tale and set of characters to wonder what happens when counterfeit groups decide to try their hand at Replicant manufacturing. There’s lots of money to be made in making cheap copies that are “close enough,” but does this copy of a traditional Blade Runner story get “close enough?” It’s not terrible, but you get the impression this story was ordered from Temu.
Plot Analysis:
BLADE RUNNER: TOKYO NEXUS #1 begins with an action-packed introduction to Blade Runner’s Mead and Stix. They visit a seedier section of Tokyo when Mead is jumped by armed wasureru (Tokyo’s forgotten). Stix is late to arrive, so Mead fights the gang alone, leading to a nasty strike to her leg by a hatchet-wielding fighter. When Stix does show up, he rakes down the gang almost single-handedly with his impressive dagger-throwing skills (Guns and gunfights are almost taboo in the country at this time).
Writer Kianna Shore starts the story off on a strong note by showing the risks of engaging gangs in certain sectors of the city and the Blade Runners’ approach to fighting and defending themselves. Stix gets a particularly strong introduction as a formidable killer with a slacker personality.
Afterward, Stix offers to help Mead get medical attention, food, and drink at the local Takoyaki (street food stand). Mead agrees. As the two drink and eat, Mead expresses concern that Stix’s lateness almost killed her and that his reasoning for his lateness is a lie. Suddenly, the Blade Runners are interrupted by a young woman named Sayo who needs help to find her missing sister, Miyuki – a Private Investigator who disappeared while working a case.
As the story progresses, little oddities and cracks in the setup become apparent and widen. If Stix and Mead are Blade Runners, why were they confronting a gang of wasureru? What does that conflict have to do with Replicants? Why would Mead agree to hear Sayo’s story about her missing sister? What does her sister’s disappearance have to do with Replicants? In short, Shore launches into a detective story with Blade Runners while seemingly ignoring the primary purpose of Blade Runners is to hunt down and secure Replicants.
Stix wants no part of the case, so he leaves to volunteer at a food kitchen in one of the sections of the city’s underground, populated by the poor. Mead asks Sayo to lead her to Miyuki’s apartment and known associates, including Miyuki’s fiancée. The visits contain little to no information, but Mead quickly concludes that Sayo and Miyuki’s family is likely an organized crime group. Sayo doesn’t know what her family really does, or she’s incredibly naive.
The point about taking on a non-Replicant case has already been made, but here we have a new wrinkle. If a P.I. disappears while working on a case, the first and obvious place to start is with the case. Here, Mead does everything but examine what Miyuki is working on, so it looks like Mead is a poor detective. I doubt Shore had that intention in mind, but that’s how it comes across.
Shore concludes the issue with Stix crossing paths with an old, unwelcome acquaintance in the underground with a warning, and Mead finding a lot of dead bodies.
Overall, the look, feel, and atmosphere fit within the Blade Runner universe, and Shore gets off to a strong start, but the issue is too flawed to hook you.
Artwork and Presentation:
Marian Taibo delivers an excellent set of visuals that authentically match the (comic version) of the Blade Runner universe with a little bit of stylistic flair and uniqueness. For example, Capri pants or pants that are rolled up to mid-shin are a popular fashion trend in this setting. Short pants may seem like a small triviality, but it’s those little touches that give this particular story a local distinctiveness that sets it apart, so Taibo earns bonus points for thinking through the fine touches.
Art Samples:
The Bigger Picture:
Series Continuity:
From the preface pages and small captions in the opener, this story takes place in 2015, a few years after Cal Moreaux became the first Blade Runner. Therefore, the worldwide concept of Blade Runner is still recent, and the destructive presence of Niander Wallace is years away.
Final Thoughts:
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BLADE RUNNER: TOKYO NEXUS #1 starts a new detective story in Tokyo soon after the rise of the Blade Runners. Kianna Shore’s story starts strong and infuses a host of authentic Japanese elements. Plus, Mariano Taibo’s art looks great. Unfortunately, the mystery at the heart of this issue doesn’t have any obvious connection to what Blade Runners do, and the protagonist proves to be a poor detective.
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