Titan Comics 2019
Written by Michael Green & Mike Johnson
Illustrated by Andres Guinaldo
Coloured by Marco Lesko
Lettered by Jim Campbell
The climax to the first original comic series set in the world of Blade Runner! Detective Ash discovers the truth behind her mysterious client, his kidnapped family, and the Replicant conspiracy hidden throughout Los Angeles!
I apologise because I am so far behind on this series and it really is just so gosh darn good. As someone who never really got into the whole Blade Runner world this is the kind of book that you can enjoy fully and totally. With little to know knowledge of the film franchise this is still a story that has this depth and complexity to it that keeps the reader glued to and invested in what we see happening. The layers of story and how everything we see is being guided through the pages it just has this energy and intoxicating pull that you cannot resist. It really is that good.
The way that this is being told is freaking amazing to me. The story & plot development we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented beautifully. Just the way that we see Ash go through and process what she sees, what she knows and what she believes when all of this is constantly changing and shifting like the ocean tides is magnificent. This of course naturally bleeds into how we see the character development portrayed here. I mean to be able to think, assess and act upon the right impulses is no mean feat but Ash is quite different than anyone we've ever met. Plus those we see and meet around her are fleshed extremely well, in fact we can see motives and relate to people even if we disagree with their methods. It is a testament to the writing skills and talent which these gentlemen possess that we can so fully become immersed in the story. The pacing is excellent and as it takes us through the pages revealing the twists and turns along the way we get to see the formation of the books ebb & flow.
I also like that this isn't drawn out and made to fit more issues than it needs to so that the arcs themselves can run the way they naturally should. We need to go back to that instead of writing for trades and just tell the story the way it needs telling. Also while this is completely and thoroughly engaging it isn't done to be “sensational” in nature, see causing or garnering undue attention with promises of grandeur. This is what storytelling should always be in my humble opinion.
The interiors here are phenomenally well rendered. The linework leaves me gobsmacked in how we see its appearance and how the varying weights are being utilised to showcase the level of work in the attention to detail is mindbogglingly good. We see in the characters, their clothing, in the backgrounds and most of all the faces and facial expressions that further the characterisation in ways words alone cannot do. The way the backgrounds work within the composition of the panels show this marvellous depth perception, sense of scale and that overall sense of size and scope to the book. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show this stupendous eye for storytelling. The colour work we see here is divine as well. Whether it's full on colour or done in muted tones for the moods that we see happening utilises the various hues and tones to create the shading, highlights and shadow work is beyond.
If this is your only exposure to the Blade Runner franchise it'll be that which you judge the way you see the rest, if you decide to. This book is one that takes you into it's world and makes you a part of the characters journey which is so incredibly fabulous. You don't want to leave this world because Ash is someone who's life you want to be a part of.