Blade Runner 2039 #1 is published by Titan Comics, written by Mellow Brown and Micheal Johnson, illustrated by Andres Guinaldo and coloured by Marco Lesko.
Issue #1 is available 7th December 2022 either directly from Titan Comics online or from your local comic book store, digital copies will be available to download from the usual content providers.
Synopsis
Niander Wallace’s ‘first angel’ Luv – who hunts down Officer K in the Blade Runner 2049 movie – features in this new ongoing series! It’s been three years since Niander Wallace launched his ‘perfectly obedient’ Replicants, and his assistant, Luv, became the first Replicant Blade Runner. Now Cleo Selwyn has returned to L.A. searching for her Replicant mother Isobel whom she believes has been kidnapped by Niander Wallace. The only person who can help her is disgraced former Blade Runner Aahna ‘Ash’ Ashina.
Review
In this first issue of the final chapter of Titan’s award-winning Blade Runner saga we follow Luv as she expertly hunts the dark corners of L.A to find the remaining rogue replicants but it’s going to be hard enough for her to convince the rest of the force she can be relied upon to fight for the right side. On the flip side we see Cleo Selwyn who is frantically searching for her mother, to find her she will need to go through the darker back door route relying on others to guide her, the one who can help is the mysterious Ash, can she find Ash in time? The clock is ticking.
I have been a fan of the Blade Runner world ever since the original film all those years ago and now thanks to Titan Comics I am deeply invested back into the world once again. This final chapter looks to be an intense game of cat and mouse, good vs evil and with the writing talents of Mellow Brown and Micheal Johnson at the helm the series is a guaranteed hit, this issue isn’t as action packed as the others I have read but you get a ense that you are building for what is to come in future issues.
The powerful illustrations from Andres Guinaldo work well with colours from Marco Lesko to create a deeply atmospheric Blade Runner wod that fans will enjoy stepping back into.
Verdict
As a Blade Runner series this looks to be one of the best yet, if this is the final chapter we are in for an explosive end. This first issue perfectly lays the foundations for what is to come and my anticipation levels are at a all time high.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐