Rob reviews Blade Runner Origins: Vol.1 - Products...
With the latest instalment to Titan Comics Blade Runner Origins series now on comic book shelves, the publisher has been kind enough to send me the previous two volumes to get up to date. As such I'll be reviewing both Blade Runner: Origins Vol. 1 & Vol. 2, before wrapping the series up with Vol. 3.
Since its launch back in 1982, Ridley Scott's phenomenal Blade Runner has set the tone for dystopian science fiction. Taking inspiration from Philip K. Dick's novel "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?", Scott utilised the talents of Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, and Edward James Olmos to tell a gritty detective noir, with a sci-fi twist.
As such Blade Runner became an instant classic. While the world debated over whether Harrison Ford's Detective Deckard was a Replicant or not, the Blade Runner world expanded into tie-in media that aimed to flesh out the overall story and pay homage to Scott's epic.
Fast forward to 2018 and publisher Titan Comics releases its Blade Runner continuation called Blade Runner 2019. This would then spawn a sequel in 2020 aptly named Blade Runner 2029 (review of this series coming soon!). Away from this and Titan Comics would also take another journey into the Blade Runner universe with Blade Runner Origins - a series set 10 years before the original film.
Blade Runner Origins tells the story of grizzled LAPD Detective Cal Moreaux as he tussles with his morals and those of the mysterious Tyrell Corp. Much like any good detective story, Blade Runner Origins begins with a murder. A top Tyrell Corp engineer has seemingly taken her own life, while at the same time a prototype of Tyrell's latest Replicant has also gone missing. While Cal's investigation begins with finding out why Doctor Lydia Kine committed suicide, he soon finds himself deep in the murky waters of 2009's Los Angeles.
Across the four issues that make up this first volume, Cal's investigation sees him travel from the secretive and sterile world of the Tyrell Corp, to find himself caught up with Lydia Kine's brother Marcus, and her former lab assistant Effie Koropey. With both knowing more about Lydia's death than they are letting on, Cal goes against his superior's orders and investigates the wider conspiracy. But not everyone wants the detective to succeed. The Tyrell Corp has secrets that need to remain hidden, and there's at least one Replicant causing its style of mayhem across the city's streets.
What makes Blade Runner unique is that the series is co-written by three writers. K. Perkins, Mellow Brown, and Mike Johnson all come together as one coherent voice to create a story that stands on its own, but also adds context to the wider universe. Told via Cal Moreaux, the narrative delves into areas such as self-identity and justice even as these lines move into a somewhat grey area.
While this is only the opening chapter to Blade Runner Origins the who's a Replicant and whose human question is already making itself felt. The characters also portray this sense of unease as each of them has traits that could potentially reveal themselves as one of Tyrell's infamous androids. We also haven't seen anyone referred to as a "Blade Runner" or any mention of the Voight-Kampff test, yet with Origins taking place 10 years before the film series, Tyrell is just one version away from its famous Nexus-6 Replicants. Could these terms be coming to light in the next two volumes?
The artwork comes from Fernando Dagnino who perfectly captures the tone of the script within his work. Dagnino's vision of Los Angeles is a great blend of neon-cyberpunk ageing architecture and noir shadows. Cal is also a pretty intriguing character. Dressed in an old leather trench coat, he's the epitome of a jaded detective. Yet, when the action demands it, Dagnino portrays Cal as quite lethal. Speaking of which, action scenes are also well portrayed with Dagnino capturing the ferocity whilst keeping everything easy to follow.
All in all, Blade Runner Origins: Vol.1 - Products is the perfect start to the series. Not only does it capture the essence of the wider Blade Runner world, but it also does well as a standalone story. Products is a dark and brooding opening that's full of mystery and surprises. With every character playing their hand very close to their chests, the line between good and bad is well and truly blurred!
Rating 9/10
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