‘Blade Runner 2029 #11’ Review (Titan Comics)
Written by Mike Johnson | Art by Andres Guinaldo | Published by Titan Comics
Last issue was yet another enjoyable trip to the world of Blade Runner 2029. Last night I again re-watched Blade Runner 2049, as I’m convinced I keep missing little nods in the issues to events mentioned in the comic. The importance of Freysa was reinforced for one thing, as was the fact we now know how she lost her eye, and one or two comments by characters in the film definitely reference events taking place here, or events that have taken place.
For now, we’ve been focusing here on rebel Replicant leader Yotun, fast ageing as the blood transfusions that have been keeping him young start to fail. He’s convinced the answer lies in the diary of Eldon Tyrell, until now kept hidden in a maximum security vault. The cost was high. Pekka, Yotun’s most trusted follower, was killed by a Blade Runner, Marlowe. Marlowe has been assigned to essentially spy on Ash, who’s days of playing both ends against the middle may be coming to an end. Ash, though, is still on the hunt for Yotun, and has been following the rather convenient trail of dead bodies along the way. Just a matter of time…
Marlowe, though seemingly the villain of the piece, is obviously a pretty good Blade Runner, and he tracks down Freysa and gets into her apartment. He knows who she is, underground Replicant leader and all, and wants to know her connection to Ash. Lovers. If Freysa thought that answer would throw Marlowe, she was wrong. He takes that in his stride, filing that one away for now, and moving on to ask Freysa to give up all the Replicants she has helped. No chance, right? Actually, maybe. Marlowe makes it clear Ash won’t last much longer without Freysa’s help. What’s a girl to do?
Ash herself has been checking out the abandoned car left by Yotun’s now dead followers. Her intuition on this occasion unfortunately has led her into extreme danger. Yotun thinks it was Ash who killed his followers, and the car has been rigged with a bomb. Ash is caught in the explosion. Yotun seems genuinely remorseful that he had to kill Ash, but could see no other way. Now, of course, he has Eldon Tyrell’s diary, and the reason why he wanted it becomes clear. The diary has confirmed to Yotun that he carries himself the memories of Tyrell, that he was always the special one because of this. A lot of things suddenly make a whole lot of sense. Yotun now knows that he has within him the knowledge that everyone thought had gone to the grave with Tyrell, the ability to create new Replicants. Stronger, smarter Replicants. Yikes.
This would all be of interest to Ash, Freysa, even Marlowe, but all are otherwise engaged. Ash unconscious, if not dead, and Marlowe pointing a gun in Freysa’s face. Freysa gets the jump on Marlowe, choking him to the point he admits that the LAPD know Ash is helping the Replicant underground. That overconfidence always bites you on the butt eventually. Ash, injured but in one piece, makes it back to LAPD HQ to tell them they have the coordinates to find Yotun. If her back wasn’t hurting so bad, she may have noticed the funny looks as she walked through the building. This time, no escape, no excuses. Detective Ashina, you’re under arrest.
Tension ran through this issue from start to finish. Ash not realising she has been unmasked, Freysa’s life hanging in the balance, Yotun’s masterplan moving forward, subplots galore. It made for an incredibly rewarding read. Johnson’s writing has been superb, never dropping below a level of quality most books would die for. It takes two to tango, of course, and artist Andres Guinaldo also gets considerable plaudits for the constant attention to detail, and for making the book ‘feel’ like a Blade Runner book. The words coming out of mouths wouldn’t be as effective if the settings they occupied weren’t as well defined as in the art. It’s a great book.
2029 seems to be a time and place that very few will get out of alive, Johnson and Guinaldo don’t pull their punches in reminding us of that fact.
