‘Blade Runner Origins #7’ Review
Written by K Perkins, Mellow Brown | Art by Fernando Dagnino | Published by Titan Comics
The best kind of heroes are those that don’t think of themselves as heroes, and in Cal Moreaux we certainly have that. We know that eventually Blade Runner units will come from the pioneering stuff Cal is doing now in the ‘past’, but Cal is pretty much on his own at the moment. He’s just, in his mind, doing his job, whereas in reality he’s gone far above and beyond what any of his fellow officers would have done. The fact he’s become, in such a short time, such a living, breathing character is huge testament to the quality of writing on this book. The recent developments, where Cal has had to go back to the slums of Los Angeles where he grew up, has fleshed him out even more, as his joining the police in the past cut him off from all his friends there. If that’s not personal enough, the identity of the Nexus 5 he’s been hunting will certainly be.
The slums are in a bit of an uproar at the moment, as Replicants are rising up from their servitude and fighting back against humans who they view as enslaving them. This is both good and bad. The ‘good’ Replicants are the ones led by Cal’s sister Nia Moreaux, something Cal has only just discovered. Much more to come there, obviously. They have a sense of right and wrong, of only punishing humans who demean and abuse Replicants, and try and keep to a semblance of a moral code. The ‘bad’ Replicants are the ones who, once the chain has been lifted from their neck, are just all out for revenge, killing and murdering everyone they see. It’s all getting a little messy, but then you can’t have a revolution without breaking a few eggs, right?
Cal’s sister Nia, as flashbacks reveal, had her life saved by having her consciousness placed in a new Replicant body. If you call that saved of course. This was done by none other than Dr. Lydia Kine, the murder of whom first introduced us to Cal. The circle shrinks more and more. Nia at first wasn’t particularly happy about this development, but has clearly learnt to channel that anger into what she sees as a constructive avenue, becoming a leader, a freedom fighter. Or a domestic terrorist, depending on your point of view. Still, she doesn’t like anarchy and is working hard to control her uprising. Further flashbacks give us a little bit more insight into Tyrell’s pit bull Ms. Stahl, like Cal still trying to put two and two together. The future truly is bleak it seems, no matter what side you end up believing in.
Stahl has the benefit of having Lydia’s brother tell her everything. Lydia’s consciousness is now in the body of a male Nexus-4 Replicant, Asa, which he just cannot accept. So, Marcus throws in with Tyrell. Bad move. Things are clearly gaining a momentum of their own that will soon be unstoppable, which the final page actually points to. We have seen how all these different characters have reached this point, from all different angles. Will Stahl and Tyrell win? Will Cal have the emotional strength to take down his sister? Should he? Does Nia have the moral high ground she claims? So many things to be resolved, and yet still so many ways they could be. That’s great writing right there, when you still don’t know who to cheer for or who is going to come out on top.
Another solid issue, with a very big Cal sized hole in it. He never appears, apart from in a couple of panels as a background figure, and the strength of the issue means you never miss him. The writing was as strong as ever this issue, less action but more dialogue and character background still creating a rich reading experience. Dagnino’s art was as good as always, always love the way he structures his page layouts, always keeps things interesting and fresh.
Always a cliché to say next issue looks like being a belter, but judging from the last panel of this issue, it really does. Can’t wait.
