By: John C. Mayberry

Okay, I’ll fully admit to having several complete and utter geek-out moments reading through Blade Runner Origins Vol. 2: Scrap.  The premise and story of the original film is one that has had its audience ponder on many existential questions, especially on what makes us truly human.  With the story and its visual representation, it’s truly a memorable name in the sci-fi community.  And to see that Titan Comics was collecting volumes of the events that precede the movie, this wasn’t something I wasn’t passing up.

Titan Comics has had some impressive releases that I’ve been able to read as of late, and I have to say this one is easily at the top of my favorites list.  K. Perkins and Mellow Brown write a tale set ten years before the events of the movie that awesomely pays homage to the original sci-fi film, during the period where the Replicants first start to desire liberation from their human masters.  The artwork by Fernando Dagnino also enhances the feeling of dystopia in a future that’s bound to grow ever darker as increasing numbers of Replicants are rebelling.  Another thing Dagnino also greatly succeeds at is creating a futuristic setting that also feels grounded in the past (seeing as how this story takes place around 2009), yet still has the futuristic look and feel of a world that’s technologically years ahead of its time.

Of all the adaptations, in any form of alternate media, Blade Runner Origins Vol. 2: Scrap is certainly a very welcome addition to the ever-growing mythos of this classic morality tale.  See the movies, play the games, and definitely read the Titan Comics series, you won’t regret a single second of it.  You may, however, find yourself delving so deep into this comic you won’t see daylight for, well…days.  It’d be a shame if you trapped yourself indoors, not getting a chance to live and all.  But then again, who does?

PROS:

Writing – The story written faithfully carries the same futuristic noir feel of the movies and fills you in on the story of the Tyrell Corporation’s Replicants with ease.  So, if this happens to be your first exposure to anything Blade Runner related, you won’t be lost.  The execution of the character dialogue and just the overall story in general really makes this a compelling detective/sci-fi story you absolutely can’t miss.

Artwork – Although set in 2009, the look of the characters and the environments remains consistent with the original film, futuristic in a realistic way.  Facial expressions and body language also help to enhance this already great story, with the action sequences being particularly brutal and entertaining.

OVERALL SCORE – 10 out of 10

Phillip K. Dick would be proud as hell of this comic.  Since the publication of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, the world of sci-fi was never the same again.  And as the original novel did for sci-fi books, as well as the impact the movies had on cinematic history, the comic adaptation has more than successfully cemented its place in the world of comics, which will no doubt be sought after and enjoyed by many a comic book and sci-fi nerd the world over.