Blade Runner: Origins, Vol. 1; Products

In this graphic novel, set a decade before the events of the acclaimed science-fiction/noir film of the same title, Los Angeles Detective Cal Moreaux is tasked with investigating the death of Dr. Lydia Kine, an engineer employed by the immensely powerful Tyrell Corporation. Tyrell executives and police officials are united in their desire for the detective to rule Dr. Kine’s death a suicide, but Moreaux suspects foul play—especially after an interview with the doctor’s brother Marcus is interrupted by an unseen assailant who hurls a dumpster at them. Incensed, Moreaux continues his investigation and soon discovers Dr. Kine’s role in developing Replicants—humanlike robots created to serve as slaves on off-world colonies—and that the latest model, Nexus 5, went missing the night of her death. Meanwhile, Marcus and a Replicant claiming to be his sister flee murderous assassins, and revolution brews amongst Los Angeles’s robotic community. Dagnino’s (Resurrection Man, Vol. 2: A Matter of Death and Life) illustration effectively matches the distinct, noirish look of the film. This volume collects issues 1–4 of the ongoing series, written by Perkins, Mellow Brown, and Mike Johnson.