An upcoming Blade Runner comic set in Tokyo, Blade Runner: Tokyo Nexus, will be released this summer. Expanding on the cyberpunk world of a future full of synthetic humans, this comic will add new enemies for the classic Tyrell Corporation. Original characters and settings will all be at the forefront of this new Blade Runner chapter.
Blade Runner: Tokyo Nexus will have the creative team of Kianna Shore and Rodolfo Taibo. It will span twelve issues and be broken down into three parts. Typically, the setting of Blade Runner comics has been Los Angeles, making this series’ location jump a big shift that will show more of the world readers know.
This will be Titan Books’ most recent Blade Runner series, as the publisher has been releasing comics in the franchise since 2019. The upcoming series will be a fresh look at the iconic cyberpunk society presented by the original Blade Runner film and novel (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick).
Previous Blade Runner comics from Titan Books predominantly focused on covering the years between Blade Runner’s version of 2019 and Blade Runner 2049 (2017). This series will be very different, focused outside the United States and not following a person with the titular profession of blade runner. It will also bring in an additional criminal element juxtaposed against Tyrell Corporation – the original company responsible for developing replicants. Given the presence of Tyrell Corp, it is likely that this story will be taking place before the events of Blade Runner 2049. The synopsis is as follows:
Another big shift this series is taking is a shift in perspective. Where blade runners are typically the protagonists, chasing runaway replicants, this series features a replicant and a Marine. It places more focus on military minds and combat experience in detective work over the law enforcement approach from the films and previous comic series. Bringing in the Yakuza will also add an extra criminal element that was absent from previous Blade Runner stories that focused on corporate, police, and revolution aspects. Cheshire is a new element yet to be seen, adding a competitor for the Tyrell Corporation.
Kianna Shore, writer of Blade Runner: Tokyo Nexus, says:
The series editor, David Leach, added, “Blade Runner: Tokyo Nexus is a whole new chapter in the Blade Runner saga, and is going to be a worthy addition to the universe, with new characters, new drama and a whole new environment for storytelling. And it’s going to be a stunning-looking book!”
Blade Runner is a cult classic franchise that has continued to expand within film, comics, and even anime. As a result, it’s no surprise that the world of its setting would also be expanding. The scope of the Blade Runner films has been very limited in showing the overall state of the world, which is where Titan Books’ recent comic series have – and will continue – to shine with this upcoming expansion.
Blade Runner: Tokyo Nexus #1 will be available July 31 from Titan Books.