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Blade Runner 2029 #10 and #11 build on top of each other to raise the stakes, ratchet up the tension, and get us ready for a grand conclusion to the Yotun situation. The cult-like personality of Yotun gets some additional layers which makes some of the symbology literal in an interesting way. And poor Ash’s life comes crumbling down as she finds that miracles only hide bastard truths.
Blade Runner 2029 #10
As with the previous issues‘ small time jump, Ash finds herself surrounded on all sides by problems. The terror attack by Yotun has caused the racial violence against Replicants to increase, the city is on edge, and every problem is being blamed on the Replicants whether they did it or not. Additionally, Ash’s divided loyalties between the Replicant Underground, her lover Freysa, and the police department are being tested. She is forced to partner with a very by-the-book blade runner.
Interestingly, we see that Ash’s spine is starting to show signs of deterioration again after she got a miracle cure without consent from Yotun a few issues back. This, along with the mysterious illness going through the Replicant population, adds to the layers of the cult personality around Yotun. He’s a parasite, he presents a world without problems, a perfect vision, but that vision is merely a façade. Given enough time, the world goes back to the way it was; there is no perfect cure for anything. So him leaching on the life of other Replicants or Ash’s spine going bad again makes this literal. Anything Yotun offers is merely temporary; eventually, the reality of the situation catches up.
The big reveal in Blade Runner 2029 #10 is that Yotun has memories of writing in a diary when he was a child. Of course, as we know, Replicant memories are implanted due to their limited life spans. Yet the diary was retrieved and given back to him. One wonders, especially in conjunction with the following issue, if this diary was planted. He uses this diary to prove his claims of being a Replicant messiah of sorts, having some personal connection to Eldon Tyrell, the creator of Replicants. One of the classic tools in a cult leader’s toolbox is to get their followers to believe that they are some part of a greater being.
Blade Runner 2029 #11
Blade Runner 2029 #11 is where Ash’s life goes down the drain. Her partner has been tracking her and has found out that she lives with a Replicant, Freysa. This gets worse when he confronts her and knows that she is the leader of the Replicant Underground. Unfortunately, there is no good ending to this, either Freysa is killed, or Freysa kills Marlowe, forcing her and Ash to flee for their lives.
In this scene which we don’t get to see the conclusion of quite yet, there is an interesting commentary on the nature of machines. Freysa wants a better life away from what she was programmed to be, and Marlowe blindly follows orders. Who is the real machine in this case? The literal robot or the fool? Especially when said blade runner, a member of the police, used an innocent young girl to worm his way into the room with Freysa. The great protectors of the common people just actively used one and put them in danger to carry out a job. So much for “To serve and protect.”
There is a growing sense of dread as Ash enters the police station that is really helped by the great pacing on Mike Johnson’s part and the clever panel work by Andres Guinaldo. We, the reader, know that the police know about Ash’s connection to Freysa, and we know this is going to end badly. But you have Ash, who is confident in her ability to take on Yotun, now armed with the correct information, starting to stumble. Her spine is getting worse. Yotun is no longer just a parasite who feeds on his own followers; now he harms all Replicants. And it’s only going to get worse for them.
Blade Runner 2029 #10 And #11 Put Ash Through Hell
Blade Runner 2029 #10 and #11 are great tone setters for the upcoming finale to the arc. Everything is on the line for Ash, and Yotun seems to be in a better position than ever before. This is going to be one hell of an ending if this creative team can stick the landing.
