Early in the 21st Century, the Tyrell Corporation advanced Robot evolution into the Nexus phase – a being virtually identical to a human – known as a Replicant. Replicants were used Off-world as slave labor, in the hazardous exploration and colonization of other planets. Now, on Earth, the Nexus 4 Replicants have been adapted for societal elites to own for industry and service work. But Tyrell continues to experiment with further enhancements – because progress stops for no man. After the apparent suicide of Dr. Lydia Kine – a Tyrell Corporation bioengineer – was determined to be a murder committed by a Replicant, LAPD Detective Cal Moreaux is tracking the presumed killer: a Nexus 5 prototype. The Nexus 5 has been “awakening” some Replicants, causing them to leave their positions of servitude in pursuit of autonomy. Cal has followed this trail of rebellion to Sector-6b, the slums of Los Angeles – a home from which his badge has exiled him – where he learned of the true identity of the escaped Nexus 5… his sister: Nia Moreaux.

Replicants are bioengineered humans, once designed by the Tyrell Corporation for use Off-world. After a series of violent rebellions, their manufacture was prohibited, and Tyrell Corp went bankrupt. Niander Wallace acquired the remains of Tyrell Corp and created a new line of Replicants who obey. Twenty years ago, in 2019, Ash spared the Replicant Isobel Selwyn, a replica of industrialist Alexander Selwyn’s wife. Together with Alexander’s human daughter, Cleo, Isobel escaped to the Off-world colonies. In 2039, Cleo returned to Earth and enlisted Ash’s help in finding her missing surrogate mother whom she believed had returned to Earth. Convinced that Cleo held the secret to Replicant fertility, Wallace sent his creation Luv, the first Replicant Blade Runner, to hunt her down. However, Ash and Cloe managed to escape Luv’s pursuit and set off cross country to San Francisco, determined to locate Isobel. Thwarted, Luv returned to Wallace who teamed her up with a new Replicant, created by Niander from Ash’s DNA, and the two resumed their hunt for Ash and Cleo. While en route, Ash and Cleo were stranded by a sandstorm and attacked by a biker gang who shot and critically injured Cleo. Only the intervention of an elderly farmer saved her life. In the morning, following the storm, as Ash was preparing to leave, the farmer revealed himself to be a Replicant who had survived an encounter with Blade Runner Ash 20 years previously.

Early in the 21st Century, the Tryell Corporation advanced Robot evolution to the Nexus phase – a being virtually identical to a human – known as a Replicant. Replicants were used Off-world as slave labor. Those who escaped to Earth were hunted by Blade Runner units ordered to kill any trespassing Replicant upon detection. In 2022, a Replicant attack on the Tyrell Corporation forced the company into bankruptcy and erased all records of existing Replicants. The surviving Nexus 8 models disappeared with the help of the Replicant underground. Many Replicants remained in servitude. In 2027, Aahna “Ash” Ashina, a former Blade Runner, rejoined the department to hunt down fugitive Replicants. Her superiors are unaware that her loyalties are divided. Her lover, Freysa, is a leader in the Replicant underground. While investigating a report of a rogue Replicant at the Los Angeles seawall construction site, Ash discovered that a Nexus 6 Replicant, Yotun, whom she had failed to retire 12 years previously, had somehow outlived his expiration date and had become the leader of a Replicant guerrilla army. Learning of her investigation, Yotun had Ash abducted before launching an all-out attack upon Los Angeles, destroying the newly constructed seawall, and killing dozens of the city’s political and corporate elite. Yotun subjected Ash to a drug-induced brainwashing process before submersing her in one of his Replicant rejuvenation tanks. Members of the Replicant underground launched an attack on a power station to win the trust of Yotun and gave him Freysa as a ‘good-will’ gesture. While Yotun took Freysa with him on a mission he called, “the most important one,” the others, now inside Yotun’s underground lair, set out to locate and rescue Ash. Reviving her from the tank, Ash was shocked to discover that her crippling back disability had somehow been cured…

Early in the 21st Century, the Tyrell Corporation advanced Robot evolution into the Nexus phase - a being virtually identical to a human - known as a Replicant. Replicants were used Off-world as slave labor, in the hazardous exploration and colonization of other planets. Now, on Earth, the Nexus 4 Replicants have been adapted for societal elites to own for industry and service work. But, Tyrell continues to experiment with further enhancements. Because progress stops for no man. After the apparent suicide of Dr. Lydia Kine, a Tyrell Corporation bioengineer, was determined to be a murder committed by a Replicant, LAPD Detective Cal Moreaux is tracking the presumed killer: a Nexus 5 prototype. Cal's investigation has brought him back to the Slums, an under-resourced and forgotten part of Los Angeles - his home...

Los Angeles, 2009 When the body of a Tyrell Corporation scientist working on an experimental new type of Replicant is discovered in her laboratory, an apparent suicide, LAPD detective Cal Moreaux is assigned to the case. Determined to find the truth behind the seemingly routine suicide, he encounters a deadly conspiracy within the Tyrell Corporation itself. Set ten years before the events of the critically acclaimed Blade Runner 2019 comic book series and the original Ridley Scott film, this in-canon prequel sees the birth of the Blade Runner department and introduces a new hero to the Blade Runner pantheon. Featuring stunning art by Fernando Dagnino and Marco Lesko, and a grippng story by K. Perkins & Mellow Brown, and Mike Johnson. “It is simply perfect! An absolute must-have for Blade Runner and cyberpunk fans alike.” – Big Comic Page “From the distinct cityscape to the 1920s look of the police station, it looks perfect. Top marks to the art team.” – The Pullbox

Early in the 21st Century, the Tyrell Corporation advanced Robot evolution into the Nexus phase – being virtually identical to a human – known as a Replicant. Superior in strength and agility, the Replicants were created to be used as Off-world slave labor or in the hazardous, high-collateral combat situations or colonization of other planets. Now, on Earth, the Nexus 4 Replicants have been adapted for societal elites to own for industry and service work. But, Tyrell Corp continues to experiment with further enhancements. Because progress stops for no man. After the apparent suicide of a Tyrell Corporation bioengineer, Dr. Lydia Kine, was determined to be a murder committed by a Replicant, LAPD Detective Cal Moreaux is tracking the presumed killer: a Nexus 5 prototype. Upon arriving back at his home, Cal finds the brother of the late Dr.Kine, Marcus, waiting for him. Just as Marcus expresses his suspicions of Tyrell Corp, he and Cal find themselves under attack by an enemy with strength beyond that of a human…

Los Angeles, 2009. Tyrell Corp executive Ilora Stahl has instigated a brutal purge of LA’s Sector 6-B, in an attempt to kill a rogue Nexus 5 prototype who is responsible for triggering an uprising of Nexus 4 Replicants. Now, with the sector ablaze, LAPD detective Cal Moreaux has joined forces with a former Tyrell Corp scientist, and a band of Replicant rebels and human sympathizers to stop the prototype and save the streets he and his sister once called home. Collects Blade Runner: Origins #9-12. “A series that perfectly captures the spirit of the Blade Runner universe.” – Comic Book Resources

Los Angeles, 2009. Someone is triggering psychotic breakdowns in the NEXUS 4 REPLICANT population, sending once obedient servants on homicidal rampages. Ex-LAPD Detective Cal Moreaux has been ordered to hunt down and kill the instigator. Tasked by the Tyrell Corp executive Ilora Stahl to find a rogue Nexus 5 prototype, believed to be responsible for the attacks, Cal’s hunt has brought him back to the slum sector of LA where he and his sister grew up. Now, with time running out, Cal must unlock the shocking secret that led a Tyrell Corp scientist to commit suicide, and stop the renegade Replicant before it can corrupt the entire city. Written by the critically acclaimed writing team of K. Perkins and Mellow Brown, and illustrated by award-winning artist Fernando Dagnino, and colorist Marco Lesko. “A series that perfectly captures the spirit of the Blade Runner universe.” – Comic Book Resources “A riveting mystery that is both familiar and refreshing at the same time.” – Syfy Wire

As cultural studies has grown from its origins on the margins of literary studies, it has tended to discard both literature and sociology in favour of the semiotics of popular culture. Literature, Culture and Society makes a determined attempt to re-establish the connections between literary studies, cultural studies and sociology. Arguing against both literary humanism and sociological relativism, it provides a critical overview of theoretical approaches to textual analysis, from hermeneutics to postmodernism, and presents a substantive account of the capitalist literary mode of production. This second edition has been fully revised and rewritten, with new sections including the impact of psychoanalysis and post-structuralism, and the recent work of academics such as Franco Moretti. New case studies have been added in order to examine the intertextual connections between Genesis, Milton's Paradise Lost, Frankenstein (in Mary Shelley's original and also in several film versions), Karel Capek's R.U.R., Fritz Lang's Metropolis, Ridley Scott's Blade Runner, The X-Files and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Widely acclaimed upon its release as a future classic, Denis Villeneuve’s Blade Runner 2049 is visually stunning, philosophically profound, and a provocative extension of the story in Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner. Containing specially commissioned chapters by a roster of international contributors, this fascinating collection explores philosophical questions that abound in Blade Runner 2049, including: What distinguishes the authentically "human" person? How might natality condition one’s experience of being-in-the-world? How might shared memories feature in the constitution of personal identities? What happens when created beings transcend the limits intended in their design? What (if anything) is it like to be a hologram? Can artificial beings participate in genuinely romantic relationships? How might developing artificial economics impact our behaviour as prosumers? What are the implications of techno-human enhancement in an era of surveillance capitalism? Including a foreword by Denis Villeneuve, Blade Runner 2049: A Philosophical Exploration is essential reading for anyone interested in philosophy, film studies, philosophy of mind, psychology, gender studies, and conceptual issues in cognitive science and artificial intelligence.