The Art of Blade Runner: Black Lotus is a study and celebration of the artwork that went into making the first ever Blade Runner animated series. The Art of Blade Runner: Black Lotus is a study and celebration of the artwork that went into making the first ever Blade Runner animated series. Concept art, sketchwork, pre-viz, animation tests, final frames and more, are paired alongside interviews with the masterminds behind the show to give fans the full story of Black Lotus. Respected co-directors Shinji Aramaki and Kenji Kamiyama provide an exclusive, in-depth interview that explores their relationship with the Blade Runner universe, and their intimate analyses of and inspiration behind the characters. Alcon producers describe the creative journey, that spans many years prior, behind what they envisioned for the story, how Black Lotus would fit in the wider Blade Runner narrative, and who they wanted the protagonist to be. The writers explain how they conceptualised the characters and the voice actors share their personal journeys and light-hearted anecdotes on how they brought those characters to life. The lighting and animation team also share how they captured Blade Runner’s cyberpunk visual and auditory palette in a new medium for the franchise: anime. Written by Japanamerica author Roland Kelts, this book is illustrated to the brim with concept art that is beautifully vivid and presented in a gallery format throughout the book; organised chronologically by character, location, and event as they are introduced in the show. Readers will be able to breeze through this companion guide as they watch the show for a deeper, richer, and more personal viewing experience. At the back of the book, you’ll find never-before-seen sketches of the Black Out short films that accompanied Blade Runner 2049.

After escaping from Niander Wallace Jr. in Los Angeles, Elle, aka Black Lotus, has headed back to the desert determined to leave her violent past behind in search of redemption and a new life, free of bloodshed and death. But when Elle is bushwacked by a gang of desert bandits, she finds herself stranded in the backwater settlement of Fracktown, a town of two warring factions: one a community of environmental warriors, the other workers from a failing fracking mining site. With temperatures and tensions rising, Elle finds herself drawn into a confrontation impossible to avoid.

Los Angeles, 2032. The prototype Replicant known only as Elle – aka The Black Lotus Killer, has escaped from the clutches of her creator Niander Wallace and headed out into the desert in search of answers to her mysterious past and a possible redemption. But deep in the desert wasteland, Elle finds herself stranded in the industrial settlement of Fracktown and drawn into a deadly dispute between the town’s two warring factions that could bring her face-to-face with the one person she is trying to escape from… Niander Wallace. Written by award-winning horror writer Nancy A. Collins, and illustrated by fan favorite Enid Balam, Blade Runner: Black Lotus heralds a new chapter in the saga of Blade Runner.

After escaping from Niander Wallace Jr. in Los Angeles, Elle, aka Black Lotus, has headed back to the desert, determined to leave her violent past behind her in search of redemption and a new life, free of bloodshed and death. But when Elle is bushwhacked by a gang of desert bandits, she finds herself stranded in the backwater settlement of Fracktown, a town of two warring factions, one a community of environmental warriors, the other workers from a failing fracking mining site. Offered a safe-haven with the environmental community, Elle experiences peace for the first time in her short life. However, when Barnes, the leader of the fracking plant, has his Replicant workers withdrawn by Wallace Corp, he orders his men to attack the commune and kidnap as many of its inhabitants as possible to work as slaves at his site. Injured in the raid, the commune’s leader Miguel reveals to Elle that he is an ex-Blade Runner and knows she is a Replicant. Arming her with a katana sword, he asks her to help him free the captives, his wife and child among them.

After 20 years living Off-world. Cleo Selwyn has returned to Los Angeles in search for her surrogate Replicant mother Isobel, whom Cleo believes has been abducted on the orders of Niander Wallace. Believing that Cleo’s DNA holds the secret of Replicant fertility, Wallace has ordered his own personal Replicant assistant, Luv, the first Replicant Blade Runner, to hunt her down with approval to kill any who stand in her way. Now reunited with her one-time protector and former Blade Runner Aahna ‘Ash’ Ashina, Cleo and Ash set off on a desperate race to find her mother and escape back Off-world before Luv can find them. “As a Blade Runner series this looks to be one of the best yet. If this is the final chapter, we are in for an explosive end. My anticipation levels are at an all-time high.” – Get Your Comic On Collects Blade Runner 2039 #5-9

The Art of Blade Runner: Black Lotus is a study and celebration of the artwork that went into making the first ever Blade Runner animated series. The Art of Blade Runner: Black Lotus is a study and celebration of the artwork that went into making the first ever Blade Runner animated series. Concept art, sketchwork, pre-viz, animation tests, final frames and more, are paired alongside interviews with the masterminds behind the show to give fans the full story of Black Lotus. Respected co-directors Shinji Aramaki and Kenji Kamiyama provide an exclusive, in-depth interview that explores their relationship with the Blade Runner universe, and their intimate analyses of and inspiration behind the characters. Alcon producers describe the creative journey, that spans many years prior, behind what they envisioned for the story, how Black Lotus would fit in the wider Blade Runner narrative, and who they wanted the protagonist to be. The writers explain how they conceptualised the characters and the voice actors share their personal journeys and light-hearted anecdotes on how they brought those characters to life. The lighting and animation team also share how they captured Blade Runner’s cyberpunk visual and auditory palette in a new medium for the franchise: anime. Written by Japanamerica author Roland Kelts, this book is illustrated to the brim with concept art that is beautifully vivid and presented in a gallery format throughout the book; organised chronologically by character, location, and event as they are introduced in the show. Readers will be able to breeze through this companion guide as they watch the show for a deeper, richer, and more personal viewing experience. At the back of the book, you’ll find never-before-seen sketches of the Black Out short films that accompanied Blade Runner 2049.

Early in the 21st Century, the Tyrell Corporation advanced robot evolution to the Nexus phase – creating artificial beings virtually identical to humans – known as Replicants. Superior in strength and agility, the Replicants functioned primarily as Off-world slave labor or in hazardous, high-collateral combat situations. After Replicants were declared illegal on Earth, special police operatives – called Blade Runners – had orders to kill or ‘retire’ any trespassers upon detection. Twenty years ago, Detective Aahna Ashina of the Los Angeles Police Department was one of the first to qualify for the assignment. Her colleagues called her Ash. She was the best of them. Today, her saga will end.