A multitude of mediums were inspired by the cyberpunk aesthetic that Blade Runner introduced to the science fiction genre. In addition to the countless Blade Runner spin-off projects that are steadily delivered to fans, many other franchises built their stories around a world similar to the one introduced in the sci-fi epic.
One comic book that takes incredible inspiration from Blade Runner is Fernando Dagnino's Smart Girl, which was released this week from Titan Comics. Originally published in French and then translated to Spanish, this is the first English-language release of the graphic novel.
The creator, Fernando Dagnino, also works on Blade Runner: Origins, which is a title released monthly also under the Titan Comics banner. So, when we had the chance to speak with him about his extensive cyberpunk storytelling, we wanted to know which came first.
In our audio interview below, you can hear Dagnino explain his interesting experience working on a project inspired by Blade Runner before working on the title itself. We've also included this portion of the transcript, but those looking for a fully immersive video interview can find it by scrolling down.
Fernando Dagnino: Right now I'm doing Blade Runner: Origins for Titan Comics. I did Smart Girl like three years ago now, it was published in France and then afterward in Spain. So I like to think that I got the gig because they liked the cyberpunk ambiance I gave to Smart Girl, which of course, paid tribute to Blade Runner. So it kind of makes sense that I'm doing Blade Runner now. I'm giving back to the origin of the source.
There is a light symbolism with it being the 80's of the 21st century. This is an homage to the fact that Blade Runner and that sort of cyberpunk ambiance was created in almost the '80s of the 21st century. So it's sort of what society will look like in 100 years' time and of course paying a tribute.
When I started Blade Runner I was already familiarized with the cyberpunk environment. But the series I'm working on is Blade Runner: Origins and it takes place ten years before the original movie, that's 2009. The way they asked me to portray the Los Angeles of that moment was to reduce the amount of technology and make it more noir-based, more detective-esque.
So I would say in this case I had to reduce the level of technology and the skyscrapers in the streets, and there were no holograms at that moment. So it was just toning down the technology and tuning up the noir sort of shadowy, black and white, noir detective story feel.
What do you guys think of these comments from Smart Girl and Blade Runner: Origins comic creator Fernando Dagnino? Check out the full video interview below, and be sure to share your thoughts in the usual spot!
In this interview, I chat with Spanish artist Fernando Dagnino Guerra, professionally known as Fernando Dagnino. We chat about his brand new graphic novel, Smart Girl, which was released this week from Titan Comics.
Smart Girl was initially published in French and then Spanish before getting an English translation, and this is the first time that the comic will be available to such a wide audience. We chatted about what things might have been lost in translation between the old and new releases and how the dialogue was revised to make the dialect sound more like American English.
Fernando also handles the Blade Runner: Origins project from Titan Comics, and we talk about how he has come full circle as the project was a huge influence and inspiration on Smart Girl, to begin with. He explains a lot about the terms used in the book and where they stem from as well as why he chose the words he made up.
As Fernando also worked under the DC Comics banner, we discussed his time with the publisher and why he chose to branch back out to write his own stories. He also gave us a tease of the thriller he's releasing next year titled Winter Queen. It was a great time, and we hope you enjoy!
Smart Girl is now on sale from Titan Comics.