In this review of Blade Runner: Black Lotus – Las Vegas #3”, Elle is thrust into a brand new life of decadence… and immediately wants an exit.
Blade Runner: Black Lotus – Las Vegas #3
Writer: Nancy A. Collins
Artist: Jesús Hervás
Main Cover: Claudia Caranfa
Variant Covers: ITO, JESÚS HERVÁS
Page Count: 32pages
Release Date: December 17, 2025
This review contains spoilers
As Blade Runner: Black Lotus – Las Vegas #3 begins, Elle is cleaned up after her travels through the desert, being given the title of Princess. She’d like to know where her bike is (but gets no answers on that), and isn’t entirely pleased that the people in charge of Paradise seem to have their own plans for her. She’s given her own human slave, and wonders how she’d gotten into that situation, shows concern over the radiation poisoning…
Meanwhile, the remnants of the Doll Squad are contacting the organization for backup, with 2 members dead and 1 missing. But Corporate refuses to send help, leaving them to deal with things on their own.
Back with Elle, she’s still a bit uneasy about the whole situation and trying to figure out a way to escape. She’s taken to her court debut, and learns of the Semita, Replicants that show no fealty to any of the royals, live underground, and hate both humans and those that keep human culture alive.
Her court debut turns out to be a gladiatorial event at the arena. The human combatants/fodder are marched out, and she immediately recognizes Davis among them. She has a brief flashback to them having met before. They bring a lion into the mix, and that’s when Elle tries to get them to stop the event.
Her concerns are brushed off, and so she rushes in to intervene. She kills the lion, thus saving Davis. But in this, she’s also branded a traitor to the Replicants of Paradise and they call for her death, leaving things on a cliffhanger until February.
I think one aspect I really enjoyed with Blade Runner: Black Lotus – Las Vegas #3 was some of the facial expressions, like that air of smugness that comes up with Nefertiti and Cleopatra as they inform Elle of how things are there (like the humans now being forced to obey the Replicants rather than the other way around, or how Elle now counts as royalty). It definitely helps sell that 1) they’re in charge, 2) they’re reveling in that, and 3) they want everyone around them to know it (particularly those either new to the lifestyle or seen as lesser).
There’s also that moment where Elle recognizes Davis. It’s in the dead center of the page, we’ve got some excellent focus lines bringing attention to the shock on her face. That arena was probably the last place she’d ever expected to see this woman again.
Also, Blade Runner: Black Lotus – Las Vegas #3 helps give a good idea of what kind of a person Elle is overall. It’s one thing to see someone trying to survive in a desert, but she leapt into action to save one of those that’d been sent to hunt her down. There’s a possibility she’s not aware of this fact at the moment. She might be aware that she’s being pursued, but I’m not sure how much she knows about the “who” of that. But it doesn’t matter to her at all at that point. What she sees when she jumps into the arena is someone that needs some help (and it was someone she knew, to boot).
When she’s given a human slave, she doesn’t speak to her with that same level of smugness the more seasoned royals of Paradise have. She simply calls her by her name, asks how she’d gotten in that situation, and shows concern for the fact that she’s a human dwelling in this heavily-irradiated area and it’s probably making her sick.
So, Blade Runner: Black Lotus – Las Vegas #3 brought in some examples of Elle’s compassionate side. The next installment, with how this one left off, feels like it may bring about a showcase of why she’s not to be messed with, and I look forward to that. I’m also looking forward to seeing the Semita properly brought into play; the differences between their anti-human beliefs and those of the Paradise Replicants could be interesting to see in more detail.
Final Thoughts
Solid characterization, some well-done expressions, and some interesting plot developments comprise Blade Runner: Black Lotus – Las Vegas #3.
