Reading: ALTERED CARBON: DOWNLOAD BLUES - Richard K. Morgan & Rik Hoskin (writers), Ferran Sellares (illustrator)

Though I have the TV series saved snugly on my Netflix queue (the concept was so intriguing), I've yet to watch it or read any of the other stories from the Altered Carbon universe, so Download Blues was my introduction to a futuristic society where - when you are old, ill or otherwise have no more use for your body - you can simply, for a fee of course, swap it out for another, much younger and healthier model, or "sleeve," reinventing yourself over and over again every time. Download Blues follows series protagonist Takeshi Kovacs, former stormtrooper for the Envoy Corps and a certified bad-ass, as he's pulled in by local police and questioned about a seemingly-routine murder ... that Tak soon realizes, barely in time to save his own life, is just the tip of a much bigger iceberg; a conspiracy involving amped-up sleeves and interstellar smuggling/shenanigans that will grudgingly drag the world-weary ex-soldier into learning the truth - no matter who stands in his way. The artwork here is dark and sinister as the story, action sequences played out in broad strokes and terrific aerial depictions of the city, and Tak is an appealing if way-too-hardcore-for-his-own-good bad cop whose conscious always pulls him to the side of doing right. All the noise and visuals, regrettably, somewhat overshadow a story/plotline that's just not that interesting, by the end leaving this reader little more than in a rush to just finish the book. Good, not great, but Tak is awesome enough I will be pursuing more stories, as well as the Netflix series!  3.5/5 stars

NOTE: I received a free ARC of this title from NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.