When Blood Hunt #1 launched, it threw the Marvel Universe into literal and metaphorical darkness. The literal part came from the Earth being blanketed in the Darkforce Dimension, making it the perfect time for hordes of vampires to feast on the still-living. The metaphorical part comes from the fact that Blade, once the world’s greatest vampire hunter, is the figure behind this uprising and has turned on his allies – impaling Doctor Strange and sending the horrifying Bloodcoven after the Avengers. Blood Hunt #2 is where the literal and metaphorical light starts to come into play.
Jed MacKay continues the trend that Blood Hunt #1 and the Free Comic Book Day story began by splitting the action into four distinct arcs: Blade sending a vampirized Black Panther and the Bloodcoven after different targets, Dracula and Bloodline in the streets of New York, the Avengers striking back against the Bloodcoven, and Tigra and Hunter’s Moon running into Miles Morales. This might sound like it’s a lot, but MacKay is able to keep the comic going at a fairly steady pace – and also has time for some interesting interactions, whether it’s Dracula and Bloodline butting heads or Miles asking Hunter’s Moon if he’s another Moon Knight.
Marvel Comics
Once again, Pepe Larraz delivers some eye-poppingly great artwork, with the standout sequence being the Avengers’ rematch with the Bloodcoven. From Captain Marvel piercing the shadows covering the Earth, to the Vision lighting up with solar energy, there’s plenty of images that showcase Larraz’s flair for the superheroic. One page even features the Avengers wreathed in sunlight, in an image that’s more than fitting for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.
Larraz and Marte Gracia don’t skimp on the horror bits either. Both Black Panther and Doctor Strange are shown in the throes of vampirism, and it’s not pretty; their eyes are tinged with sinister golden light and their mouths have become bottomless chasms filled with razor sharp teeth. Garcia also deploys copious use of shadows to obscure beheadings and vampires exploding into dust – don’t fret, True Believers, I’m sure the upcoming Red Band version will feature plenty of gore.
Blood Hunt #2 continues to balance the heroic and the horrific, as the Marvel Universe goes on the offensive against the vampiric threat. In true event storytelling form, the issue ends with a cliffhanger that while head-scratching at first, promises that the creative team is aiming for nothing less than the best with this miniseries.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login