Blood Hunt #3 is a major turning point for the event. So far, the heroes of the Marvel Universe have been caught unprepared – first by the eternal night gripping Earth and the invasion of vampires, then by the revelation that Blade was the one behind it. Now they go on the offensive, as the Avengers plan to take back the Impossible City while the Midnight Mission and Doctor Strange each embark on their own missions to repel the vampire invasion.
After two issues jam-packed with nightmarish imagery and superheroic action, Jed MacKay and Pepe Larraz take a slower, character-driven approach to Blood Hunt #3. Miles Morales is grappling with the fact that he’s now a vampire, while Brielle Brooks is wrestling with the fact that she might have to fight – and possibly kill – her own father. This adds just as much weight to the narrative, and helps keep the reader invested; killing vampires can only take you so far.
Marvel Comics
The real standout moment, however, is when Sam Wilson delivers a speech to the world. Wearing the mantle of Captain America means that people expect you to take the lead, but Sam goes above and beyond to assure heroes and civilians alike that there’s a light at the end of this particular tunnel. “This world has seen evil, time and time again,” he says. “Those who would take our homes, our freedoms, our lives. And every time, we, the people of planet Earth, told them: ‘No’.” MacKay has written a hell of a speech here, and the fact that Sam’s the one to deliver it is a perfect match of character and writer.
Larraz continues to bring a globe-spanning scope to Blood Hunt #3, visiting various locations throughout Sam’s speech. From the golden halls of Asgard to the depths of Wakanda and the streets of New York, readers will once again be reminded of how far reaching the vampire invasion is, and how the heroes are fighting back. Other images, such as Sam standing tall while delivering his speech or Miles leaping into battle against the Avengers while vamped out, will burn themselves into the reader’s mind.
None of it would hit as hard as it does without Marte Gracia’s color work. Gracia does continue to use a fair amount of shadows throughout the book – after all, the world is still in the grip of the Darkforce Dimension – but he also starts showing glimpses of light. On a page featuring Sam, the red white and blues of his Captain America suit stand out, serving as a beacon of hope in the dark and bloody night. Blood Hunt only has two issues left, but the creative team is more or less saying they plan to deliver a hell of an ending with this issue.
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