When the Red Band version of Blood Hunt first came out, polybagged in bloody glory, I was legitimately excited. While not that incredibly different, the scene changes and additions in the Red Band version were absolutely brutal and deserving of the explicit label and warning. Sadly, since then, it seems like Marvel has decided just to use the Red Band label as a marketing gimmick, and the limited series Blade: Red Band – Prodigal Son is the perfect example.
Written by Bryan Hill with art from C.F. Villa, Federica Mancin, Java Tartaglia, and Matt Milla, Prodigal Son is a perfectly readable and enjoyable Blade story, especially if you are a big fan of the Daywalker. I can confidently say that Hill, who has written a bunch of Blade content for Marvel, deserved to make this into an ongoing series. The limited nature of this comic really impacted the storytelling, with the ending and character development feeling rushed. However, Hill clearly has an impressive grasp on Blade’s internal thinking and history, and this series is a lovely addition to the vampire hunter’s canon.
Marvel
Sadly, as a trade paperback, Blade: Red Band – Prodigal Son just feels like a disappointment. Marvel’s Red Band line of comics are meant to be intended for mature audiences, and inspired by “grindhouse” media, but this comic feels like it is lacking the intensity, gratuity, and depth of horror that it should hold. While there are several brutal scenes of decapitations (and that cover is pretty badass), it still doesn’t live up to its label, and it ends up not feeling that much more gory than other non-Red Band Marvel comics (actually, some other Marvel comics have way more gore!). In fact, clearly, Marvel themselves don’t think it lives up to the label, because this trade paperback doesn’t come polybagged!
To be clear, my frustration with the level of gore in this comic and its Red Band label is not a drag on the art. The art, particularly C.F. Villa’s, is really lovely. The fight scenes are electric, and when there is gore, it is done exceptionally well. I just wanted MOREEEE I guess. I felt like I could have given this to any 12 year-old on the street, and they would have seen way worse on any number of video games they play daily, you know? There wasn’t any cursing, there were no scenes of devastation, and the gore itself was not gratuitous enough!
Marvel
While I am mainly reviewing this series as a trade collection, I want to mention that I did enjoy the story. I think that Marvel editorial did a disservice to Hill and the artists by: 1. Not letting them truly reach Red Band level, and 2. Making this comic a limited series instead of an ongoing, or at least an 8-issue mini. Hill’s writing is consistently great across all his projects, but the final issue of this series felt so incredibly rushed. While Hill seemed to have a great handle on Blade’s characterization, I felt like it made little sense that he just immediately started to defend Pontious after a little vampire child treated him like a hero, for example.
Sigh. I really want to love Marvel’s Red Band label, because I love horror and gore. Sadly, recent Red Band series have not been living up to my grindhouse expectations, and Blade: Red Band – Prodigal Son is no different. If you are a big Blade fan, I highly recommend getting this trade, as Bryan Hill’s writing is superb and Blade is well-characterized throughout the comic. I wanted more, but at the end of the day, this was a solid limited series that handled Blade’s post-Varnae possession well. I hope Hill gets a chance to write more of Eric Brook’s story in the future, where he is hopefully given enough space to fully develop and complete the tale.
P.S. I forgot to mention, this trade does include some stellar full-page variant covers in the back. Like, big enough and crisp enough to cut out and frame!
You must be logged in to post a comment.