So far, Blood Hunt has had two moments that shocked me. The first was the reveal that Blade was behind the vampiric invasion of Earth. The second was when Miles Morales turned out to be a vampire! Miles Morales: Spider-Man #21 winds back the clock to reveal how Miles was transformed into a creature of the night; we then hop to the events of Blood Hunt #3 as Miles and Dracula chase after Brielle Brooks. But Miles is soon sidetracked by the return of the energy vampire R’ym’r, forcing him to team up with his super speedster enemy Hightail.
I was left conflicted after reading Miles Morales: Spider-Man #21. On the one hand, Cody Ziglar does a great job with the flashback sequences that detail Miles’s transformation; his shock at Blade’s betrayal, combined with his fear over potentially losing his humanity, makes for some great character work. It also gives him a connection with Hightail, who was turned into a vampire herself. But given that Blood Hunt #3 teased a story thread where Miles and Dracula were trying to protect Brielle, I wish that the story had focused more on that element.
Even if the storytelling in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #21 is a bit haphazard, the artwork isn’t. Brent Peeples and Daniel Picciotto put a lot of detail into characters’ faces, to the point where you can see the lines of age on Dracula’s face and the horror in Miles’ eyes when his vampirism starts rising to the surface. The highlight is a swordfight between Miles and Blade, as Peeples and Picciotto make every sword strike count. Topping it all off is Bryan Valenza’s color art, which turns Miles’ venom saber into a brilliant blade of light in the darkness and Cory Petit’s red caption boxes stand out.
Ultimately, Miles Morales: Spider-Man #21 is a bit of a mixed bag. It features some great artwork and a struggle for Miles’ soul, but I’m not sure if it’s telling the right story. But then again, the next issue could be an improvement.
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