Marvel is expanding on their Black, White, & Blood line of comics with a far more horror-centric take: Marvel: Black, White & Blood and Guts. The first issue launches today, right in time for Halloween consumption, promising fantastic art and strong anthology storytelling, only with the promise of more gore. That isn’t to say previous Black, White & Blood anthologies for Venom, Wolverine, and Carnage weren’t bloody, but after reading this issue, it certainly leans into the bloody violence!
Marvel: Black, White & Blood and Guts #1 features three stories, starting with “The Trail” by Al Ewing and Kev Walker, followed by “Traffic” by G. Willow Wilson and Devmalya Pramanik, and closing out with “The Price of Iron” by Chris Condon and Claire Roe. It’s a murderers’ row of talent, and quite frankly, one of the strongest anthologies I’ve read this year. That’s due to original and strong ideas that work within a limited page count, and striking art to go with it.
Curation-wise, this issue has two Blade tales, but I think most won’t complain. Ewing and Walker kick things off with a story about a tech giant who actually has no good ideas, but he’s quite good at selling himself. It will certainly sound familiar in these heightened capitalist times. The twist is, this tech mogul has a family member who is a vampire, and thus, getting anything he wants applies to becoming a vampire. Enter Blade, who couldn’t care less how rich someone is, and goes on the hunt.
This tale has a super clean and pleasing visual style, with blood splatter to spare. Walker makes Blade look hyper cool, while Ewing ties things to the first Blade film in a clever way. Closing things on two splash pages will remind us that this ongoing anthology line at Marvel is art-focused. The tale ends somewhat abruptly, but it gets its point across.
The second tale has gorgeous art.
Credit: Marvel
Next up is a tale about a child vampire who seeks Blade’s help. The hook of this story, that she’s part of a rare vampire line that other vampires want to drink from to gain super strength, is a clever one. Plus, how can you beat a talented older fellow joining forces with a kid? Lonewolf and Cub is a model taken from ages, but the hook of a rare line of vampires is a good one. So good I could see this easily being a solid film or TV miniseries.
Apart from Wilson’s excellent dialogue and the play of a unique dynamic between Blade and a vampire kid, the art is gorgeous and mesmerizing. Effects like blur and the use of red are quite enchanting, and you’ll be hanging on every panel with delight and intrigue.
Moving on from vampire action, the final story is one of the most unnerving I’ve seen from Marvel yet. Two boys enter a house where they’ve been told Iron Man’s armor is hidden. Rumor has it the armor is cursed, but the kids assume that’s just a tall tale. It’s a little slow to start, but the buildup helps set up their younger and more brazen attitudes. Once the armor is found, things get twisted fast, and it’s good for at least two disturbing images that’ll stick with you.
Marvel: Black, White & Blood and Guts #1 is a bold and bloody anthology that proves the Black, White, & Blood format is still brimming with life and now lots of death! The extra splash of horror proves it’s among the best yet. A must-read showcase of Marvel at its most stylish, savage, and unforgettable.
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