Blood Hunt #5: It’s a nice day for a dark wedding. It’s a nice day to start again…

The Blood Hunt, the Avengers first big storyline since Jed MacKay has started his run on Earth’s Mightiest began, has finally come to an end. He, and superstar artist, Pepe Larraz have thrown in everything, including the kitchen sink, as they pit all of Marvel’s heroes against Varnae and his vampire army. This event has it all. Superheroes, Magic, horror, vampires, twists, turns, plot twists, everything you could ask for from a comic event. Well, a good story, and outstanding art, which this miniseries has in spades. So let’s get on with the review.

MacKay and Larraz have been crafting this tale for months, letting the disparate plots percolate through the series, while furthering the plots through his other series, like Vengeance of the Moon Knight, and Doctor Strange, building up the drama, as the creators continue to weave the threads together with this final issue. MacKay’s storytelling strengths with the characters and their interactions here, and he continues to do so with this issue here. Whether it’s the Avengers, as they were freed from Varnae’s control, to Doctor Doom, using his own powers, the abilities granted from Clea, as well as the magics of the Strange Academy students, as well as the usurped might of Strange granting him the might that comes with the title of Sorcerer Supreme, he just keeps striking the correct balance that makes me a fan of his.

As previously mentioned was Doom. MacKay has been building up to Doom’s big moment since his time on the Clea led title, Strange, that was the second chapter of Marvel’s Sorcerer Supreme story, and it looks like we’re about to begin the next chapter with the ending of this story. It’s been hinted for quite some time that Doctor Doom would be gaining the title of Sorcerer Supreme from different art teases, but it’s here that we learn how it happened, and MacKay’s taking us down this path. Strange has been dead for this entire series, so when he and Clea came to Doom for help, it was clear Doom was taking this development as his way to usurp the title for himself. Unfortunately Strange’s corporeal form isn’t strong enough to save the world from the Darkforce energies that have been usurped by Varnae in Blade’s body. Doom swears to return the title, and power, of Sorcerer Supreme to Strange once Doom has saved the world…and I guess you can see where this is going.

MacKay’s Doom is pretty spot on, and it’s a pleasure seeing him here. One of my biggest complaints regarding Doom’s use over the years is that most writers can’t capture his voice, or his gravitas, leaving us with what is arguably the greatest villain in comics history, to some bland, underwhelming despot. Luckily we catch some glimpses of the real Doom here. Whether it’s his charisma and ego when coming to terms with Strange, or him using the magic spell to help save the world, or his double crossing at the end that leads us into the next big story that’s going to take form over the rest of this year into the next. It’s just some great character development going on here.

I wouldn’t be much of a reviewer if I didn’t mention Pepe Larraz and Marte Gracia’s work on this mini, so here we go. It. Is. Phenomenal. Quite possibly the crown jewel in Larraz’s and Gracia’s partnership over the years, the art in these last five issues might be their best work yet. If I were to compare it to anything, it’s like watching the greatest ballet show of my life. These two have such a strong handling of their instruments, that it’s like looking at poetry in motion. The line work is phenomenal, and the colors here are vibrant and compliments every stroke of Larraz’s pencil. I couldn’t stop looking over my favorite moments during this mini. The pìece de résistance is easily the scene where Doom, and the rest of the Marvel mages are combining their powers to help destroy the Darkforce that’s continued to blot out the sun was just a phenomenal image. It will stick with me as we see the rest of the Marvel Universe march onto the Doctor Doom event next year.