Blood Journal Week #4: Blood Hunter #2, Wolverine: Blood Hunt #1

The skies have gone dark, the sun hiding its face from the carnage to come. The children of the night, the vampires, have risen from the dark and hidden places of the world as one to drown the Marvel Universe in blood.

After months of building the Blood Hunt begins as the Marvel Universe runs red and things will never be the same in the first in a new anthology series that explores how the shattering events of BLOOD HUNT cover the breadth of the Marvel Universe!

Comic Watch Blood Hunt Reviews:

Main Series:

• Blood Hunt #1: Pleased To Meet You, Hope You Guess My Name…

• Blood Hunt #2: Light Finds a Way

Blood Journal:

• Week 1

• Week 2

• Week 3

Tie-ins:

• Vengeance of the Moon Knight #5: Asking 8-Ball

• The Avengers #14: Do The Monster Mash

• Venom #33: Midnight Creature Feature

• Venom #34: Ghosts of Venoms Past

Blood Hunters #2: Oh, the Horrors  

The next installment of the event anthology book features three more stories from the vampire invasion, this time focusing on the Hulk, Hawkeye (Kate Bishop), and then the continuing Dagger/Elsa Bloodstone team-up. 

In the ongoing story centered around Dagger, Elsa recounts how she found her way into the vampire battling story before having to face down a vampiric Yelena Belova. The installment, which is written by Erica Schultz with art by Bernard Chang, and coloring by Marcelo Maiolo, is a fun continuation that gives some interiority into Elsa’s life and status quo. Schultz captures her voice in both the action set pieces and the tit-for-tat chess match that opens the story. It propels the book forward as Chang channels a specific, pulpy energy to the artwork that thrives in the unique panel layouts. Sharp angles and vibrant coloring associated with Elsa’s design and Dagger’s powers make the moments pop. 

In the Hawkeye-driven story from writer Ann Nocenti, artist David Baldeón, and colorist Java Tartaglia, Kate Bishop helps a recently turned vampire control their urges as they fight their way through infected New York. The story takes place before Kate’s joining up with the Avengers in their team book tie-in but the work Nocenti sets as a foundation makes for an interesting bit of prologue. The writing puts the focus on the sureness of Kate, allowing her to function as the catalyst for another person to retain their humanity. Baldeón’s artwork reinforces that by utilizing close-ups and focusing on Kate’s eyes and face, cementing her resolve in every panel. The action and anatomy reinforce that dedication in the tight, cinematic panels. Paired with Tartaglia’s sharp, vibrant coloring uses alternating shades of purple to add to the idea of Hawkeye persevering. 

Finally, in the opening story written by Kaare Andrews, illustrated by Alex Lins, and colored by KJ Díaz, Bruce Banner finds himself trapped in a vampire’s well. The issue cuts between the present and flashbacks of Banner trapped in a well as a child before escaping to battle the nightstalkers. The story concludes with a straightforward fight between the Hulk and the vampires, torn to shred through the battle. Andrews brings a tragic tone to the story as Banner connects vampirism to the idea of rabies in a family dog, putting both out of their misery due to the uncontrollable bloodlust. Lins’s artwork creates an interesting dissonance between the tragic and the cartoony, supernatural action with smooth linework. The violence, carnage, and pain are rendered in a stylized way that doesn’t subtract from reality but heightens it in a way that feels more resounding. When combined with Díaz’s coloring, the differentiation of tones is matched in the palette of the book. The present-day lives in darker blues and cool tones, while the flashback has a soft golden hue that feels idealized until the turn. 

Rating: 8/10

Wolverine: Blood Hunt #1: Same Song, Different Event

Wolverine: Blood Hunt #1 – written by Tom Waltz with art by Juan José Ryp, coloring by Guru-eFX, and lettering by VC’s Cory Petit – puts the killer canuck directly into the events of Blood Hunt. Logan is between events at the start of the story, drinking alone in a California bar when vampire mercenaries strike. A brutal fight breaks out and Logan is on the ropes until the appearance of an ally, Louise the vampire hunter from the Nightguard organization based in France. The two sync up their notes about the event, quickly catching readers up before tracking the mercenaries back to Maverick. 

Waltz’s scripting for the issue is a serviceable story that feels like retreading Ben Percy’s Wolverine run, recycling many of the plot beats and character elements. Nothing in the issue leaps out or feels new, striving to instead try and extend the tone established in the recently wrapped run. Many of these elements were concluded or dropped throughout that run, and circle back here in a facsimile. The story is not offensive but offers no insights or interesting twists that make the story a compelling read. Waltz is echoing Percy’s voice for Logan, which has felt like the controlling interpretation of the Krakoa era but does so in a way that lacks depth or originality. 

A massive contributing factor to that sense of repetition is the choice to have Ryp illustrate and eFX color the issue. The artwork is on the same level as the work seen in the Wolverine/X-Force stories, however here it lacks the benefit of working as a mostly standalone experience. Ryp doesn’t bring anything exciting or different to the work, settling for a consistent visual style and boring execution. The carnage of the fights feels familiar, lacking any surprise since vampires, soldiers, and claws were frequently used elements in the previous run. It’s a shame as this could have been an opportunity to explore a new component of artwork or approach to depicting Wolverine. 

Rating: 3/10