ICYMI! Blood Hunt #3: The Darkness before the Dawn…

As darkness continues to envelop the earth, and Blade’s vampiric forces continue to overtake the earth, earth’s mightiest continues to regroup at Dr. Strange’s sanctum sanctorum trying to come up with a plan to battle Blade, and save the world. You know, Avengers type of stuff. Black Panther is still under the thrall of Blade, and is on the hunt for something that’s imperative of his final plan buried deep within Wakanda, underneath the great mound of Vibranium. Plus Captain America makes one of those rousing speeches that A Captain America is well known for. So let the adventure begin…

Jed MacKay and Pepe Larraz have crafted this tale that’s drenched in Marvel lore, both more recent stories, as well as stories that are at least 40 years old, building and bubbling, coalescing into an event that has me more excited than anything I’ve read since the modern Avengers classic “No Surrender.” MacKay is a masterful storyteller, whose grasp on the characters involved is on par with Al Ewing, who is himself one of the best in the business. Teamed up with Pepe Larraz, who is hands down one of the best artists currently working for the big two. Whether it’s the bombastic cacophony of seeing a relatively unknown character like The Shroud, who exploded into shadow, like the rest of the Darkforce connected characters, to the quieter moments, like Sam Wilson giving his best Captain America speech, looking to inspire the world, and to never give up, because there will be a tomorrow.

MacKay’s use of characters from all over the Marvel universe, like Hunter’s Moon and Tigra, to Miles Morales’ Spider-Man, to a captive Scarlet Witch, whose taunts of the possessed Blade, gives us a scintillating story that has a little bit of everything for everyone. He’s weaving his disparate storylines that he’s been sowing the seeds for these last few years, and it’s finally paying off. He’s showing that if given the chance, he’s one of those writers who are crafting for the long run, not something that’s completely forgotten as they make room for the next big event. It’s this skill that he has that’s made him one of the most prolific writers currently at Marvel.

Jed’s co-conspirator, Pepe Larraz continues to show this old fan just why he’s one of the biggest, and best in the business. He always delivers clean, fluid lines that capture the feelings of what’s being portrayed by the script. These aren’t stock, stoic, statuesque models telling this tale, they’re heroes. His style has grown leaps and bounds over the years, and he’s putting in work that I would stack up against superstar artists like John Byrne or Carlos Pacheco during their heyday, and Marvel knows it. It’s why they had him as the series artist for the recently concluded X-Men title’s first year, placing importance on Duggan’s book, by giving the line its official flagship title. If Larraz continues on this journey, we have some very, very big things in store for him.