My feelings on Blood Hunt have gone from being overwhelmingly impressed to, for lack of a better term, complicated. Disappointed wouldn’t be the right word, Pepe Larraz’s artwork has been far too good and I appreciate Marvel Comics allowing the series’ violence to match its subject matter. You can’t have a worldwide vampire attack without at least a little R-rated bloodshed and Blood Hunt hasn’t held back.
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Writer Jed Mackay should also be applauded for how he weaves his Moon Knight run into the event. The Midnight Mission may have been here from the start, but seeing Moon Knight arrive as the force to put an end to Blade’s terror is executed to perfection. I know a few Moon Knight fans who will be losing their minds over his big splash page.
And yet I can’t shake the feeling of being slightly underwhelmed. The reveal of what’s really going on with Blade isn’t too much of a surprise if you’ve kept up with his recent stories. But after the heel turn in Blood Hunt #1, it feels like a letdown for it to be revealed that something else is walking around in Blade’s body calling the shots. For as goofy as his portrayal can sometimes be, Eric Brooks is an interesting and deep enough character that you can write a story where he takes over all vampires and is driven to side with them over humanity.
That could make for one hell of a character study, and it’s what Bryan Hill’s recent run was seemingly leading toward. But, nope. He’s just possessed, meaning however the comic ends the character will likely be free of any consequences, setting the stage for an easy return to the status quo. This is obviously neither a new nor unique problem for comics, but it still feels like a missed opportunity.
Also, for as many tie-ins as this event has had over the past couple of months, it seems not much has happened in Blood Hunt itself. Blade’s forces got the advantage in the opening issue, they were forced to retreat last issue and now we’ll get the big battle in Blood Hunt #5 likely involving Moon Knight, Bloodline and Dracula alongside the Avengers. This wasn’t helped by the current Avengers lineup being one of its most overpowered, but MacKay never found a way to maintain the story’s momentum after that fantastic opening issue.
Gripes aside, Blood Hunt #4 isn’t bad. And I like that they’re already teasing at least two major after-effects spilling out of this series. But as this event has continued it has gone from being a potential all-time great to just “another one.” Simply put, that bites.
Published by Marvel Comics
On June 26, 2024
Written by Jed MacKay
Art by Pepe Larraz
Colors by Marte Garcia
Letters by Cory Petit
Cover by Pepe Larraz and Marte Garcia
