REVIEW: Amazing Spider-Man: Blood Hunt #1

Vampires have overtaken Spidey’s neighborhood in Amazing Spider-Man: Blood Hunt #1. Can the Spider-Man and some unlikely allies unravel a mystery and stop the vampire apocalypse?

All of New York City (and the word) has been plunged into eternal darkness and vampires have flooded in to take over everything. But Peter being the man that he is, he sees the humanity in these “monsters” and is trying to dispatch them without seriously injuring them while searching for a way to end the madness. Enter The Lizard, and this issue kicks off with a throwdown between Spidey and one of his classic adversaries. Things start like your standard Spider-Man comic but shifts gears when Misty Knight appears and she’s actually working with The Lizard as they recruit Spider-Man to help them find her fellow Daughter of the Dragon Colleen Wing and Dr. Morbius who might actually have a cure for the vampire outbreak. What follows is a rip-roaring jaunt through New York fighting vampires and searching for secret labs. Writer Justina Ireland does a good job of weaving action and intrigue. Peter doesn’t need his Spidey-senses to know something is up with Misty and that there is likely something larger afoot.

The visuals are quite solid. The panels are more fun than visceral and not as bloody as some of the other entries in the Blood Hunt series so far, but it’s classic Spider-Man through and through. Spidey, not surprisingly looks awesome. Misty and The Lizard’s designs are different takes on the characters and may depend on your personal stylistic preferences (thick Lizard is definitely in the house). The panel layouts are varied and keep the action flowing freely and readers engaged. Marcelo Ferreira (pencils), Roberto Poggi (ink), and Rachelle Rosenberg (colors) put together a cool looking initial issue. Special shoutout to them for crafted one of the most unexpected yet coldest final panels you’ll see in a book this year.

Whenever there is a major Marvel event, Spider-Man is expected to be in the mix. What may not have been expected is how Spidey is introduced to the Blood Hunt series. He’s not teaming up with the Avengers or even Blade (for spoiler reasons), but instead with a professional colleague and one of his arch enemies. Some could find this disappointing but this is the beginning of a mystery instead of an action adventure. He is still fighting and cracking wise so you get that as a Spider-Man fan. And he just may be the key to not defeating the vampires but curing them which is such a Peter Parker thing to do. Amazing Spider-Man: Blood Hunt #1 is different but sometimes, different is good.

Writing – 4 Stars
Art – 4 Stars
Coloring – 4 Stars

Overall
4 Stars

Written by; Justina Ireland
Art by; Marcelo Ferreira, Chris Campana, Roberto Poggi, Rachelle Rosenberg
Colors by; Rachelle Rosenberg
Letters by; Cory Petit
Published by; Marvel Comics

Author Profile

Christopher R. Ford

Writer, author, and blogger. Published author of three children's books and also writes for the boy Creators For The Culture. Part-time sneaker head, full time nerd.