REVIEW: Blood Hunt #1

Christopher R. Ford

7 months ago

Marvel’s major 2024 event begins in Blood Hunt #1. Can Earth’s mightiest heroes stop a vampire apocalypse?

Welcome to the Sundeath. The series kicks off with a surge of so much dark energy, it literally blots out the sun. And if that sounds bad, wait till you see the hordes of vampires flooding from openings all over the world to run roughshod over every corner of the Earth. It’s certainly a job for the Avengers. And so begins the Blood Hunt event. The pacing is bleak and breakneck. The world is in total darkness and nearly completely taken over before the reader can catch their breath. And then the Avengers assemble and throwdown with a new group of super powerful baddies. There is some excellent battle exposition where we are provided all the details while the action is going strong. There is a lot going on but it’s all easy to follow and each panel keeps the reader on the edge of their seat. There’s action, intrigue, and a doozy of a surprise. Writer Jed MacKay masterfully sets the stage for the entire series with this initial entry.

The art here is truly spectacular. Again, in this issue, the creative team is covering a lot of ground but it’s done so with some beautiful framing and paneling. The world is in real trouble and it is depicted as such. The update to Iron Man’s color scheme looks slick and Black Panther’s suit looks as good as it ever has in a comic. Even Vision, who is notoriously difficult to nail visually, looks really cool. The bad boys (and girl) are a little more hit-and-miss but they look awesome in action as they give the Avengers a real run for their money. The art team of Pepe Larraz (art) and Marte Garcia (colors) have created a dark, twisted fantasy (or should we say nightmare) that is a visual treat.

Good or bad, major crossover events grab headlines. A world-wide, simultaneous vampire invasion that catches the Avengers completely off-guard and scrambling just to survive is intriguing. And the twist in this issue? Chief’s kiss. In Blood Hunt #1, the stakes are high and there is no clear way out of this extinction-level-event for our heroes. The writing and the art are both top-notch and the issue has a final panel they might go down as THE final panel of the year. What a start for the series. Go read this issue.

Writing – 4 Stars
Art – 5 Stars
Coloring – 4.5 Stars

Overall
4.5 Stars

Written by; Jed MacKay
Art by; Pepe Larraz
Colors by; Marte Garcia
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.