Bri confuses Whitney by not trying to hurt her, and even saving her life. But is Whitney being sincere when she agrees to restart and wants to work with Bri? Find out in Bloodline: Daughter of Blade #2 from Marvel Comics!

BLOODLINE: DAUGHTER OF BLADE #2

Writer: Danny Lore
Artist: Karen S. Darboe
Colorist: Cris Peter
Letterer: VC’s Joe Sabino
Editor: Annalise Bissa
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: March 8, 2023

Previously in Bloodline: Daughter of Blade: Brielle Brooks, Safron Caulder’s daughter, is a good student, but she has suddenly dropped all her extracurricular activities. The school is concerned; Bri’s mom is not. This does not stop Safron from talking to her in private. But later, on their way to the car, a vampire attacks the. Safron sprays it with mace and gets a stake from her car. Brielle has enough strength to hold the vampire down long enough for her mother to stake her. They both know about vampires but did not realize the other knew. Bri’s powers have only just started to develop, and the one thing she knows for sure is that they only manifest at night. In school, Bri meets a new student, Whitney who has transferred from New Orleans. Then, one night, Bri goes to an abandoned house to hunt a vampire. Someone jumps out and attacks her – and it turns out to be Whitney!

INDEPENDENCE AND CONSEQUENCES

Bloodline #2 opens in the middle of the fight. Bri calls out to Whitney to stop. Whitney demands to know how Bri could be at school during the day but will not stop fighting. Drawing blood causes Bri to briefly change into vampiric form. As it turns out, Whitney was also damaging the house and set it up to catch on fire. It starts to collapse, and Bri grabs Whitney to take her outside. She wonders why Bri would do this and runs off.

In school the next day, Bri wants to apologize to Whitney for losing her cool. Rebecca and Jayden do not agree; as far as they know, Whitney has been nothing but rude to her. They are curious why Bri is grounded. Bri does talk to Whitney, who is much calmer. She explains that she was on patrol and defending herself from a monster. But maybe Bri is different. Maybe they could work together. Bri is excited, but remembers she is grounded. Whitney has to get past Bri’s mom.

Bri talks to her mom first. She tells her Whitney is a new friend. Her mother anticipates that she is asking for something and reminds her that she is grounded. And it isn’t all about punishment; it is about learning how to deal with the changes she is going through. Whitney steps up and puts on the charm, asking if Bri can come over for a study date. She will even give Safron her phone number. Bri’s mother relents.

Of course, Whitney instead takes Bri to a place where there is a nest of vampires. Bri mentions Whitney’s fighting skill, and she casually mentions that she has been training for years. Her parents were killed by vampires, and she was taken in by a hunter. Bri also asks her about her lying. She likes to keep her vampire hunting secret, but she can lie to anyone around her as easily as speaking. It is a lot more effort for Bri.

Whitney gets a cut on her hand. Bri looks at it, but she does not have any bandages. Then she realizes Whitney’s hand had been resting on a desk. How did it get cut? But Whitney was using the blood to see how Bri would react. Perhaps she is a Dhampir, but even so, monsters are monsters. She knocks Bri down and flees, locking the door behind her and leaving Bri alone in a nest of vampires.

Bri races around, checking all the possible exits, but they have all been blocked or sealed off. Someone stabs a vampire. The smell of blood is strong. Bri’s mother gave her something to help with this, but when she pulls the vial out, it falls to the floor and break. She transforms. But who else is here with her?

TRUST AND MANIPULATION

Whitney is a terrific foil for Bri in Bloodline #2. The issue opens with a couple panels with Bri and Whitney mirrored, giving us the idea that the two young women may be equally matched. Their fight scene is dramatic. We wonder, as Bri does, why some of Whitney’s kicks are delivered against some of the wooden support columns in the basement. She can get in a few good hits, especially since Bri, who knows she does not know the full extent of her powers, is trying not to hurt her. As soon as Bri smells blood and tries to resist it, Whitney pulls out a stake and leaps. This is a girl who is not afraid to give it her all.

It is disarming when we next see Whitney at school. She is calm and composed, not at all like the single-minded fighter Bri faced the night before. Although, when she conveniently gets a paper cut, we start to wonder. She tells Bri she makes a great impression on parents, and when we see her in action, she looks friendly and open, as though she has nothing to hide. We can see exactly why Bri, the optimist, is willing to trust her. Deep down we the readers suspect that anyone who can lie that blithely is probably not worthy of that trust.

BOTTOM LINE: FRIEND OR ENEMY?

Bloodline: Daughter of Blade #2 introduces Bri to the school of hard knocks. She does not know what she is fully capable of, or what the pitfalls are, and now must fight to survive.

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