As The Avengers face down the vampire hordes, how are the rest of NYC heroes handling things on the streets?  Your Major Spoilers review of Blood Hunters #1 from Marvel Comics awaits,

BLOOD HUNTERS #1

Writers: Mark Russell, Christos Gage, and Erica Schultz
Artists: Bob Quinn, Javier Garron, and Bernard Chang
Colorists: Matt Milla, Morry Hollowell, and Marcelo Maiolo
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Editors: Martin Biro
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: May 8th, 2024

Previously in Blood Hunters: The sun has been blocked by Darkforce, leaving the entirety of Earth vulnerable to hordes of vampires being led by a new group called The Structure, they’ve already attacked The Avengers and Doctor Strange.

OUT ON THE TOWN

Blood Hunters #1 is a collection of three different stories all happening roughly around the time of Bloodhunt #1.  The first story focuses on Hawkeye.  Clint Barton is approached by some police who are after him.  Before they can arrest him, they’re interrupted by a vampire crashing through a window.  Hawkeye then attempts to rally the New Yorkers around him to fight back and manages to collect a team consisting of a priest, a member of the local labor union, and a puppet therapist.  The next story involves J. Jonah Jameson and his son who’s also known as Man-Wolf.  After the initial attack by vampires across the city, the pair decide the best thing they can do is get to J. Jonah’s radio studio.  Along the way, the two manage to have a breakthrough in their relationship.  The final story, and the only one that looks to be ongoing, focuses on Dagger.  She struggles to stay alive while being attacked by people she’s familiar with who have been turned as she reflects on her own history with undeniable hunger, until she meets up with another hero.

TWO OUT OF THREE AIN’T BAD

Before breaking this down by each story, as a whole, this issue has a surprising tone to it.  While the Bloodhunt event has been pretty mature and firmly in horror town, Blood Hunters #1 takes a more humorous route and at times is downright silly.  While this tone was clearly intentional, it doesn’t quite fill the role of being a respite from the harshness of the main series, rather it just feels out of place.  Out of the three stories, the most successful was the one featuring Dagger.  While being the most serious of the three, it’s also the one that has the more intriguing relationship with the subject matter.  Seeing Dagger come to terms with having to fight people from her past, while being able to sympathize with their monstrous nature is a nice little nugget of emotion that doesn’t overstay its welcome.  After that, the Hawkeye story is a fun little vignette.  Much of it comes off as a bit of a love letter for the people of NYC, but there’s also some legitimate humor here that hits in fun ways.  In particular, the very earnest way that Clint recruits the puppet therapist into his team is very enjoyable.  That leaves the J. Jonah Jameson and Man-Wolf story as the weak link here.  It doesn’t really do anything in the humor department that isn’t accomplished in the Hawkeye story and at times goes right into slapstick territory.  Also, the emotional payoff in the issue feels incredibly forced and contrived.

BOTTOM LINE:  A DECENT, BUT STRANGE INCLUSION IN THIS EVENT

There’s plenty to like about Blood Hunters #1.  For one, it gives some attention to some lesser-known characters and gives them a brief moment in the spotlight. Two out of the three stories are decent gems of stories and while the J. Jonah Jameson story wasn’t on the same level as the other two, there will definitely be people who like that one the most.  Ultimately though, this is a strange inclusion in the Blood Hunt event as it has a completely different tone than what the rest of the event has had so far.  3.5 out of 5 stars.

---

Dear Spoilerite,

At Major Spoilers, we strive to create original content that you find interesting and entertaining. Producing, writing, recording, editing, and researching requires significant resources. We pay writers, podcast hosts, and other staff members who work tirelessly to provide you with insights into the comic book, gaming, and pop culture industries. Help us keep MajorSpoilers.com strong. Become a Patron (and our superhero) today.

Blood Hunters #1

67%

67%

Maybe Better On Its Own

Blood Hunters #1 is a solid collection of short stories on their own. The problem is that it doesn’t feel like it fits with the rest of the Blood Hunt event, so those who are interested in it because of the event might be disappointed.

• Writing

  6
• Art

  8
• Coloring

  6
• User Ratings (0 Votes)
  0