REVIEW: ‘Blood Hunters’ Issue #1

Blood Hunters #1 is published by Marvel Comics, written by Erica Schultz, art by Robert Gill, colors by Rain Beredo, and letters by Joe Caramagna. This follows on from the events of Blood Hunt. A team has reluctantly gathered to pick up the pieces after the vampire war, hunting the violent bloodsuckers that still roam the Earth.

After such a traumatic and widespread event, Blood Hunt has left a lot of vampires strewn out across New York and the wider world. This issue spins directly out of the tie-in series of the same name, using the characters involved in one of the stories. White Widow, Elsa Bloodstone, Dagger, and Hallow’s Eve are the starting line-up, four ladies who barely know each other and certainly don’t get on. The first confrontation sets out many of the themes and concepts within the book. The lack of cohesion within the group is brilliantly written by Schultz, creating frustration and fury within a team struggling to work together.

The book’s pace is interesting because the plot attempts to move in real-time. This works well with the jokes being made, commenting on how the team travels around the city. The fifth team member comes later in Blood Hunters #1, further shaking up the uneasy alliance. How the team treats this newcomer is a massive surprise following an exciting couple of fight scenes.

The chemistry within the team is at rock bottom to start, providing a perfect place to build from. The front and center of the friction are between Dagger and Elsa, who have varying views on the mission statement. Elsa is happy to tear through the vampires terrorizing innocents, while Dagger wants to use her light to transform them back into humans. They argue constantly, struggling to be part of a team after so long fighting alone or with a no longer available partner. The dialogue for Elsa, who grew up in Britain, is funny and lively, but the attempts at Cockney Rhyming slang and other colloquialisms can get annoying.

The other two members are present but are also taking time to mesh with the team. Yelena Belova, The White Widow, is very quiet, drowned out by the louder women around her. Hallow’s Eve is very influential in the first fight, testing some new masks. But her actual personality will take time to flourish.

The art is exceptional. The heroes all bring a variety of capabilities and designs to the table. Hallow’s Eve is one of the most fascinating characters in recent comics, changing costumes and powers based on what mask she’s wearing. Yelena and Elsa both use firearms and gadgets, but there is an extensive difference between the two. Dagger leads from the front, using her light powers to strike down evil.

The villains they face look fantastic. Gill makes the average vampire noticeable and horrifying, the stuff of nightmares. But there are other levels to vampirism within the city in the aftermath of Blood Hunt, with some of Varnae’s minions in the middle of a power vacuum. This upper echelon of vampires is replicated beautifully, primal and intense.

Despite the horror elements of the comic, the issue looks vibrant and appreciates bright colors when necessary. The backgrounds always use unique tones, making each panel mesmerizing to look at. The depth in the colors is phenomenal, drawing you in deeper to try and analyze every single molecule. The light sources, whether Elsa’s shotgun or Dagger’s lights are generated with brilliant intensity. The letters are dynamic and easy to read.

Blood Hunters #1 digs into a heap of unfinished stories. It is fascinating to see a team brought together that finds it this hard to work together. The writing is fantastic, featuring equal parts humor and drama. However, some members of the group are already threatened to fall by the wayside due to the prominence of others. That balance will likely shift as the series progresses and is very easy to rectify. Elsa and Dagger’s tension leads to chaos and unpredictability, getting louder and louder by the end of the issue. Schultz uses characters that have been championed for ages and can now bounce off each other and have a much more significant impact on the future of the Marvel Universe.

Blood Hunters #1 is available where comics are sold.