Blade #10 - Marvel Comics

BLADE No. 10, June 2024

Largely depicting a four-on-one fight between the titular character, his confidents and the Adana, Bryan Hill’s script for Issue Ten of “Blade” arguably contains an incredibly engrossing finale, which provides any casual reader with several exhilarating examples of all the new powers Eric Brooks now wields following the American author somewhat controversially placing Dracula’s blood in his veins. Indeed, the Daywalker has shockingly been made so powerful in this publication that the vampire-killer’s long-term fans may well be left questioning just what is left within the Marvel Universe’s horror-based roster to challenge the Dhampir in any future comic book series.

Possibly the best example of this near omnipotence occurs during the twenty-page periodical’s opening when the undead Londoner, Tulip, Rotha, and Draven are literally surrounded by a seemingly insurmountable number of thirsty blood-drinkers, who are desperately crawling up the sides of a multi-storey skyrise to kill all the protagonists. Initially, this awesome-looking conflict depicts the ‘friends’ bravely fending off their foes with a mixture of bullets, sword-strokes, and arrows. However, once it becomes clear the rooftop is about to be overrun, Blade simply turns into a cloud of smoke and disintegrates the rest of the fanged fiends in an instant.

Such a disappointing conclusion to so savage an early encounter debatably sticks to the rest of the storytelling like a glob of unwanted glue, and repeatedly resurfaces in the reader’s mind whenever Brooks subsequently utilises a power unconvincingly bestowed upon him by a certain centuries-old vampire from Transylvania. Indeed, the fact Eric even bothers using his famous sword at all makes little sense, if he can so easily rid the world of any and all opponents by just entering their bodies as a murderous mist, or transforming into a frenzied battalion of bats.

What does work however, are the excellent layouts of Elena Casagrande and colours of K.J. Diaz. The creative collaboration genuinely helps sell the sheer terror felt by a mortal Rotha when she believes their flank is about to fall to a ravenous horde of undead. Whilst the pair’s ability to imbue Blade’s battle against the Adana with plenty of pulse-pounding pace cannot be understated, making this final instalment to Hill’s “Mother Of Evil” highly memorable despite any reservations as to the Daywalker’s disconcerting deadliness.

The regular cover art to "BLADE" #10 by Elena Casagrande & K.J. Diaz