Blood Hunters #5 - Marvel Comics

BLOOD HUNTERS No. 5, February 2025

Whilst this final issue to “Blood Hunters” certainly seems to bring the brand new group’s battle against the Bloodcoven to a fairly satisfactory conclusion, it's probably a safe bet that some of this comic’s audience couldn’t shake off the impression that the twenty-page periodical was put together in a bit of a rush. Indeed, along with the creative team’s decision to employ two different artists to pencil the pulse-pounding plot for no obvious story-telling reasons, Erica Schultz’s script also contains arguably one of the oldest tricks in the game by having an upper-tier meta-human conveniently appear at the very last moment to salvage the day; “Does this mean you’ve healed from the damage Varnae inflicted on you..?”

Of course, the sudden appearance of Tyrone Johnson’s alter-ego could quite convincingly be explained by his close, emotional bond to Dagger, and the fact that just moments before Bloodstorm One detects his presence, poor Tandy Bowen was in a bit of a fatal fix. However, the shadowy teleporter’s direct interference rather disconcertingly suggests that this title’s lead protagonists were incapable of ever defeating The Structure’s elite group of vampires in the first place, and debatably causes such an end result to leave a rather unsatisfactory taste in the mouth.

Furthermore, the entire point of this five-part mini-series appears to have been equally as badly thought-out by its American author, with “Dagger’s super-powered blood” only seeming to give its drinker the ability to throw her infamous lightforce constructs at people. Gaining just such an ability may well appear immensely beneficial on paper. But when it’s welded by the likes of Dracula’s already formidably dangerous heavily-armoured clone, some readers will surely be questioning just whether all the time and trouble was in any way worth the somewhat second-rate reward..?

What does prove somewhat impressive though are Robert Gill’s pencils and inks, which for the most part do a prodigious job of depicting all the frantic action taking place within the Bloodcoven’s den in Brooklyn. Of particular note has to be the illustrator’s ability to show just how hard pushed Elsa Bloodstone becomes when tackling “the first of a line of vampiric shocktroopers utilized by Hydra's Department of Occult Affairs” in brutal hand-to-hand combat, as well as how disturbingly cute the monster hunter's newly acquired 'pet' cat appears, even when its attacking the odd grey-skinned thrall or two.

Writer: Erica Schultz, and Pencilers: Chris Campana & Robert Gill

Blood Hunters #4 - Marvel Comics

BLOOD HUNTERS No. 4, January 2025

Considering that this comic contains a rather bizarre scene in which Elsa Bloodstone sends Spider-Man away for his own ‘safety’, rather than have him help the already under-powered titular characters battle against the formidably strong Bloodcoven, it is hard to imagine many “Children Of The Night” enjoying Erica Schultz’s plot for Issue Four of “Blood Hunters”. In fact, there’s arguably quite a bit about the American author’s twenty-page narrative which doesn’t appear to make all that much sense as a logical storyline; “You are a waste of Unusual’s time creature.”

For starters, if Miles Morales is so desperately struggling to fight off some sort of overwhelming desire to drink blood due to all his team-mates’ open wounds, why isn’t the gore having a similar impact upon all the other vampires surrounding him, such as the cat Moggy..? This quite stark inconsistency appears to have been penned solely to ensure that the all-female group can subsequently be bested by Bloodstorm One and his cronies, and a helpless Dagger be carried off to a disused warehouse by her enemies.

To make matters debatably even more contrived though, the only reason Spider-Man is able to depart is because Ulysses Bloodstone’s daughter suddenly stops wanting to kill the Brooklyn-born teenager “who was bitten by a Genetically Altered Spider”, and surprisingly, temporarily sates his unhealthy thirst via the power of her Bloodgem. Such a dramatic reversal of the quite disagreeable woman’s attitude seemingly comes completely out of the blue, and also begs the question why the additional time she has bought Morales couldn’t have been used by him to batter the likes of Damascene and Smoke Eater, rather than swing away like a coward in the night..?

Likewise, a number of other manufactured moments are needed to implausibly fall into place to allow the Blood Hunters to locate their fallen friend, Tandy Bowen. Foremost of these is the decision by Dracula’s clone to simply have the three women tied up on roof-top and instantly be set free straight after the villains have teleported away. Just where the motivation for this compassion comes from is a real head-scratcher, considering all of the antagonists are mass murderers with a taste for blood. However, without this act of unconvincing clemency, there wouldn’t be any likelihood of a third act in which White Widow handily reveals she knows Dagger’s location because she bugged Cloak’s former partner beforehand.

Writer: Erica Schultz, Pencilers: Robert Gill & Chris Campana, and Inkers: Robert Gill & Cam Smith

Blood Hunters #3 - Marvel Comics

BLOOD HUNTERS No. 3, December 2024

Almost stupefyingly crammed full of sense-shattering action, mesmerising feats of demonic magic, and arguably more gore than you’ll ordinarily find in an “Rated T+” title, Erica Schultz’s storyline for Issue Three of “Blood Hunters” quite literally grabs its readers in an unbreakable neck hold and hammers them through an army of ravenous, mass-murdering revenants. Furthermore, the comic’s twenty-page plot does a terrific job in demonstrating just how deadly an opponent the villainous Bloodcoven can be when they’re not directly tackling the “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes” toe-to-toe, but rather a dysfunctional collection of the Marvel Universe’s more lower tiered crime-fighters.

Indeed, even “a vampirized Spider-Man” appears to be well out of his depth facing off against the likes of Cruel and a seemingly unstoppable horde of blood-drinking thralls, with only Hallows' Eve providing the titular team with any hope of victory whatsoever. Disappointingly, even this glimmer of light is eventually dimmed though, with long-time vigilante Dagger appearing to be the group’s surprising weak link, and so badly succumbing to the relentless undead assault surrounding her that she soon requires immediate medical treatment; “There’s a hospital twelve blocks away. I can swing her there fast.”

Fortunately, the decision to have poor Tandy Bowen’s brightly costumed alter-ego play the ‘patsy’ as opposed to non-powered White Widow, is easily overlooked in the face of the sheer carnage on show throughout this book, and many a bibliophile will doubtless have been physically worn out by the time Janine Godbe’s highly thematic bag of tricks sensationally brings the vampire army she is facing to a sudden, shocking end. Enjoyably however, this moment is simply the quiet before a (second) storm, with Miles Morales soon finding himself getting brutalised atop a New York apartment block whilst trying to protect a comatose Dagger.

Definitely providing all these pulse-pounding panels with plenty of dynamic life and “Wham” are Robert Gill’s pencils, which do a first-rate job in imbuing every blow with bone-breaking realism. In addition, the Billerica-born illustrator somehow manages to turn even the vampire cat Moggy into a believable combatant by sketching the stray animal doing its level best to outmanoeuvre Cruel’s tendril-like barbed wire projections.

The regular cover art of "BLOOD HUNTERS" #3 by Ema Lupacchino & Guru-eFX

Blood Hunters #2 - Marvel Comics

BLOOD HUNTERS No. 2, November 2024

Whilst it’s hard to say with any real certainty that Erica Schultz set out to make Elsa Bloodstone as utterly unlikeable as the American author could, she definitely appears to do just that with her writing for Issue Two of “Blood Hunters”. In fact, probably a fair few readers of this twenty-page periodical wanted the former “staff member of the Braddock Academy” to suffer a good beating or two at the hands of Miles Morales or Bloodstorm One's Bloodcoven, simply so the insufferable, holier than thou monster hunter could be taken down a few pegs; “I must say… I am disappointed with your performance…”

To make Dan Abnett’s co-creation even more unbearable though, once the self-righteous super-heroine does allow her bloated ego to once again get the better of her already questionable decision-making, and finds herself a captive of Smoke Eater, the member of the Midnight Sons quite outrageously thanks a wandering cat for rescuing her, rather than her true saviour – Spider-man. Such an utter disrespect for facts genuinely grates upon the senses, and arguably will leave many a bibliophile desperately hoping that Ulysses’ foul-mouthed daughter is ultimately abandoned by her team-mates for a far more agreeable character.

Quite possibly this comic’s only distraction from the selfish scoundrel comes with the intriguing Hallow’s Eve, who repeatedly demonstrates her bizarre ability to pull magically-enhanced masks from out of her scarlet-coloured saddlebag. These face-coverings really help add some extra surprises to the script, and despite being perhaps a little too gimmicky or contrived, definitely help lighten up an otherwise almost unbearably deplorable spotlight upon Bloodstone’s rude, all-knowing attitude towards anyone even remotely undead.

Furthermore, Robert Gill debatably does a first-rate job in depicting all of Elsa’s ill-placed misgivings, almighty lectures, and “all vampires deserve to be dusted” attitude with just the over-the-top conceit an onlooker would expect from some hot-headed show-off armed with a shot-gun. In addition, the artist’s layouts are great at imbuing scenes with either the confrontational stance or fast pace, pulse-pounding action which they require; most notably when Miles Morales sets aside any issues he has with his would-be-murderer to save her from another violent pulverising by Unusual of the Bloodcoven.

The regular cover art of "BLOOD HUNTERS" #2 by Ema Lupacchino & Guru-eFX

Blood Hunters #1 - Marvel Comics

BLOOD HUNTERS No. 1, October 2024

Proudly proclaimed by its New York City-based publisher as “the beginning of an epic new adventure” involving “Marvel’s newest team”, Erica Schultz’s script for Issue One of “Blood Hunters” certainly seems to live up to its hype due to the twenty-five page periodical’s pulse-pounding mix of roster rivalries and blood-sucking shenanigans. Indeed, the America author’s ability to almost immediately have Dagger and Elsa Bloodstone berating one another over the fate of the vampires which they catch is arguably one of this inaugural edition’s biggest highlights.

Similarly as intriguing though has to be the quite considerable spotlight shone upon Hallows’ Eve and her truly mesmerizing supernatural power to make magical masks. Apparently still exploring these abilities herself, the young woman dons the face of the original Wasp, and promptly takes the reader on an enjoyable trip down memory lane with Janet Van Dyne’s famous stings, and ability to quite literally grow into a full-thrown punch; “Damn limbo magic… Never know what I’m gonna get.”

“The first woman to write a Spawn book in the history of the franchise” is also rather good at penning the somewhat complicated power struggle occurring within the nefarious Bloodcoven since Bloodstorm One fully took charge following Varnae’s defeat. Dagger’s assumption that all the remaining pale-skinned vampires want their humanity restored is disconcertingly wrong, and this desire by some of the fanged despots to remain immortal at all costs establishes an enjoyably straightforward good versus evil stance between the two groups. In fact, in many ways it plays into Bloodstone’s somewhat erratic belief that the only good drinker of blood is a dead one – something which later causes Miles Morales’ infected Spider-man no end of problems when he becomes caught in the monster hunter’s crosshairs.

Rounding off this perfect publication are the layouts of Robert Gill, with colours by Rain Beredo, which do a first-rate job of showing just how dangerous the dark streets of Brooklyn can still be in the aftermath of Blood Hunt. Furthermore, the illustrator is very good at showing just how physically fast both the titular characters and their prey can move whenever they’re fighting one another, as well demonstrating some of the fascinating abilities of Blade’s former “super-vamps” – such as the sheer formidable bulk of Dracula’s heavily-armoured clone.

Writer: Erica Schultz, Artist: Robert Gill, and Colorist: Rain Beredo

Crypt Of Shadows #1 [Part Two] - Marvel Comics

CRYPT OF SHADOWS No. 1, December 2022

Padding out the middle of this predominantly pedestrian-paced publication is the implausible “Skin Crawl” by Chris Cooper, which sees Doctor Michael Morbius being plagued by a race of “immaterial parasitic beings that feed on fear” which only he can see and hear – at least until an occult investigator enters the fray that is. Apparently able to induce the vampiric physician into an even more murderous blood rage than normal, the unimaginatively named Troids momentarily look set to cause Roy Thomas’ co-creation to launch himself on a chilling, dynamically driven murder-fest. But disappointingly, are then pencilled by Ibrahim Moustafa as being all-too easily defeated by Louise Hastings’ young grandson and an infuriatingly simple spell of revocation.

Far more engaging, and perhaps a storyline which should have been enlarged so as to populate the entire comic book, Chris Condon’s “Down Came The Rain” shows plenty of promise in its initial presentation of Spider-Man and the Human Torch’s unsuccessful infiltration of Siodmak Pharmaceuticals. Boasting a couple of jump scares and a pulse-pounding foot-chase, as well as an amusing appearance by the badass Elsa Bloodstone, it’s highly like many readers will have wished Fran Galan was tasked with pencilling much more than just seven pages – especially when a fast-recovering Peter Parker hints at an insanely-tense fistfight that happened off screen just before this printed escapade begins.

Rounding off Issue One of “Crypt Of Shadows” is the disconcertingly downbeat “Endless Slaughter In The Infinite Swamp” by writer/artist Adam Warren. Essentially a tale-long, no-holds barred gorefest between Laura Kinney and Man-Thing, this ultimately wearisome battle appears to have been contrived simply so the freelancer can repeatedly sketch Wolverine gratuitously slicing through Ted Sallis’ alter-ego without a care in the world for millions of years; “And that, you see, is how the ultimate predator became a vegetarian for the rest of her biologically immortal life.”

Perhaps therefore this comic’s biggest highlight surprisingly lies in Al Ewing’s well-penned linking narration starring the Master of the Mystic Arts’ dead brother, Victor Strange, and a bevy of grotesque undead creatures. Well-drawn by Ramon Bachs, these splash-pages provide an intriguing introduction to each of the anthology’s yarns, and just like Condon’s contribution, probably make the audience wish editor in chief C.B. Cebulski had given this element much more ‘screen time’ rather than include some of the other more sedentary storylines.

Writers: Chris Cooper, Chris Condon & Adam Warren, and Artists: Ibrahim Moustafa & Fran Galan

Marvel Zombies #4 - Marvel Comics

MARVEL ZOMBIES No. 4, December 2015

Described by “Marvel Worldwide” as containing an Elsa Bloodstone who is both “out of bullets and out of hope”, it’s hard, having read this concluding instalment to the “Secret Wars” mini-series, not to also feel that the Monster Hunter is additionally out of narrative as well. For whilst Issue Four of “Marvel Zombies” does ultimately determine the fate of the Shield (wall) Commander and “the child she swore to protect to salvation”, it only does so after a laboriously long conversation between the storyline’s primary protagonist and this Battleworld’s “different version” of her father.

Indeed for almost half the length of this twenty-page periodical the “Dupe effect” dad does little but batter and bicker with his “quick-witted” daughter as the “zombified version of Ulysses explains just how he has “pried” the Bloodstones from the corpses of “every duplicate of my line.” Admittedly parts of this 'monologue' are surprisingly dramatic, such as when Elsa matter-of-factly beheads her baleful parent for suggesting they form a “team-up” against a fast-approaching “full horde deployment” of “Rotters”, or her skeletal adversary bites off her hand when the soldier attempts to snatch back “the childhood you stole from me.”

But in the main Simon Spurrier’s flashback scenes depicting the various members of the “House of Bloodstone” wandering to their deaths having simply followed “this… funny feeling”, or worse, the “coiffured” killer taking his overly inquisitive wife Elise “down in the cellar” to “see what your daughter’s been learning” are sadly seemingly included to do little more than pad the comic out; “Monsters fiends oh no God he let it lay eggs in my brain… they ate my mind ohhhh help me help us help usss.”

Even Kev Walker’s usually bold strongly-defined artwork appears to occasionally suffer throughout this book, as several of the British illustrator’s panels contain some worryingly inconsistent, almost rushed sketches of the comic’s central character and the undead, increasingly hungry Mystique. The former “2000 A.D.” penciller’s pacing is equally as capricious at times as well, especially towards the end of the story when suddenly almost every sheet contains just two or three pictures for seemingly no obvious reason other than they need to be quickly filled with something…

Writer: Simon Spurrier, Artist: Kev Walker, and Color Artists: Guru-eFX

Marvel Zombies #3 - Marvel Comics

MARVEL ZOMBIES No. 3, October 2015

Despite this third part of Elsa Bloodstone’s “Journey Into Misery” containing some extremely “recognisable [“Marvel Worldwide”] characters reimagined as decomposing cerebravores” and at times portraying more zed-killing action than even a “Shield Section Commander” can stomach, it is quite possible that many of this title's (declining) 34,629 strong audience failed to find Simon Spurrier’s narrative an entirely satisfactory read owing to its rather tiring wordiness. Indeed for large swathes of the twenty-page periodical little actually occurs apart from Ulysses’ daughter conversing with either a captive Deadpool, whose brain the zombies have been consuming “every day for two years, since they nabbed” the Merc with a Mouth “offa the Shield”, or the mysterious “little munchkin” who has accompanied the Monster Hunter throughout her ‘pilgrimage’.

Much of this dialogue is undeniably necessary in order for the former “BBC” art director to finally start answering some of the many questions his storyline has raised, such as the identity of the bandaged ghoul who has been fervently following her. But it is also used to explain, in some significant detail, just how Elsa’s relationship with her famous father came to an ignoble end and the Bloodgem-empowered immortal finally died. These flashback sequences, whilst morbidly interesting, are continually used by the British novelist to break-up the comic’s action and as a result often frustratingly interrupt an otherwise enthralling series of dynamically-charged panels.

Just as cumbersome is Spurrier’s rationalisation as to why Mystique, the Constrictor and Crossfire, amongst several others, are intelligent zombies. It makes some sort of logical sense that now the flesh-eaters have “extra smarts” they are able to ration themselves to “a sliver” of Deadpool’s brain every day in order help stave off “the hunger”. But just how did the ravenous Undead make such a discovery in the first place when ordinarily their gut reaction is to simply consume the entirety of their prey at one sitting?

Fortunately in many ways, Kev Walker’s tremendous artwork more than makes up for any deficiencies found within this issue’s storyline. In fact some of the wonderful zombified cameos the Leeds-based illustrator depicts are arguably worth the cover price alone; especially those of the Mole Man rising from the depths in front of a determined “Purrrincess Presumptuousness” and then later a cave-dwelling Morbius, who receives a lethal head-butt for his troubles; “Bleh!”

Writer: Simon Spurrier, Artist: Kev Walker, and Color Artists: Guru-eFX

Marvel Zombies #2 - Marvel Comics

MARVEL ZOMBIES No. 2, September 2015

Perhaps somewhat surprisingly for a book “packed with [the] festering, corrupted, undead versions of your favourite Marvel characters” this second “Secret Wars” instalment of the popular “Marvel Zombies” franchise didn’t even make it into the top fifty best-selling comics of July 2015 and as a result only 39,148 readers got to initially enjoy Elsa Bloodstone’s continuing journey across “a wasteland full of indescribable horrors”. Such an oversight has arguably deprived many a bibliophile of some of the best ‘creatively evil’ supervillain cameos seen throughout the publisher’s “Battleworld” tie-ins, with writer Simon Spurrier’s ability to weave these colourful ‘walk-ons’ within a tale filled with “putrid wads of horror” and “incredible action” being beyond doubt one the highlights of “Journey Into Misery”.

The two “convenient moveable snack[s]” early chance meeting with a decaying, paralysed M.O.D.O.K. certainly proves an entertaining encounter. For despite the AIM engineered monstrosity having “melted into his own electrics” the living corpse still retains ‘some weapons which are active’ and thus of use to the wanderers. In addition it is hard to imagine a more indignant end to one of Stan Lee’s co-creations than being rolled downhill by the “unflappable” Shield Commander and blown-up in the resultant explosion; “Ow ow ow ow. M-Moribund… organism… d-designed only f…for cannibalism…”

Somewhat less humorously written but infinitely more ‘icky’ is the female monster-hunter’s confrontation with a “dried out” Carnage, a pair of “dupe effect” Sauron zombies and a rather sinister-looking undead Constrictor. Indeed the unflappable Brit’s swift decapitation of the alien symbiote and the creature’s resultant revival due to its “ssscab” being broken is a particularly gross and yucky moment; possibly only surpassed by the grisly sight of several living heads on spikes smelling Elsa's stealthy approach to Mystique’s campsite on account of the wallhead’s “meatstink!”

All of this blood, mutilation and dismemberment is wonderfully drawn by Kev Walker, with the Leeds-based artist’s stomach-churningly detailed putrefying M.O.D.O.K., complete with writhing diminutive limbs, proving to be especially well-pencilled. Possibly less successful however is the illustrator’s gun-toting Ranger Worthington from “Shield-section seven-niner.” Sporting a sort of bizarre flattop hairstyle, wings and a long grey trench coat, the battle-weary Angel simply doesn’t look right, even though the X-Man is clearly wearing an almost identical ‘uniform’ to that of Bloodstone.

Writer: Simon Spurrier, Artist: Kev Walker, and Color Artists:Guru-eFX

Marvel Zombies #1 - Marvel Comics

MARVEL ZOMBIES No. 1, August 2015

Published as part of the “Marvel Worldwide” “Secret Wars multiverse crossover” mega-event “where pieces of the main Marvel Universe, Ultimate Universe, and several other alternates are melded into a Battle World”, it is hard to imagine a title with so dislikeable a main protagonist as Simon Spurrier’s portrayal of Elsa Bloodstone. For whilst this mini-series’ hard-nosed section commander of ‘The Shield’ is a cold-hearted alternative version of Dan Abnett’s co-creation, the female monster hunter is as unsympathetic and apparently uncaring as one can be, and even goes so far as to tell one of her fatally wounded understandably distraught soldiers that “you will show no weakness. Blubbing is not allowed.”

Admittedly a lot of this character’s “hardass” attitude to her companions’ woes is actually superficial showmanship and would seemingly stem from an exceptionally harsh and cruel childhood at the hands of her father, the immortal Hellfire Helix imbued Ulysses Bloodstone. But having been exposed to the razor-sharp teeth and claws of “a lowly piranha-gibbon” at the tender age of seven still doesn’t really excuse Angry Lady’s insensitive and callous attitude towards “Shuttup”, an apparently petrified “amnesiac urchin-boy who will quite possibly turn out to be a despicable monstrosity”.

Fortunately the British comic book writer’s narrative contains so very much more than the gloomy childhood ‘flashback’ scenes of the one-time Fearless Defender and instead swiftly strands Elsa “two hundred miles south of The Shield” with “lots and lots of zombies” between her and safety. Such a grave predicament provides Spurrier with plenty of opportunities to have Bloodstone battle the ever-hungry Undead, and also simultaneously tap deeply into Mark Millar’s extremely popular “Marvel Zombies” mythos.

In fact “Journey Into Misery” contains some truly excellent cameos from a handful of the meta-series’ most recognisable super-powered walking dead, such as a sinisterly decomposed “sssuuupeerior” Doctor Octopus and the leader of “the Legions of the Red Terror”, as well as the cause of Bloodstone’s trials and tribulations, the demonic humanoid teleporter Azazel. Arguably the highlight of the “2000 A.D.” author’s storyline however has to be the weaponless commander’s confrontation with the truly hideous-looking unstoppable Juggernaut. Not only does Cain Marko disgustingly try to lick his prey to death, on account of the ‘living corpse’ having no lips, but the event also causes Elsa’s Helix shard choker to activate for the first time and literally fry the empowered mutant zombie to pieces.

Kev Walker’s artwork conveys all this grisly death and destruction masterfully, with the Leeds-based penciller’s slightly cartoony, though well-detailed clean-lined drawings, proving to be very reminiscent in style to that of the “critically acclaimed” “Preacher” storyteller Steve Dillon. Indeed the former “Magic: The Gathering” collectible card game illustrator’s depictions of Azazel, Doctor Octopus and Juggernaut are outstanding, and clearly shows the artist’s “Marvel Zombies 3” and “Marvel Zombies 4” pedigree.

The regular cover art of "MARVEL ZOMBIES" No. 1 by Greg Land