Amazing Spider-Man: Blood Hunt #3 - Marvel Comics

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: BLOOD HUNT No. 3, September 2024

Entirely focused upon the titular character’s exploits inside Hemoglobin Incorporated’s Headquarters, many a bibliophile will probably feel a considerable amount of time has passed between Issue Three of “Amazing Spider-Man: Blood Hunt” and its previous edition. In fact, the entire twenty-page periodical arguably reads like a couple of insubstantial instalments involving Justina Ireland’s overall narrative simply being smashed together so as to bring the storyline to something akin to a satisfactory conclusion in short order; “Another chance.? That’s closer to happily ever after than most of us get.”

Foremost of these complaints can seemingly be found straight from the comic’s opening, as Peter Parker’s alter-ego and Misty Knight brazenly break straight into the supposed vampire stronghold, and quickly reach both the scientific facility’s security computer room, as well as Doctor Michael Morbius’ laboratory, with barely a hair out of place. This breathtakingly fast momentum then continues with the revelation that Colleen Wing has been completely transformed into a deadly blood-drinking monster (and completely embraced this change), whilst “Morb” has somehow already discovered a cure for Theocritus’ undead vision – presumably due to him having access to “real equipment… for the first time in months.”  

To make matters worse though, the Living Vampire’s moral dilemma to remain working with the villainous corporation for the betterment of all fanged fiends is almost instantly resolved with an unconvincingly sudden change of heart following Spider-man giving him a brief flea in his ear. Such a surprising U-turn really does smack of the American author being desperate to get events in place for this comic’s climatic final confrontation, and subsequently leads directly into Web-head easily covering the coils of the building’s cooling system with an antidote as the so-called central antagonist absent-mindedly waxes lyrical about his grand scheme for citywide conquest.

Also distinctly adding to this publication’s feeling of two incomplete books being compressed into one are Marcelo Ferreira and Chris Campana sharing pencilling duties. This decision is incredibly jarring for the audience as the artists’ illustration styles are rather different to one another, and resultantly makes the publication’s already hasty ending feel even more rushed as the Wall-crawler easily outwits his beefed-up undead foes, Maxine Danger (once again) turns up out of nowhere to ‘save the day’, and despite being a feral force of nature for much of this tale, the Lizard dons a long white coat to become Morbius’ unlikely new lab partner.

The regular cover art to "AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: BLOOD HUNT" #3 by Marcelo Ferreira 

Amazing Spider-Man: Blood Hunt #2 - Marvel Comics

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: BLOOD HUNT No. 2, August 2024

Considering that Justina Ireland’s handling of Theocritus and his decidedly dodgy dealings running Hemoglobin Incorporated are arguably far more entertaining than Spider-Man’s seemingly endless excursion through the vampire-filled streets of New York City, it’s probably safe to assume that Issue Two of “Amazing Spider-Man: Blood Hunt” didn’t land quite so well on the spinner-rack as perhaps its publisher had hoped. Indeed, so much of this mini-series’ rather intriguing exposition occurs within the walls of T.J.’s experimental laboratories that many a bibliophile doubtless found themselves a little frustrated whenever the spotlight shifts upon the titular character instead.

Much of this irritation is debatably due to Peter Parker’s somewhat tedious, self-indulgent doubts as to whether he should even be hurting the fanged-fiends stalking his not-so-friendly neighbourhood. The super-hero readily acknowledges that the massive undead horde will “hurt more people” the longer their battle goes on for. Yet still somehow manages to persuade the much less idealistic mercenary Misty Knight that the “ravenous throng” of killers shouldn’t be harmed; “I’ve been thinking about what you said… especially since I know these were innocent people.”

Furthermore, the action is suddenly brought to a surprising full-stop by its “New York Times Bestselling author” unconvincingly introducing the audience to Beyond Corporation’s former Chief Executive Officer - Maxine Danger. True, the capable young businesswoman’s presence is crucial to give Spider-Man a means of ‘defeating’ Theocritus, courtesy of a convenient computer virus which should “erase all of the networked data” and halt the vampiric company's chemical-based shenanigans. But considering just how deadly the Big Apple is supposed to currently be due to its undead invasion, it’s a little difficult to believe a non-powered entrepreneur, no matter how rich or influential, is able to successfully drive around the densely populated metropolis with just two bodyguards for protection.

Slightly more successful than its writing, is this comic’s artwork by Marcelo Ferreira and Chris Campana. This twenty-page periodical’s pencilling is very good at depicting the athletic prowess of Web-head as he somersaults around Central Park gluing down as many Nosferatu as his unblessed web fluid will allow. However, the attention to detail on the Lizard, especially the villain’s snout when sketched from any distance, is rather indistinct and lacking – leading to Doctor Curt Connor’s alter-ego actually seeming to be unfinished in some panels.

Writer: Justina Ireland, and Pencilers: Marcelo Ferreira & Chris Campana

Amazing Spider-Man: Blood Hunt #1 - Marvel Comics

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: BLOOD HUNT No. 1, July 2024

‘Spinning directly out of Issue Forty Nine of Amazing Spider-Man’, this mini-series’ opening instalment perhaps unsurprisingly solely focuses upon Peter Parker’s enthralling excursions “in the era of the vampires”, as opposed to the Wall-crawler’s usual crime-fighting exploits throughout the 'Grid' of the Big Apple. But whilst this comic’s scenario is significantly more blood-thirsty than Web-head’s usual adventures, courtesy of some genuinely gratuitous depictions of hapless New Yorkers being slaughtered like sheep at the hands of numerous Nosferatu, Justina Ireland still manages to imbue the titular character with plenty of his famous tongue-in-cheek wit and repartee to persistently lighten the narrative's mood; “That is a lot of fangs.”

Much of this humour is surprisingly generated by Steve Ditko’s co-creation teaming up with the highly unlikely duo of Misty Knight and the Lizard, who essentially recruit Spidey to supposedly help them rescue Colleen Wing and Doctor Michael Morbius from the clutches of Hemoglobin Incorporated. Perhaps understandably distrustful of his allies’ true motives, as well as realising the deadly gravity of their potentially suicidal mission, the colourfully costumed vigilante appears ever ready to diffuse even the deadliest of situations with either a well-timed quip or barbed comment at his companions’ oft-times suspicious behaviour.

Of course, the biggest draw of this twenty-one page periodical are the layouts crafted by Marcelo Ferreira, Roberto Poggi and Rachelle Rosenberg. Together, this creative team really help bring the insane world of “Blood Hunt” to life, whether it be depicting a seriously formidable-looking Lizard savagely squaring off against an already ticked-off Spider-Man, or the aforementioned poor inhabitants of New York City sadly succumbing to the sharp teeth of the undead in their droves. In fact, the sheer scale of this event’s “eternal night” is really driven home to the audience through this book’s top-notch artwork, with homes, hospitals, tube stations and even churches being viciously attacked.

Impressively though, this comic’s nine-page ‘secondary’ tale is just as good at keeping the reader thoroughly entertained, courtesy of Wing and Morbius desperately attempting to escape the evil clutches of Theocritus themselves. Essentially a well-paced sub-plot which shows the duo tensely exploring Hemoglobin’s headquarters in an effort to find a way out, the pair’s nervous verbal exchanges are easily as enthralling as the adrenalin-fuelled action that kicks off when they inadvertently walk into a room packed full of momentarily shocked vampires.

The regular cover art to "AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: BLOOD HUNT" #1 by Marcelo Ferreira & Rachelle Rosenberg

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

Avengers [2018] #12 - Marvel Comics

AVENGERS No. 12, March 2019

Whilst “Marvel Worldwide” wanted this title’s audience to believe that “it’s hard to run the Avengers without a support staff”, it was probably a whole lot harder for many of this comic’s 52,427 readers to process the plethora of comic book super-heroes Jason Aaron desperately tried to crowbar into his narrative. In fact, at its most basic level the American author’s storyline for “The Agents Of Wakanda” is arguably little more than a twenty-page procession of some of the New York-based publisher’s lowest-tiered crime-fighters and anti-heroes; “As for the others… How are there not better available candidates than this? Was there recently a super hero massacre of which I was not made aware of?”

Admittedly, having recently become the leader of “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes”, King T'Challa’s desire to create a network of “intelligence gatherers” makes considerable sense if “the most powerful super-team in recent memory” are actually going to become an international resource for truth and justice, as opposed to it simply being a ‘puppet’ for S.H.I.E.L.D. or the United States Government. But so bizarre are some of the Inkpot Award-winner’s choices that the roster debatably smacks of the writer simply throwing out a plethora of seldom-seen characters, such as American Eagle, Broo and Doctor Nemesis, in the hope that the odd “agent” will somehow resonate with this book’s bibliophiles.

Aaron also seems to have taken a fair few disagreeable liberties with the personality of Ka-Zar, questionably turning the once proud Lord of the Savage Land” into an unrecognisable foil for Okoye, leader of the Dora Milaje and Director of the Agents of Wakanda. Kevin Plunder's history dates back as far as the mid-Sixties and resultantly has provided him with a proven track record working alongside some of the greatest super-heroes known. Yet, in this story, the eldest son of a British nobleman has to first pass an audition so as to be deemed worthy to join a ground crew which has already recruited Gorilla-Man as the Chief of Security for Avengers Mountain apparently without any trial being warranted..?

Luckily, this publication’s puzzling plot does ‘enjoy’ the visual stimulus of Ed McGuinness and Cory Smith’s pencilling, which in the majority of cases makes the word-heavy discussions between Black Panther and the likes of Odin, at least pleasantly palatable. However, the artwork does suffer from some noticeable inconsistencies, courtesy of editor Tom Brevoort apparently employing three different inkers in order to ensure the book made its deadline at the Printers.

Writer: Jason Aaron, Artists: Ed McGuiness & Cory Smith, and Color Artist: Erick Arciniega

Absolute Carnage: Lethal Protectors #3 - Marvel Comics

ABSOLUTE CARNAGE: LETHAL PROTECTORS No. 3, December 2019

As pulse-pounding, ultra-violent last minute rescues go, it’s fair to say that Frank Tieri’s screenplay for Issue Three of “Absolute Carnage: Lethal Protectors” probably hit the mark for most of this comic’s 31,627 strong audience in October 2019. In fact, this twenty-page periodical’s plot is almost too relentless in its action, as the likes of Deathlok, Morbius and Iron Fist embark upon so serious an over-the-top murdering spree of viciously-fanged doppelgängers that even Sylvester Stallone’s media franchise Rambo would blush at the overall kill count; “Now hand me one of those guns, will ya?”

Interestingly however, despite the formidable firepower at their disposal, the “MarvelFest NYC 2009” event celebrity guest still manages to make this book’s protagonists appear surprisingly vulnerable, and at one stage even looks set to have at least one of the superheroes fatally fall before the relentless innumerable minions of Carnage. Such a sense of palpable mortality is debatably somewhat rare for titular characters in the Modern Age of Comics, so Danny Rand’s decision to summon the “quasi-mystical force” he commands in a last minute bid to save the friends he’s purposely brought back together is arguably all the more impactive as a result.

Similarly as successful, albeit perhaps a little bit too clichéd, is Misty Knight’s tense confrontation with Man-Wolf and her desperately emotional plea for the former astronaut to break his homicidal ties with Cletus Kasady. Backed into a corner, defenceless and yet still superbly defiant, Mercedes never appears to give up, even though the one-armed private detective is never more than a hair’s breadth from having her face bitten off by John Jameson’s symbiote-infected alter-ego.

Unfortunately though, once Tieri’s sense-shattering shenanigans do subside, courtesy of Cloak simply whisking the entire team out of harm’s way with a swish of his all-consuming cape, this comic’s conclusion does come as something of a disappointment; especially once it becomes clear that this entire mini-series was actually about Knight’s somewhat drawn-out rescue and Man-Wolf’s ultimate redemption rather than following the exploits of Iron Fist’s super-squad full-time. Debriefed by a “secret, shadowy organisation”, a disconcertingly inconsistent Flaviano pencils an irate Rand deciding to return to defeat Carnage once and for all just as the publication comes to a close with the frustrating words “To be continued in Absolute Carnage #5!”

‘First published on the "Dawn of Comics" website.'

The regular cover art of "ABSOLUTE CARNAGE: LETHAL PROTECTORS" No. 3 by Iban Coello & Jason Keith

Absolute Carnage: Lethal Protectors #2 - Marvel Comics

ABSOLUTE CARNAGE: LETHAL PROTECTORS No. 2, November 2019

Despite selling almost nine thousand copies less than its previous instalment, Frank Tieri’s narrative for Issue Two of “Absolute Carnage: Lethal Protectors” must still have pleased the majority of its 34,372 readers in September 2019, courtesy of its much-appreciated spotlight upon Misty Knight and inclusion of Iron Fist, Deathlok, Firestar, Morbius, Cloak and Dagger. Indeed, considering that this mini-series is supposedly about Cletus Kasady’s resurrection “by a cult dedicated to the worship of Knull” and subsequent bonding “to the deific primordial Grendel”, this particular twenty-page periodical is infinitely more focused upon the storyline’s heroes banding together so as to face a common threat than the notorious serial killer’s hunt for “everyone who ever bonded to a symbiote.”

Fortunately however, the Brooklyn-born writer’s ability to pen plenty of engaging dialogue, even when its somewhat limited to the likes of Mercedes mentally talking to herself as she covertly shuffles her way through a doppelgänger-infested sewer system, more than makes up for an arguable lack of action, and debatably produces plenty of tension amongst this comic’s cast once Henry Hayes arrives, having “had to shoot somebody on the way over.” Of course, all these discussions and heated disagreements doesn’t mean that this book is completely devoid of action either, as Danny Rand alone demonstrates just how powerful a punch he can throw when he intercepts a transformed Ravencroft inmate from devouring a bunch of hapless children innocent playing in the street.

But the American author certainly seems to use the publication’s plot to carefully position his pieces for an upcoming calamitous confrontation, rather than simply pack it full of artist Flaviano pencilling numerous panels containing pulse-pounding pugilism. In fact, Tieri even seems to find the time to craft “Lord Carnage” providing his Venomanics with a splash-page summary of past events as to John Jameson’s many failures concerning Knight’s incarceration; “Yeah, you captured her when she was sent in to investigate Doverton. But then…”

Perhaps therefore this comic’s only real disappointment is the lamentably abrupt end Frank brings to Misty’s edgy exploration of the deadly catacombs beneath the Ravencroft Institute. The one-armed special agent’s ability to survive her perilous environment, made all the more impressive when she bests a pair of blood-drenched doppelgängers with nothing more than a severed limb, nobly demonstrates the former private investigator’s remarkable grit and tenacity. So it comes as something of a pity these engrossingly impressive trials are cut all-too short by a frenzied Man-Wolf.

‘First published on the "Dawn of Comics" website.'

The regular cover art of "ABSOLUTE CARNAGE: LETHAL PROTECTORS" No. 2 by Iban Coello & Jason Keith