Blood Hunt # 1

 By Mark Rodriguez

Marvel has always had vampires running around, which is why we have characters like Blade to keep them in check. Even Jubilee was a vampire for a while. Blood Hunt is the story where all of Marvel's vampires decide to team up to the point where even Dracula is asking for help. This is a five-part mini-series event, with several ties ins with other comics. There was also a Red Band version with bloodier and gorier art than the original. A character might get bitten or slashed in the original but completely disemboweled in the Red Band version. I only purchased the regular version and skipped the tie-ins, so let's see where this goes.

The story opens with a countdown to 'Sundeath' as several super powered individuals are being attacked or are succumbing to dark energy. Someone narrates that this is how the world will end. This has always been their work and after so very long, they will complete it.

We go to Sundeath 00:15:26 in New York where Iron Man is trying to contact the Scarlet Witch who is on the ground watching police keep civilians away from the area. The villain Blackout has his entire top half exploding into dark energy that seems to be opening a dark portal. Wanda explains that Blackout was robbing a bank when he suddenly exploded. Iron Man flies overhead and says he's been hearing similar reports of it happening to others like Darkstar, Dusk, Silhouette and Cloak. Wanda says they're all Darkforce users and they've been turned into portals to the Darkforce Dimension.

Iron Man asks if she can close the portals with her magic. Wanda takes offense since it's not so easy. She explains this is an entire dimension's energy forcing its way into their own, from multiple breaches. Iron Man apologizes and says he was really hoping they could magic this away, since due to all the Darkforce released, they have just lost the sun.

We cut to Sundeath 00:25:19 as Tigra and Hunter's Moon were confronting The Shroud when he also exploded into Darkforce energy. Tigra checks her phone and finds out that this is happening all over the world. Hunter's Moon realize this is darkening the skies, hiding both the sun and moon. He realizes this isn't a mishap or an accident. Just then Tigra and Hunter's Moon hear a scream and turn to see and entire army of vampires flying in to attack them as well as innocent civilians. 

We cut to several areas around the world including Milan Italy, Lagos Nigeria, Calgary Canada, Tianjin China, Cartagena Columbia and Daegu South Korea and see that they are all overrun with vampires feasting on humanity. Elsewhere some people are running from vampires and make it to the border. One of them says that they can't trespass in that  and his friend says they have no choice. As they cross the border, the vampires are incinerated when they try to follow. Doctor Doom surveys the area and wants his new guests to feel welcome to Latveria. He states loyalty usually comes naturally from gratitude. 

In Brooklyn New York, Miles Morales is fighting against the vampires. He wonders what Blade would do. Blade arrives and says it's a good question. Blade has a plan but he'll need Miles' help.

Elsewhere the Avengers are fighting off the vampires in different areas. Thor attacks some and asks the others where they all came from. Captain Marvel asks Black Panther if he knows who's causing this. Black Panther has no idea either. Vision says that Dracula is currently unaccounted for. Sam Wilson says Dracula wouldn't pull something like this after all the work he's put into forming the Vampire Nation. Scarlet Witch asks who else it could be and determines the vampires have been building their numbers. Just then the Avengers get a high alert message. They wonder who it is, and the caller says it's exactly who they would want it to be in a situation like this, Blade. Blade says he's currently on the run but he has information. They need to meet. Blade tells them to lock onto his coordinates and teleport him to their automated city location.

The Avengers regroup and teleport Blade's truck to their location. The Avengers walk towards it and call out Blade. Just then they are all hit by some sort of psychic attack. Several villains start stepping out and Bloodstorm One says that Blade couldn't make it. Bloodstorm sends Megrim after 'the psychic', and he sends Damascene after Thor. He sends Unusual after Wanda. He tells Smoke Eater to join him. Smoke Eater says she obeys her master, not him. Bloodstorm says he runs the Bloodcoven and she will fall in line. 

Megrim attacks Scarlet Witch, saying they are very similar. Damascene takes a swipe at Thor with his blade-like hands. Bloodstorm punches Thor into Sam and tells him that Damascene can cut into anything including an Asgardian or something made of intangible synthezoid molecules. He says this as Damascene slices into Vision. 

Iron Man is about to blast Damascene when another one of the villains named Cruel uses its tendrils to get into the suit and cause it to short out. Iron Man falls, and the villain relishes in his pain, saying there will be more to come after he gets Tony out of his armor. Another villain named Unusual attacks Carol with a psychic attack. Smoke Eater explains that Cruel eats pain, Unusual eats magic, while she eats spirits. She adds that Megrim eats thoughts, leaving behind agony. Smoke Eater grabs Carol's head and plants her into the ground.

Bloodstorm wrestles with Sam, saying that turning him into a vampire will be a fine trophy for his master. Black Panther that greater man have tried, as Bloodstorm tosses Sam away. Unusual says he never tasted something like Wanda's chaos magic before. Smoke Eater swings Carol around with her multiple arms. She says she had to drink down some of her most potent ghosts to match Carol's strength. She adds that she will keep Carol's spirit for another special occasion. Poor Carol, first Rogue and now this.

Thor tells Damascene that he might cut him but he'll never be able to turn him or kill him. Damascene says that killing him would be a waste. He says they want to keep him as he shoots a spike right through Thor's head. Bloodstorm says their master will be pleased and this was a good first outing for the Bloodcoven. 

Black Panther tells the city to start a dimensional shift. The city says it cannot, as it is now compromised by Cruel's tendrils. The monster comments that even a city can feel pain. Sam says they thought of everything, but Panther says 'not quite'. Black Panther charges towards the vampires as he tells the city to do an Emergency Evac, starting with Captain America. Bloodstorm One rams his claws into Black Panther. Sam is being teleported to safety as he sees one of his friends die. T'Challa says they can't have the symbol, because the world will need a symbol. The Avengers are defeated. Bloodstorm, still holding onto Black Panther, screams in anger as Sam gets away.

Elsewhere on Bleeker Street, Sundeath 01:23:19, Doctor Strange is working on a spell while studying several books. Clea tells him they have to leave. Strange says if he can assemble the Montesi Formula, he can end all of this immediately. Blade steps in and comments that the spell is one to kill every vampire on Earth, but he need the Darkhold to make it work. He comments that currently the Scarlet Witch had eaten the Darkhold.

Strange says he's glad to see Blade today of all days and asks what is happening. Blade says there's a vampire uprising. They have faced vampires before but this time they're organized. They're trying to break humanity and put themselves on top. This Vampire Cult is called The Structure and it was spreading across the world before Moon Knight killed their leader. However they have now found a new leader with a plan. 

Blade explains the first step was using Antediluvian Atlantean Rituals to detonate Darkforce users, turning them into portals to block out the sun. The second step was the global uprising of vampires to attack the population centers and critical infrastructure worldwide. The third step is to take out the Avengers. Clea says trying to take out the Avengers is foolishness. Blade said there's a kill squad of ultravampires that were fed on superhuman blood. They feed off of pain, ghosts and magic. He says the Bloodcoven is a match for the Avengers. Blade says they were a match and confirms that the Avengers are down.

Strange says he must complete with formula with what grimoires he does have. Blade asks if he would really cast a spell that would kill every vampire on Earth, considering that some are on their side. Strange says he is a doctor and if he must cut a limb to save a patient, he would do it. He would accept his own damnation to save his world. Blade is impressed and said he already knew it wasn't in Wanda to cast the spell that would wipe out the entire vampire population... but he wasn't so sure of Doctor Strange. Strange asks if Dracula is the mastermind of The Structure.

Blade suddenly impales Doctor Strange from behind with his sword, telling him that he is The Structure's new leader.

My Thoughts- 

So this is very intense. Darkforce users all over the world are turned into portals to the Darkforce Dimension, blocking out the sun. Vampires and running around all over the world, feasting upon or flat out tearing people apart. Thor seems to have been killed in battle, as is Black Panther. While everyone thinks that Dracula is behind this, it turns out that long-time hero Blade is the man behind the plan, and he just killed Doctor Strange! Things are getting wild.

The story has me interested already, and I assume the main story takes place here and the tie-ins will deal with the heroes fighting against the vampire armies. While I'm not getting a boatload of tie-ins, I do see that Blood Hunters is also a tie-in, with issue one taking place between issues one and two of Blood Hunt, so I'll soon cover that one next.

Even though this is a worldwide threat, it is weird to see this be more Avengers-centered and not showing more of say... the X-Men and the Fantastic Four. Would the vampires still not attack Krakoa, or wherever the X-Men would be at this point in time? Checking the list of tie-ins, I see Blood Hunt ties into Avengers, Amazing Spider-Man, Dracula and so forth, even Venom, but nothing regarding the X-Men. As I checked for more information, it seems later on there will be tie-ins involving Jubilee, Magik, X23 and Psylocke. OK, granted some X-Men members eventually get involved, but why weren't any of them part of the first wave, especially Jubilee who's been a vampire for several years.

As for the bloodier Red Band edition, from what I understand there are more scenes of people being torn apart and rivers of blood and the like. It seems Black Panther gets clawed up even worse. The real kicker is the cliffhanger with Doctor Strange. He gets run through with Blade's sword here, but in the Red Band version, Blade flat out SLICES HIM IN HALF. 

I'm confused how this will work in issue 2 of the non-Red Band version? Getting impaled is clearly very different than being cleaved in two. I assume they'll have to re-do every panel that would show Strange's body lying around or something?

The new villains are very unique looking and the artists really went wild with the designs and abilities. While the designs are creative and outlandish, it's easy forget that they're vampires. Sure they're clearly monsters, but you'd forget that'd vampire monsters. They're very formidable for sure. I was confused when Bloodstorm One sent Megrim after 'the psychic' and Cruel and Unusual after 'the witch'. Among the team of Sam, Captain Marvel, Thor, Vision, Iron Man and Scarlet Witch, I can't tell which one of them they meant by 'the psychic'. 

Other than that, the story is intriguing, especially with Blade being the villain rather than the hero. What did Blade do to Miles though? We never saw him after they ran into each other. One thing I like about these events is seeing a lot of the heroes that I don't usually see in the few Marvel comics I do purchase. I also liked seeing Tigra showing up, and I bought the Tigra variant cover. I remember her back when I used to buy the Avengers Stoplight and West Coast Avengers comics in the 90's. I wondered what ever happened to her and it's cool to see her still being around.