(This review may contain spoilers).
So… I’ve got to be honest. I’ve heard of the Blade movies, but it wasn’t until I got this book that I realised Blade was actually a Marvel character.
I was a bit unsure of how I felt about Blade’s character. Vampires are over-used in fiction nowadays, but I thought it was good to see that, in the Marvel universe, vampires are clearly monsters… I’m kind of tired of the tortured, dark, brooding vampires.
I liked being able to see Blade’s first appearance. I didn’t realise until I read the history of the character, but I did think it was interesting to see a superhero dressed as an ordinary, everyday person.
In the second set of comics, it was nice to be able to see glimpses of Blade’s history. I was a bit confused about how he had so many vampiric characteristics, though by the end of the second set of comics, I did have a better understanding.
The very first scene in the second set of comics did really shock me. While it wasn’t quite as bad as it first appeared, it did kind of set the tone for the rest of the comics.
I didn’t much like SHIELD in the second set, I have to say. Maybe it was because I don’t really understand why the Superheroes Registration Act had to be passed, but it just felt like a lot of the good guys were being penalised.
I did find it good to see the different settings of the past and the present. They had a different artistic style, which meant there was very little confusion.
I was confused about how vampires had been able to infiltrate SHIELD. Unlike HYDRA, I would have thought SHIELD would notice if many agents suddenly had an aversion to sunlight.
I was happy to see that Blade didn’t take the route I was expecting towards the end of the second set of comics. The artwork in both sets was good, with the styles obviously different… but I still felt they stayed true to the same character.
I imagine I’d be interested in seeing more of Blade in the future, especially in light of the interaction he had with Wolverine in the past. Since I had the opportunity to see Captain America face off against a vampire, it would be good to see how him and a vampire hunter might work together… or what conflicts might arise.
Ink of Blood 