A Vampire’s Search For Meaning: Morbius #1 Reviewed
by Josh Davison
Mild Spoilers Ahead
The Melter has set up shop in a warehouse in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. He’s experimenting with his powers and the potential to grant them to a person…with live subjects. However, his work is interrupted when an unseen intruder begins terrorizing his men. That intruder is Michael Morbius, the Living Vampire. He takes the Melter down and steals some of his equipment. Morbius still seeks a cure for his vampiric condition, and he believes what the Melter has could help him. Meanwhile, a woman approaches the Melter in the aftermath, and she wants Morbius dead.
Morbius #1 resurrects the Living Vampire’s solo title once again as well as his never-ending quest to cure his own vampirism. This comic finds him butting heads with D-list villain, the Melter–who has fallen far since his days of fighting Iron Man and co-founding the Masters of Evil.
Throughout the comic, we have Morbius narrating about Aristotle’s proposed function of humankind: rationality. He dives into this discussion of rationality and reason and attempts to convince himself that pursuing his own health through a cure to his vampiric state is him serving his true function and purpose. It’s clever writing and a good way to put the reader into the mind of Michael Morbius.
The comic is fast-moving, fun, and smartly written. That said, it never feels like I’m experiencing something new or fresh. Pursuing a cure has been Morbius’ modus operandi for a very long time, and the Melter isn’t exactly a foe I’ve been dying to see Morbius fight. Not every comic needs to be a complete upending of the status quo, but a degree of freshness would help this comic quite a bit.
That said, Marcelo Ferreira’s artwork is fantastic. He gives the horror vibe that this comic needs, and his eye for detail is extensive and fantastic. The sequence of Morbius hunting the Melter is the most engaging part of the comic. Roberto Poggi’s inking adds needed depth and darkness, and Dono Sanchez-Almara’s color art explodes off the page.
Morbius #1 is a solid read. The action is exciting, the narration is clever, and the visuals are fantastic. While the comic feels like it’s missing something to really push it into greatness, I can’t deny that this first installment is good. It’s not great, and it’s not gripping in the way Immortal Hulk, Doctor Doom, or Venom are. However, I can still confidently recommend it. Feel free to pick it up.
Morbius #1 comes to us from writer Vita Ayala, artist Marcelo Ferreira, inker Roberto Poggi, color artist Dono Sanchez-Almara, letterer VC’s Clayton Cowles, cover artist Ryan Brown, and variant cover artists Greg Land with Frank D’Armata; Kyle Hotz with Dan Brown; and Juan Jose Ryp with Brian Reber.
Final Score: 7/10
