A Bloody New Semester — Reviewing ‘Strange Academy: Blood Hunt’ #1

School is back in session after some brutal final exams. Unfortunately, the world’s vampires have a much different plan. Marvel’s magical youths find themselves facing a whole new type of situation as Strange Academy’s gates provide temporary protection.

A whole new adventure beings in Strange Academy: Blood Hunt #1 a return for the fan-favorite series with returning colorist Edgar Delgado and letterer Clayton Cowles who are joined by Daniel Jose Older, Luigi Zagaria, Eric Gapstur, Scott Hanna, and Erick Arciniega for three fun new tales.

Oh, Strange Academy, how happy I am to see you really back.

While I had some issues with the previous return of the characters, this series (even with the vampire threat) felt like coming home.

Right away, Older captures the voices of these characters and their dynamics. It helps that they are back in New Orleans, within the world that was built for them through the original 24 issues of the series. Beginning with this moment of the kids out and about, trying to impress a new student, before things take a turn (including their predictable choice to run into trouble) was a smart one. It builds up the good will and the fun before slowly ratcheting up the tension from the captions of the secretly lying new student and then the vampire threat.

Dropping a new character, especially one that established they are a liar right away, into the middle of established dynamics is not an easy task. Older manages to make it work because even with the clear lies, we sense an energy from Pia that really points to her secret not being something threatening (to the other students). More that it’s something she must play close to the chest for important reasons, which we later learn is because she herself is a vampire.

The origin of that moment plays out in the third story, where she rescues someone else before being turned and then recruited by Doctor Voodoo. Where she can mill about with the others thanks to her magical (and so cute) familiar Tito Peping who allows her to play a Blade Daywalker.

Another note that I really enjoyed was how Older kept the students so distinct, even having Germán revealing, and then sticking to, being utterly terrified of vampires (you and me both buddy). Keeping to the idea that these are kids and not big bold superheroes that play those cards closer to their chest.

Each of the three stories is brought to life by different art with Zagaria on the first, Gapstur and Hanna on the second, and Gapstur going solo for the third.

Each of the artists have such similar joyful, fun, vibrant art styles. Really letting every character in them have a very dynamic impactful life, balancing on the line between whimsical and serious. Allowing there to be weight to the world while also having an almost weightless feeling to so much of it, as we and the characters bounce around smoothly. Thicker lines and shading in places let the darker or more horror filled moments have even more impact as they play out.

Gosh I’m so glad that Delgado keeps coming back to this world. While the creative team has mostly changed, his really vibrant but also heavy color style creates a nice throughline. Similarly, Arciniega hits so much of the same beats, and I’m glad to see his work here too. Both of them can create such a feeling of wonderous openness with the palette choices that open the space up, giving everything unique energy. Before pulling it all back and bringing in the heavy hitter colors that hit us with the tonal energy punch.

Another throughline is the lettering work that still remains in Cowles’ hands for these characters. Hitting all the right beats to keep delivering their unique voices, from their unique bubble/font styles to the way it all plays out across the page. Each and every level for the dialogue is clear, while even making sure the captions have a big power that tell us so much about a character. Red font as a big emphasis moment is one of those comic book things that just makes me do the stereotypical slow supportive happy nod. It’s the little things sometimes that just make something work, and in comics those little things make the whole thing work.

Strange Academy: Blood Hunt #1 is now available from Marvel Comics.