Not Your Daddy’s Vampire — Reviewing ‘Dracula: Blood Hunt’ #1

The child of my enemy is my… only hope? I’ll bet that feels real weird for the biggest vampire around to consider. Yet, that’s where the lord-iest of lords, otherwise known as Dracula, finds himself as the darkness of the Blood Hunt has fallen.

As vampires surge around the world, Dracula and Brielle Brooks, Bloodline, join reluctant forces to discover the source in Dracula: Blood Hunt #1. This fun tie-in tale comes courtesy of Danny Lore, Vincenzo Carratú, David Curriel, and Joe Sabino.

Make sure to have read Blood Hunt #1 before continuing on, there are some (unavoidable) spoilers ahead.

<<SPOILERS FOLLOW>>

Event tie-in issues fit into a nebulous space. They can be really good and tie-into the event well, or they can feel detached almost just included just for the sales bump (which is not always a bad thing). With this creative team, I had no doubt it would be the former, and that it would be damn good. No surprise, it was really fun and uses the characters and space perfectly.

Lore is one of those writers that I continuously want to be more of. Their writing style and ability to really handle any character or genre is top tier. It’s great to see them here, especially since Bloodline is a character they were behind the creation and formation of. Pairing Blade’s daughter with his oldest enemy, well that’s just a recipe for dramatic tasty goodness right there. Especially once they learn that it’s Blade who is behind the whole eternal night vampires feasting upon the Earth situation (see my Blood Hunt #1 review for a theory on the why).

Oh, Dracula’s narrations. I would pay top dollar to read a whole regular Dracula Marvel series with this team. Watching him opine about humanity and the modern era, while strolling around with armor and sword in hand. Marvel let’s make it happen.

The issue opens with tension filled sliver panels leading up to a full reveal of Dracula in his armored glory. Carratú’s paneling style is truly top notch, taking every bit of energy that any given panel might give and continuing or elevating it. Allowing things to really feel that kinetic sense of motion that makes comics just an amazing medium.

A style dripping with perfect amounts of depth and details, creating a lived-in space what carries unique visual appeal across every visited space. Characters feel larger than life, as they should, dominating their spaces. We leap from an ominous castle to a bright and shiny typical high school experience in the slickest smoothest way, not a bit of whiplash involved. So much of the issue is action, but the way that Carratù balances that and the quieter talkative moments hits that right spot.

I’ve had the pleasure of writing about Curiel’s colors for quite some time now, over on the X-Side of things. While Carratù sets the tone with the pencils, it’s the color choices that make sure this feeling fully lands. Curiel delivers that eclectic mix of tonal palettes that is just right for these “it’s happening in a world like ours” types of comics. Plenty of very neutral to toned down choices that create grounded, often shadowy, and eerie, spaces. Paving room for the much more vibrant pops to stand out when they find their way into the story (as they do in these superhero style adventures).

Capping everything off with Sabino’s keen lettering eye is like the tasty cherry on the whole affair. Finding those little ways to make the bigger moments of text fly by, never feeling like too much, while injecting character personality and energy into every word. From shifting fonts, to colorful bits, or just bolds and italics. It all allows characters voices to resonate and helps the reader pinpoint what tone or volume is meant to exist here. Dracula and Brielle’s voices sounding loud in my head, despite having no clue what either of them sounds like (the Marvel version of Dracula at least).

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