It’s A Godhood Blitz — Reviewing ‘Black Panther: Blood Hunt’ #2

Anyone have the secret history of Wakanda as a space on their bingo card for the Black Panther vampire book? Pretty darn doubtful, and those who claim they did either have the gift of foresight or is just making things up.

Either way, Black Panther: Blood Hunt #2 ties together Wakandans and vampires (as well as Gods and Demons) as it keeps up with the bloody summer event. An otherworldly history lesson from Cheryl Lynn Eaton, Frid Karami, Andrew Dalhouse, and Joe Sabino.

Just like being in a classroom, a history lesson means quite a bit of talking. Sure, there is some action spliced in here, but this is very much an expositional issue. As a fan of words, they are part of how I make a living, this is not a bad thing, per se.

Overall, I think what Lynn wrote here has some intriguing qualities and is very well done for what it is. Bringing various portions of Godly pantheons into play and focusing on some of the earliest days of Wakanda. Partially it gives some background to the overall Blood Hunt event that the main series doesn’t have the room nor desire to really delve into.

Which is kind of the point. While nice, none of the background is really necessary, thus why it’s in a tie-in book that can (and likely will be) skipped. Not that I think people should, I think Lynn has a good grasp on the character and world and I would not be opposed to seeing more from her beyond this event with Panther and Wakanda. What I mean is that what makes Blood Hunt work is that it’s simply just a Marvel Heroes versus a vampire invasion.

The series knows what it is, does not shy away form what it is, and thrives in just being a summer blockbuster with blood, fangs, and wild things.

That being said, divorced of the overall event, this is a book with some merits. Especially since the flashbacks and the present-day stuff intermingle so well.

Visually it’s pretty solid, as Karami really brings a nice, grounded approach with the right touch of roughness involved. Characters have weight and all of the spaces have a depth and lived in quality. The approach to paneling and formatting allows the audience to feel right in the middle of everything. From the ancient land running from a demon, to falling through the deepest weightless waters alongside a god.

Speaking of the gods, I really dig the appearances and the way they all appear and glide through the pages. Not often that we get to see a bunch of godly beings on page that aren’t the Asgardians or Olympians that are just mostly white dudes with a little variety thrown in. The Ennead (East African Pantheon) and Orisha (West African Pantheon) have such distinctive cool looks, and I’m down to see more of them.

Like most books in this event, the color palate is a darker one here. Naturally, since the world is covered in artificial darkness at this point. Dalhouse is no stranger to Wakandan books, and it shows in a lot of the choices made for the various spaces/realms on display. Even with the heavier shadows and darker tones, there are moments where he finds space to sprinkle in lighter or vibrant colors. Breaking things up just enough to keep it lively.

As I mentioned before, the amount of exposition is high here. Moments where there are large packed full dialogue balloons all over the page. Sabino makes sure to allow the words as much room as possible to breathe, while getting it all on the page. Little flairs here or there add personality or tone, with the godly beings having the most room for unique visual flavor. This is where some of the color of the issue comes into play, giving each their own special font and colorful balloons.

Black Panther: Blood Hunt #2 is now available from Marvel Comics.