Advance Review – ‘Blood & Thunder’ #4 Takes A Detour And It’s Too Much, Too Soon
by Tom Smithyman
Stories often have their detours. An intense scene or chapter gives way to something completely different – maybe a character study or a new setting with characters that haven’t yet been introduced.
Those diversions must be carefully thought out and executed. Of course, they must also serve some higher storytelling purpose and come in at the right moment.
That’s why the latest issue of Blood & Thunder seems to come out of nowhere. Save for the unrelated cover, the two main characters – the bounty hunter Blood and her intelligent weapon Thunder – are no where to be seen in this fourth issue. They aren’t even hinted at.
I was so confused a few pages in, that I though that Image Comics had sent the wrong issue. Also, this wasn’t a mistake. Rather, it was planned. And the young series suffers for it.
First, Benito Cereno’s script needs some help. It certainly doesn’t start out very well. Cereno seems to be trying to set up a Victorian-era scientific community located on an alien world where humans have taken over. OK fine. But the dialogue is so stilted that it comes off as hokey.
Pro tip — Don’t start off your comic book with phrases like: “You fiend!” and “Back, you monstrosity!” unless you are going for humor.
The rest of this story follows a scientist trying to crack a mystery of alien vampires. Apparently, the idea of a vampire has been lost to humanity centuries in the future, which makes it even more frustrating to contemporary readers.
E.J. Su’s artwork isn’t nearly as exciting as it could be in the initial pages that show a struggle with an alien. And his faces – the human ones anyway – aren’t that expressive. But some of his cityscapes and building interiors are impressive and serve as high points for the issue.
All that aside, it’s the lack of connection back to the main story that hurts the most. Few readers will argue that this series has a lot of momentum going into its fourth issue, but any forward motion it did show has dissipated. Yes, there’s been an interesting thread about forbidden books in earlier chapters that may connect to what’s happening this time, but it’s thin. Hopefully it will pay off soon before the audience decides to take a detour of their own.
Blood & Thunder #4 will be available at comic book shops and digital platforms on Wednesday, August 13 from Image.
Overview
This relatively new series takes a hard right turn way too early in its run. The result is an entire issue without the main character and seemingly no connection to the previous story. It’s an unnecessary interlude that will only serve to alienate readers.