After the events of Blood Hunt, Blade is left with a lot of baggage to deal with. Possessed by Varnae, he leads an army of vampires, but barely survives. Blade tries to reclaim his own soul: Redband #1 tries to give Blade peace, or at least as much peace as he can get, before his troubles rear their heads.
Author Brian Hill has good pacing and attitude when writing Blade, and it’s evident from the first few pages. The story doesn’t move quickly, but to the beat of its own drum. It helps establish the book’s identity and stay invested.
In the beginning, Blade tries to reset himself while punishing himself for what he has done. His penance is to avoid killing the monster and stick his hand into a roaring fire. Enough time is spent showing that he feels really strong guilt and anger over what happened, but eventually the monster comes along.
This monster details the threat associated with magic-using vampires. He is not interested in any kind of work, but is curious and begins to learn more. Blade, who was taken away to another country, is more curious than actively trying to help anyone or solve problems. That is until his own life is in danger. Hill and artist CF Villa remind us of the Blade’s ability to respond in kind to threats.
Blade is going through something.
Credit: Marvel
Hill doesn’t miss a beat in “Blade,” writing well through captions and dialogue. This is a character who lives with his own darkness and does the right thing, but isn’t afraid to take some heads off if necessary.
As an issue with the red band, I found it lacking – the gore isn’t really all that heavy. A gruesome-looking man being tortured is driving it, but a few severed heads aren’t necessarily suitable for adults.
That’s not to say the art is bad. Villa brings kinetic energy to the fight scenes. The blade moves efficiently and quickly like a samurai, and Villa captures that speed well. Combined with color artist Java Tartaglia, the book has a gritty feel that fits Blade’s current thinking.
Slightly slower, Blade: Red Band is a great start to an adventure in which Blade finds himself after a disastrous Blood Hunt event and defeats some unique vampires. This book focuses on Blade and delivers new adventures that longtime fans will feel right at home with.
Blade: Red Band #1 captures the protagonist’s swagger well
Blade: Red Band #1
Slightly slower, Blade: Red Band is a great start to an adventure in which Blade finds himself after a disastrous Blood Hunt event and defeats some unique vampires. This book focuses on Blade and delivers new adventures that longtime fans will love.
Hill clearly understands this character well
Establish a new kind of vampire to be killed
Blade’s swagger is spot on.
Overall the pacing is a little slow with only a few total scenes
For a red band, the gore has never been this intense.
