In spite of the moderate success Blade has had on the big screen over the past decade, he’s always been a bit of an enigma in the comic book world. The Paul Giamatti of Marvel, always the better supporting character than star, the day walker has always had an arduous time keeping his own runs above water, resulting in small adventures in both terms of quantity and scope.
However, between the writing skill of Marc Guggenheim, known for his style and pizzazz with characters the likes of the Flash and Wolverine and decent visuals by Howard Chaykin [New Avengers, The Shadow] this latest rendition of everyone’s favorite vampire hunter, “Blade: Sins of the Father†is a more than worthy foray into the characters history and one that you will remember in spite of a few flaws.
Teaming up with Hannibal King, you know, the wise cracking vampire hunter, that too is a vampire [he was played by Ryan Reynolds in “Blade: Trinityâ€], the reluctant blood-sucking duo travel across the world in hopes that a prophecy uncovered by Blade’s father is a faux. What they end up stumbling across instead ultimately is more than they bargained for and becomes a tale unlike many that have been told before in the series.
Feeling like a buddy-comedy, combined with an Indiana Jones-esque style of adventure, the five issues that make up this graphic novel [Blade #7-12] are fun to read and will keep you entertained throughout. The relationship between Blade and King is an interesting one is dissect, as they are both incredibly loyal to one another, while simultaneously on each others bad side throughout the trade. King, always known for his antics, is on top of his game each step of the way, while Blade proves he’s more than just a mono-syllabic vampire-killing machine. Through this, we see Guggenheim’s ability to bring wit and charm to a character that was never known for it, while never-changing the character to an extreme where he isn’t recognizable to hardcore fans.
Because of this, for readers who have yet to be bit by the Blade bug, this is an excellent place to pick it up. Add in beautiful cover pages by Marko Djurdevic and you’ll be enticed even more to pick this baby up and take her home with you.
Unfortunately, the art work of Chaykin never takes your breath away the same way as Guggenheim’s writing does. Looking extremely early ’90s [some hardcore fans will believe they are looking at a Toxic Avenger or a Ghost Rider comic from ’91 when they see these illustrations], Chaykin’s artwork is somewhat throwback and even though it’s polished and pretty, it doesn’t exactly suit the story. In spite of the dark undertones of the series, things are a bit too muddy and at times, take away from the writing. Nevertheless, it’s not enough of a drawback to eliminate the quality of this book as a whole.
Overall, behind Guggenheim’s pen, Blade is as cool as he’s ever been and even with Chaykin’s “unfitting,†yet solid artwork, “Blade:Sins of the Father†is a quality trade paperback.
Leave a Reply