Blade - Challenger of the Supernatural Appreciation 2023

[Jabare]

I'm not sure if this is prep for an MCU debut. That would feel misguided since the new Blade isn't anywhere close to established in the MCU. Having a kid feels like a third or fourth movie storyline.

I didn't have a problem with the first issue. Establishes the characters no surprises. I see several potential similarities with other young Supernatural warriors. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, American Dragon Jake Long, Juniper Lee, Blood the Last Vampire, Teen Wolf etc. etc. We will see where they take things. I'm not going to pretend like the issue wow'd me either. It hit all the spots it needed and gave Bloodline a solid start.

Everyone is assuming this will be a slice of life title or something that should be on Webtoon and I don't think that will be where this story goes. I could be wrong, but given how episode 1 ended Blade's arrival should provide some big fight scenes.

Hopefully this vampire nation storyline wraps up soon I don't want it to drag on forever like Krakoa.

[Handsome men don't lose fights]

The starting premise is insulting enough. The notion that Blade would avoid being in his kid's life to protect her is not only cliched, it undermines everything about his character. Leaving her with no knowledge of vampires, or her heritage? That's not how he'd react. This sounds like a YA fantasy novel. A bad one.

[Jabare]

it's pretty much one of the few options they had. Otherwise, Blade just didn't know she existed for some reason. Or Marvel actually introduces her as a newborn baby which Blade raises along with the mother.

They wanted to give Blade a daughter. He's almost 100 years old (Marvel time) been killing vampires forever, traveling around the world. Only so many options they had to retcon in Bloodline.

Ironically, I think she'd be more popular if she gets a cartoon or a live action appearance. I don't know if she will be embraced by the majority of the current comic readership right away.

[Tracks]

I'm not sure if this is prep for an MCU debut. That would feel misguided since the new Blade isn't anywhere close to established in the MCU. Having a kid feels like a third or fourth movie storyline.

I didn't have a problem with the first issue. Establishes the characters no surprises. I see several potential similarities with other young Supernatural warriors. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, American Dragon Jake Long, Juniper Lee, Blood the Last Vampire, Teen Wolf etc. etc. We will see where they take things. I'm not going to pretend like the issue wow'd me either. It hit all the spots it needed and gave Bloodline a solid start.

Everyone is assuming this will be a slice of life title or something that should be on Webtoon and I don't think that will be where this story goes. I could be wrong, but given how episode 1 ended Blade's arrival should provide some big fight scenes.

Hopefully this vampire nation storyline wraps up soon I don't want it to drag on forever like Krakoa.

I dont think its a storyline man. Aaron in one of his interviews explained that he wanted to set it up to be a new status quo and it's been used in several marvel stories. Moon Knight, Black Widow, Wolverine, that random x-title, Bloodline have all used the vampire state just as the place where vampires are. I'd bet, if anything, they dive deeper into it with the movie on the horizon. Honestly it's the most relevant vampires have been in decades.

[Tracks]

The starting premise is insulting enough. The notion that Blade would avoid being in his kid's life to protect her is not only cliched, it undermines everything about his character. Leaving her with no knowledge of vampires, or her heritage? That's not how he'd react. This sounds like a YA fantasy novel. A bad one.

Could you say more about this? Given that most of his significant others have been killed, it does seem in character to avoid her to protect her so they could live a normal life. I also think, in the marvel universe, she's the first child of a dhampir that's existed, so im not sure they knew if she'd be completely human or not.

[Emperorjones]

I do think Bloodline is planting seeds for Blade's daughter in the MCU. It fits the trend of replacing legacy heroes with younger versions, and while Blade might not be MCU established, he is a known character, and plus, his movie will be coming out right in the midst of the replacements so I could see Marvel making it a part of MCU Blade's series as a way to stand out from the Snipes films as well as pushing this trend.

I did read the first issue of Bloodline and I thought it wasn't bad. Even though I wanted more Blade, I liked that the issue established Brielle, Safron, and Brielle's friendships and school life. That's what a first issue should do. I also surmise that new student Whitney will be a rival and perhaps also a love interest in time. I liked that Safron was brought back into the Blade stories. I liked that Safron and Blade had an understanding regarding Brielle and there doesn't appear to be animosity between them, something like she kept the baby away from him or he walked out on them. I'm also glad, so far, that Brielle is more intrigued by Blade than mad at him. It's strange though that it seems she's never pushed to learn who her dad is in all this time. I liked how the issue took on the microaggressions Brielle is dealing with at school. I also liked that T'Challa was helping Blade out. It's good that T'Challa can be useful in someone else's comic if not his own.

There were some things that didn't work for me. The artwork, while distinct, was iffy for me. I didn't care much for Brielle's design. It's a peeve of mine but it seems like when it comes to Black characters in comics and animation, there can be a tendency to give them different colored hair or eyes, or something beyond the average Black person. This happens with all groups, but I've noticed it used to happen more with Black characters (owning to the fewer numbers of them in comics or cartoons). It feels like it exoticizes and further otherizes characters that already could be considered the other, and it says to me that average Black people (or average looking) can't also be fantastic (which undercuts the alleged goal of having heroes who "look like you"). I also didn't care much for the dialogue with the kids. I'm an old Black Generation Xer, and could be completely wrong about this, but it felt more like invented comic teenspeak than what actual young Black kids today talk like.

I haven't read much of Aaron's Avengers work with Blade, but I have kept up with the Blade one-shots over the last couple years and I didn't get the impression that vampires are hidden like that. So, I didn't get why Brielle was surprised they existed, especially in a world of mutants, Hulks, gods, and Avengers. Further, I was thinking Blade would be in the public eye more now that he's been an Avenger and she would recognize that her mom's "friend" in the picture was a big deal Avenger.

I also didn't buy Safron just letting Brielle go out to kill vampires. Or why Brielle automatically chooses to kill them. This goes beyond the book and into how Marvel has depicted and used vampires, and perhaps needs a change True Blood-style. I think Danny Lore had the right instinct to get Brielle into the action, but just wish it had come about a different way, more of like the first attack depicted in the story than Brielle going out hunting, and especially on her own.

All in all, a good start for me. I'm glad Blade wasn't disrespected, and I will have to temper my desire to see more of him. This is Brielle's story. Though ironically if this series was Blade: Father of Bloodline, there would be internet demands to make the story all about Brielle, whereas I can see the demand that Blade be sidelined or strictly kept as a supporting character, if that, in this book.

[Jabare]

I encourage you to read Blade's arc in Avengers, issues #12 through #17.

and maybe the Ghost Rider arc as well.

Marvel is so inconsistent with vampires. I don't think they care. It's one of my biggest pet peeves.

[Anthony W]

I encourage you to read Blade's arc in Avengers, issues #12 through #17.

and maybe the Ghost Rider arc as well.

Marvel is so inconsistent with vampires. I don't think they care. It's one of my biggest pet peeves.

Marvel vampires might as well be zombies. Unfortunately you can't treat them like real (can't believe I said that) vampires because then the Vampire Nation (which no nation on Earth would actually stand for by the way) becomes too overpowered

[Handsome men don't lose fights]

Marvel vampires might as well be zombies. Unfortunately you can't treat them like real (can't believe I said that) vampires because then the Vampire Nation (which no nation on Earth would actually stand for by the way) becomes too overpowered

They apparently have cordial diplomatic relations with Krakoa. So, I guess the X-Office forgot that Krakoa had cooked up a plan with otherworld to wipe out Dracula's line back in X of Swords.

[Anthony W]

They apparently have cordial diplomatic relations with Krakoa. So, I guess the X-Office forgot that Krakoa had cooked up a plan with otherworld to wipe out Dracula's line back in X of Swords.

Where are The Inhumans? Marvel should give them a title. Unfortunately they are a royal family and Marvel hates those.

[Photon Torme]

Ironman
Wasp
Jean Grey
Storm
Wolvie
Quicksilver
Hawkeye
Monet

[king of hybrids]

In fairness, there’s a slightly more obvious practical problem with the Vampire Nation that probably explains why no one wants to use it

[Rzerox21xx]

In fairness, there’s a slightly more obvious practical problem with the Vampire Nation that probably explains why no one wants to use it

the real life Russian invasion of Ukraine I assume.

[Anthony W]

the real life Russian invasion of Ukraine I assume.

But Marvel comics were always political

[Tracks]

In fairness, there’s a slightly more obvious practical problem with the Vampire Nation that probably explains why no one wants to use it

To clarify, though, a lot of stories have used to Vampire Nation since it was introduced. Was just reference in Moon Knight, Executioners, and Bloodline in the last couple weeks.