Bloodlines #6 (of 6) Preview and Discussion

[PyroTwilight]

BLOODLINES #6: “GROUND ZERO”
Written by J.T. KRUL
Art by V KEN MARION and SEAN PARSONS
Cover by V KEN MARION
Face-to-face with the monstrous alien entity that started it all, even if Eddie and the others win, they lose. For them, tomorrow may never come. And even if it does, will they want to live to see it?
On sale SEPTEMBER 7 • 32 pg, 6 of 6, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

Preview here. CBR doesn't seem to have it up yet.

http://www.adventuresinpoortaste.com...-bloodlines-6/

Issues out tomorrow. I've been morbidly curious as to how this mini would conclude. Especially since so much still seems left unresolved as of issue 5. Particularly with Faith/Anima.

[Powertool]

Personally speaking, I was more worried at the end of issue #4, when the mind-controlling pastor and, seemingly, another subplot was introduced. Luckily, the new player appearing on stage folded quite well in the overall "who/what started the epidemic?" in quite a clean way. My main cause of concern is the abysmal sales data, which make a part II to this mini very, very unlikely. The Faith/Anima angle could have worked well as a cliffhanger for the very last page of the sixth issue, but the uncertain future of this franchise might have persuaded Krul to go for a very bittersweet ending and have the Bloodlines defeating the girl AND the central parasite mind but dying in the process.

[alton]

Personally speaking, I was more worried at the end of issue #4, when the mind-controlling pastor and, seemingly, another subplot was introduced. Luckily, the new player appearing on stage folded quite well in the overall "who/what started the epidemic?" in quite a clean way. My main cause of concern is the abysmal sales data, which make a part II to this mini very, very unlikely. The Faith/Anima angle could have worked well as a cliffhanger for the very last page of the sixth issue, but the uncertain future of this franchise might have persuaded Krul to go for a very bittersweet ending and have the Bloodlines defeating the girl AND the central parasite mind but dying in the process.

I stuck this one out after the appalling first issue with it's blood spattered party balloons. I thought the rest of it tended to drag on and took too long to get to the point but this conclusion issue wrapped things up quite well. I am disappointed it didn't do well because it doesn't bode well for future projects of this type whether or not we see more Bloodlines. So it goes in DC and the Bat fans who won't buy anything else. Was this an attempt to emulate Valiants Harbinger title?

[Powertool]

I stuck this one out after the appalling first issue with it's blood spattered party balloons. I thought the rest of it tended to drag on and took too long to get to the point but this conclusion issue wrapped things up quite well. I am disappointed it didn't do well because it doesn't bode well for future projects of this type whether or not we see more Bloodlines. So it goes in DC and the Bat fans who won't buy anything else. Was this an attempt to emulate Valiants Harbinger title?

I don't know, never followed Valiant in any of its incarnations. What I know for sure is that this mini-series left me with the desire to see more from these characters, which is the best thing that can happen to a limited series and at the same time the worst, since the chances of a follow-up featuring the country boys going to Big Blue's city are very, very low. Still, if JT Krul ever writes a Bloodlines II: the Bloodening (speculative title), those issues will be mine.

[alton]

I don't know, never followed Valiant in any of its incarnations. What I know for sure is that this mini-series left me with the desire to see more from these characters, which is the best thing that can happen to a limited series and at the same time the worst, since the chances of a follow-up featuring the country boys going to Big Blue's city are very, very low. Still, if JT Krul ever writes a Bloodlines II: the Bloodening (speculative title), those issues will be mine.

Not only does this remind me of the first yr. of Harbinger but to me was another rehash of Ravagers which was potentially a better book. That I believe ran longer and had more time to develop. Of course nobody liked that book either. It mixed Wildstorm with a green Beastboy which all the Teen Titans fans hated.It's in trade and worth your time as well as JSA Allstars which made it to #18 but not enough to continue onward.You may like that as well. As I said earlier Vol.1 of Valiants Harbinger is worth checking out. To me if Bloodlines were to continue the gratuitous violence at the birthday party it has to have a better context especially since we never got to see where Krul was going with Faith/Anima.

[Powertool]

Not only does this remind me of the first yr. of Harbinger but to me was another rehash of Ravagers which was potentially a better book. That I believe ran longer and had more time to develop. Of course nobody liked that book either. It mixed Wildstorm with a green Beastboy which all the Teen Titans fans hated.It's in trade and worth your time as well as JSA Allstars which made it to #18 but not enough to continue onward.You may like that as well. As I said earlier Vol.1 of Valiants Harbinger is worth checking out. To me if Bloodlines were to continue the gratuitous violence at the birthday party has to have a better context especially since we never got to see where Krul was going with Faith/Anima.

I also remember Ravagers: spawned from a cross-title event that managed to disappoint or outright infuriate everyone who read it, it proved that Caitlyn Fairchild doesn't work as a character doesn't work if stripped of her context as a Gen13 member, that the editorial and creators were seriously out of ideas for Rose Wilson, that Ravagers is a horrible name for a superhero team, that if you're not Chris Claremont or equivalent you shouldn't take four new entries and staple them together with two pre-existing characters in a team book and that Nineties-style team books (because, let's face it, the Ravagers as a whole exuded Nineties tropes) need a really good base concept to thrive, since the public is a lot less naive than 20 years ago. I'm always open-minded when it comes to new titles, but the tombstone for that comic was ready by the time the first issue came out.

Personally I was a lot more intrigued by the progression of events in Bloodlines, since the idea of narrating the protagonists' vicissitudes in the context of an out-and-out epidemic (complete with touches of horror, splatter and gore) contributed to build a sense of anxiety about the final outcome, with the chances of everything going down the drainer rising from issue to issue. Quite a different approach from the original Bloodlines event from the Nineties, where the central theme was -- was -- I dunno, creating a cheap new bunch of superheroes, throwing them towards a wall and see what stuck? There's a reason why it's not remembered fondly, after all.

I also remember very well JSA All-Stars, but I don't see many things in common between it and Bloodlines, since the former was created to give space to a part of the Society's (very inflated) membership, while the latter features only new characters. Reworked versions of original cast, sure, but still quite different from them. And about Faith/Anima, it's clear that she was intended from the beginning as the sequel hook for the first mini. The biggest challenge for Krul will be making it a Doc Brown asking for Marty and girlfriend's help to fix the future of their family, rather than a Daisy appearing in the very end to bring Mario & Luigi back to the other dimension.

[alton]

I also remember Ravagers: spawned from a cross-title event that managed to disappoint or outright infuriate everyone who read it, it proved that Caitlyn Fairchild doesn't work as a character doesn't work if stripped of her context as a Gen13 member, that the editorial and creators were seriously out of ideas for Rose Wilson, that Ravagers is a horrible name for a superhero team, that if you're not Chris Claremont or equivalent you shouldn't take four new entries and staple them together with two pre-existing characters in a team book and that Nineties-style team books (because, let's face it, the Ravagers as a whole exuded Nineties tropes) need a really good base concept to thrive, since the public is a lot less naive than 20 years ago. I'm always open-minded when it comes to new titles, but the tombstone for that comic was ready by the time the first issue came out.

Personally I was a lot more intrigued by the progression of events in Bloodlines, since the idea of narrating the protagonists' vicissitudes in the context of an out-and-out epidemic (complete with touches of horror, splatter and gore) contributed to build a sense of anxiety about the final outcome, with the chances of everything going down the drainer rising from issue to issue. Quite a different approach from the original Bloodlines event from the Nineties, where the central theme was -- was -- I dunno, creating a cheap new bunch of superheroes, throwing them towards a wall and see what stuck? There's a reason why it's not remembered fondly, after all.

I also remember very well JSA All-Stars, but I don't see many things in common between it and Bloodlines, since the former was created to give space to a part of the Society's (very inflated) membership, while the latter features only new characters. Reworked versions of original cast, sure, but still quite different from them. And about Faith/Anima, it's clear that she was intended from the beginning as the sequel hook for the first mini. The biggest challenge for Krul will be making it a Doc Brown asking for Marty and girlfriend's help to fix the future of their family, rather than a Daisy appearing in the very end to bring Mario & Luigi back to the other dimension.

Yeah I have a tendancy to hop on these DC off shoots with out knowing the previous runs and contexts but still enjoy them for what they are. I mentioned JSA Allstars because the thrust of it seemed to be a younger team concept. Maybe you wouldn't like Harbingers but it's darker in tone like Bloodlines. I usually don't follow teens in Spandex but do these DC offshoot runs to read something different. Only to see them die in 6-12 issues.

[PyroTwilight]

Yeah. It ended largely in the best way it could. Like many horror stories before it the immediate threat was seemingly over (but may return) and an uncertain future is established for everyone.

But man. I'm starting to think Krul thinks kids are pure evil. XD You go Faith.

But dang it all if I'm not going to miss Gunfire.

[J. D. Guy]

Even later than my last post, but super pleased to see someone else was actually enjoying this mini and looking forward to the issues as they came. As unlikely as it might be, I do indeed hope for a part 2 to be sprung.

For the record, I actually like the 90's Bloodlines event for the most part. And yes, I aware that the similarities are relatively fleeting, but I ended up enjoying this series, too, anyway.

That 2-pronged uncertain ending, though. At least there's a ray of hope.

Yeah. It ended largely in the best way it could. Like many horror stories before it the immediate threat was seemingly over (but may return) and an uncertain future is established for everyone.

But man. I'm starting to think Krul thinks kids are pure evil. XD You go Faith.

But dang it all if I'm not going to miss Gunfire.

That dude was such a bro, wasn't he? Sad to see him go, 'cause I would have liked for him to have interacted with the younger kids more, especially Albert. [/meimplyingthatasequelisguaranteed]